There’s much splendor surrounding graduation: the glitz and glamor of the senior gala, the intimate community bonding at the baccalaureate and, of course, the proud walk across the stage to receive one’s hard-earned diploma. Fifth-year students at Tufts have the opportunity to attend most of these events alongside their classmates. Unlike their peers, however, they also carry the knowledge that they will return to campus next year, while most of their friends enter a new stage of life.
The fifth-year student population at Tufts consists primarily of two programs: the SMFA combined degree program and the GSAS Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program. The SMFA combined degree is recognized for its rigorous credit requirements. To graduate, students must fulfill both the studio requirements for the Bachelor of Fine Arts and the academic requirements for either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science.
Newt Gordon-Rein, a fifth-year student who transferred into the program sophomore year, did not originally consider themself an artist but was drawn to the combined degree for the flexibility it offers. Within the program, Gordon-Rein explores their passion for both sculpture and physics, while also pursuing an English minor.
“I have a lot of divided interests,” Gordon-Rein said. “I’m kind of merging the ideas of craft and art.”
Despite the difficulty of the program, Gordon says it has boosted their self-conviction.
“There are a lot of opportunities to take split undergrad [and] grad-level classes and be exposed to a lot of different levels of students — that is what made [my experience] confidence-inspiring,” Gordon said. “Honestly, it’s been very hard, but it’s been very rewarding because I know that I’m doing hard stuff, and I know that I signed up for it, and I actually have done it, and it's nice to be able to prove myself to myself.”
Like Gordon-Rein, current fifth-year student Zoe Haralambidis is a combined degree student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. Starting the program as a first-year, Haralambidis looks back on her experience with gratitude and pride. With additional interests in theater and the performing arts, Haralambidis said the five-year timeline allowed her to explore a wide range of passions.
“I’m really glad I did it in five years. I know a lot of people try to do it in four-and-a-half or four years, and it’s really rushed,” Haralambidis said. “[In] my first year, I didn’t know I wanted to be a math major, so I started the math major a little bit later. But next semester, I don’t really have a lot of requirements, and [my schedule will] be pretty open, so I’m trying to take interesting classes that I wouldn’t have had the chance to take, which I’m really excited about.”
Haralambidis also shared how her two degrees have unexpectedly intertwined.
“I feel like [math and art] are really connected, and I feel like a lot of the people I’ve met in the math department, especially on the pure and theoretical side, are very creative and artistic, and I think there’s a lot of art to it,” Haralambidis said. “[Math has] completely changed how I think, and I think it’s influenced my practice a lot. … It weaves its way into my work, just through my process and everything.”
The Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program allows four-year undergraduates to continue their studies within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to earn two degrees upon completion. Ezenwanyi “Ezey” Duru, a fifth-year student pursuing a Master of Science in Data Analytics, was attracted to the program because it offered both flexibility and time to plan her next steps.
“I just decided to apply to [it to] have another opportunity in case a full-time offer doesn’t come, or [if] I’m not interested in the full-time job. … But, honestly, I think it’s been the best decision so far. I’ve really enjoyed being at Tufts for another year. I feel like it allows me to really transition out of school,” Duru said. “So, long story short, I did not know I always wanted to do [the program], but when I did do it, I think it was the best decision.”
The program is not without its flaws, however. Haralambidis stated that she found balancing both degrees was challenging, and she only truly found her rhythm in her fourth year.
“There’s a lot of misconceptions about the combined degree, which is why I think a lot of my friends dropped it,” Haralambidis said. “If you want to succeed, it’s a lot of balance and making sacrifices. I would recommend [the program] if you really love both things you’re studying.”
Gordon-Rein agreed, adding that they’ve recently been devoting more time to the arts but still find studying physics a refreshing retreat.
“I can take a break from my math homework by doing some art, and then when I get tired with art, I can take a break by doing some math,” Gordon said.
A larger issue for Gordon-Rein is Tufts’ inability to provide adequate advising for credit management and transfer. Combined degree students are provided with an advisor for the BFA and another for the BA/BS — located respectively at the SMFA campus and in Medford/Somerville. This dual structure can make direct communication cumbersome, especially since there is no dedicated advisor for the combined program.
“My pre-major advisor … was just a person in the English faculty who was assigned a certain number of students. And then I went to him and was like, ‘What should I strategically do?’ And he was like, ‘Do things you enjoy. Shop around and make sure you're having a good time.’ God bless his heart, but it would have made my life easier if I actually had a plan from the beginning and was fulfilling distribution requirements,” Gordon-Rein said.
Despite navigating demanding course loads, Gordon-Rein, Haralambidis and Duru all expressed satisfaction with their social involvement on campus during their fifth years.
Gordon-Rein noted that they remain close with their peers who have graduated. “We persevere, we prioritize schoolwork and nobody disappears. A lot of people are still around — they’re just not in school.”
Duru added that although social disconnection was one of her greatest fears entering her fifth year, her social circle actually expanded. She maintains close contact with her former classmates and has leveraged the extra time to deepen her connections with clubs and past acquaintances.
“I hosted a birthday party earlier this summer, and then when I was moving houses. … I was hosting a moving-out party, even though I was gonna be on campus,” Duru said. “But that was a way of [bringing] other people from undergrad [and my] current friends together.”
Duru also mentioned that, given the increased workload, the tightening of everyone’s schedules left more alone time for reflection and self-improvement: “It allows you to be more [focused] on yourself and your goals — [on] what you’re looking forward to in the future.”
Overall, Tufts’ five-year programs offer students a valuable opportunity to push their intellectual limits and explore their next steps with freedom and limited pressure.
“I advise anybody who’s looking at [the program] — just apply,” Duru said. “Don’t say no to an experience that could open doors for you.”
