I still remember how I felt when I first stepped foot on Tufts’ campus. It was one of the admitted student days (Jumbo Days, as they’re lovingly coined), and everyone around me was practically buzzing with excitement. Despite the windy April chill, all of the students were eager to get a tour of campus and see what life was like for a Jumbo.
There were so many reasons to enjoy the visit — the complimentary Panera breakfast and the free lanyards, to name a few. But what really made the visit special was the tour guide. He was a senior studying history, something that appealed to my humanities-oriented heart. What most impressed me, though, was when he talked about studying abroad for the entirety of his junior year at the University of Oxford. I remember my mom nudging me with her elbow, a knowing smile on her face. She knew that I dreamed of traveling to the U.K. At that moment, my heart was set. I was going to Tufts.
Now, here I am, four years later — not just as a Tufts student, but as a student worker for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. I’m a triple threat: a tour guide, a customer service assistant — which we simply call a CSA — and a former summer admissions intern. You could say I was thoroughly inspired, but what does it take to leave a lasting impact on prospective students? How do students at the Office of Admissions inspire the next generation of Jumbos?
The office is full of students coming from all around the world, with unique perspectives, academic interests and extracurricular niches.
Perhaps the most public-facing role that students in the office can hold is that of tour guide. At least once a week, these students guide prospective students and their families around campus, pointing out all of the hot spots. As tour guides, we have to know everything about anything, and as a result, I’m known among my friends as the person with infinite Tufts-related knowledge.
No one gives more Tufts tours than my coworker, junior Silas Summers. You’ll find Silas checking in for his tours in Dowling Hall at least two to three times a week.
“For a long, long time, I’ve always given tours,” he said. “I’ve given tours [of] my middle school, of my high school. … I like to talk about what I like to do and hopefully … include other people as well a part of it.”
For Summers, working for the admissions office is one of his most significant extracurricular activities at Tufts.
“A lot of people do know me for doing tours on campus,” he said. “It’s definitely a big part of what I do.”
As much as we tour guides enjoy our roles on campus, there are certainly some skeptics as to the authenticity of our stories. There is a common misconception that college tour guides simply recite a script filled with blatant praise of their universities. Recently, The Daily Tar Heel — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s student newspaper — reported that a tour guide was “placed on temporary leave” after a surprise tour evaluator wrote her up for sharing an anecdote that “felt negative.”
This story was especially shocking for me to read, as it was so different from my experience at Tufts. Sure, we get a recommended route and outline, but ultimately, we get to choose what to say. When we say something positive, it’s because we really mean it, not because we are told to say it.
It’s not just me who believes this, either. Alexa Santa Cruz — a junior who gave tours this past summer as a part of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ summer internship — similarly cites this genuineness.
“As a first-gen student, being transparent is always super important to me, so I like to keep it as real as I possibly can,” she said. “I think a lot of students appreciate that.”
So yes, let the rumor mill cease: We aren’t reciting propaganda — we share our true experiences. We know it’s effective, too, because many students end up reaching out to say just that.
“I’ve definitely gotten a few emails after my tours [from] people that I’ve given tours to,” Summers said.
Like Summers, Santa Cruz, too, enjoys hearing from students who were on her tours.
“I did get recognition in a lot of students’ ‘Why Tufts?’ [essays], so I’m happy that people like what I have to say and are enjoying my experiences,” she said.
Maybe you get a celebratory email from these students announcing that they were accepted, maybe you see them in line at The Sink or maybe you even become good friends. Regardless, it’s always nice to learn that you may have played a role in determining which college prospective students matriculate.
Similarly, the CSAs at the Dowling Hall welcome desk can have a huge impact on this decision. As CSAs, we set the tone of the visit, curating a welcoming environment for all prospective students and their families. Not only do we check students in, we also share personal anecdotes and give recommendations for places to visit on campus or locations to grab a quick bite to eat.
“This is a really good role for me because I get to talk with people about a place that I’m super excited about,” sophomore Lauren Rummler, a fellow CSA, said. “I can really see it on their faces when we have good conversations. … I do really hope that they continue their application process [after their visit] and that we are truly inspiring the … next generation of Tufts [students].”
Of course, one of the most exciting times for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is Jumbo Month. Just like me, Rummler recalls feeling excited about attending a Jumbo Day during her senior year of high school, so she feels especially nostalgic now that she is on the other side of the event.
“Jumbo Days [are] so awesome,” she said. “I [get] to talk with a bunch of prospective students who got in and see their excitement about the whole process. I remember when I went to Jumbo [Day], I met a lot of friends. It was a great time.”
A lot of the work put into organizing Jumbo Days is completed by undergraduate interns. Santa Cruz, who also works as a general intern for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, talked about the effort that goes on behind the scenes to ensure smooth operations, including organizing the Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center, placing balloons around campus, setting up water and catering and even folding the T-shirts for admitted students.
“I did my first [Jumbo Day] last Friday, and that was really fun. … It was [also] very hectic,” Santa Cruz said. “I worked from 6:30 in the morning till 4:30, so it was a long, long day.”
The Jumbo Day tours are especially unique, as we are able to talk more about “student life” rather than “statistics,” as Summers puts it. And thank goodness for that — or else I wouldn’t have known about Oxford University from my tour guide.
Yes, not only did I follow in my tour guide’s (literal) footsteps by doing the same job, but I also attended the same study abroad program as him.
But just wait, because it gets even crazier. One day, my friend Laëtitia and I were discussing our Oxford tutorials, and she mentioned in passing that she was being taught by a former Jumbo. Out of curiosity, I asked her to show me a picture. Imagine my surprise when I was met with the face of my former tour guide, Haitong Du (LA’22). Some internet sleuthing later, we quickly confirmed that the timeline added up. Laëtitia tried to convince me to send a cold email, but I was too afraid of bugging him.
She worked her magic, though, because a few days later, he reached out to me directly. While he claimed to only remember it “vaguely,” he was still able to recall the exact date of my tour. Crazy, right?
“You might find this strange, but I feel like your tour really influenced my college career,” I wrote back.
While we may not always realize it, our impact as student workers for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is truly astounding, and my Tufts trajectory is a testament to that.
As I reflect on my four years at Tufts, I feel extraordinarily grateful for everyone who made my Jumbo Day experience so wonderful, as it played an important role in my decision — not just my tour guide, but the CSAs who checked me in, the interns who woke up early to set up and, of course, the Campus Visit Coordinator, Pam (the best boss ever!). Now, as I begin my final stretch of tours, I hope to do my part in showing off what makes this place so great.
