"Where are you from?" "Where do you live?" People hear these questions everyday, from friends, peers, professors, and just about anyone else at Tufts. Some people will answer that they come from a few hours' drive away, some from across the country, and some from across the world. Occasionally, however, a student's home lies much closer to Tufts - sometimes so close that they venture no further than down the street to get to class everyday.
Commuter students form a small, yet visible part of the Tufts student body. According to Veronica Carter, coordinator of the commuter program, Tufts has a very small percentage of commuters: one year the office was surprised to have a record number of 24 students.
"We are a residential campus," Carter said.
A commuter is a student who opts out of the mandatory freshman-year housing contract in order to live at home or in an otherwise-approved residence. Carter said that it is difficult to estimate the number of commuting students at any one time because of a lack of concrete statistics. The only way to track the number of commuters each year is to track how many new students do not partake in freshman housing.
Freshman John Lee said that being a commuter is a strain on his Tufts experience, and he tries to spend as much time on campus as possible to make up for it. Lee feels that socially, being a commuter has some setbacks that most residential student take for granted.
"I'm a very social person, and not being able to stay up all night with friends or have suitemates hinders my experience," Lee said. "I still make friends, but it's different with no one to chill in my dorm or to go dining halls with."
According to the Student Services office, commuter students are encouraged to get involved in campus social functions, and attend activities in dormitories. Student Services also claims that residential students are urged to attend events at Hillside House - a facility designated for commuter students.
In addition to the lack of participation in social activities, commuters encounter a slightly different academic experience than their residential peers. Commuters do not have access to some of the amenities readily accessible to residential students.
"Not being able to have a dorm, or stay in the library really late every night definitely affects my academic performance," Lee said. "Also, yes, I miss Tufts' super-fast internet connection."
Moreover, Lee said that there are no benefits to being a commuter. According to him, commuters are often called "townies" and looked down upon by residential students.
Sophomore Matt Gasbarro, a Medford resident, chose not to commute. Instead, he lives in a Tufts dorm located only five blocks from his home.
"If I decided to live at home, then I would be missing out both in the social scene of Tufts and also academics," Gasbarro said. "It would be a burden if I needed help on my schoolwork since there would be no one I could ask for help."
Tufts provides a program in order to offset some of these added burdens that commuters may experience.
"We have a commuter program for orientation - [there's] also a special reception for the parents," Carter said. The program is meant to help commuters better acclimate to Tufts; Carter called it a "nice program, but very small."
In addition to the special orientation, Tufts provides a facility for commuters to cook, store their belongings in between classes, or just hang out. The fifteen-room Hillside House also allows for commuters to stay overnight on occasion.
Commuters are entitled to a special meal plan that is not available to other residential undergraduate students. Instead of having to purchase the unlimited, 220-, or 160-meal plans, the commuter meal plan, originally offered only to graduate students, allows students to buy their meals in blocks of 10 meals for $80.
In addition to these services, Tufts also has the Off-Hill Council, an organization founded in 1963 in order to help coordinate social, athletic, and academic events for both commuting and residential students.
