Bonnie Rose Schulman and Mitch Steorts aren't your typical college freshmen. Amidst thousands of students who entered Tufts directly after high school and plan to continue through the standard four-year experience, these two have slightly different plans. In four years time, Schulman and Steorts will be able to say they've done something a bit more off track than taking classes, going to frat parties, and eating at Denise's.
Schulman entered Tufts after a year in Israel on the Young Judea Year Course. The program says its main goals is "to enable participants to grow as human beings, as Jews, as Zionists, and as leaders." Schulman first became involved in Young Judea through her summer camp and later headed a chapter of the national Zionist organization at her New York high school. But by senior year, Schulman still wanted to remain involved. Going to Israel seemed like the obvious move.
"I was already involved in the organization; many of my friends were going on the program, and it just seemed like a natural course of action. It was definitely an opportunity that I knew would never come again," she said.
While some of her friends from high school were burning the midnight oil at various university libraries around the US, Schulman was teaching English in an Israeli elementary school, though she knew very little Hebrew at the time.
She was living in an immigration center apartment in Karmiel, a small city in northern Israel. On weekends, she was free to explore Israel on her own. But there was plenty of learning, and for three months, Schulman was required to take a course in an area of Jewish history or culture, taught in English - Zionism, Jerusalem history, Jewish Law, or the Holocaust, in addition to mandatory Hebrew classes.
Despite the year of alternative activities, Schulman had very little difficulty acclimating to college life. "Many people who go on the program find it much harder to come back to the states for school, but I found that the nature of the program really prepared me for college," she said.
Socially, Schulman has gotten right into the swing of things. She was not at all bothered by the year away or by entering college with younger classmates than she was used to.
"Sometimes it is funny to think of myself as a year behind my high school friends who are now sophomores in college, but I don't feel at all estranged from the freshman community here at Tufts," Schulman said.
Mitch Steorts could perhaps take some advice now from Bonnie Rose Schulman. After a year of living in Tilton, Steorts will be leaving Tufts for a two-year mission, which some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints consider a duty once a male has reached age 19 (21 for girls). Steorts has some LDS friends who have forgone the mission and others who are currently serving or are planning to in the future.
He is not yet aware of where he will be sent, but has some idea of what he'll be doing. In addition to a tremendous amount of community service, Steorts will take on traditional missionary work by offering to convert people who would like to learn the LDS doctrine and ultimately become baptized as members of the church.
"A lot of the time, people think that missionaries try to force their religion onto people. This is not the case. They simply offer to teach about their religion. If people want to be taught, they are taught," Steorts said.
Unlike Schulman, who spent her year with many of her peers, Steorts will be assigned to a companion, who will change periodically, but who will always accompany him during the mission.
"I will never technically be alone, but I am sure that I will feel alone at times because I did not bring any family or friends with me," Steorts said.
Though he hasn't left yet, Steorts is already considering what it will be like to return to Tufts after such a unique experience. After two years away from classes, Steorts may need to readapt to college academics, and he will have to deal with no longer being in the same class as his current-fellow residents of Tilton.
"I will be in the class of 2006. It will be difficult socially simply because I will have to start all over again... it will be hard to have to start from scratch again, but I did it this year, and I am sure I will be able to do it again," Steorts said.
Friends who have already returned from their missions have advised Steorts not to worry, at least about academics. "They have told me that they feel their mission improved their work ethic, focus, and self discipline... I think, if nothing else, I will come back from my mission more self-disciplined and more focused, so that should help," Steorts said.
In the meantime, the Tufts community has been extremely supportive of Steorts' plans. Though he had fears about leaving his friends, he has found that they have nothing but encouragement and interest when it comes to the mission.
"I initially worried that people would make fun of me for wanting to do this, but no one has so far, and in fact, they have done just the opposite," he said.
The Tufts administration has also been supportive and accommodating in managing Steorts' planned absence. Although Steorts did not alert the University pre-matriculation that he would be taking a two-year absence after a year of school, he said that Tufts has been extremely cooperative.
Steorts is expecting to return for the fall semester of 2003, and will not have to reapply to Tufts. Considering the size of the Mormon population at Tufts, the University's policy about absences when it comes to going on a mission is comparatively flexible in light of the regulations at other universities. At Yale, for example, Mormon students who take an absence to serve on a mission are forced to reapply. Though the vast majority is reaccepted, some Mormons have called the policy unfair. Harvard, on the other hand, has a policy practically identical to that of Tufts, under which students can leave and return without any hassle.
In the meantime, Steorts is enjoying his last days on the Tufts campus for the next two years. He seems to have an admirable attitude when it comes to leaving his fellow Jumbos for some time.
"I look at leaving Tufts for two years in two ways. First, I am going to miss it a lot while I am gone. However, I feel that missing Tufts while I am on my mission will only make it that much more exciting to come back here," he said.
"Second, my mission will be two years where I don't have to worry about chemistry, so why wouldn't I want to go?"
