Two weeks of camp-like activities — Undergraduate Orientation and Senior Week — bookend what many say are the best four years of your life. Whether this common sentiment actually holds water and is not just something said by old people trying to sound all nostalgic is up for debate, but what isn't is that you should make the most of this unique time.
Orientation is one of the few times where you have the opportunity to meet thousands of new people who are actually interested in talking to you, too. It's a fresh start, with opportunities as varied as you can imagine. But sooner than you expect, your time at Tufts will come to a close and you'll wish you could repeat these years ad nauseam like Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day" (1993).
Unless your zany, National Lampoon-style plan to stay in college forever actually succeeds, you'll have to leave the Hill one day — so seize the experience while you can, especially during your first months on campus when you're still finding your place in the Tufts community.
If you've participated in a pre-orientation program, great: You may have made several lifelong friends already (most likely not). If you haven't, no sweat: There are still plenty of options to get to know people beyond those living near you.
Take advantage of those first few weeks when it's socially acceptable to sit down at a dining hall table with complete strangers and begin a totally random conversation. But beware, they might turn out to be sophomores or upperclassmen: It could be awkward, although most likely they'll gladly talk to you, too — and maybe even give you some tips on trick-turning and textbook shopping.
Most importantly, step outside your comfort zone and try something new. Whether it's signing up for a new intramural sport, staying up late to debate philosophical theories with the international student on your hall or enrolling in a class on a topic about which you know nothing, you've only got eight quick semesters in the melting pot of ideas, people and awesomeness that is your undergraduate years (and chances are, you'll go abroad for one of those terms).
Go to the Fall Activities Fair during the second week of classes and sign up for as many e-lists as you can, even if a club doesn't seem like your cup of tea at first. Who knows, that budding engineer inside you might harbor some mean salsa moves or have an undiscovered natural talent for mime.
Don't think that you have the next four years planned out perfectly before you set foot in your first college lecture. More likely than not, you'll find a calling you never imagined you would. Don't be afraid to follow that calling even if it means switching your major late in your academic career.
So squeeze as many general interest meetings into your schedule as possible, and take time to get to know your amazing fellow Jumbos. If your friends are going into Boston to check out a jazz club or a museum exhibit, go with them. Missing one frat party (or class, for that matter) won't kill you.
Eventually, you'll learn what you truly want to devote your time to during your four years at Tufts.
