As I dozed Friday morning, dreaming about the epic all-day Spring Fling party we're throwing at 7-9 Fairmount this Saturday, I was rudely awoken by my roommate, Sancho, slamming on my door and jabbering away about April something or other. As I gathered my wits, I became aware of two distinctly different things: A) I was butt-naked all by myself, and B) it was April Open House. I almost jumped out of bed with joy, birthday suit and all.
April Open House is one of my favorite days here. A bunch of high school seniors trek up to Boston to follow mom and dad around the dining halls and libraries, all the while being pushed to answer the question, "Is Tufts the ‘right place' for me?" And our response? We set up shop on the quad acting as friendly and collegiate as we possibly can. Basically, the whole day is a complete charade, and it's hilarious.
Think back to when you were looking at schools. You probably hustle-bustled off to a whole mess of places that some college adviser or overpriced book said would be a good fit with your grades. You took a dozen campus tours and heard a dozen college spiels that were exactly the same. And somehow, for better or worse, we all ended up here.
As a senior in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to be for the next four years. I still don't, for that matter. The idea that a bunch of kids can get a feel for a school by visiting the campus for a day in mid-April is absurd. Want to know what Tufts is actually like? Come trudge from Dunkin' Donuts to Aidekman in two feet of snow in the middle of winter. Not even just winter, you can do the same thing in late March. But, back on point, this rant isn't about our miserable weather. It's about the absurdity of college selection.
We try to hoodwink these poor kids into believing that at Tufts all their dreams will come true. Really want to get them hooked on the school? Invite them all up for Spring Fling (and the official Spring Fling after party happening at 7-9 Fairmount Saturday night). It'd be great. You have a 100 percent acceptance rate and 100 percent more TEMS calls.
So why, with all this pent-up anti-college rage, do I love April Open House so much? Because who doesn't like being in on a practical joke? Plus, there's usually free food. And on top of that, it's hilarious watching these little children following their parents to every info session while they really just want them to peace out so they can go to one of those raging keggers they've seen on ABC Family's "GRΣΣK" (2007-11). Maybe even that raging kegger happening at 7-9 Fairmount Saturday night.
But trying to sum up Tufts in an info session, a campus tour or even a party is absurd. The school is far too big and amorphous to package into a one-day event. It's classes, sports, Boston, Davis Square, New England winters, the Daily, The Primary Source (not really), Larry Bacow, NQR, The Rez, Tisch, Knives For Sale on Thursday nights at the Burren, TDC, Wilderness, Major:Undecided, LCS, Pizza Days, Bluezones and so much more. Most of all, it's about the friends you make, many of whom you will see at the post-Spring Fling party at 7-9 Fairmount Saturday night.
P.S. We're throwing a party.
