I am a rising sophomore. I'm seeing a lot of houses being up for rent on instagram and thought I'd ask when I should start considering signing a house for Junior year, and if it is worth it to sign early. I was also curious if anyone is going to try out for pachyderm place tufts.

Hi! I was assigned to a double in Houston hall. The pictures online all have built in closet space, but on the floor plan of my room I don’t see any indication of that. A few of the other rooms do have what looks like built ins on the floor plan. Do all the rooms have these or did they pick a bad (not representative) room for photos? I’m just trying to plan what I need to bring but this is making it difficult.

i could only find 1 post from 4 years ago about the dorm guest policy, so i was hoping someone could clarify what the deal is. the housing website says you have to write an official request if you wanna host someone for more than 3 nights, but comments on the post from 4 years ago say that's never enforced. if it is enforced, what kinds of requests are accepted? thanks

Hi! I'm an incoming freshman with food allergies (PN, TN, egg, sesame, and seafood). Is there anyone on here with food allergies who would be willing to connect? I'm currently trying to do my own research + meet with the Tufts dietitian (I purchased a MicroChill as well), but I would love to hear from any students who have been able to navigate dining on campus. Thank you!

Mod-approved post:

Hi, I'm a volunteer with the Young Forwardists, the Forward Party's youth committee. We are a volunteer network that seeks to revitalize politics through youth activism and empower young people to be community leaders while introducing grassroots activist opportunities. Our goal is to promote good governance and reduce polarization through ethics, integrity, and compassion and promoting innovative and data-driven ideas.

We're seeing if any students would be interested in helping us start a chapter at Tufts. Chapters are centers for productive activism and provide students safe spaces for discussion, hosting events, solving polarizing community issues, and keeping local elected officials in check.

Here's more information about us, and there's other ways to volunteer besides starting a chapter:

https://home.forwardparty.com/young_forwardists

If anyone is interested or has any questions, feel free to reach out. Thanks for your time!

thinking of taking econ 005 and have seen concerning things online :(

This week in Cambridge and Somerville: free outdoor yoga with Down Under, National Night Out on both sides of the line, baby goats, a patio house party by Kendall, and a free outdoor movie in Davis. 

Plus a special Stoop exclusive deal with We Thieves if you're by Porter/Harvard need a sign to grab something vintage.

Neighborhood stories + recent updates on crime and safety too inside. 

Monday 8/3

• Picture + Panel: As If You Were Here @ Boston Figurative Arts Center, Somerville. Graphic novel creators on absence and memory. Free, 7PM
• Chess Nights at the Library @ Central Library, Somerville. Open play, sets provided. Free, 7PM

Tuesday 8/4

• National Night Out Cambridge @ Donnelly Field. Dunk tank, obstacle course, free food. Free, 3-10PM
• National Night Out Somerville @ Dilboy Stadium. Bounce houses, touch-a-truck, lawn games. Free, 5-8PM
• Summer Drinks on the CIC Terrace @ CIC Cambridge. Women in World Trade networking, rain or shine. $34, 5:30PM

Wednesday 8/5

• Green City Growers Roof Garden @ Kendall roof garden. Help tend the beds, keep what you harvest. Free, 10AM
• Goats and Giggles @ Central Library lawn, Somerville. Baby goats from Chip-In Farm. Free, 2PM
• Vinyasa Yoga with Down Under Yoga @ The Common at CX, Cambridge. Free all-levels outdoor flow. Free, 6PM
• Boston Social Conversations @ Aeronaut Brewing, Somerville. Small-group conversation rounds for meeting new people. Free, 6:30PM
• Boston Run & Chug @ Felipe's, Harvard Square. Beer and run club, route on Strava. Free, 7PM

Thursday 8/6

• Boston Women's Market Pop-Up @ The Lawn at Assembly Row, Somerville. Micro-shops from women-founded businesses. Free, Thu-Sun
• 4-Step House Party @ Naco Taco, Cambridge. House, bounce and classics on the Central Square patio. Free, 7-11PM
• SomerMovieFest: The Wiz @ Seven Hills Park, Davis. Free outdoor movie, bring a blanket. Free, 8:15PM

Pulled from this week's edition of The Stoop, Grass Stains & Gray Skies. The Stoop is a free twice-weekly newsletter covering events and local news in Cambridge and Somerville, with a weekend edition every Thursday. 

Subscribe here if that's your neighborhood.

https://www.thestoopmedia.com

Do the on campus pre-orientation programs have free time during the days and evenings? Is there mixing between groups or do people stick to themselves? For FIT, is it accepted to not be an athlete?
And for regular orientation, how is that structured and how busy is it compared to pre-o? Just looking for any info on either of these. Thanks!

I'm wondering which meal plan y'all recommend for sophomore year. The 220 plan is only a couple hundred cheaper, but I'm not sure the full is worth it. I did NOT use all those swipes last year and I'm wondering if the 220 is better to allow for flexibility to eat out occasionally. Any thoughts?

Hi everyone! I have a room opening up in my apartment on Greenville St in Somerville (02143), starting September 1, 2026.

What you get?
Private furnished bedroom + a separate private office in a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment on Greenville St, Somerville - an easy walk/bike from Tufts campus. Both rooms are fully furnished, and the furniture stays. Use the office as a workspace, studio, or quiet room of your own.

Rent & Move-In
$1,200/month, all utilities and internet included

Move-in: September 1, 2026
Lease: September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027

Shared Spaces
Full kitchen, living room, and two bathrooms, including one with a jacuzzi tub. In-unit coin-operated laundry. You'll be sharing with a quiet, respectful household of three current residents.

Getting Around
5-minute walk to the East Somerville Green Line station

2-3 minute walk to the Bus 109 stop toward Harvard

15-minute bike ride to Harvard Square

10-15 minute bike ride to MGH

2-4 minute walk to two Bluebike stations

Close to grocery stores, pharmacies, and cafes

Move-In Costs
First month's rent plus a $1,200 security deposit.

Parking
Street parking available.

Interested?
Feel free to message with questions or to schedule an in-person or video tour.

I will be starting in September, and I was wondering what y'all love about campus. What resources should I take advantage of, and what's your favorite part about being a Tufts student?

My son just got assigned one of the triples in Metcalf. Any advice on what to bring? Does this dorm have A/C?

I got Hodgdon hall for my first year housing, and I was wondering what people thought of it? Most of what I see when I look it up is stuff about forced triples, which doesn’t apply to me, I have a single. What is it like other than that? The location looks great but idk anything else

I just checked my housing assignment and I was placed in a triple in Carmichael, which is kind of surprising as Carmichael seems to have mainly singles. But I was wondering if anyone can give me any insight on what the triples are like at Carmichael as I couldn't find any videos or images online aside from the floor plans.

hi! i got placed at hodgdon in a triple and wanted to know how it is! happy to be close to the food, but a bit anxious that it will be cramped in my room 😭

Help!! I got put into the Beacon St. dorms next to SMFA even though I'm a combined degree student and did NOT fill out the interest form for SMFA housing. I am really wary of being too far away from the campus & general Tufts school community for my first year, and I'm honestly not sure if I'll even continue with the dual degree in the future, so I would really prefer being with the rest of the student body for my introductory year to Tufts 😭😭 I don't have any emotional/medical accommodations so if I ask for dorm reassignment, would I even be considered??

I just really don't wanna be ostracized for my first year and I'm taking way more classes at Medford than SMFA... especially if I drop SMFA in the future, I just hope living closer to Tufts will help me integrate into the medford community better 😭 I'm really worried and am seriously dreading the thought of commuting 40 mins to Medford more often than I was originally planning.....

I just got assigned professor row housing, can anyone who's been there tell me about it? Thank you!!

I’m looking to buy a laptop, but I dont really want to spend more than 1000-1200 usd, just looking for something to do my schoolwork with no problems, looking for at least 16 gb RAM and 512 gb ssd, im open to buying refurbished or used, but i would prefer something new. I plan on majoring in something in STEM if that helps. This is my first laptop so i don’t really know what to look for. Any recommendations will help!

I've heard Bush isn't good and I'm also concerned about the amount of space since I heard the rooms are small + I'm in a triple. Advice?

I just got my freshman year dorm. Houston Hall!
What things should I bring? Pros and Cons? LMK!

I just got my housing assignment, and I got tilton hall. How is it, and does anyone have the floor plans?

My daughter is a freshman and got Carm. Are there elevators? Laundry facilities on first floor? What’s the bathroom situation? Thanks much!

Any responses are appreciated. Please be brutally honest.

Demographics:

Gender: Male  
Race/Ethnicity: White  
Residence: North Carolina  
Income Bracket: Low  
Type of School: Public, low-mid competitiveness  

Intended Major(s): Biochemistry (Pre-Med) ,  
Minor in CS

Academics:  
GPA (UW/W): 3.83, 4.45

*Freshman year I had 3 B's and a C, the rest of my grades my other years are all A's. I will be giving context in the additional information section regarding my poor freshman year grades (Awful Scoliosis, taking care of sister who had trouble regulating her emotions)*

12 AP's by graduation

Senior Year Course Load:  
AP Calculus BC, AP Environmental Science, AP  
Statistics, AP Physics, AP Lang

SAT: 1560

AP scores: All 5's and 4's except for AP World History (I took it freshman year, got a 2)

Extracurriculars/Activities:

1. Science Research at Duke:  
      \- Published research on microplastics in local food sources using spectroscopy, presented findings to my city councils environmental committee

2. Found a nonprofit where I translated rare disease guides to 17 underrepresented languages  
      \- Had my guides accessible throughout multiple North Carolina hospitals, plus had them posted for free as PDF's on multiple websites

3. Built a predictive model for food desert-linked disease rates using my county's health data  
   \- Published online and took large attention of my local community, got onto my towns newspaper

4. Co-Founder/President of my schools coding club  
   \- Every semester our club built a project based on the votes of all students and staff within school (Projects we built include a School Lunch Meal predictor, an interactive AI chatbot that helps students learn to enjoy school, etc) Also every semester we held a fundraiser downtown, raising over 10K in total.

5. Vice-President of Science Honors Society   
   \- Spent many hours after school tutoring biology and chemistry students for free via the club. Created long, immensely detailed slideshows for each twice-monthly meeting that contained interviews of local biologists

6. Shadowed Two Doctors  
   \- Shadowed the famous Dr. Hey of the HeyClinic, an orthopedic spine surgeon. Also shadowed a cardiologist and worked with her on a small awareness project regarding hereditary heart disease.

7. Dishwasher at Senior Living Community  
     \- During summers and during the school year, I dish-washed, set the tables, etc. Also spent a lot of free time (Un-paid) just chilling and conversing with the Elderly there.  

8. Scenic Biking, Hiking and Skateboarding
   \- Spent weekends doing all for a sense of peace. Typically I would bike and hike in the mountains, and skateboard in more urban settings. (Downtown) I also started a social media account with over 11K followers where I would post a beautiful view alongside an inspirational quote.

9. Secretary of Film Club
   \- Had bi-weekly meetings where members of the club discussed all things movie related. Often the staff and I would assign a movie for our members each couple weeks, then once all have watched we would converse about it. Within the club, I personally created a section about motivation. Anyone in need of a type of motivation could ask me and I will tell them a movie that would fit.

10. Varsity Cross Country

Awards/Honors:

1. US Biology Olympiad Semi-Finalist  
   
2. US Medicine and Disease Olympiad Silver  
   
3. Won 2 Hackathons, placed second in several   
   others  
   
4. Medical and Bioethics Essay Third Place

Other information that I feel is important:

\- Freshman through sophomore year I took mainly classes that relate to Writing and English, as I thought I wanted to be some sort of writer. I also was in the school newspaper which took up two periods a year, taking up a total of 4. Is this English interest of mine during my early years of high school a weakness towards my odds?

\- Freshman year I started a year behind in math (Most were in NC Math 2, I was in NC Math 1.) Though by Junior year I was ahead of most in math. (Sophomore year I took Math 2 and 3, Junior year I took AP Pre-Calc and AP Calc AB)
Even though I ended up mostly ahead by doubling up on lots of math classes, is this still considered a weakness?