tufts essays that worked

Real Tufts University Supplemental Essay Examples!

Up first, the “Why” Essay.

James Gregoire ’19 (South Burlington, VT):

It was on my official visit with the cross country team that I realized Tufts was the perfect school for me. Our topics of conversation ranged from Asian geography to efficient movement patterns, and everyone spoke enthusiastically about what they were involved in on campus. I really related with the guys I met, and I think they represent the passion that Tufts’ students have. I can pursue my dream of being a successful entrepreneur by joining the Tufts Entrepreneurs Society, pursuing an Entrepreneurial Leadership minor, and taking part in an up-and-coming computer science program.

Lena Novins-Montaque ’20 (Denver, CO):

Before my tour, my dad and I stopped in Brown and Brew for coffee. We saw a stack of The Tufts Daily, and beside it, copies of Canon. The poetry and prose I read was carefully curated and well written. As a writer, this instantly excited me. During the tour, my guide Ed enthusiastically said, “Tufts is full of people who are interested and interesting.” Tufts offers an environment that encourages intellectual curiosity that matches perfectly with what I want for my college experience

Megan Rivkin ’20 (Lincolnshire, IL):

Give me a blank page– I’ll draw all over it.

When I visited, a Jumbo studying theatre and psychology was directing “Next To Normal.” That sounds like me. I want to make theatre useful by studying other areas as well. At Tufts, interdisciplinary thinking is a key part of the culture.

Playwright Neil Labute told me to find a college where I can pave my own way, not be force-fed opportunities. I need a creative space that will hand me a blank page and care how I use it.

Though he may not have known it, Mr. Labute described Tufts.

Next up, the “Let Your Life Speak” Essay (from a previous admission season)

Justin Dorosh ’20 (North Reading, MA)

As a child, my family’s TV got only 33 channels. It’s never good when the Home Shopping Network is considered  “good TV.” As a result, my kindergarten entertainment was a Leap Pad rather than Cartoon Network. I used the interactive learning device to memorize all 206 bones in the body as well as every state and its respective capital. I did this not only because my parents thought it was good for me, but because I was interested in the world around me. I sought to understand life beyond the 150 square-foot room I shared with my brother.

Even after we upgraded to basic cable, I found that traditional mental exercises were more fun. I like to think and problem solve. No sitcom gives me the rush of excitement that I get from filling in that last number in a Sudoku puzzle or penciling in the right word to a crossword. Puzzles and riddles are challenging and I embrace challenges.

My curiosity for my Leap Pad is largely responsible for my hands-on approach to doing things. I am a doer rather than a spectator. I’m one who would rather toss a football in the yard than watch the big game on TV. One who would rather work on a project than listen to a presentation. More importantly, I am one who believes in self-education and thinking beyond the classroom. I think that thinking is cool.

Ray Parker ’19 (Waitsfield, VT)

All my life I have been surrounded by science, filled with science, covered in science. I grew up with an electron microscope in the house, a holography lab and darkroom in the basement, and a cleanroom next door. While my friends were playing in sandboxes I was playing with dry ice in the sink. It is not impossible that I may have been influenced by this. I grew up with an interesting mix of science and art, which comes from my parents. My mother is a photographer and holographer, as well as an optical engineer; my father is an entrepreneur and the creator of the plasma ball light sculpture. They embrace both science and art and have taught me to embrace both as well. When I was young my mother taught me how to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and at about the same time my father introduced me to BASIC programming. This laid the seeds for nearly everything that has come after. I kept much of my childlike creativity, and infused it with technology. Nearly all of my school projects have had an extra element that made them much more interesting; a book project on Cities in Flight was a magnetically levitating model of a city, a tectonic map project became a Blender animation, an English class final project was a trio of holograms.

My family has taught me to do interesting things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, and fun.

Quincey Kras ’20 (Madrid, Spain)

Raised by an architect and an interior designer, I learned at a young age that creativity and imagination are integral parts of life. My dad would let my sister and I sit with him while working, placing a pencil in our hands and pointing at objects for us to draw. I also have fond memories of sitting on piles of fabric swatches “organizing” them for my mom. I grew up believing my purpose in life is to wonder and create. Even after my parents divorced, art was the thread that kept us connected to each other.

At age 14, I moved to Madrid with my mom, step-dad, sister and new baby brother. It was quite a challenge at first–mostly because of the language barrier and my Spanish school. But the experience allowed me to appreciate and absorb a new culture, make new friends and discover strengths in myself that I didn’t know I possessed. For the past three years, I have tested my courage, and language skills, and used my love of art as a way to navigate the city–its architecture and museums are especially energizing to me. Conquering my relocation has made me a more inquisitive and adventurous person and will help me to transition to university life. I have grown as a person, and as an artist, and I look forward to continuing on that arc.

Finally, the “Choose Your Own Prompt” Essay (from a previous admission season)

Miranda Janice Macaulay Miller ’20 (Sacramento, CA)

“It’s Cool to be Smart”

Most languages have, on average, 200,000 words. There are 6,912 living languages. At this moment in history, that is roughly 1,382,400,000 words being used to express emotions, to carry out transactions, to run countries.

For every language, there are words that have no equivalent in any other language. It is like a secret that only those with the special code can share. “Mamihlapinatapei” is the Yaghan word for the look that two people give each other when they both want to initiate something, but are hesitant to act. I have felt this way, but have never been able to express it because I am bound to the limits of the English language. And then there are words like “rakhi,” the Hindi term for a string that a sister ties on her brother’s arm, asking for eternal protection. I have never considered a need for this word because the idea of it is not a part of my world. This ritual does not exist in other cultures, so there is no word for it.

To know multiple languages, to be able to communicate with various groups, is to transcend multiple realities. By breaking down language barriers, we open countless doors to understanding the politics, traditions, and values of millions more people. And if that’s not “Θpoustouflant,” or mind-blowing, then I don’t know what is.

Jonah Loeb ’20 (Rockville, MD)

“Celebrate the Role of Sports in Your Life”

While it is not featured on ESPN and does not fill stadiums each week, backpacking is my chosen sport. It has a home team, the group of Boy Scouts whose friendship and encouragement kept me going and made huddling under a small tarp hung three feet above the ground in the pouring rain the best part of the trip, and an away team, the mountain range that stared us down each time we looked up at it. It has a score, (most often: mountain: 1, me: 0) and buzzer beater shots, as we raced to set up tents with the sunlight rapidly fading and the rumble of thunder echoing ominously.

I started backpacking the summer after ninth grade. Full of naivete, I thought, “It’s just walking, how hard could it be?” It was only on my first overnight, climbing up the umpteenth hill, hunched over from the weight of my pack, unable to see anything but the rubber toe of my hiking boot, that I realized what I was getting myself into. But then, like in most sports, in the heat of a game something clicked and with my backpack sliding off my shoulders once again, I found the determination I needed. A backpacking Zen propelled me forward and taught me to succeed when every part of me said otherwise. Now, with more experience, better equipment, and focused training, I often find myself drawn to the backcountry, sampling dehydrated cuisines and knowing this time, the score will be different.

Tessa Garces ’19 (Larchmont, NY)

My first vivid memory of swim practice is of being yanked by the ankles from underneath the kitchen table, my nails scratching against the wood floor and my screams loud enough to elicit the neighbors’ concern.

Clearly, I hadn’t “gotten” swimming yet. As a first grader, I simply couldn’t understand how shoving my hair into a cap, wearing goggles that almost pressed my eyes out of their sockets, and flailing my limbs in freezing liquid for an hour could possibly be worth my while.

However, as I came to understand the mechanics and elegance of the sport, my attitude started to change. It really changed in 4th grade, when I began to win races. The little gold medals gave me a confidence that was addicting. More than that, they motivated me to cultivate good habits before I learned that discipline, daily practice, and just being part of a team are rewards in and of themselves.

Swimming has definitely influenced the way I move through the world. To avoid head-on collisions with lane mates, swimmers are taught from the beginning to always stay to the right of the lane, called circle swimming. Sometimes I feel as though I “circle-live”-walking on the right, driving on the right (naturally), even sleeping on the right. Yet, thinking of how focused and alive I feel after swimming, I think it’s more accurate to say that my time in the pool keeps me centered.

We hope you found some inspiration in these successful college essays! If you’re looking for more tips on what you should and shouldn’t do in your college essay, we’ve got you covered .

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How to Write Tufts University Essays 2019-2020

Set in idyllic Medford, MA, Tufts University was founded in 1852. As a research university, Tufts boasts both graduate and undergraduate schools ⁠— ranging from the School of Arts and Sciences to the School of Medicine. Known for its strong programs in international relations and medicine, Tufts primarily draws students for its academics. However, the Jumbos field over 25 Division III athletic teams with 15 national championships won since 2010 ⁠— making it no slouch when it comes to athletics. 

Tufts University is ranked #27 by U.S. News and World Report with an acceptance rate of 14.6% for the Class of 2023. Tufts allegedly practices yield protection, meaning that the school rejects or waitlists “overqualified” students they believe won’t ultimately enroll. Yield is the percentage of accepted students who matriculate, and higher yield is associated with greater prestige and desirability. Yield protection is actually also known as “ Tufts Syndrome ,” since the school is frequently accused of using this practice. 

To avoid falling victim to yield protection, you’ll want to demonstrate your genuine interest in Tufts. One of the best ways to do that is through your essays. The college applications process may seem overwhelming, but don’t worry ⁠— Collegevine is here to help you tackle Tufts’ 2019-2020 application! Want to know your chances at Tufts? Calculate your chances for free right now.

Want to learn what Tufts University will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take?  Here’s what every student considering Tufts University needs to know.

Tufts University Supplemental Essay Prompts

Applicants to the school of arts and sciences, and the school of engineering:, prompt 1: which aspects of the tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application in short, ‘why tufts’ (150 words).

Prompt 2: Choose one of the following options and respond in 250 words:

2A. From recognizing break dancing as a new Olympic sport, to representation in media, to issues of accessibility in our public transit systems, what is something that you can talk about endlessly? What do you care about and why?

2B. Whether you’ve built circuit boards or written slam poetry, created a community event or designed mixed media installations, tell us: What have you designed, invented, engineered, or produced? Or what do you hope to?

2C. We all have a story to tell. And with over 5,000 undergraduate students on our campus, that is over 5,000 stories to share and learn. What’s yours?

Applicants to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts ( BFA or 5-Year BFA+BA/BS Combined Degree)

Prompt 1: Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? Why SMFA at Tufts? (150 words)

Prompt 2: Art has the power to disrupt our preconceptions, shape public discourse, and imagine new ways of being in the world. Whether you think of Ai Weiwei’s work reframing the refugee crisis, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald’s portraits of the Obamas reimagining portrait painting on a national scale, or Yayoi Kusama’s fanciful Infinity Mirrors rekindling our sense of wonder, it is clear that contemporary art is driven by ideas. What are the ideas you’d like to explore in your work? (250 words)

Applicants to the school of arts and sciences and the school of engineering.

If you are applying to the School of Arts and Sciences or Engineering, you can’t skip out on this question. First, take a step back and think about why you added Tufts to your school list. Simply seeking out a prestigious university isn’t sufficient. Reflect on your life and interests to tie it back into Tufts’ values and traditions. Maybe you’re a passionate environmentalist who is drawn to Tufts’ Food Systems and Nutrition minor, as you want to learn more about ways to increase sustainability in the food industry. Or, maybe the 1+4 Bridge Year caught your eye, as you want to live and intern abroad in Mexico before beginning your studies at Tufts, to better understand the border crisis and explore your interest in immigration law. Or, perhaps the Traveling Treasure Trunk theatre group caught your eye, as you love putting on imaginative plays for children.

With only 150 words, you won’t have a ton of space to list everything you love about Tufts. Be sure to pick just 2-3 relatively unique factors, and avoid generalities such as a “great location near Boston” or “strong math major.” You want to make it clear that you genuinely want to attend Tufts by doing your research. 

Finally, remember that attending college is not only about academics, but also what you do outside the classroom. So, sure to mention at least one extracurricular/social factor that drew you to Tufts, along with at least one academic aspect.

Choose from one of the three following options for Prompt 2

Prompt 2a: from recognizing break dancing as a new olympic sport, to representation in media, to issues of accessibility in our public transit systems, what is something that you can talk about endlessly what do you care about and why (250 words).

You have a lot of freedom with this prompt, so feel free to show some personality. The key to writing a strong response is picking a specific topic; take note of the examples given, and aim for that level of precision. A common pitfall will likely be discussing something too general, such as a sport. You can start by brainstorming wider topics, but then try to refine them and put spins on them that show more about who you are. Take the example of “running.” That in itself is much too broad, as many students could pick this topic and discuss how it’s a democratic sport that doesn’t require fancy equipment, or how it brings people together. Instead, look at this topic from a personal angle. Maybe you faced several running injuries but persisted to finally run your first marathon. A stronger example of a topic would be: “how running isn’t actually innately bad for your body, contrary to popular belief.” You could then discuss your personal experiences, how important it is to use proper form and build adequate strength, and how you want more people to experience running, as it’s been empowering for you .

Prompt 2B: Whether you’ve built circuit boards or written slam poetry, created a community event or designed mixed media installations, tell us: What have you designed, invented, engineered, or produced? Or what do you hope to? (250 words)

This prompt is perfect for creative students, but is also open to those who have a creative vision that isn’t yet realized–note the final part of the prompt, which asks what you hope to create. Writing about what you hope to create is also valuable, as it gives admissions officers further insight into your goals and how you might use a Tufts education.

If you have created something, here’s a way to outline your essay: 

1. Briefly tell us the story behind your creation. What inspired you? How did you build the skills to create what you did?

2. Walk us through the process of creation. How long did it take? Was it grueling? Did you work with other people?

3. Show us the impact of your creation. Did your writing resonate with others? Did the community event raise lots of money for charity? Did the computer you build run super quickly and make for a better gaming experience?

For those who hope to create, you can follow a similar outline, but in a more hypothetical sense. Tell us what inspired your desire to create, what you envision the creation process to be like, and what you hope the results to be.

Prompt 2C: We all have a story to tell. And with over 5,000 undergraduate students on our campus, that is over 5,000 stories to share and learn. What’s yours?  (250 words)

This is the most open-ended prompt of the three, and resembles the Common App prompts. To get started, you should reflect on the experiences in your life that made the person you are today. It could be growing up in a border town, which allowed you to meet people from all walks of life and become more open-minded. Maybe you’re an expert Rubik’s cube solver, but it took you months to finally master the skill. Or, perhaps you have a massive stamp collection, with help from people around the world.  

Whatever your story, be sure that it complements the rest of your application. If you already discussed your love of tennis in another essay, pick another topic for this prompt. If there’s an aspect of who you are that isn’t represented yet in your application, this is a great space to discuss it. 

Prompt 1: Which aspects of the Tufts curriculum or undergraduate experience prompt your application? Why SMFA at Tufts? (150 words)

The first question is very similar to the “Why Tufts?” essay. However, this one asks you to tie your experiences back into why you want to enroll in SMFA. 

Your goal here is to make admissions officers clearly see you maintaining a presence in their SMFA program. If you don’t like being bound to the restrictions of having to be shuffled into a major, write about how the SMFA program’s freedom of delving into a specific medium or exploring a variety of options caters to your goals. Let’s say that you are interested in both the arts and doing research in a STEM field. Instead of having to choose between one or the other, at Tufts, you can take the shuttle to SMFA in the morning and research the impact of certain elements on human cells in the evening. 

Tufts is one of two schools in the nation that is affiliated with a museum. If you want to gain more insight into art history and see paintings for yourself, SMFA will allow you to do so. SMFA’s Morse Study Room even gives SMFA students access to papers that are not available to visitors. Therefore, those who wish to seek more than what is offered in the classroom and explore ranges of art will be well-suited to the program.

If there was a specific instance where you realized that you didn’t necessarily “fit in the box,” this prompt would be a good one to address that. But if you want to knock this question out of the park, ask yourself what you can contribute to the program. Tufts looks for students who want to add to the intellectual vigor of its campus. If you can convey the kind of person you will be on campus, Tufts will be able to visualize the impact you will make more clearly.  

As an artist, you have most likely developed some kind of theme or style that is recurring. Look back through your past works. Is there a pattern that seems to repeat itself? If so, write about that pattern and why it comes across your work so much. Did you grow up in New York City? Maybe your art reflects the bustle and diversity of the countless people you see every day. Or perhaps your art could signify the tranquility you seek away from the honking cars and glistening lights. If your work does not have a common theme, or if you are gravitating towards a different theme in your work, explain why this is. Tie your work back to Tufts and explain how a Tufts education will break the current limits you face as an artist. 

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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08 November 2016

Essays that Worked (Tufts Edition)

Posted in Class of 2021 , Essays , Perspectives

This blog post includes successful responses for all of the essay prompts included by Tufts, as well as some video commentary on why each one proved compelling to the admissions team.

Click here  for the essays.

• Tags: Class of 2021 , College Admissions , Essays , Tufts
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See the Essay That Helped This Student Get Into Tufts

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As part of College Confidential's essay series, we're sharing personal essays from students who were admitted to college during a prior admissions cycle. The student who wrote this as his essay was accepted to Tufts University, and we are sharing it with his permission.

"Do you only own one shirt? Or do you have a whole closet full of the same one?"

Over the last 11 years, I have fielded this question hundreds of times. Although it's now common knowledge that Apple founder Steve Jobs wore the same outfit every day of his professional life, I certainly wasn't aware of that when I created my "uniform" back in first grade. That was when my mom took me back-to-school shopping and I picked out just one white T-shirt and one pair of blue jeans. When she asked what else I wanted, I said that was going to be my outfit for the year.

We picked up two weeks' worth of the same shirt and pants, and that's what I wore every day, the whole year. When second grade rolled around, I changed up the shirt to make it a blue polo, but kept the blue jeans. I even slept in my uniform. Other kids may have thought it was weird, but other than asking questions, they never said anything negative about it.

Some school years, I was still so enamored with the previous year's outfit that I kept it a second year. Old class photos indicate that my black T-shirt/ light blue jeans combo endured for both fourth and fifth grades, but I shifted to a gray henley before moving to middle school. That helped me segue into the green henley I adopted in tenth and eleventh grades. Wearing a long-sleeved shirt in the heat of the summer may have seemed odd to some people. But I would even wear it to the beach without a second thought.

I have to assume my parents and teachers figured I'd outgrow this habit eventually. In pretty much every other way, I was a normal kid. But each August when the school clothes purchases were made, I went for just one look. One year, the school yearbook staff interviewed me about my fashion choice. Was it a comfort to have the same outfit all the time — almost like a pacifier or blanket?

No, I told them. It just made my life easier and gave me fewer things to worry about. I never had to decide what to wear — I always knew what the choice would be. But I also think it has something to do with my strong interest in art. As an artist, I like to express myself using the minimum number of tools. When I am trying to perfect an animation, I can tweak a character's eyebrow ever so slightly to convey sadness or elation. If I'm sketching an animal, the curve of its mouth can make the difference between it being relaxed or ready to pounce.

It's the same thing with me. The outfit is the one constant, so I can observe others while blending into the background. But if I want to stand out on a particular day, I have to consciously emote more with my expressions, my words and my movements. I can't rely on a snappy new pair of shoes to show people I'm ready to dance, since I wear the same maroon Vans on a daily basis.

As I write this essay, I'm already considering options for senior year of high school. Do I come into twelfth grade with a bang, sporting a silver jacket each day or an off-the-beaten-path pair of overalls? Should I really shock everyone and just buy a variety of clothes? As a student at an arts high school, I could probably wear a Batman costume every day with no issues.

Maybe that uncertainty every August is part of the joy of my uniform — I even surprise myself with each year's choices. Whatever prompted this decision over a decade ago is now something I embrace. I like that no matter what path I take in life, I won't have to decide which outfits to pack.

If you'd like to share your college essay on College Confidential, please email us at [email protected].

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How to Write an Excellent "Why Tufts?" Essay

College Essays

If you're applying to Tufts University, you should already have an answer to "Why Tufts?" But answering the "Why Tufts?" essay question as part of your application requires more than acknowledgement that it's a good school.

This guide to the "Why Tufts" essay prompts will guide you through the requirements, expectations, and strategies you need to write an exemplary essay.

Feature Image: HereToHelp /Wikimedia Commons

What's the Purpose of a "Why This School?" Essay?

To craft a good "Why Tufts?" essay, you need to understand the prompt. It's not about listing a school's qualifications or discussing how beautiful the campus is—a good essay will explain not just why the school is good, but why the school is good for you .

This essay is a common one at many schools. Colleges want to know what brings you to them specifically, including what interests you and how you'll contribute to the student body. Though the question of "why" may feel simple, it's a lot more complex than it appears at first glance .

First of all, the college admissions office wants to know what sets their school apart from others. In Tufts' case, that could be their history as a research university , which puts undergrads in closer contact with graduate students and encourages more communication between people in different fields of study. It could also be their emphasis on interdisciplinary studies , or a positive experience you had while touring the campus .

Use the question of "why" as a starting point . Don't stop at, "because I like that I can study engineering and English." Develop that idea further—What does that mean to you? Why does it matter?

The "Why This College?" essay also invites students to think about how they'll fit into the academic environment. Schools want to know that you're a good fit—it's to their benefit to recruit students who are passionate and committed to getting the most out of their college education.

If it wasn't, Tufts wouldn't have an acceptance rate of around 11 percent . They want students who will contribute to the learning environment and bring creativity, innovation, and curiosity to the classroom. Read and understand Tufts' mission statement before writing your essay so you're informed about what these traits mean, and how you can contribute to realizing their vision as a student .

But it's not just about whether you'll fit in—it's also important that Tufts is a good fit for you. That doesn't mean having your major or whatever clubs you might want to join, but also that your goals align with theirs. The interdisciplinary approach isn't right for every student, and others may prefer the more classic separation of undergrads and graduate students. Having a clear idea about your goals as well as theirs will help you excel, and Tufts will appreciate the clarity .

Your "Why Tufts?" essay isn't just good for the school, it's good for you, too. When you think deeply about why you want to attend a particular school, it makes you even more excited to attend, and that passion is precisely what schools want to see.

Thinking in-depth about your college choices also makes you learn more about schools and how they support your goals, which is instrumental for choosing the right school.

As you're thinking about your Tufts essay, you might learn things about the school that may not be a good fit, and it's better to learn that now than six months after you've moved onto campus. Though one or two missed checkboxes in your dream school criteria isn't necessarily a reason to pull your application, having realistic expectations for your college experience will set you up for a more positive time at the school of your choice.

What Is the "Why Tufts?" Essay Really Asking?

"Why Us?" essays may look as if they're asking a simple question—why do you want to attend this school—but there's more to it than that. These essays are also often asking one of two questions: "why us?" or "why you?"

In essence, these essays want you to describe why they're the right school for you, or why you're the right student for them . Paying attention to how the question is framed will give you a better sense of what kind of answer they're looking for, which will help you shape your essay.

Tufts actually has two versions of the "Why Us?" essay, depending on which department you're applying to. Each one asks a different version of the question, with one version emphasizing your role as a student in a community ("Why You?") and what appeals to you about the school ("Why Us?").

To figure out which one you'll be responding to, use Tufts' Majors and Minors page . This tool allows you to select which programs you're interested in and displays the school department beneath.

If You're Applying to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, or 5-Year Tufts/NEC Combined Degree:

This prompt has a 100 to 150 word limit. The prompt asks:

Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short, "Why Tufts?" (100-150 words)

This prompt is a pretty standard "Why X School?" style of essay. Notice that the prompt is asking you to discuss certain aspects of your undergraduate experience. That means the prompt expects you to talk about one or two elements of attending Tufts in detail, not write a laundry list of the things you love about the school.

Put another way: this essay wants you to be specific about why you want to go to Tufts and prove to the admissions committee that it's the right school for you!

If You're Applying to the BFA or 5-Year BFA+BA/BS Combined Degree at the SMFA:

This prompt, also 100 to 150 words, applies to students who are on one of the above listed fine arts tracks. This prompt reads:

Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? Why SMFA at Tufts? (100-150 words)

This question still asks about your application, but pay attention to the focus—it's more interested in why you want to be part of the SMFA program in particular. In answering this question, stay away from blanket statements about the university as a whole, like the robust number of extracurricular programs or Tuft's other undergraduate degree offerings.

Your answer should discuss what draws you to this program, not the school in general. Look through their mission statement, the experiences of other applicants, and preferably visit the campus for a tour to help you better explain why this school draws you in over others .

Because you're applying to the SMFA, you need to know what that is and how it differs from the rest of Tufts University. Why this program specifically? What will the SMFA add to your experience that education at a different school would not?

How to Write your "Why Tufts?" Essay, Step by Step

With only 100 to 150 words to answer these prompts, you'll likely need to go through multiple essay drafts to get your response into prime shape. Not only do you have a low word count, but these are also complex topics. Though planning might feel like more work in the short term, it'll help you write a stronger essay from beginning to end .

Step 1: Brainstorming

Start by reading the question. Not just reading the words that are there, but really striving to understand the question beyond the prompt.

Spend some time writing down different potential angles, then sort through them to find the one that works best for you. Your essay should be clear and specific to Tufts— if you can substitute in the name of another school and have it make sense, your essay isn't specific enough .

During brainstorming, come up with as many ideas as you can. Set a timer for five to ten minutes, and think of lots of different answers to the prompt. Don't worry if they're kind of out there or undeveloped; you can always cut them or expand later !

The General Prompt

For the first prompt, consider how which aspects of going to Tufts make it the best school for you. To do this, it helps to reframe the question like this: "What can Tufts do for me that no other school can?" It's also worth thinking about how you can contribute to the school in ways that are...well, uniquely you!

Maybe you're interested in tackling issues related to climate change, and you want to be part of Tufts's research on water purification because you know clean water will become a scarce resource. Or maybe you want a career in museum curation and education, so Tufts's Museum Education combined degree is perfect for you.

The point is that you need to be specific and clear about how Tufts is the only school that can help you achieve your goals.

Along with researching programs and professors, it's also a good idea to cite specific moments from tours, if you've taken them. If you haven't taken a tour, you could refer to alumni who inspire you, courses you find on the website, or other features unique to Tufts. "Unique" is key—whatever you say, Tufts' curriculum, mission, or other specific features should support it .

For example, you could mention the school's emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. Does it matter to you that your education at Tufts will be inclusive of other disciplines rather than focused entirely on your field? Why or why not?

The SMFA Prompt

For the prompt that's SMFA focused, consider the program and what makes you want to be part of it. Why an art degree? Why an art degree at Tufts? Why an art degree at Tufts in the SMFA program, specifically?

These might seem like redundant questions, but considering every angle of "Why SMFA?" will lead to a stronger essay . Look through the course catalog and see what it has to offer—courses like "Creative Futures: Business Essentials for Artists" are unique to this program, and it's worth understanding what they offer that other programs don't. Tying that into your essay along with why you want an art degree proves that you're serious about your discipline and understand what exactly Tufts will add to your education.

Also consider how the SMFA and Tufts University intersect. SMFA is a school within a school, and it's important to understand how it differs from the School of Arts and Sciences.

Again, cite moments from a tour if you can, or be specific about particular artists, artworks, or other features of Tufts that inspire you to attend there. The more you can tie your response specifically to Tufts rather than any other school, the better .

Step 2: Avoid Generalities

When writing, avoid being too general. Again, if you can substitute in the name of another school and have your essay still make sense, you need to make it more specific . The question is, "Why Tufts?" so be sure that you answer that as thoroughly as possible—and stay within your word count, of course.

Some students default to talking about sports or campus appearance to set the stage. Avoid that, if you can. Tufts already knows about their sports teams and how pretty the campus is, and if other people are doing it, you don't want to follow suit. Your essay should be uniquely you !

"Why Tufts?" may be the question, but avoid being too shallow. Think beyond academics and reputation; your essay should consider how Tufts will help you, and how you'll help Tufts .

Step 3: Write Efficiently

The essay is short, so you're really going to have to hone in on one particular feature or event . Be prepared to edit and revise multiple times—have people you trust look over it and give you feedback, and do your best to follow it.

Eliminate extra words; in the first sentence in the previous paragraph, I could easily change "you're really going to have to hone," into "you'll have to hone" and save myself three words. It's a small change, but three words means a lot when you only have 150!

Summarize any experience you want to draw on quickly so you have time to talk about why it matters. Be brief; you want to expand where it matters rather than spending a lot of time on scenic details ("The sun was rising as I first arrived in Medford, my hands trembling from nervousness and too much coffee on an empty stomach," is great detail, but if it's not telling the school "Why Tufts?" then it has to go!).

In short, every word should be pulling weight in your argument rather than taking up space .

"Why Tufts?" Essay Writing Checklist

As you progress through each draft, run through this checklist to be sure you're on target.

Are You Being Specific?

Can you rewrite the essay with the name of another college? If you can, be more specific.

Have You Mentioned Real-Life Experiences?

Tying your essay to a specific, real-life experience (such as a tour of the college) or a person (a representative of Tufts that you've spoken with, someone who's graduated, or similar) gives it more specificity. Concrete detail will make your essay feel more solid.

Have You Answered What Makes the School Special?

Think beyond academics, sports, or prestige. What makes Tufts the right school for you above all others? Why not Columbia , UC Berkeley , or the University of Minnesota ? You don't have to answer "why not?" in your essay, but you should know the answer when you're writing.

Have You Connected What Makes the School Special to Your Interests?

Readers should be able to draw a clear line from the answer to "Why Tufts?" to you as a student. Okay, so you met an adviser who not only got your love of botany, but who understood exactly how a love for grass-type Pokemon led you to pursue gardening and eventually botany. What does this mean to you, and how does it contribute to your desire to attend Tufts?

Have You Demonstrated an Understanding of School Culture?

Tufts is quite clear about their campus culture—intellectual curiosity, research, and interdisciplinary learning are all core parts of their mission. If you can demonstrate this in your essay, you'll be set to impress!

What Does a Great "Why Tufts?" Essay Look Like?

One of the best ways to understand what Tufts is looking for in responses to their "Why Tufts?" prompts is to see what people who have gotten in have written. Thankfully, Tufts makes this easy, putting several essays that worked online for you to read . Keep in mind that the prompts for these essays may have been phrased slightly differently, but at their heart, they're all "Why Tufts" essays...which means good essays in this category all share the same characteristics!

Here's an example of a successful "Why Tufts?" essay:

As a girl interested in computer science it's common when visiting university websites to utter "you go, girl" to the lone female faculty member smiling proudly amidst a male-dominated CS department. However, Tufts is a unique community that not only encourages minorities in STEM, but actively recruits female faculty like the spunky and inspirational activist/engineer/professor/entrepreneur Dr. Laney Strange, who I met at Girls Who Code. With my passions ranging from multimedia art to Latin American culture to CS, Tufts excites me since it's where diverse interests are celebrated and where I can have stimulating conversations with anyone I meet on campus.

Let's go through this essay using our checklist to understand exactly why it worked.

Notice how this essay uses specific faculty (and a specific experience with that faculty member) to discuss what appeals to the writer about Tufts. Substituting the name of another school in for Tufts wouldn't work, because this essay goes out of its way to be clear that this is something Tufts offers that other colleges don't.

Participating in Girls Who Code not only demonstrates the writer's interest in computer science, but also gives her a connection to the school beyond its reputation. That tie to Tufts gives her some additional insight into campus culture.

This writer frames her essay around empowering women in computer sciences, but, more importantly, how Tufts excels in a way that many schools do not.

As a female computer sciences student, prominent female faculty in the CS department is clearly important to the writer—something that comes through because of how neatly she ties her field to her specific experience and again to Tufts.

The writer not only cites female faculty in the CS department, but also the school's interdisciplinary education. She clearly has a familiarity with Tufts educational goals, making this essay an excellent example of not just, "Why Tufts?" but also "Why You?"

As you can see, this writer ticked all the checkboxes for a great "Why Tufts?" essay ...which is the goal!

Let's take a look at an SMFA-specific essay that worked. Another writer answered the "Why SMFA?" prompt like this:

As an artist, I believe that one's work should reflect the world beyond it. Thus, I'm most attracted to Tufts SMFA's combination of rigorous artistic study with a challenging liberal arts curriculum at the School of Arts and Sciences. I want to inform my art-making with in-depth exploration of sociology, justice, and international relations, creating works that comment on global issues--a prospect uniquely possible at Tufts SMFA. With numerous opportunities for combining art and community work on campus and in Boston, the SMFA program shows art isn't only meant for the classroom; it's meant for the world.

This student shows familiarity with the specifics of SMFA, the kind of works the organization produces and showcases, and also how the program is also part of the larger Massachusetts community. While many schools have great art programs, the specificity here ties it uniquely to Tufts.

The previous essay mentioned faculty the student had met with, which isn't always possible. This student may not have had the opportunity to tour campus or meet with representatives, but they still go out of their way to situation Tufts within a place—the wider area of Massachusetts. The more specific you can get, especially mentioning a community, as this writer did, the better.

The last line is particularly good, as it starts out quite specific and balloons out to a wider statement about art's place in the world. The mentions of SFMA's "rigorous artistic study" in conjunction with the "challenging liberal arts curriculum" show that the student has a good understanding of what this program entails, and how it will help them reach their goals.

This essay doesn't mention a particular field, but it does begin with a statement—"I believe that one's work should reflect the world beyond it"—and then goes on to demonstrate how that's true of Tufts. This short essay reads a bit like a condensed five-paragraph essay: thesis, supporting details, and conclusion that tie the whole theme together.

References to SFMA and the School of Arts and Sciences curricula show that the student knows the difference between the two and how they feed into one another. They've clearly done their homework, and it shows in a polished, well thought-out essay that got them into Tufts!

Once again, this writer hit all the important parts of the "Why Tufts?" essay, which ultimately showed admissions counselors that Tufts is the perfect school for them.

What's Next?

The "Why Tufts?" essay is just one of the essays you'll be writing for your application. It pays to understand them ahead of time, so check out this handy guide to the Tufts supplement !

If you need help writing essays for other colleges, this compilation of tips and tricks will help get your writing on track.

Tufts University uses the Common Application, so you'll also be writing essays in response to those prompts as well. This guide will help walk you through the Common Application prompts as well as best practices for answering them!

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Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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"The cross-curricular focus and freedom of study at..."

Tufts University

Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short, "Why Tufts?"

0 - 150 words

( Tufts University )

The cross-curricular focus and freedom of study at Tufts would allow me to pursue an interdisciplinary major and draw together my love for Spanish, Portuguese, Linguistics, and the natural sciences. This unique ability to design my own major by combining elements from a variety of academic fields definitely excites me. To support this, I intend to participate in the study abroad program in Chile or a civic semester in Urubamba, Peru that will allow me to practice my language skills while also benefitting the local community and gaining an invaluable cultural understanding through intimate homestay experience. Other than the academics, the vibrant community at Tufts also attracts me, with the warm and compassionate students acting as flattering adverts for the school. One student I spoke with described the average Jumbo as “goofy and loving” which I feel accurately matches my own character and outlook.

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Tufts University Essay 2023-24

Tufts essay 2023-2024.

If you’re considering applying to Tufts this cycle, you’ve come to the right place. In order to know how to get into Tufts and impress the admissions committee, you’ll need a compelling Tufts essay. To learn more about how to master the Tufts supplemental essays, read on!

Tufts University is a prestigious university located in Somerville, Massachusetts . Tufts is ranked #32 by U.S. News, and the Tufts acceptance rate is 11% . As with most liberal arts colleges, Tufts evaluates each student holistically. Tufts is also test-optional since 2021. Because of these factors, your Tufts essay is more important than ever.

Tufts essays are crucial to your application, which is why we’re here to help you master all of your Tufts supplemental essays. These essays include the “why Tufts” essay, and other program-specific short answer questions.

Read on to read our full breakdown on how to approach any Tufts essay.

Tufts Supplemental Essays: Quick Facts

Quick facts about the tufts supplemental essays.

Tufts College Ranking: #32 in National Colleges

Tufts Acceptance Rate : 11% — U.S. News ranks Tufts University as a most selective school. 

Tufts College Essay Requirements :

• 1 (~ 250 words) required essay for applicants to the School of Arts & Sciences or the School of Engineering:
• 1 (~ 250 words) required essay for applicants to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts
• 1 (100 words) required short answer

Tufts Application : Students can submit their Tufts application through the Common Application , QuestBridge , or Coalition Application . Before you apply, make sure that your supplemental Tufts essays are prepared and thoroughly edited in a separate document.

Application Deadlines for Tufts:

• Early Decision I deadline: November 1
• Early Decision II deadline: January 4
• Regular Decision deadline: January 4

Tufts College Essay Tip: The Tufts essays consist of two short answer questions, and these questions vary based on which program you’re applying to. The second Tufts essay is your “why Tufts” essay, and it’s just one sentence! 

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website. 

Does Tufts have supplemental essays?

So what’s everyone talking about when they talk about the Tufts essays?

Like many other colleges, especially high-ranking ones, the Tufts supplemental essays are an important part of your application. There are two Tufts supplemental essays, including one “why Tufts” essay.

You’ll prepare your Tufts supplemental essays in addition to your personal statement , the 650-word essay required by the Common App. Like your personal statement, the Tufts essays help admissions officers get to know you better as a person and an applicant. What are your values, what’s shaped you throughout your life, and what would you bring to the Tufts community?

There are two required Tufts supplemental essays. One of the Tufts essays is required of all students, while the other depends on the program you apply to. The Tufts essay that all applicants must answer is your “why Tufts” essay, which is a (very) short answer question. In these essays, you’ll show Tufts why you and the university are the best possible fit for each other. 

What are the Tufts essay requirements?

The Tufts essay requirements can be found on the Tufts website in the section describing short answer questions. Both of the Tufts supplemental essays can be categorized as “short answer questions,” because they ask for 100-250 word answers. However, just because your Tufts essay is short, that doesn’t mean it requires any less thought or planning. In some ways, short essays are the hardest, because you have to express yourself as succinctly as possible. 

The Tufts essay requirements differ based on the School within Tufts you apply to, of which there are three: 

• Tufts School of Arts and Sciences
• Tufts School of Engineering
• School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts

If you’re applying to one of the first two programs, your Tufts supplemental essays will be the same. If you’re applying to the Arts BFA or combined BFA+BA/BS, your first Tufts essay will be a little different. However, applicants for all programs must write the one-sentence Tufts essay which will serve as your “why Tufts” essay.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of the Tufts essay requirements, let’s dive into the different Tufts supplemental essays.

Tufts Essays: School of Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering

Do you want to experience the nationally lauded liberal arts education at Tufts provides? Are you interested in disciplines like the humanities, pre-med, or the social sciences? If so, the School of Arts & Sciences is likely the best choice for you. The School of Arts & Sciences offers the broadest educational experience at Tufts. It’s the best choice for a student who might not know exactly what they want to study. 

Alternatively, if you are set on engineering, the School of Engineering is a perfect fit for you. There are sixteen majors under the engineering umbrella, from computer science to biomedical engineering. While lacking the breadth of the School of Arts & Sciences, it offers an in-depth, high-caliber course of study.

Luckily, whichever of the Tufts schools you choose—Arts & Sciences or Engineering—you write the same set of Tufts supplemental essays. From the Tufts website , here are your Tufts essay prompts if you’re an applicant for one of these two programs:

Please respond to one of the following three prompts in 200-250 words:

1. it’s cool to love learning. what excites your intellectual curiosity and why, 2. how have the environments or experiences of your upbringing—your family, home, neighborhood, or community—shaped the person you are today, 3. using a specific example or two, tell us about a way that you contributed to building a collaborative and/or inclusive community., school of arts & sciences and school of engineering: a closer look.

These Tufts supplemental essays prompts allow for a lot of flexibility in your answer. They also have pretty strict restrictions because of the word limit. It can seem daunting to elaborate on your intellectual curiosity or upbringing in 250 words, but consider it a challenge! Plus, all of these Tufts supplemental essays are very common topics. You’ll likely be able to reuse your Tufts supplemental essays and their ideas for another application. 

An important thing to remember when drafting your Tufts supplemental essays is that ultimately, these essays are about you . The Tufts admissions committee wants to learn more about who you are and what you value. In light of that, the Tufts supplemental essays ask questions that will help them understand you better as an applicant. Therefore, the best thing you can do when writing your Tufts supplemental essays is to think deeply about yourself and brainstorm . 

For School of Arts & Sciences or School of Engineering applicants, the Tufts supplemental essays also include a “why Tufts” essay. The “why Tufts” essay question is a little bit different from other schools: you only have 100 words.

We’ll dive deeper into the “why Tufts” essay later in this guide under the “short answer” section. First, let’s take a look at the Tufts supplemental essays for the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Tufts Essay Prompts: School of the Museum of Fine Arts Essay Prompts

The Tufts supplemental essays are different for applicants for the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, or the SMFA at Tufts. SMFA at Tufts “ offers a conceptually rigorous, interdisciplinary visual arts program.” If you’re applying to the SMFA program, here’s the question for your Tufts essay: 

Please respond to the following prompt in 200-250 words:

Art has the power to disrupt our preconceptions, shape public discourse, and imagine new ways of being in the world. what are the ideas you’d like to explore in your work.

Of course, applicants to the SMFA program are likely artists or have a strong interest in art. Accordingly, for their  Tufts supplemental essays, Tufts is asking these applicants to speak directly to their artistic vision. For students applying to the SMFA program, this question is more tailored to their academic intentions than the previous prompt.

Like with all of the Tufts supplemental essays, there’s no right way to answer this question. Instead, use this opportunity to be vulnerable and honest about your ideas and goals as an artist. If you have space, you can tie your intended artistic pursuits to Tufts and the SMFA program. However, keep in mind, you’ll write a “why Tufts” essay as part of your Tufts supplemental essays. In that question, you can dive into why Tufts in particular is where you want to grow as an artist.

Your Portfolio and Your Essays

If you’re applying to the SMFA, you have more components of your Tufts application than the Tufts supplemental essays. You also need to submit an artistic portfolio . This portfolio comprises 15-20 images of recent work, and/or up to 10 minutes of work like video or audio.

The Tufts portfolio is intended to demonstrate your “conceptual development” as well as your skill. Regardless of what media you submit, consider carefully whether it demonstrates your skill and potential. You should submit something that you feel best represents your skills and experiences with your artistic medium. 

Just like your Tufts supplemental essays, this Tufts portfolio is a way for Tufts to get to know you better. Your pieces should not only show skill, but also help the admissions committee better understand you. Choose pieces that you feel represent who you are and what you want to pursue as well as your abilities. 

Mentioning your Tufts portfolio

In your Tufts supplemental essays, especially the program-specific question, don’t be afraid to reference art in your portfolio. This especially applies if the pieces you submit are representative of a project you plan on expanding upon. They may also show something you’ve learned as an artist that you plan to carry into your next piece. 

Indeed, your Tufts supplemental essays and your portfolio can and should work together to deepen your personal narrative . Remember that your application should build a personal brand that draws a thread through your high school experiences. By the same token, your Tufts portfolio and Tufts supplemental essays together should create a clear, complex picture of you for admissions officers. 

Now that we’ve covered the program-specific Tufts supplemental essays, we’ll move into some tips on how to write the best Tufts supplemental essays—including the “why Tufts” essay.

How to “Think Outside the Box” for your Tufts Essay

Tufts receives over 30,000 applicants each year—and the Tufts acceptance rate is only 11%. When writing their Tufts essays, students often wonder: how can I distinguish myself? One way to do this is to get a little creative: think outside the box! 

So what does thinking outside of the box mean in terms of writing college essays?

First, think about your topic. The most important thing to consider when deciding on your topic is whether it feels true to who you are. However, there are topics that many students tend to gravitate towards, and sometimes these feel a little overdone. Think sports victories or other extracurricular successes, a relationship with a mentor like a grandparent or parent, or service-based extracurricular activities.

These aren’t off the table entirely but should be approached with caution. Ultimately, it’s not the topic you write about, but how you write about it. An essay about a meaningful relationship can still be a fantastic essay— if it’s focused on your own personal growth. Keep the focus on yourself and how the relationship (or event, or activity) influenced you positively.

Going Even More Outside the Box

Another way to write an attention-grabbing essay is to vary the classic structure and form of your essay. Most students, especially with a word limit as small as 250 words, will write in a fairly straightforward paragraph structure. Many write narratively, starting their essay with an anecdotal hook or incorporating dialogue. Why not change up the structure? Start at the end of your story and write backwards, or write from an unusual perspective. 

You could even incorporate non-traditional forms of writing like writing the whole thing in the second person. When drafting Tufts supplemental essays about your upbringing, you might spend most of your essay talking directly to your admissions officer: “You awaken to the sound of your mom banging on your door, the same door in the same room you’ve woken up in every day since you were born. You open your bleary eyes and take in your faded lilac wallpaper, plastered with Justin Bieber posters and your highest-scoring spelling quizzes from middle school: another morning in Omaha, Nebraska.” Now you’ve got an admissions officer’s attention!

To recap: there are many ways to write a college essay. The most important thing to remember is that this essay should tell Tufts something new about you. But even the most overdone topics (upbringing, community, academic pursuits, etc.), offer ways to grab your reader’s attention.

Tufts Short Answer Response

Now we’ve made it to the highly-anticipated “why Tufts” essay. Tufts has certainly issued a challenge with this “why Tufts” essay question. Most schools provide 250–650 words for this essay. In contrast, Tufts wants you to boil down why you want to attend into a mere sentence. 

Here’s how Tufts will ask you to answer their “why Tufts” essay on the application: 

In addition, we will ask all applicants to complete this sentence in 100 words or less:

“i am applying to tufts because…”.

When writing a “why Tufts” essay, or a “why school” essay in general, it’s important to be specific. On their website, Tufts suggest that you look at the Jumbo Magazine , Tufts’ student magazine, or student blogs . Even with only 100 words, you should still be as specific about what you want to do at Tufts as possible. That is to say, why do you have to be at Tufts to follow your dreams? 

What are you planning to major in , and why? Have you always planned on researching elephants, and are attracted to Tufts because of their beloved mascot Jumbo ? Are you a Revolutionary War buff, and can’t wait to explore Boston (maybe join a reenactment club)? Whatever you say, no one should read your “why Tufts” essay and mistake it for a “why school” essay for another college.

However, don’t confuse being specific about Tufts in your “why Tufts” essay with only talking about Tufts. Your reader wants to know what you’ll bring to the campus community, and what kind of Tufts student you’ll be. The ideal “why Tufts” essay, and any “why school” essay, combines two answers: why Tufts is right for me, and why I’m right for Tufts. Link your passions and aspirations to opportunities at Tufts. 

Since your “why Tufts” essay is only 100 words, you should be concise about why you want to attend Tufts. The beauty of your writing is less important than including as much information here as you can. When you’re writing your “why Tufts” essay, don’t be afraid to write a longer essay first. Get all your ideas out first, and then condense them into the perfect sentence-long “why Tufts” essay. 

If you’re still stumped on how to write your “why Tufts” essay, try reading “why school” essays that worked. They may inspire you in your own “why Tufts” essay.

Read on for more advice on writing short responses.

Advice for writing short responses

Up to now, we’ve covered the Tufts supplemental essays that you’ll encounter when building your application. Now, let’s talk about more advice for writing short responses. In fact, both of the Tufts essays could be considered short responses, since they are both under 250 words. 

Show Them Something New

It must be remembered that short answers, as well as other supplemental essays, should include new information. Your Tufts application will already include a lot of information about you: your GPA, classes, personal statement, and extracurriculars. Don’t rehash information available elsewhere without adding depth.

Use these extra supplemental essays to highlight something about you that the Tufts admissions committee otherwise wouldn’t know. This doesn’t mean you can’t elaborate on the information you’ve already included, like an extracurricular . But in that case, try to focus on a new perspective, or go into further detail. A 50-word description leaves out a lot: how did that extracurricular change you? What will you carry with you from that experience?

Analyze Successful Essays

Another way to prepare is to look at Tufts essays that worked and break them down. Why do you think that the Tufts essays that worked, worked? Was it the structure of the essay, or the prose itself? Was the topic especially unique, or did the applicant just do a great job of making a common topic their own? By reading Tufts essays that worked, or other college essays , you can learn tactics to write your own stellar essay.

You may even read the admissions blog from Tufts, which may yield insights into the admissions process. And of course, since it’s written by Tufts students and staff, you’ll learn more about Tufts. That could become the inspiration for your own essays.

Just Write!

If you’re stuck and can’t think of a topic, or know your topic but don’t know where to start, try free writing. Sometimes the best way to start writing is, well, to start, without any pressure to write something good or even intelligible. No-stress writing exercises like free writing can help you get those creative juices flowing. 

Free writing is for you to get out all your ideas, without editing or stopping. Set a timer for 30 minutes and answer one of the short answer questions. If that’s like pulling teeth, you could also make a mind map or do word association to generate ideas. If you can’t choose a prompt, or if you have too many topics on your mind, repeat the process as needed. Now that you’ve got a few pages of brainstorming writing done, review your writing. Find the points that feel important to include in your answers and go from there. 

For more detailed advice on how to tackle the Tufts essays, check out this guide on Tufts essays from years past. 

How important is my Tufts essay?

Your Tufts essay is only one part of your application. Everything, including your GPA , your letters of recommendation , your personal statement, and your extracurriculars , are considered by Tufts. With that said, the essays are you at your most direct and expressive, so they matter a lot .

Tufts is also test-optional , so if you choose to include SAT / ACT scores, they will be taken into consideration. If you choose not to include test scores, you will not be penalized. However, without test scores, each other part of your application increases in importance—and that includes your essays.

Overall, you should consider your Tufts essays very important parts of your application. You’ll never know how exactly the admissions officers weigh your essays in comparison to the other parts of your application. Therefore, you should act as if these essays could make or break your chance of admission to Tufts. College essays should always be taken seriously. Even if they’re only 100 words long, each of those 100 words matters. 

More key Tufts admissions requirements

What other Tufts admissions requirements should you take into consideration?

Make sure to remember deadlines when you’re working on your Tufts application. Tufts has Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision. ED I is due November 1 st , and ED II and Regular Decision are both due January 4 th . 

Should you apply ED or RD to Tufts? That depends on a few factors. First, is Tufts your dream school ? If Tufts is your first choice and you’re 110% confident of that, you should consider applying ED. If you get into Tufts ED, your enrollment is binding—so you should be confident that Tufts is the school for you.

However, applying early means that you don’t have the opportunity to compare financial aid packages from different schools.  If financial aid is a significant factor for you and your family you should take that into consideration. Also, applying early isn’t a good enough reason to rush your application. If you feel like your application isn’t as good as it could be, don’t submit it before it’s ready.

Tufts Essay – Final Takeaways

Writing college essays can be daunting, and that’s true even for short answer essays like the Tufts supplemental essays. The Tufts acceptance rate is 11%, so your essays are crucial to making sure that your application stands out .

Here are some key takeaways to remember when writing your Tufts essays:

Five Tufts Essay Takeaways

1. Every student applying to Tufts must answer two required supplemental essays.

2. The supplemental essays you will answer depend on the program you’re applying to. If you’re applying to the School of Arts & Sciences or the School of Engineering, you will choose from three prompts. If you’re applying to the SMFA at Tufts, you’ll answer a different first question than the other applicants. 

3. All applicants have to write a “why Tufts” essay. This essay is quite short, at only one sentence.

4. The most important things to remember about writing your Tufts essays are to be honest and specific. Include information that the admissions officer couldn’t find anywhere else in your application.

5. Tufts has Early Decision and Regular Decision—do your research to find out which deadline is right for you. Whichever you choose, prepare your essays ahead of time so you have time to write and edit multiple drafts! 

We hope that after reading this article on Tufts essays you feel more confident tackling your Tufts app. For more advice on how to get into Tufts, check out our guide !

This article was written by advisor, Rachel Kahn . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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Command Education Guide

How to write the tufts university essays, updated for 2023-2024.

Please complete the following statement: “I am applying to Tufts because…” (50-100 words)

Explanation:

This short essay is a classic ‘Why this school?’ essay. It should highlight your knowledge of the unique opportunities at Tufts, and your own special interests and perspectives. A great way to approach this essay is to do some intensive research on Tufts’ website in order to find academic programs, research opportunities, extracurricular activities and student groups, and unique aspects of student life that interest you. Focus on linking your past experiences and passions to your plans for making the most of your potential time at Tufts.

For example, if you’re a high school senior who is interested in global politics, involved in Model UN, and aspires to become a diplomat, you should refer to these specific aspects of your profile and write about the resources at Tufts that will help you reach your professional goals. You might mention how Tufts’ 1+4 Bridge Year Program will broaden your perspectives on global issues and service learning, or discuss how you could complement your International Relations major with Tufts’ Peace and Justice Studies minor. If you have any other special connections to Tufts–e.g. a campus visit and tour, a friend or sibling who attended Tufts and raved about any special features of its academic or student culture–these details may also find their way into your essay.

Applicants to the School of Arts & Sciences or the School of Engineering:

Please respond to one of the following three prompts in 200-250 words:

It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity and why?

Tufts admissions committee is inviting you to “nerd out.” More specifically, this essay should allow the reader to actually sense your excitement for a specific subject or to understand a foundational academic experience that provided the spark for your continued studies in college. For the former, try to hone in on a particular unique interest within your intended field(s) of study. Instead of writing about how much you enjoy reading, for example, you can distinguish yourself from other prospective English majors by writing about your love of the 17th-century Metaphysical poets, the short story that turned you into an aspiring novelist, or how you noticed that the TV series Dickinson’s cinematography parallels the mood of some of Emily Dickinson’s poems. Alternatively, if you’ve had an educational experience that was particularly powerful–e.g. an immersive Mock Trial program, attending an intensive academic summer camp, conducting research in a lab–you could write about how the experience influenced you and shaped your passions and goals.

How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – shaped the person you are today?

This prompt asks you to reflect on the world you come from and how your background has shaped your worldview. According to Tufts’ Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin, the admissions committee at Tufts hopes to “bring perspectives together that are different and push you to think about your own frame of reference.” Therefore, it’s important to think about and clearly express what your particular frame of reference is, and what you can bring to campus that no one else can. This may be related to a geographic identity, a religious community, a unique intersection of identities that you occupy, a family background, a place of work, a school you attend or have attended, or any other environment that has been meaningful to you. What are the life lessons you’ve gleaned from growing up in your particular neighborhood, or in your particular family? What are the most important communities you are a part of, and how have they shaped your values?

Using a specific example or two, tell us about a way that you contributed to building a collaborative and/or inclusive community.

The job of the Tufts admissions committee is to build an academic community, and in this example of what we call the “community” essay, they want to understand what kind of value-add you would be to that community. Because they are asking you for specific examples, this essay should take the form of an anecdote where you specifically describe a time when you helped bring people together for a common goal and/or found ways to unite people who were previously divided. A successful essay would demonstrate not only your abilities to work well with others but also shed some light on what you believe the value of collaboration or inclusivity to be. In brainstorming your essay, start by thinking through any time you were working towards something and were reliant on the work of others to get it done–you can’t collaborate or be inclusive if you’re all by yourself! What did that experience teach you about finding common ground with others or about the perspective of another individual or group of people?

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The Admissions Strategist

How to write the tufts university essays 2021-2022: the complete guide.

Tufts University is an elite, private research institution located near downtown Boston.

The school offers over 70 undergraduate majors and is well-known for its international relations and pre-med programs. Its student body prides itself on active citizenship, public service, and working toward addressing social justice issues.

Tuft’s acceptance rate (11%) and small total undergraduate enrollment (about 5,900 ) make it a highly selective school and put it in the running against many Ivy League schools . If you’re interested in applying, we’ve got you covered with this guide on how to answer Tuft’s essay questions.

Click above to watch a video on Tufts Supplemental Essays.

Tufts Supplemental Essay Requirements

Tufts accepts the Common App , so, before you begin these essays,it’s important to finish your main personal statement and activities list.

• Tuft’s writing supplement consists of two short essay responses
• The first is limited to 150 words, while the second allows you to pick from three prompts and is limited to 250 words.
• The essays you need to write depend on the schools to which you are applying, with different essays for each school.

Since the lengths of the essays are not very long, we will break them down below and give detailed advice on how to answer each.

First, let’s start with general advice to keep in mind while writing all three essays.

General Tips for the Tufts Supplemental Essays

In their writing portion, Tuft’s states:

“Think outside the box as you answer the following questions. Take a risk and go somewhere unexpected. Be serious if the moment calls for it but feel comfortable being playful if that suits you, too.”

What does this mean for applicants?

As with many selective universities, Tuft receives many applications from students with the highest qualifications, including competitive GPAs, excellent recommendation letters, and involvement in multiple outstanding extracurricular activities.

This means that they are using their writing supplement to get to know their prospective students and differentiate between applicants. They are seeking a connection to a unique character, voice, or student perspective . In order to capitalize on this, these are some things you should do for all responses:

• Skip general introductions and material. This part is especially important given the word limit.
• Delve into the heart of things right away. Include only relevant concepts that give a sense of your life, self, and character. In short, start and end with specifics. Leave out the general.
• Focus on one or two angles of your life. Do not overwhelm readers by trying to tell them your whole life story. Choose moments or anecdotes that will present unique facets of your personality.
• Be yourself. One of the major pitfalls is writing what you think an admission board wants to hear.
• Do not recap your résumé, activities list, or honors. They are looking to get a feel for you as an individual with your own unique curiosities, motivations, and hopes for the future.

Now that we have outlined the overarching ideas, let’s dive into the specifics of each essay.

Mandatory Supplemental Essay: Why Tufts?

Applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, and 5-Year Tufts/NEC Combined Degree must answer this prompt. This is a common type of prompt which asks,

“Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short, ‘Why Tufts?’” 

If you are applying to the SMFA BFA in Studio Art program, you’ll see the following prompt:

“Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? Why SMFA at Tufts?” 

Either way, 150 words is about two paragraphs, so concision and specificity are both key, no matter which prompt you get . To begin with, choose just a handful of aspects about Tufts that draw you to the school. Here are some ideas:

• Are you interested in a specific program, like engineering, international relations, or history?
• Is there an element of Tuft’s school culture that you’re particularly drawn to? For example, perhaps you’re drawn to the school’s quirky nature, intellectualism, or socially conscious education.
• Is there an extracurricular activity, organization, grant, fellowship, class, program, or professor that inspire your interest in Tufts?

Whatever you choose, it is important that you either have an actual, specific experience in mind to write about or a detailed knowledge of the particular aspect of Tufts that you state as your reason.

For example, if you choose “diversity” as your reason, make sure you mention specific student associations or clubs that engage in diversity, equity, inclusion work and why that excites you. Even better, use a real-life situation in your response, if it applies.

Last, tie your reason for choosing Tufts to an essential part of who you are as a person. This can be a value or belief you hold, a hope you have for the future, or a school subject that really excites you. You could write about:

• Your love of language, math, music, English, or anything else that you are enthused about.
• The importance of your identity as a sportsman, woman, person of color, or brother of two younger siblings.
• A specific vision you have for the future or bettering the world.

To answer the “Why Tufts” question in a well-thought-out manner, it’s important to be specific about the school while also letting them get to know more about you as a person. After all, your goal is to connect a specific aspect of Tufts to you or your personality.

Example Essay:

When reading this example, pay attention to how playful the writer is being. The essay is obviously focused on Tufts and why it is a good match, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously:

The undergraduate experience at Tufts is my ideal ice-cream sundae.  With an emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, I can mesh scoops of political science, community health, and biology, combining disparate perspectives to explore complex healthcare issues. Over this, I will pour indulgent caramel in the form of an internship in Washington, D.C., allowing me to immerse myself in a health policy research project. Next, comes the countless brownie bits of activities, like Tufts’ prestigious Mock Trial Team, the Sarabande Repertory Dance Ensemble, and Hillel.  No sundae is complete without a cherry on top. When I toured Tufts, I was amazed by my guide’s friendly interactions with every individual he encountered. Surrounded by passionate, supportive, and motivated individuals, I know Tufts is the manifestation of my perfect collaborative environment. This positive atmosphere embodies the maraschino cherry on the already overflowing ice-cream heap, ensuring my undergraduate experience satisfies the sweetest of cravings. 

While some might argue that this essay breaks the rule of only talking about a few ideas, it does not. The central theme is how Tufts is like an ice cream sundae, and the writer sticks to it throughout, despite fleetingly mentioning many other aspects of Tufts. Even then, the author still spends a large chunk of their time talking about their cherry: the one, standout thing that makes Tufts special to them.

The Second Tufts Supplemental Essay

Depending on what school you are thinking of applying to, there are a myriad of essay prompts you could get asked, although all of them have a 200-250 word limit. Applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, or the 5-year Combined Degree BA/BS + B Music with New England Conservatory have three options to pick from:

It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity? How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – shaped the person you are today? Where are you on your journey of engaging with or fighting for social justice?

Applicants to the SMFA BFA in Studio Art or the 5-year Combined Degree BFA + BA/BS at SMFA/School of Arts and Sciences must submit an art portfolio. In addition, Tufts also has the following required prompt for the second essay:

• Art has the power to disrupt our preconceptions, shape public discourse, and imagine new ways of being in the world. What are the ideas you’d like to explore in your work?

Let’s go through each of these options one at a time, including why you might want to pick that particular essay over the others.

Tufts Supplemental Essay 2A: What Excites Your Intellectual Curiosity?

This is a really open-ended prompt. You could write about almost anything you want, so it is a good prompt to pick if you are looking to diversify your application . Keep in mind, Tufts is looking for something unexpected.

Don’t be afraid to choose an item, subject, or idea that seems common: much like a sundae, it isn’t normal to see in a college essay.

Consider this an opportunity to describe how your interests encompass more than just a major.  For example, if you’re not applying to a computer science major, you can discuss a coding project. If your application already indicates a strong interest in STEM subjects, consider writing about something you love, like poetry, theater, or sports. Here are some questions to get you started:

• What thing are people always shocked to learn about you?
• Look through your Tufts application thus far. What is important to you, yet missing from this application?
• When was the last time you taught yourself something, only to realize hours had passed while you were unaware?
• Do you have a dream creation or invention? Why? What inspires you to make it?

In writing about what excites you, make sure to talk about why they, or the process of creating them, is important to you.

• Do you create because you love the thinking process, or do you prefer having to critically solve problems on the spot?
• Do you like tweaking and modifying something until it’s perfect, or do you prefer the ideation process? 
• Or do you love creating because it allows you to show the world a little part of yourself?

Whatever your reason, make it personal and genuine . Irrespective of what makes you curious about the world, make sure it speaks to your application narrative.

You also want to make sure you structure this essay. A good essay outline could look like the following:

• What makes you excited about learning
• A brief discussion explaining your motivations and inspiration
• How this relates to your life, personal themes, challenges, struggles, or character

Above all, keep this related to you.

One of the reasons I like this essay so much is because, much like the previous essay, it takes a seemly boring idea and makes it interesting:

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I sit in soil pulling crabgrass and borage. I’ve been a farmer since sophomore year. The farm – managed by my school – is a one-acre plot more accurately described as a garden with chickens. I fall into a rhythm, plucking and setting tomatoes in the container, eating several here and there. I recall the awe of harvesting a giant sunflower and discovering ten potatoes growing in its roots. I think about jalapenos, and how scratches on their skin indicate the spiciness level. The satisfaction of eating a raw green-bean, the first piece of food I grew at the farm, was indescribable. I derive great pleasure from knowing friends and teachers also eat the food I grow; we donate the farm’s produce to our school’s dining hall and sell it at the local weekly farmer’s market. Although I initially joined the farm because I wanted to try something new, I quickly found that the work offers a balance with the intellectual material I study in the mornings. The farm connects education with experience, applying my classroom learning to a real setting. Being able to see the relevance of what I am studying piques my curiosity. I aspire to maintain this connection between education and experience throughout my life, looking for soil to cultivate, so I can see and understand more of the world around me.

Tufts Supplemental Essay 2B: What Has Shaped Who You Are Today?

This is the second prompt option available to people applying to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, or the 5-year Combined Degree BA/BS + B Music with New England Conservatory. To review, the prompt is:

How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – shaped the person you are today?

This is a great option for people who have already written an essay about a community for another school, especially if you have a kicker of a story. If you have, don’t hesitate to recycle it, but think about the following questions when you do:

• How do the word lengths between the two essays compare?  Do I need to remove or add anything? If so, how can I make the essay still flow well?
• Is there anything in the original essay which made it specific to the other school? If so, how can I change it to relate to Tufts instead?
• What quality is the essay highlighting about me? Is this a quality Tufts is interested in?

If you haven’t written this essay for another college, this could still be a good choice, especially if you have another college on your application list that you know will ask for it. Whatever your reasons, here are some questions you can ask yourself when you’re brainstorming:

• If a time-traveling supervillain decided you were a threat to their plans, what one event in your life could they change to completely alter who you are?
• Is there a person in your life who has dramatically helped forge who you are today?
• Was, or is, some element of your life unusual compared to your peers?

Whatever you come up with, the most important element needs to be explaining how your experience made you… you. Even if your story includes other people, the focus needs to be your side of the story, no one else’s.

Here is an example of what a community-based essay might look like:

In Portland, opinions are liberally voiced. It’s similar to my current community in Houston, except rather than an abundance of Lizzie Fletcher stickers it’s “Come and Take It.” When I moved, I was bombarded by a completely foreign culture. By sophomore year, however, I realized that compromising myself to fit in was a mistake. I began vocally expressing my sentiments towards the world, and learned from my friends in turn. While I introduced my friends to thrift-shopping and wrote articles about more environmentally friendly methods of transportation, they took me to my first line-dance and helped me examine the other side of gun-control in `Agora Coffee House.’  When I was hurled into Texas, I was miserable. However, I quickly realized that I didn’t have to like Ed Sheeran to enjoy life. Learning to embrace and assess so many dissonant ideas has enabled me to grow into myself. I am more nonpartisan and able to truly listen to the other side. Now, whether it’s Texas or Oregon, Republican or Democrat, my life is a playlist of contradictions. In college, where everyone works on discovering “who they are” or what their place is in the world, I know I can provide not only diversity of thought, but educate people on how crucial it is to maintain an open-minded ideology towards the world.

One of the reasons this is a good essay is because it promotes a value that most colleges are looking for: diversity of thought. While written for Tufts, it is equally applicable to a number of other prompts, saving the writer time on other applications.

Tufts Supplemental Essay 2C: Social Justice Journey

This is the last prompt to choose from when applying to Tuft’s School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, or the 5-year Combined Degree BA/BS + B Music with New England Conservatory. This one reads:

Where are you on your journey of engaging with or fighting for social justice?

This is a great prompt to select if this is one of the areas you’re most passionate about. However, this can also be the most challenging of the three prompts for several reasons. The first is that you should not conflate social justice with volunteering.

• While they definitely overlap, it’s important to note that not all volunteering falls under the banner of social justice. For instance, volunteering at the local hospital, while admirable, probably doesn’t solve a social justice problem.
• In the same vein, fighting for social justice doesn’t require you to be a volunteer. If you get a job at a community center tutoring underprivileged children, this could count as fighting for social justice even though it’s paid.  

The next trap to avoid is making yourself sound like the savior of a particular group. While you deserve to be proud of your efforts to champion a cause, it’s important to also stay humble while writing about it. Being too effusive about yourself makes you appear arrogant, which isn’t the right tone, no matter the essay.

Last, don’t write about this topic if the only social justice you’re engaging in is minimal or common. For instance, you may have painted a school as a way to support everyone’s right to an education.

However, if it was a weekend project back in Freshman year, that does a poor job of communicating your commitment to social justice. In the same fashion, many people who apply to college have volunteered at their local food bank.

• This isn’t to say you can’t write about examples that are common or far in the past, but if you do, remember that you need to think of a spin to make your project stand out. 

If you decide to go with this topic, be sure to keep the focus on why you are fighting for a particular cause, what your goals are, and how you are working to achieve them. Be practical, but also be sure that a reader can tell how passionate you are.

While this is a rather abstract essay, closer to a poem than prose, keep in mind that Tufts asks for creativity in the essay responses:

There are mornings when I feel like it would be easier to pull my blue and green spotted duvet back over my head and stay in bed all day.  But I can’t.  Every day, I know that people, my people, are being unfairly maligned.  Sometimes it’s subtle. A resume passed over, or maybe just skimmed a little faster. Sometimes it’s not, like when my brother gets pulled over, simply for being a young, black male.  So, every day I try to take a stand. I sit in the front of the class, whenever I can. I’m always polite. Yes ma’am, no sir. My homework is pristine, always on time. At the end of the day, my greatest tool waits for me. A pen, a piece of paper. A voice. As the editor of my school’s newspaper, it is my privilege to speak diversity into my community. But it is also my load.  There are mornings when I feel like it would be easier to pull my blue and green spotted duvet back over my head and stay in bed all day.  But I can’t.  If I’m not using my voice, and helping others find theirs, then how can I claim to be loving those around me? If I am not listening to the silent cries for justice, then how can I claim to care for the oppressed?  I will always seek out the oppressed, and ask them what they see. I can do no other.

Tufts Supplemental Essay 3: Exploring Ideas Through Art

This last prompt is required for students who select that they are applying to the SMFA BFA in Studio Art or the 5-year Combined Degree BFA + BA/BS at SMFA/School of Arts and Sciences. Like the other three, it has a 200-250 word limit:

Art has the power to disrupt our preconceptions, shape public discourse, and imagine new ways of being in the world. What are the ideas you’d like to explore in your work? 

There are two main structures to this essay. Of course, you are not limited to using these approaches, but if you’re stuck they’re here to serve as a jumping-off platform for your brainstorming.

Approach 1:

• Explain the work you’d like to explore, either during your undergraduate years or afterward.
• How does this work relate to you?
• How does this work relate to your journey and personal themes?
• What are the methods you’d use to explain your work?

Approach 2:

• How will SMFA at Tufts help you accomplish this exploration?
• What are your career ambitions?
• What kind of impact do you want to have on your field?

Your idea can be esoteric or concrete, complex, or simple. Just make sure it relates to you.

Last, don’t get caught up in explaining the work itself. Instead, discuss why and how you’d explore it.

This essay does a great job of explaining the applicant’s relationship with art and how she thinks about it:

A teacher turns around to write an equation on the board and a sun pokes out from the collar of her shirt. A Starbucks barista hands me my drink, her hand adorned by a small music note. Every day, I am on a scavenger hunt to find women with tattoos. I’m intrigued by the quotes, dates, symbols, and abstract shapes. I’ve started to request informal interviews, as an excuse to talk with these diverse women whose individuality continually inspires me.  There is no school assignment, no teacher to give me a grade, and no deadline. Just me, exploring the art and stories behind the permanent transformations of personal landscapes. An artist educator told me that getting a tattoo “was like claiming a part of yourself and making it more visible and unavoidable.” A psychologist shared how she wishes that she could turn her tattoos “on or off to match different outfits and occasions.” I’ve realized how effectively tattoos showcase the complex relationship between the personal and the public. This project of mine has taught me so much about the art of storytelling and storytelling through art. I’ve strengthened relationships with people that had conventional roles in my life and also created friendships with unconventional characters. Most importantly, I’ve realized that with a willingness to explore a topic and accept not knowing where it will go, an idea can become a substantive reality.

Conclusion: Tufts Supplemental Essays

Year after year, Tufts upholds its reputation for having applicants write interesting essays.

So don’t be afraid to talk about how you want to affect change in small, specific ways or how the pursuit of knowledge is extremely important to you no matter where you are.

Whatever matters to you, show Tufts that these actions are genuinely important to you and are inspired by internal motivators rather than by wanting to get admitted to a school.

Before you submit your application, reread your material and make sure your responses present you as a well-rounded, multifaceted, and three-dimensional individual. If you need to tweak things to make yourself come alive and give yourself more personality, then do it.

More so than other schools, Tufts like their prospective students to feel fleshed out and relatable on paper.

Despite the short ideas and phrases, you can get a sense of the author and what they care about. Presumably, some of the details missing from this essay are fleshed out in places like their activities list or another essay.

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27 October 2015

More Essays that Worked (Tufts Edition)

This blog post includes five essays, as well as video commentary on why each one proved compelling to the admissions team.

Click here for the essays.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, what makes 'why tufts' essays stand out.

I've heard that the 'Why Tufts' essay is important for demonstrating interest in the school. Can anyone offer tips or advice on how to make my essay stand out? What kind of things should I focus on?

To make your 'Why Tufts' essay stand out, you'll want to focus on a few key areas that demonstrate not only your interest in the school but also why Tufts is the perfect fit for you.

1. Research and specificity: Start by researching Tufts' programs, culture, and opportunities that align with your interests and goals. Find unique aspects of Tufts that genuinely excite you and discuss them in detail. For example, you might discuss specific courses, clubs, or organizations that align with your academic and extracurricular interests. Avoid generic statements like "strong engineering program" and instead highlight specific aspects like "the Interdisciplinary focus of the Engineering Management program" that resonate with you.

2. Personal connection: Connect your experiences and values to those of the Tufts community. You might mention a time when you embraced Tufts' motto, "Pax et Lux," (peace and light) or discuss how the school's commitment to active citizenship aligns with your own community involvement. Show the admissions committee that you're not only passionate about the school but that you would also be an asset to the Tufts community.

3. Envisioning your future at Tufts: Paint a picture of how you see yourself contributing to the Tufts community and how Tufts can help you achieve your goals. Talk about how specific resources or opportunities at Tufts will help you grow academically, professionally, and personally. For example, explain how engaging with Tisch College of Civic Life will foster your passion for civic engagement or how the Experimental College will give you the opportunity to pursue unconventional learning experiences.

4. Anecdotes and storytelling: Make your essay engaging and memorable by incorporating anecdotes or personal stories that demonstrate your unique perspective or experiences. These stories can breathe life into your connection with Tufts, giving your essay a personal touch that sets it apart from others.

5. Be authentic: Be genuine in your writing and avoid cliches or trying to impress the admissions officers. Show them your true self and why you believe Tufts is the right fit for you. Let your passion for Tufts come through in your writing.

By combining in-depth research, personal connection, a clear vision for your future, engaging anecdotes and storytelling, as well as authenticity in your writing, your 'Why Tufts' essay will stand out and demonstrate your genuine interest in the school.

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The state of ai in 2024 open meeting hosted by the teaching with ai learning community.

The first meeting of the Tufts Teaching with AI Learning Community is open to all instructors at Tufts. At this meeting we will discuss the state of AI in 2024 and it’s implications for our course design and our students learning.

Roundtable: Equitably Assigning and Assessing the Writing of Multilingual Students

Many faculty wonder how to be more equitable when assigning and assessing the writing of multilingual students. For instance, given that multilingual students are arriving in the course with different levels of English fluency, should your standards for grading written work be different than for other students? When responding to student work, how much time should you spend on grammar and style at the sentence level versus comments on the structure or argument of the essay? Join this roundtable to share questions and ideas with colleagues.

Learning Sciences Workshop: Deepening Learning through Simple Engagement Practices

In this interactive workshop, we will explore three practices that engage learners and support retention. In an era where learners are easily distracted or can find alternate ways to produce information, these methods enable you to embed into your teaching, approaches that are simple, evidence-based, and will enable you and your learners to know what has been learned, what has been lost, and what can be applied.

Roundtable: Fostering Nuanced Thinking

Learning science workshop, roundtable: responding to the election, learning science workshop: applying the science of learning to large lecture classes.

The science of learning offers numerous approaches to address the unique challenges of large lecture courses. This interactive workshop will explore practical, science-of-learning strategies for building community, maintaining student attention, and increasing engagement. Grounded in cognitive science and educational research, these techniques are designed for implementation without additional teaching support. During the session, participants will collaboratively experience and adapt several strategies to their unique disciplines and contexts.

CELT Open House

As we bring this semester to a close, please join us to celebrate your hard work, devotion to your learners, and be taken care of a bit!

December Symposium

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Tufts Blogs

Current tufts students, inside admissions, 5 essay writing tips to get you through december.

I vividly recall dedicating each day of Thanksgiving break during my senior year of high school to writing the supplemental essays for my college applications: one short answer per day. I’ve forgotten what most of those brief essays were about, but I certainly remember sitting cross-legged on my bedroom floor developing an intense writing schedule and agonizing over potential essay topics. Thirteen years later, I’ve lost track of the number of application essays I’ve read - as an admissions officer and as a college counselor - but thankfully I have learned a few essay-writing lessons along the way. Whether you’re just beginning the brainstorming phase for your personal statement or you’re polishing drafts of your last few supplemental essays, if you keep these five tips in mind, you’ll be as fabulous as Adele:

1. Start with the purpose: First, take a minute to consider the role of the application essays from an admissions officer’s perspective. Your writing serves to give a human element to your application file, creating a connection between you and the reader who likely hasn’t had the opportunity to meet you in person. Your essays help us understand your voice beyond the academic data and learn about your personality, values, interests, priorities, and background. Essays also help us see your fit for Tufts specifically: does the attitude you showcase in your writing match the “vibe” of our community? That’s our purpose in requiring you to submit all these essays. But you get to have a purpose, too. Each essay you write should have a clear intention behind what you’re communicating, an intention that you can actually identify and articulate. What do we need to know about you to have the fullest picture possible of (a) what you care about and (b) how you will engage academically and socially on our campus? Those ideas and qualities should deliberately align with the essays you send us.

2. Make the most of each essay: By asking you to write two short responses in addition to your longer personal statement/college essay, we provide you with multiple opportunities to share what matters to you. That means you get multiple chances to showcase the multiple interests and experiences that make you a multifaceted human being. By writing all your essays about a similar theme or overlapping topics, you’ve likely missed out on a chance to share other dimensions of your identity. When a college requires supplemental essays or short answer questions, it can be helpful to think of your writing as a package or a set, the way it will be read by an admissions officer. I’m trying to learn as much as I can about the many things that make you interesting, smart, likable, and engaging. Ideally, your personal statement and supplemental essays will come together to reflect a range of qualities that comprise your voice as a whole.

3. Focus on the details: Now, while your essays as a whole set help paint a broad picture of who you are, each individual essay should tell me something very specific. Rather than trying to squeeze your whole life story into a 650-word essay or writing broadly about your interest in science or your passion for public service, try to keep your topics narrow and go deep with them. Describing a single experience/interaction/memory/source of inspiration with vivid detail and deep reflection can often have the most powerful and original impact. A former colleague used to describe this idea as "letting the micro inform the macro.” Small details - in your storytelling and in the interpretations you offer in your writing - can be representative of the macro-level ideas you want to leave the reader pondering.

4. Maintain your voice: Let me assure you, from our perspective, your college application essays should not be approached with the same tone as a research paper or book report. While your writing should be grammatically correct and show evidence of care, the language, style, and spirit of your essays certainly can and should be authentic to how you speak in real life. If your friends, family, and teachers would describe you as goofy, outgoing, or relaxed, you probably shouldn’t submit a collection of essays in a formal, subdued tone. If your real-life personality is more subtle, perceptive, and insightful, that can certainly make for a great college essay, too! Whether your communication style is witty, sarcastic, lyrical, pensive, earnest, animated, or sensible, I encourage you to infuse that flavor into your written language to complement the character qualities found in the content of your writing.

5. Be thoughtful in seeking feedback: I’ve seen plenty of students go overboard in their pursuit of essay feedback and I feel pretty confident that sharing a Google Doc with your 20 closest friends and mentors is the surest way to become overwhelmed with conflicting advice and edit your own voice out of your college essays. There are lots of well-intentioned people whose college essay advice can be a bit misguided. Stick to sharing your drafts with just 2-3 people you trust; a former colleague suggests including one person who’s a particularly strong writer and one person who knows you REALLY well and can gauge the authenticity of your writing. Editing to catch typos and incorrect spellings is essential, but I encourage you not to let the editing phase sanitize the creative expression that should make your essays yours.

New Arts and Sciences Faculty: Fall 2024

An outstanding group of new faculty will join the School of Arts and Sciences for the Fall 2024 semester.

Amarildo “Lilu” Barbosa, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Leadership

Amarildo “Lilu” Barbosa is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Leadership program. He comes to Tufts from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where he was the Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer. Prior to that, Barbosa was the Chief Diversity Officer at Lesley University and the Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Student Inclusion. As a DEIJ practitioner in the community and higher education, his scholarly and research interests focus on strategic diversity leadership, organizational learning & development, and behaviors and practices that harness cultural assets and funds of knowledge of Black & African communities for the purpose of societal impact. He received his PhD in Human Development & Learning from Lesley University.

Jonah Bloch-Johnson, Earth and Climate Sciences

Jonah Bloch-Johnson is the Chang Family Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences. He comes to Tufts from a Postdoctoral Researcher position at the United Kingdom’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading. Bloch-Johnson studies nonlinear climate dynamics, which explores the ways in which the climate’s response to disturbances such as humanity’s CO 2 emissions can become stronger or weaker over time. His work has received funding from the National Science Foundation and has been published in  Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems  and  Climate Dynamics,  among others .  He received his PhD from the University of Chicago. 

Alexandra Collins, Community Health

Alexandra Collins is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health. She comes to Tufts from Brown University School of Public Health where she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology. Her community-based research examines social, structural, and environmental drives of health outcomes among people who use drugs, and evaluates substance use-related interventions. She previously worked at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use and the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Her work has been published in journals such as  International Journal of Drug Policy, Journal of Urban Health , and  Social Science & Medicine and has informed drug policy related to decriminalization and the establishment of overdose prevention centers. She received her PhD from Simon Fraser University in Canada. 

Simone Dufresne, Child Study and Human Development

Simone Dufresne is a Lecturer in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development. She recently completed her PhD at Tufts with a dissertation titled “Navigating Tufts for Neurodivergent Students: Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Workshop Series at a U.S. University.” Her research focuses on how autistic individuals understand themselves and their place in society, and how interventions can support this development. She has been working in the autism field supporting youth and families for over 10 years. 

Jeremy Eichler, Music

Jeremy Eichler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music. He is a writer, scholar and critic .  Before joining Tufts, Eichler was the Chief Classical Music Critic for  The Boston Globe , a position he held for 18 years. He has multiple Pulitzer Prize nominations in Criticism for his work at the  Globe.  Eichler is the author of  Time’s Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance  (Alfred A. Knopf and Faber, 2023), which was the winner of three National Jewish Book Awards and named a notable book of 2023 by  The   New Yorker, The New York Times,  and NPR. In 2018 he was named a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar and is a recipient of an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for music criticism. He also received a fellowship from Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Eichler’s criticisms and essays have appeared in  The New Yorker, The News Republic, The Times of London, The Nation, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Forward,  and  Slate.  He holds a PhD from Columbia University.  

Anne Fast, Psychology

Anne Fast is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology. She joins Tufts after faculty positions at Western Washington University and Clark University. She has extensive teaching and advising experience, and has also served as a departmental coordinator for graduate teaching assistants. At Tufts, she will be teaching courses in statistics for the behavioral sciences, developmental psychology, and gender development, among others, as well as advising students in all 5 of our undergraduate majors .  Her research interests include prosocial behavior, morality, social cognitive development, and gender development. She received her PhD from the University of Washington.

Isabela Fraga, Romance Studies

Isabela Fraga is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Romance Studies. She comes to Tufts from Stanford University where she was a Postdoctoral Mellon Fellow at Stanford Humanities Center and a Lecturer of Iberian and Latin American Cultures. Her research explores issues of personhood, subjectivity, and language in the context of chattel slavery in Latin America and the Spanish CaribbeanSpecifically, her book project traces a century-long genealogy of writings concerned with the affective lives of enslaved and free people of African descent in Brazil and Cuba, the two most lucrative coffee- and sugar-producing regions of the nineteenth-century Atlantic world.   Fraga received her PhD in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies from the University of Chicago.

Fatima Aysha Hussain, Biology

Fatima Aysha Hussain is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology. Before coming to Tufts, she was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard. In 2021 she was awarded the Schmidt Science Fellowship. Her lab at Tufts will study the ecology and evolution of microbes living in the human vagina with the aim of using this research to design ecologically-informed microbial therapies for women’s health. She received her PhD from MIT, where she studied virus-bacteria interactions in the ocean. At Tufts she will be designing a new Virology course and co-teaching the Microbiology Lab. Her research has been published in journals such as  Nature, Science,  and  Nature Microbiology.

Jordan Jurinsky, Child Study and Human Development

Jordan Jurinsky is an Assistant Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development. He recently received his PhD from Vanderbilt University with a dissertation titled “Dynamic ecology of adolescent recovery: A mixed methods exploration of the individual, family, and school contexts of adolescent alcohol use recovery.” His interdisciplinary research examines how social contexts, such as peers, families, schools, and communities, impact the addiction recovery process of adolescents and young adults, with an emphasis on health equity and action research. He is also the Director of the Systematic Evaluation of the Association of Recovery Schools, which is developing and iterating a nation-wide data infrastructure for recovery high schools. He has published his work in peer reviewed journals such as  Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research ,  Addiction Research & Theory , and  The Journal of American College Health.

Jing Li, Economics

Jing Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics. She comes to Tufts from the MIT Sloan School of Management where she held the William Barton Rogers Career Development Chair of Energy Economics. From 2017-2018, Li was a Postdoctoral Associate of the MIT Energy Initiative. Her research interests lie in energy economics and industrial organization, focusing on development and adoption of new technologies. In recent work, Li has studied standardization and location choices in the U.S. electric vehicle charging industry, automaker diesel vehicle emissions control technology, and cost pass-through in E85 retail markets. Li received her PhD from Harvard

Brandon McDonald, Classical Studies

Brandon McDonald is the Rumsey Family Assistant Professor in the Department of Classical Studies. He joins Tufts from the University of Basel in Switzerland where he was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the Department of Ancient History. McDonald’s research interests include ancient environmental history; Roman and late ancient history/archaeology; ancient disease and health; palaeoclimatology; Graeco-Roman Egypt; and Roman and late antique western Asia. He has published his work in journals such as  The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology  and is working on converting his dissertation into a monograph titled  Roman Ecology: The Interplay of An Empire, Its Natural Environment and Pathogens.  He received his DPhil from the University of Oxford. 

Emily Meehan, Mathematics

Emily Meehan is a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics. She comes to Tufts from Wheaton College where she was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor at Gallaudet University. Meehan has published research in  Advances in Applied Mathematics.  She completed her PhD at North Carolina State University.

Takeshia Pierre, Education

Takeshia Pierre is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Florida, Gainesville’s School of Teaching and Learning with a dissertation titled “Re-Authoring the Stories of Success of STEM/Health Professional Men Holding Black Diasporic Identities: A Disaggregated Approach.” Pierre’s research focuses on exploring equity in STEM and STEM-related fields. She has been published in the refereed journals  Professional Development in Education  and  Cultural Studies of Science Education.  In 2023 she was awarded a fellowship with the Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE). 

Mat Rappaport, Film and Media Studies

Mat Rappaport is the Donald W. Klein Professor in Media Studies . Rappaport’s work explores the intersections of film, emerging technologies, and digital media. He employs AI, mobile video, immersive media, and interactive technologies to investigate themes of isolation, perception, and power within urban and built environments. Formerly an Associate Professor in the Cinema and Television Arts Department at Columbia College, Rappaport’s work has been featured in a wide range of venues, including film festivals, public screenings, museums, and digital platforms. His latest film, the feature documentary Touristic Intent , navigates the intersection of architecture, political ideology, and memory while examining the Nazi-designed resort in Prora, Germany. The film was selected for festivals in the United States, the Netherlands, and Israel; it won Best Feature Documentary at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival and has been screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. Mat is the co-founder of V1B3, a collective focused on critical approaches to emerging technologies including drones, rapid prototyping, augmented reality and the use of technology to transform urban experiences. 

Daniele Santucci, Romance Studies

Daniele Santucci is a Lecturer and the Italian Language Coordinator in the Department of Romance Studies. He earned his PhD in Italian from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds both an MA and a BA from the Università per Stranieri di Siena, specializing in Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. He has experience designing and teaching Italian language and culture courses in various international settings, including Italy, Australia, Belgium, and Indonesia.  His research interests include  contemporary Italian Literature, gender and sexuality studies, queer studies, border studies, environmental humanities, and second language acquisition.

Sonal Sharma, Sociology

Sonal Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology. He recently completed his PhD at Johns Hopkins University with a dissertation titled “Class-compromise and informal sector workers in the Global South: the case of domestic workers’ legal rights in India and South Africa, 1990 to Present.” His research interests include sociology of race/caste, gender and labor, labor movements, civil society, capitalism, comparative-historical sociology, and ethnography. Sharma has published his work in peer-reviewed journals such as  Critical Sociology, South Asian History and Culture , and  South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal.

Emily Strasser, English

Emily Strasser is a Professor of the Practice of Creative Nonfiction and Journalism in the Department of English. Her first book,  Half-Life of a Secret  (University of Kentucky Press, 2023), was awarded the 2024 Reed Prize in Environmental Writing from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the 2024 Minnesota Book Award. Her writing situates the personal within the global and explores themes and questions of home, secrecy, mental illness, environment, grief, guilt, and interconnectedness. Her work has appeared in publications such as  Catapult, Ploughshares, Guernica, Colorado Review, The Bitter Southerner, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,  and  Gulf Coast,  among others. Strasser has received awards and fellowships including the Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest, an AWP Intro Award, the W.K. Rose Fellowship, the Olive B. O’Connor Fellowship in Creative Writing, and grants from the Minnesota Arts Board, the Jerome Foundation, and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. She was a 2019 McKnight Writing Fellow. Strasser has previously taught at Hamline University, Colgate University, Century College, and the University of Minnesota. She received her MFA from the University of Minnesota.

Dorothy Wang, Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora

Dorothy Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora starting January 1, 2025. She comes to Tufts from Williams College where she was a Professor in the American Studies Program. Previously, she was a faculty member at Northwestern University and Wesleyan University. Wang is the author of  Thinking Its Presence: Form, Race, and Subjectivity in Contemporary Asian American Poetry  (Stanford University Press, 2013), which won the Association for Asian American Studies’ 2016 award for best book of literary criticism. In 2017-2018 she was the ACLS Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellow in the English Department at the CUNY Graduate Center. She has also been a Visiting Professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong, Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan), Lingnan University (Hong Kong), and Columbia University. She received her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Project 2025 decried as racist. Some contributors have trail of racist writings, activity

They include richard hanania, whose pseudonymous writings for white supremacist sites were uncovered last year..

Former President Donald Trump has spent weeks distancing himself from Project 2025, a sprawling 900-plus page manifesto that seeks to create a blueprint for the next Trump presidency.

Billed as a vision built by conservatives for conservatives, the effort “dismantles the unaccountable Deep State, taking power away from Leftist elites and giving it back to the American people and duly-elected President,” according to its website.  

But for months commentators and academics have been sounding the alarm on Project 2025. The effort, they say, is a deeply racist endeavor that actually is aimed at dismantling many protections and aid programs for Americans of color.

“Really, it's kind of a white supremacist manifesto,” said Michael Harriot, a writer and historian who wrote an article earlier this month titled: “I read the entire Project 2025. Here are the top 10 ways it would harm Black America.”

And a closer look at the named contributors to Project 2025 adds to the concern: A USA TODAY analysis found at least five of them have a history of racist writing or statements, or white supremacist activity.

They include Richard Hanania, who for years wrote racist essays for white supremacist publications under a pseudonym until he was unmasked by a Huffington Post investigation last year. 

Failed Virginia GOP Senate candidate Corey Stewart, another named contributor, has long associated with white supremacists and calls himself a protector of America’s Confederate history tasked with “taking back our heritage.” 

One Project 2025 contributor wrote in his PhD dissertation that immigrants have lower IQs than white native citizens, leading to “underclass behavior.” Another dropped out of contention for a prestigious role at the Federal Reserve amid controversy over a racist joke about the Obamas. 

The presence of contributors to Project 2025 who have published racist or offensive tropes comes as no surprise to academics and commentators who have been sounding the alarm on the endeavor for months.

The plan calls for the abolition of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government. It would severely limit the mailing of abortion pills and disband the Department of Education. It would replace the Department of Homeland Security with a new, more powerful border and immigration enforcement agency to choke immigration . It would also curtail or disband programs that experts say greatly benefit communities of color, including the Food Stamp and Head Start programs. 

“Project 2025 is a plan about how to regulate and control people of color, including how they organize, work, play and live,” said Arjun Sethi, a civil rights lawyer and adjunct professor of law at Georgetown Law. “It seeks to regulate what they do with their bodies, how they advocate for their rights, and how they build family and community — all while disregarding the historical injustices and contemporary persecution they have experienced.”

What is Project 2025? Inside the conservative plan Trump claims to have 'no idea' about.

It’s not clear how much influence the contributors USA TODAY identified had on the creation of the Project 2025 manifesto. They are listed among scores of contributors to the document, and none would agree to an interview for this story.

But even among the broader collection of think tanks, nonprofits and pundits on the author list, others have past controversies on the issue of race. Seven of the organizations on Project 2025’s Advisory Board have been designated as extremist or hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center, according to a May report from Accountable.us, a nonpartisan organization that tracks interest groups in Washington, D.C. 

This proliferation of organizations and individuals with racist modus operandi is by design, not accident, Harriot said.

“One of the things that you see when you read Project 2025 is not just the racist dog whistles, but some ideas that were exactly lifted from some of the most extreme white supremacists ever,” Harriot said. 

After multiple requests from USA TODAY, the Heritage Foundation declined to address questions about the Project 2025 contributors and their past statements.

Project 2025 contributor wrote for white supremacist websites

Hanania is a right-wing author and pundit who has built a reputation among Republicans as an “anti-woke crusader.” 

Before he became a favorite of prominent conservatives – including Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who is now Trump’s pick for vice president – Hanania was pushing a far more extreme version of his right-wing views.    

An investigation last year by the Huffington Post unmasked Hanania as having written under a pseudonym for websites connected to the “alt-right,” the white supremacist movement that flared up before and during the first Trump presidency.

In the early 2010s, writing under the pen name “Richard Hoste,” Hanania “identified himself as a ‘race realist.’” Huffington Post reported last August. “He expressed support for eugenics and the forced sterilization of ‘low IQ’ people, who he argued were most often Black. He opposed ‘miscegenation’ and ‘race-mixing.’ And once, while arguing that Black people cannot govern themselves, he cited the neo-Nazi author of ‘The Turner Diaries,’ the infamous novel that celebrates a future race war.”

Hanania acknowledged writing the posts under a pseudonym and, since then, has only partly renounced his past. Two days after the Huffington Post exposé, in a post on his website titled “Why I Used to Suck, and (Hopefully) No Longer Do,” Hanania wrote “When I was writing anonymously, there was no connection between the flesh and blood human being who would smile at a cashier or honk at someone in traffic, and the internet ‘personality’ who could just grow more rabid over time.”

Vance’s connection to Hanania was documented in a 2021 interview with conservative talk show host David Rubin — two years before Hanania began denouncing his racist past — when Vance described Hanania as a “friend” and a “really interesting thinker.”

Vance and Hanania have also interacted several times on X, formerly known as Twitter, liking and commenting on each other’s posts.

Richard Spencer, a white supremacist credited with creating the alt-right moniker, published several of Hanania’s articles on the website AlternativeRight.com, including one in which Hanania wrote “If the races are equal, why do whites always end up near the top and blacks at the bottom, everywhere and always?”  

In an interview this month, Spencer told USA TODAY that while Hanania may have moderated some of his views, “I think it’s very clear that Richard is a race realist and eugenicist.” The term eugenicist refers to proponents of eugenics, the belief that the genetic quality of the human race can be improved through certain practices — practices viewed by many as scientific racism.

Hanania did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

A Confederate cheerleader and promoting the ‘Great Replacement’ theory

In a 2017 speech at the “Old South Ball” in Danville, Va., Stewart, an attorney who would become the 2018 Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, told the assembled crowd he was proud to stand next to a Confederate flag: 

“That flag is not about racism, folks, it’s not about hatred, it’s not about slavery, it is about our heritage,” Stewart said. At the same event, he called Virginia “the state of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.”

According to a 2018 New York Times profile of Stewart, white supremacists volunteered on the then-Senate candidate’s campaign. “Several of his aides and advisers have used racist or anti-Muslim language, or maintained links to outspoken racists like Jason Kessler ” – who helped organize the white supremacist Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia – the Times reported. 

Stewart did not respond to an email seeking comment. Kessler did not respond to a phone call.

At least three contributors to Project 2025 have supported the racist “Great Replacement” theory, which contends that powerful Democrats and leftists are conspiring to change the demographics of the United States by turning a blind eye to, or even encouraging, illegal immigration. 

Michael Anton, a former senior national security official in the Trump administration, wrote in a pseudonymous essay published in 2016 that “The ceaseless importation of Third World foreigners with no tradition of, taste for, or experience in liberty means that the electorate grows more left, more Democratic, less Republican, less republican, and less traditionally American with every cycle. As does, of course, the U.S. population.”     

Anton has also written several essays, including one for USA TODAY, arguing to end birthright citizenship. His arguments have been widely criticized as factually incorrect and misleading. In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Tufts University politics professor Daniel Drezner called them “ very racist .”  

Anton did not respond to a request for comment.

Another contributor is Stephen Moore, who in 2019 withdrew his name for consideration for the Federal Reserve Board amid scrutiny for his misogynistic and racist jokes and commentary.

Moore, who had made a joke about Trump removing the Obamas from public housing when he took office, was widely mocked when he later tried to clear up the joke in a television interview. The fallout, combined with concerns about Moore’s history of writing articles viewed as disparaging toward women, led him to withdraw his name for consideration.   

Moore did not respond to a request for comment.

The 2009 PhD thesis of Project 2025 contributor Jason Richwine was titled, “ IQ and Immigration Policy .” The thesis includes statements such as: “No one knows whether Hispanics will ever reach IQ parity with whites, but the prediction that new Hispanic immigrants will have low-IQ children and grandchildren is difficult to argue against.”

Richwine resigned from his position at the Heritage Foundation in 2013 amid controversy over his research. He now works at  the Center For Immigration Studies. The paper, and Richwine’s defense of it, were widely decried as racist , bigoted and scientifically incorrect .   

It didn’t help Richwine that his thesis was uncovered in the midst of controversy over an immigration study he co-authored that was roundly criticized by liberals and conservatives alike.  

“Had he not just argued, in an extremely tendentious fashion, that Hispanic immigrants are, on the whole, parasites, he might have endured public criticism of his dissertation,” read an analysis in The Economist . “Had he not in his dissertation argued that Hispanic immigration ought to be limited on grounds of inferior Hispanic intelligence, he would have endured the firestorm over the risible Heritage immigration study.”

Richwine did not respond to a request for comment.

“The fact that they consulted individuals with such abhorrent views to develop this plan is further evidence of just how un-American these proposals are,” Tony Carrk, executive director of Accountable.us told USA TODAY. “The idea that the next conservative administration might replace 50,000 government experts with extremists like this should concern every American.”

Trump’s connections to Project 2025

At a campaign rally in Michigan earlier this month, Trump told the crowd that Project 2025 is “seriously extreme.”

“Some on the severe right, came up with this Project 25,” Trump said. “ I don’t even know, some of them I know who they are, but they’re very, very conservative. They’re sort of the opposite of the radical left.”

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump had previously distanced himself from the effort.

“I have no idea who is behind it,” he wrote on July 5. “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying, and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”

But reports show at least 31 of the 38 official authors and editors of Project 2025 have a connection to the former president and GOP presidential candidate. 

Vance, who Trump announced as his running mate earlier this month, also has connections to Project 2025. He wrote the foreword for a book being released later this year by Kevin Roberts, one of the manifesto's key architects.

“Never before has a figure with Roberts’s depth and stature within the American Right tried to articulate a genuinely new future for conservatism,” Vance wrote in a review of the book,  published on Amazon, which has since been removed.

Trump has pointed to his own policy manifesto – “ Agenda 47 ,” so named because the next U.S. president will be its 47th – as evidence that he doesn’t plan to use Project 2025 if he wins in November. Agenda 47 focuses on the same broad issues as Project 2025: Education, immigration and crime, and also tackles the LGBTQ+ community and welfare programs. 

The plans differ in some ways. Agenda 47 doesn’t mention abortion once, for example, while abortion is a focus of Project 2025, which calls on the FDA to reverse its approval of abortion drugs and severely limit the mailing of abortion pills. 

Harriot, the author who has closely studied the document, described Project 2025 as the “employee manual” for a future Trump administration. Agenda 47 is the public-facing statement of the former president’s political intentions, Harriot said, but Project 2025 is where the details are.

“There’s some cognitive dissonance,” Harriot said. “Trump doesn’t get elected by people who are just outwardly racist, and being associated with Project 2025 would dismantle his plausible deniability, because it's so blatantly racist.”