by Tess Jacobson
Which aspects of Tufts' curriculum or undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short: "Why Tufts?" (50-100 words)
Is it a crush? No, it's love. The Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development sparks the attraction, growing with notions of combining interests to create studies that are exclusively mine at the experimental college. Yet there is a "je ne sais quoi" crowning my infatuation. Perhaps it's the sight of Jumbos devoted to academics by day, then transformed into a cohesive collective of burlesque or Kingsway African dancers by night. Maybe it's faculty connections extending to applaud such eccentric performances. I can't pinpoint one affection luring me in. My unbreakable tether: I only have eyes for Tufts.
There is a Quaker saying: "Let your life speak." Describe the environment in which you were raised -- your family, home, neighborhood, or community -- and how it influenced the person you are today. (200-250 words)
Every night, my brother and I would wait hungrily at the table, antsy to peel the tin foil off of the dinner and start serving the home-cooked meal. We never did, though. We knew better than to let our impatience overthrow the value of our nightly family tradition: the family starts and ends dinner together.
As a kid, I took this ritual for granted. I thought that dining on home-cooked dinners throughout the week with the whole family was part of everyday normalcy. To my surprise, I learned that this was not the case. More often than not, life's many other obligations prevent families from spending the amount of time together they would like during the week and, as a result, they depend on other sources of quality time. I may not have recognized my fortune during childhood, but this family custom that was as routine to me as waking up everyday has subconsciously impacted what I value: relationships, contact and communication.
In retrospect, this deceptively customary act of love that earlier generations passed on to my parents and that is now shared with me is what has cultivated my appreciation for the way my family raised me, and has had an influence on who I am. Along with this nightly tradition, I've inherited the capacity to incorporate sentiment into various aspects of my life and treasure the small things that complete it.
Now we'd like to know a little bit more about you. Please respond to one of the following six questions (200-250 words):
A) From Michelangelo to Mother Teresa, from Jackie Robinson to Elizabeth Bennett, the human narrative is populated by a cast of fascinating characters, real and imagined. Share your favorite and explain why that person or character inspires you.
My muscles froze and tension wiped the choreography from my mind. The cue to enter stage left was a minute away. I shrank at the thought of having over a hundred pairs of eyes on me. Overwhelming apprehension disarmed me; I could not go out there. It was thoughts of Philippe Petit that prodded me. Walking on a wire in front of New York City, 1,350 feet above an audience of thousands, without pause. Whether at the top of the World Trade Center or down on the ground, charming his audience with illusions, Petit's eccentric charisma never fades. His peculiarity inspires me to be original and his plucky fearlessness impels me to disregard my trepidation. Assertiveness and poise restored, I stepped out from behind the wing.
From the moment he read about the Twin Towers, Petit's ambition became relentless; fear of failure was not a factor in his vision. My aspirations don't fall in line with walking on wires, but he remains my luminary. His striking audacity motivates me to take risks. Petit's tenacious grip on his own objectives, each one unwilling to let others stand in his way, reminds me to keep an unshakeable hold on my aims. He's deceptively serious, looking upon his commitments with intensity, while emanating a contagious playfulness that reminds me to make time for amusement. While against my nature, I have internalized Petit's intrepidity and resolution.
Tess Jacobson was a 2015 graduate of the Trevor Day School in New York City. She recently began her freshman year at Tufts.