Seven pairs of eyes bore into me, so that I felt simultaneously like a celebrity and an alien. I ducked under the red paper lanterns dangling over the doorway. “Xie xie,” I said too many times, eager to dispel whatever negative preconceptions the family might have about American teenagers. I was the waiguoren, the foreigner. My host family served a simple dinner of rice, steamed buns, and fresh green vegetables piled onto a Lazy Susan so that everyone could help...

When I visited Tufts this fall, I could not wipe the smile off of my face because I knew that I had found “the place.” The gorgeous campus combines with passionate students and professors to create a community that is both eccentric and irresistible. Everything I saw at Tufts made my smile wider. Tufts and I share a passion for languages and globalism. The ExCollege is an incredible way for students to learn from professionals about their fields. The friendly...

I grew up in a small apartment with big windows that gave me a fondness for natural light. I was raised in a city filled with culture, diversity, and people with strong opinions. My mom taught me to love language and appreciate art. She read to me every night until I could put together the words together myself. On Friday “movie nights,” the two of us watched recently released dramas or comedies, interjecting with our own critiques. I now look...

If my classmates were to give me a senior superlative, it would be “Biggest Titanic Freak.” It all started at age thirteen when I watched the three-hour-and-fifteen-minute James Cameron film at a sleepover. Now, many teenage girls obsess over the movie and maybe even know the lyrics to “My Heart Will Go On.” But I did not stop there. Beyond the film itself, I became fascinated by the real-life event that reads like a moral parable or a carefully crafted...

I chose teachers from my best subjects and those who had seen the work I was most...

I had one on-campus interview at Oberlin (where I did not actually apply) and an alum interview with Tufts. I definitely recommend doing a "practice" interview at a school...

For schools that you actually like, this shouldn't be hard. Do...

To quote a friend of mine, Tufts is "the Goldilocks school." It's not too big; it's not too...

I am on the Ballroom Team, Burlesque troupe, and Opera Ensemble. I wrote some articles for the Tufts Daily (our school newspaper) and am a Writing Fellow....