“La ilaha il Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah.” There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet. A smile grew on my face as I started to laugh. I couldn’t contain my joy. “You’re Muslim now!” my friend exclaimed. I could hear her smile through the phone. “Alhamdulillah,” I breathed. Praise be to God. Growing up as a daughter of two Christian ministers, faith has been a central part of my life from the beginning. Illustrated Bible...

I am happiest when I am consumed by curiosity, immersed in a sea of knowledge. When I’m listening to Ted Talks about quorum sensing, researching the contexts of Biblical or Qur'anic passages, creating a formula to find the empty area in Sierpinski's triangle after the nth step (3n-14nx23), ([3^(n-1)]/4^n)(x^2)[3^(½)]I am part of something bigger. Brown offers a learning environment where curiosity, not grades, drives learning, where passion guides fields of study through the Open Curriculum....

I never thought that I would fall in love with Oberlin. It was my mom’s alma mater, a conservatory for dedicated musicians, not simply music appreciators like me. But love is unpredictable. This love story begins during an alumni reunion. I fell in love again and again each hour I spent on campus. I fell in love with the peace and warmth of the Muslim prayer room, with the sophistication yet accessibility of the science labs, with the comfort...

I am an interspiritual, United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Muslim. Not every school can handle such complex and fluid spirituality, much less embrace and foster it. Tufts’ interfaith initiatives go beyond tolerance to exploration and affirmation of all beliefs, illustrated by the diversity of religious organizations including CAFE. At Tufts, I can “turn conversation into action,” working to make this world a better place. At Tufts, I can explore my Islamic faith by living in the Muslim House. Most...

Race Relations and Racial Inequality. Global Justice. Self and World: Metaphysics and Epistemology. Philosophy and Race. Global Health and Social Epidemiology. Psychology of Language. These are big idea courses. These are courses that seek to understand the world, to make sense of what’s in it. These are courses that empower young women to tackle the gargantuan issues that face us today. This is a Wellesley education. I want to go to college not to memorize information and regurgitate it...

[Question: Tell us where you have lived - and for how long - since you were born; whether you've always lived in the same place, or perhaps in a variety of places.] Summer camp. I walk alongside my campers to breakfast wearing a New Britain High School sweatshirt. A seventh grade girl interrupts the crunching of rocks beneath our flip-flops. “Isn’t that school… dangerous?” Clearly she’s never been to the city. Graduation. I look over a sea of...

[Question: 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.] As a white kid at [elementary school], I was in a tiny minority. Every year, my pale skin was matched only by one or two others’ in my class of 30, and my hesitant Spanish solidified my standing as an outsider. I grew up resentful of my differences...

[Question: Celebrate the role of sports in your life.] It takes a surprising amount of energy to finish a one minute, thirty second floor routine. Three tumbling passes, two dance series, one turn, and seemingly endless poses and transitions, all designed to look effortless. Every muscle must be tight, perfectly positioned for a stuck landing. When even the flexor digiti minimi brevis muscle of the little toe burns with exhaustion, toes need to be pointed harder. Now imagine doing two...

I had to write a lot of supplements for the schools I applied to. In each essay, I tried to expand on a certain part of myself. Doing research on the schools I applied to was also essential--while I remained true to myself in my essays, I did try to capitalize on attributes I knew the school I was applying to valued, e.g. diversity and intellectual curiosity.

I would start earlier! While I wasn't submitting my applications 30 minutes before the deadline, I was...

I did not use any sort of college counselor, so I can't speak to...

There isn't one right thing to do during the summer. Do something that interests...

A few years ago, I converted to Islam....

I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from Tufts that covers all of my student loans. In addition, I applied for dozens of outside scholarships....

Narrowing down my list of schools to apply to was incredibly difficult. I made lists upon lists of qualities I was looking for, stats, and subjective reviews. For me,...

Ask early! In late fall, teachers will be swamped with requests for recommendations. It is also helpful to give a deadline for the recommendation...

I interviewed for Tufts, and the interview did not go very well. The interviewer had a very negative view of my inner city public high school and his biases reflected in the interview. HOWEVER, I still...

My top three schools I chose between were Wellesley, Brown, and Tufts. Ultimately, I decided against...

Ultimately, I chose Tufts because of...

Tufts is known as a very quirky school. Highlight some aspect of...

Friendly: everyone is super nice. It's easy to strike up a conversation wherever you are and people will love to talk to you. Passionate: talk to a Tufts student about what they're interested, and their eyes will light up. Whether it's social...

I'm currently involved in the Rock Climbing club team, Enigma, and MSA. I love the rock climbing team because it's a great community and the...

Do a pre-orientation program! There are a lot of options, including CAFE,...