The Class of 2008 Moves In

Despite heavy boxes and long line of cars pulling in this morning, the crowds of new students and families are “very excited” to finally be on campus.

Medford/Somerville, Mass. [09.01.04] On a warm and sunny September 1st, the Class of 2008 officially began their college careers at Tufts. Armed with boxes of books, clothes, electronics and room decorations, thousands of students and their families blanketed the Medford/Somerville campus to move in and make friends. As Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow told the students: “The day you’ve all been waiting for for a long time has finally arrived.”

“I’m so excited to be at Tufts,” freshman Jessica Ceruzzi of West Hartford, Connecticut said after snapping a picture with her older sister, who is already a student at Tufts.

One of the nearly 1,300 students beginning their undergraduate education at Tufts, Ceruzzi was not alone.

“It’s good that we got to get here and have time to adjust and meet everyone before classes,” Amanda Baryshyan said, referring to the upcoming orientation programs for first year students.

This year’s freshmen – 1,279 in total, of which 75 percent were ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating high school class – may have prepared for college by talking with roommates by phone or email before move-in day, but actually meeting them face to face was a big hit.

“We’re extremely excited to meet the other freshmen,” Ben Gabin told E-News, adding that he was looking forward to dorm activities later that night, where they would meet their resident assistants and hallmates.

By the time they moved in, many had already made friends, thanks to pre-orientation programs - Tufts wilderness orientation, Tufts pre-orientation program for physical and personal development and the freshmen orientation doing community service - that allowed students to bond while hiking in the mountains, learning about staying healthy through nutrition and exercise during their college years, and serving the homeless in Boston.

“We survived Wilderness,” Allison Goldenberg and Kathryn Maus laughed.

Their classmate – Lindsay Rauch – made friends through a service-based program.

“I did [the community service orientation] and was on the Hunger Two trip,” Rauch told E-News. “I loved my group, I loved my leaders – I feel like I really lucked out.”

A mellow Anthony Cruz - perched on a rail outside of his dorm – watched as droves of parents and students continued to load clothes, appliances, and dorm decorations out of their cars and into the residence halls.

“I’m speechless,” he admitted.

Fast Facts About the Class of 2008:
The class of 2008 represents 34 foreign countries and over 16 diverse faith traditions.

The incoming class is evenly balanced between men and women. Seventy-seven percent of the students come from outside of Massachusetts, including 49 states.

Forty-seven students are National Merit Scholars, 56 were valedictorians and 34 were salutatorians.

The class includes students who:
• Submitted a redevelopment plan for the World Trade Center
• Plans to major in peace & justice studies in order to promote social issues through fashion design
• Was named as USA Gymnastics Sportsperson of the Year in 2001
• Performed as a soloist at Walt Disney World
• Enjoyed a personal audience with the Dalai Lama
• Illustrated a seed catalogue
• Arranged for Gandhi’s grandson to visit her high school in western Tennessee
• Filmed “The Bucket Boys,” a documentary about inner city adolescents who use plastic buckets as musical instruments in the streets of Chicago.
• Set five Turkish records for swimming, won the Italian championship in the 4x100 relay, was named to the Swiss national basketball team and earned a gold medal in ice dancing from the US Figure Skating Association.