Question 1

Tell me about yourself.

Accepted Answer

Applicants report (2022) the alum has almost nothing from your file, so this gives them a starting point for the whole talk. Take about a minute: where you're from, what fills your days, and one or two things you care about most. End on the thing you'd most like to be asked about next.

Question 2

What makes you you? What makes you unique?

Accepted Answer

The alum wants a picture of you as a person, not as grades or essays. Pick one real trait and back it with a small, specific story. Applicants mention that even non-academic things, like a family habit or a show you love, work if you are passionate about them.

Question 3

How do you spend your time outside of school?

Accepted Answer

An easy warm-up that shows what you choose to do when nobody requires it. Name one or two things and give one concrete detail about each. Let the alum pick which to follow.

Question 4

Why Tufts?

Accepted Answer

Reported in nearly every account from 2020 to 2026. Applicants report (2023) that interviews partly gauge how interested you are. Tie two or three specific Tufts things to your own plans, for example the Experimental College's student-taught courses, Civic Semester abroad in your first semester, or Tisch College of Civic Life. Go beyond what your essay already says, as applicants advise.

Question 5

What do you want to major in, and are there other fields you might explore?

Accepted Answer

Alumni usually see your intended major, so they ask about it and about your range. Explain how the interest started and what you've done about it. It's fine to name a second field: Arts and Sciences students can declare as late as spring of sophomore year, about a third double major, and there's an Interdisciplinary Studies major.

Question 6

What do you want to do while you're at Tufts?

Accepted Answer

A wider version of "why Tufts" that tests whether you've pictured yourself there. Mix academics and life: research (Tufts says students can start as early as first year), study abroad (over 40% of each class goes), and one club or service group.

Question 7

Which specific courses are you looking forward to taking?

Accepted Answer

Checks whether you've actually looked at what Tufts teaches. Name one or two real courses and say why. Tufts' own student blog mentions classes like "Music, Technology, & Digital Culture," and the ExCollege lists courses like Sheep to Shawl.

Question 8

What clubs or student groups would you join at Tufts?

Accepted Answer

Shows how you'd take part in campus life beyond class. Pick one or two and link them to what you already do. Examples from Tufts: the Leonard Carmichael Society (the largest student group, an umbrella for community service) or Tufts Emergency Medical Services.

Question 9

Why do you think you'd be a great fit for Tufts?

Accepted Answer

Applicants report the alum fills out a short form on how well you'd fit in at Tufts. Match one of your habits to something true about Tufts, such as its interdisciplinary approach or the fact that more than half of students do community service. Give one example from your own life.

Question 10

What would you bring to Tufts? What would you add to campus?

Accepted Answer

Applicants report (2021) the evaluation form asks how you'd contribute to campus and what sets you apart. Name one concrete thing you'd add: a skill, a point of view, a group you'd start or help. Show you already do it now.

Question 11

What clubs and activities are you involved in at school?

Accepted Answer

The alum follows up on what you name, so this sets up much of the conversation. Focus on one or two that matter most and say what you actually do and why. Some applicants brought or emailed a résumé to start this part off.

Question 12

What do you do for fun? Any hobbies?

Accepted Answer

They want to see you as a person, not a set of grades. Be honest and specific, even if it's small or odd. A detail makes it memorable and gives the alum something to connect with.

Question 13

What's your favorite class or subject, and why?

Accepted Answer

Shows what excites you about learning. Pick one and describe a specific assignment or moment that changed how you think. Say what you did with that interest afterward.

Question 14

Tell me about your leadership positions.

Accepted Answer

Applicants report (2022) being asked how they lead. Describe one decision you made or one problem you handled as a leader. The story counts more than the title.

Question 15

What impact have you made in your community, and how would you continue it at Tufts?

Accepted Answer

Applicants report (2021) this question. It fits a school where more than half of students do community service or civic engagement. Give one real example of what changed because of you, then name where you'd continue it, like Tisch College of Civic Life or a service group.

Question 16

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Accepted Answer

Shows what you value and how you talk about your own success. Choose something that took real effort, even if it's not an award. Explain why it matters to you.

Question 17

What are your strengths?

Accepted Answer

A standard question that shows how well you know yourself. Name one or two and prove each with a quick example. Keep it conversational.

Question 18

What's a weakness of yours?

Accepted Answer

Tests honesty and self-awareness. Name a real weakness, then show what you're doing about it. Applicants advise framing it with a positive turn.

Question 19

Tell me about a recent challenge or setback. How did you react?

Accepted Answer

Shows how you handle difficulty. Briefly describe the problem, then spend most of the time on what you did and what you learned. Pick something real but not too heavy.

Question 20

What questions do you have for me?

Accepted Answer

Applicants report this is part of every interview and shows your interest. Bring 3 or 4 questions about the alum's own Tufts experience: favorite classes, how they spent free time, what they'd change. Applicants note alumni often can't answer about current clubs or classes.

Questions Tufts applicants report

Opening

Why Tufts and what you'd study

Your activities and studies

Character and judgment

Closing