Commuter Student Experience
Commuting to the Program
We know that for some students, living on campus is not the best option. We still welcome you to our program! For all students including commuter students, there will be an orientation from 5 to 6 PM July 7 at SMFA, 230 Fenway, Boston. The pre-college program ends at 8 PM on Friday, August 2 with a closing dinner at the SMFA. Saturdays and Sundays are not considered program days and students are not expected on campus during these days. During each day of the program, commuter students must arrive at SMFA campus at 8:45 AM. Students must depart from campus by 6 PM. Students will have the option to sign up to stay working in their studios on several different days during the second and third weeks.
Commuter students and their parents are responsible for ensuring their student travels to and from campus safely and on time each day. For detailed information about traveling to the SMFA campus, located at 230 Fenway, Boston.
Please note: commuter students are not permitted to enter any residence halls on the Medford campus. Breakfast and dinner are not provided for commuter students.
Orientation
All students are required to attend Orientation, which will take place from 5 to 6 pm on July 7 at SMFA. During Orientation, we will review the overall program schedule, discuss policies and safety, and answer questions. Students will also have the opportunity to confirm their course schedules and staff will be on-hand to address any issues.
Student Life
We endeavor to make every moment of the student experience at Tufts memorable for our students. Every piece of the student life experience, is designed to inform and enable students to have a healthy, fulfilling, and safe summer.
Dining
Commuter program fees include lunch and snacks each day of the program. Tufts dining is able to accommodate most dietary restrictions and preferences. Please advise us of dietary needs during the application process.
University Facilities
All students will have full access to the university’s facilities including the libraries, computer lab, media stockroom, School Store, and student lounging areas. Students will also have full access to Tufts’ Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness center, featuring racquet courts, a swimming pool and cardio and weight-training equipment.
Health & Wellness
Tufts works hard to ensure the health and well-being of all of its students. Once accepted to the program, Tufts will ask all students to submit information related to their health and will collect details regarding allergies and accessibility concerns.
Tufts has procedures in-place for students with urgent or emergency needs, illnesses, or injuries. Our procedures combine on-campus and hospital-based care depending on the nature and severity of the issue. A student’s emergency contact will be notified, if one is provided, in the event of an issue. Please see our Health & Wellness Services page for additional information.
In any type of health & wellness emergency, students should immediately contact Tufts University Police at 617-627-6911.
Please note: medical fees of any kind will be billed to the student and are not included in program fees.
Supervision
Students are required to attend all classes and academic workshops each day. Attendance is taken at each class. SMFA at Tufts takes the safety of its students very seriously. As such, our current policy for pre-college students states that students cannot leave campus during class time without the supervision of a staff member. Commuter students’ commute to campus and time before 8:45 AM or after 6 PM will not be monitored by program staff, although Tufts community members have Tufts University Police Department and other campus safety protocols available at all times.
Security
The Tufts and SMFA campuses are considered very safe among U.S. college campuses. Although crime on campus is unusual, we do have an open campus in a major metropolitan area and we expect our students to exercise good judgement and responsibility as they navigate the campus. Tufts University maintains its own police department, on the job 24 hours a day, if an emergency arises. Tufts campus is equipped with an emergency blue light phone system. For more information, please visit our Campus Safety page.