Resources and Tips for Orientation
We send a weekly message to new students throughout the summer prior to Orientation to introduce them to all the resources and supports available on the Tufts campus. The items below may also be useful as you prepare to join us on campus for Orientation.
What Should I Bring to Campus?
It can be overwhelming to pack for college. We’ve provided some guidelines to help you plan ahead.
Medford and Somerville Campus
Every student will be provided with the following in their residence hall:
- Bed – extra twin long (36” x 80”)
- Desk and chair
- Closet or wardrobe
- Chest of drawers
- Window shades and screens
- Ethernet data jack (one per student), telephone jack and cable television jack
SMFA: Fenway and Beacon House
Students living in on-campus housing will be provided with the following in their residence hall:
- Bed – extra twin long (36” x 80”)
- Desk and chair
- Small dresser
For Your Room
- Recycling bin
- Power strip and power cords for your electronics
- Alarm clock
- Fan (rooms are not air conditioned)
- Flashlight (a real one, not your cellphone)
- Shower tote
- Towels
- Desk light
- Headphones
- Cleaning supplies - common spaces are cleaned, but your room is your responsibility
- Trash Can
- Plastic shoe/boot tray
You can visit the Health Service at any time for bigger concerns, but we suggest building your own medicine cabinet for day-to-day needs. We recommend:
- Your health insurance card
- 1-month supply of any medications you take (Health Service can assist you with refills, if necessary, once you’ve settled in)
- Band-Aids
- Ace bandage
- Thermometer
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Tissues
- Waterless hand sanitizer
- Non-prescription pain reliever (acetaminophen or ibuprofen)
- Common cold remedies (e.g., cough drops, cold/cough medicine, sore throat spray)
Once you know who you’ll be living with you can decide together if you want have any of the following:
- Telephone
- Stereo or television
- Area rug - we recommend 6’ x 9’
- Dorm-sized refrigerator with attached microwave (“microfridge”) *
Find Out How to Rent a Microfridge
* Students living at Beacon House are permitted to have 1 microwave and 1 fridge per room. Students living in Fenway House can each have 1 microwave, 1 fridge, and 1 Keurig coffee machine.
For your safety and the safety of your dorm mates, please leave the following at home:
- Candles, incense, flammable substances
- Microwaves and other cooking appliances
- Halogen lights and multi-armed “octopus” style lamps
- Weapons of any kind (real or replica)
- All upholstered furniture that does not meet the CAL -133 safety rating
- Dart boards with metal tipped darts
- Air conditioners
- Grills
- Explosives
- Hoverboards and similar devices
If you have a disability, you may wish to request accommodations for your on-campus living space.
Health and safety concerns dictate that we handle these requests in a structured way. Therefore, you will need to submit an updated accommodation request yearly. If you have a medical condition, you may request a modification to the standard furniture in your residential room.
Tips about Move-in from the Office of Sustainability
Sending Packages to Campus?
We encourage students to pack light -- but if you need to ship belongings to campus ahead of time (beginning August 1), please review Mail Services' guidelines!
How Do I Get to Campus?
Please be aware that we can not provide accommodations before your official move-in date. If you arrive early for orientation or pre-orientation, you will need to arrange lodging until student housing opens for the new academic year.
The closest airport is Boston Logan International (BOS). You can then take public transportation or a cab to campus.
If you are arriving to the Medford Campus by car, parking is available at the Dowling Hall Garage, 419 Boston Avenue, Medford, M.A.
If you are arriving to the SMFA at Tufts/Fenway Campus by car on August 27, head straight to 1023, 1025, or 1047 Beacon Street. On August 28, you may park in MFA Parking Garage on Museum Way.
You can get to the Tuft campus by subway and/or bus.
- The closest subway to the Medford Campus is the Red Line, which has a stop in Davis Square (about a 15-minute walk from campus). Bus Routes 80, 94, and 96 bring you directly by the Medford campus.
- The closest subways to the SMFA at Tufts/Fenway Campus are the Green Line E train or the Ruggles stop on the Orange Line.
Your program will send out more detailed information regarding your arrival day and where to go. If you are a pre-orientation student and will be living on campus, you will be able to pick up your room keys and be able to move into your room on the first day of pre-orientation. We’ll send you information about where and when to pick up your keys during the summer.
If you are a commuter student, contact us directly once you have been assigned to a program and we will make specific arrangements for your housing during the Pre-Orientation program.
Technology at Tufts
Tufts offers a variety of technology resources to help you achieve your academic objectives.
- Your Tufts Account is your Tufts Username and Tufts Password
- Your Tufts Email is powered by Microsoft Office 365
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a second level of verification when you log into designated Tufts websites and online services.
- The Student Information System (SIS) is your go-to place for course registration, catalogs, schedules, financial accounts, financial aid, address information, transcripts, and grades
- Canvas is Tufts’ learning management system that offers faculty and students a collaborative online learning environment
- Computer purchases - view Tufts’ recommendations or request a computer purchase consultation
- Student discounts for computer purchases
- Tufts Mobile provides information on Tufts shuttles, news, events and calendars, athletics, Facebook and Twitter feeds
On-Campus
Your Tufts username and password will connect you to the wireless network using Tufts Secure (recommended) or Tufts Wireless.
Tufts Guest is an open wireless network with limited access.
Off-Campus
Use the Tufts Virtual Private Network (VPN) to create a secure and private connection from off-campus locations.
A variety of tools and software are available to you at a discount or for FREE:
- Microsoft Office Suite (O365) for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, online and downloadable software. (free)
- DUO (2FA) adds a second level of verification when you log into designated Tufts websites and online services.
- Box - File storage and file sharing (free)
- WebEx – Audio, web and video online conferencing tool (free)
- LinkedIn Learning – provides access to online instruction (free)
- Other software (discounts on Adobe Creative Cloud, SPSS, and more)
- Public Computer Labs offers Macs, PCs, printing, and the Internet. Many also provide specialized software.
- Printing, copying, and scanning from either personal or public computers is available in all Medford libraries and labs.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, is a U.S. federal law that protects copyrighted materials like music and movies. The DMCA allows a holder of a copyright to inform an entity that it has violated the copyright and that the offending entity must take certain action. When a copyright holder -- of a piece of music, a movie, or another type of file -- determines that a Tufts-owned IP address is the source of a violation, they send a complaint to University, who in turn follows up with the owner of the IP address.
Find out more about DMCAs on the Tufts Techonology website -- including what happens when a student is found sharing or downloading content illegally on the Tufts network.
The TTS Service Desk is available to help you 24/7
- Phone: 617-627-3376
- Email: it@tufts.edu
- Walk-In tech support
Unfortunately, the Tufts campus is not immune from hackers. Tufts Technology Services (TTS) Information Security maintains a number of tips on securing information and your devices while at Tufts.
Find more information about technology at Tufts
Explore online library resources