Tufts Research is Much Bigger than the Medford Campus

Tufts University prides itself in being a research oriented school that prioritizes exposing its student body to various types of research. However, many undergraduate students do not share the same sentiment. For many students, securing a research position at Tufts University was very difficult due to the scarcity of vacant opportunities which creates immense unnecessary competition.

This is especially true for science departments as pre-med students tend to gear towards them in aim of gaining research exposure in fields relevant to their studies. Due to the growing number of undergraduate students interested in research, sending emails and reaching out to professors might feel pointless as many labs have reached capacity. As a result, first and second year students might have to postpone the onset of their research careers. Some students even preferred working at other institutions in-state and out-of-state due to their better accessibility to undergraduate researchers.

However, this is not needed. Students can still conduct research at Tufts. Many students tend to forget that Tufts is much bigger than the Medford campus and skip looking for research opportunities in the graduate schools where many vacancies exist. The Tufts Medical Center, Fletcher School, and Friedman School are only a few of the places where undergraduates can explore their research interests. Students often are under the false assumption that they are too underqualified to get involved in graduate-level laboratories. But in reality, principal investigators at the graduate school usually enjoy working with those who have a budding interest in their research topic. Unfortunately, these opportunities are often not well-advertised and thus are overlooked by most students.

If you are struggling to get involved in research at the undergraduate level, you should look into the labs at the graduate level. The recruitment process should look very similar to that in undergraduate labs, where students have to send an email of interest along with a resume. Lastly, best of luck in your research journey!