A couple days ago I was accepted to Berkeley and Tufts and was also waitlisted at Harvard! I have no idea how much the waitlist moves (probably not much because of Harvard’s high yield), but I guess it’s still a possible option. I’m pretty undecided about what I want to do; I’m thinking of English, environmental science, and architecture. I wanted to come to you guys to see which school you think is best for me (I’m leaning toward Tufts as of now).
What I want out of a school:
-focus on undergrads
-small(er) class sizes
-less competitive community
-a lot of grass/trees
-good college town
-accessible professors with whom I can form relationships
-students who balance work and fun
-good food both on and off campus
-nice dorms
-friendly people
-supportive community
-a degree that will open doors (how well known is Tufts around New England?)
-a school that will set me up for graduate school (if I decide to go)
Personally I’d choose Tufts (it was a strong contender for my DS a couple of years ago, and I considered UCB for grad school). Tufts is going to be a more undergraduate focused environment. I’d stop thinking about Harvard; put yourself on the waitlist, but then forget about it.
It sounds like it comes down to Berkeley vs. Tufts and I’d agree with everyone that Tufts is more in line with what you are looking for. It’s a very well regarded school with a strong undergraduate focus and I know many happy graduates.
You asked how well Tufts is known around New England. That’s an accurate question – in other words, is it even known in its region, much less the rest of the USA and world? Berkeley is a world-class world-renowned university, and Tufts just isn’t in terms of name recognition. You said you want “a degree that will open doors.” Berkeley will open a lot more doors than Tufts.
Tufts will prepare you very well for grad school. It wll definitely be known in New England
Name recognition often has to do with how well known a university’s sports teams are. Tufts won’t be very well known but neither are Williams or Middlebury.
In my area no one really knows about Berkeley except from the stereotype of vegan hippies. Which probably wouldn’t be a plus…
I vote for Tufts for all the reasons people posted above.
Thanks everyone! Does Tufts have a good reputation among graduate schools? I was thinking about majoring in architectural studies and then going to grad school to get my MArch (preferably Yale school of Architecture, but I haven’t thought it out too much yet).
Agree with the above–Tufts meets almost all of your requirements. It is quite well known in Boston and New England and it’s known among acadmics as well–if you do apply to graduate school, you won’t be disadvantaged by a Tufts degree. My daughter and son-in-law are alums–both went on to grad school (Georgetown and UNC-Chapel Hill.) I would just add one thing–Medford is not a college town. I’ve heard it described as a semi-urban suburb. Make sure you visit to see what it’s like.
I live near NYC, and I have heard of Tufts, but certainly not in the same sentence with Harvard. It is a very good school, and I’d say “near Ivy”. IMHO, Berkeley vs. Tufts is about location, but if architecture is at all possible for you, it is so specialized that you might want to look more into each school’s programs.
I would also say that based solely on “professors with whom I can form relationships”, that’s a total crap shoot. Harvard is rather rarefied, so perhaps that would strike it off your list.
When I think of Berkeley, I think of protests and science. Not so much English. So I’d say, as others did, get on the Harvard waiting list just in case if you want to, but I’d pick Tufts over Berkeley if I were you. (if just to check out the Northeast vs. California vibe - assuming cost to fly back and forth isn’t going to be an issue).
