<p>Hi! I'm applying to Tufts and I'm really excited about the school - it offers everything I'm looking for, which is a long list! :) I noticed that there is at least one person on this forum who works in Admissions and might be able to give me some insight, and a lot of people who are very knowledgeable about the process!
Basically, my question is this: is the Admissions process holistic, and if so, to what extent? I understand that class rank, GPA, scores et al are important, but do you have to be a Val/4.0/2400 to get in?
For example, I went to a veeeeeery tiny high school in Maine (after growing up in England and Germany), which, for me, was very stifling. I adore theatre and riding horses, and had little to no opportunities to do either beyond a very basic level. I was also going through some pretty serious family issues at the time (my brother was kidnapped, and my mother and I were at risk of deportation), so my transcript won't be as great as someone who may have had more to work with. My GPA on a 100 scale is an 89.7 UW, with as many Honors classes as were available, and 2 APs - again, all we had. I feel I did the best I could considering that I took over the "mom" role in my house for an extensive period of time. I got an 1980 on my SAT (730W, 710CR, 540M - ew) but I'm retaking in January, and I scored a 770 on Lit and 660 on Bio for my SAT IIs.
I graduated when I was 16, ranked in the top 25%, and moved 800 miles from home to be a working student with an Olympic equestrian. Without boring you guys with the deets, it basically required up to 16 hour work days in exchange for intense training. It was fantastic, and I'm so glad I took the leap of faith and followed my dreams. I've also done as much as I could with all the other opportunities available to me, extensively studying art on my own, major roles in every school musical, writing published in national publications, etc.
OK - whew! Thanks for reading all of that :) Anyway, are my chances completely gone because I'm not the conventional applicant, and my stats aren't fantastic? Or is there hope that I can attend a good school, where I can take as many opportunities as I want to? I'm terrified that I'll end up at some tiny state school - I know I can thrive in an environment such as the one at Tufts, I just hope they'll take a chance on me! :)
Thank youuu!!
-Tilly</p>
<p>Just bumping this up - any takers?</p>
<p>Tufts is among numerous top schools that claim to have “holistic” admissions processes. What that means to me is that admissions decisions are based on more than the applicants “numbers” alone; I do NOT take it to mean that “numbers” are not important. You seem to understand this, yet you ask the (presumably) rhetorical question “but do you have to be a Val/4.0/2400 to get in?” Obviously the answer is “no.”
In your case, your GPA is underwhelming, but it should not take you out of contention. Your Math SAT is worse than underwhelming: it is poor. Your Lit score is obviously strong; your Bio just so-so, and clearly not strong by Tufts standards. Your class rank of top 25% is also underwhelming, but doesn’t knock you out.
You don’t explain graduating at 16, which may have an interesting story behind it. Similarly, you seem to have an interesting story to tell about your passions in the arts, sports and writing. Put a lot into telling it, because if you are to have a chance of admission, that’s where it will be.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I’ll definitely go into the early graduation thing in my application - I wrote a few paragraphs on it for the Secondary School Interruption thing on the Common App, but I could probably make an essay out of it.
I’m retaking the SAT in January, and am aiming for at least a 650 on Math, and scores similar to my Lit score on the other two. I took the SAT when I was 15, and I KNOW I can do better than that.
Thanks again!!</p>
<p>Excuse me if this is posted after the Tufts’ RD deadline.</p>
<p>You sound very interesting, and you sound mature. You do not say what your teacher recs/other recs would look like. </p>
<p>I believe that Tufts can be gobstruck by a compelling essay, both about the applicants’ life (hardships, iconoclasm, etc.) and the applicants’ passion and commitment to Tufts.</p>
<p>I would make large and articulate the things that have befallen you (jeez, you’re brother was kidnapped?!!) and be equal parts articulate, as I mentioned before, and ingenuous. </p>
<p>As well, all top-notch schools admit applicants who are exceedingly strong in humanities but more challenged by math/science and vice versa. I think that your 700+ standardized test scores are admirable and competitive.</p>
<p>Finally, if your passion is coincident with your higher (humanties) higher test scores, make that known, as well.</p>
<p>Good luck to you–you sound like a principled, young woman with a lot of “life” behind you, something a lot of college applicants lack entirely, even if their data is elevated.</p>
<p>I hope you get your heart’s desire!</p>
<p>Thank you! I only just read your reply, but it certainly got my hopes up. I had waived my right to see my recs, but ended up seeing them anyway - all were very nice, and two explicitly mentioned that I had family issues. I think the one from my AP English teacher was my favorite - she was very honest about me but called me “potential personified” and “intellectual beyond her years” and also offered her personal phone number in case the AdCom wanted further info. She said she recommended me without reservation. The other two (Bio and Counselor) were good but that was certainly my favorite. The counselor one basically just recapped the home issues and commended the positive steps forward I’d made in light of them, and the Bio teacher one talked about how I’m the most passionate person she’s met. :')
The more I explore the opportunities at Tufts, the more I fall in love - I’m beginning to wish I’d applied ED2!!</p>
<p>If you know Tufts, beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt, to be your heart’s desire, would it not be worthwhile to ask the admissions-powers-that-be if you can be put into the EDII pool?? It is certainly worth a query, no?</p>
<p>And, for what it’s worth, my daughter knew, beyond certainty, that Tufts was the place for her and applied ED1 and got in. She had done strenuous inventory-taking, however, about things both obvious and things that wouldn’t have occurred to most applicants to assess, so be very sure if you are going to make an overture to Tufts about changing your status.</p>
<p>And I’m glad that your English teacher’s rec. captured something special about you, beyond the scope of your grades. </p>
<p>Best of luck!!</p>
<p>Thanks! I’m definitely considering it. The only issue is financial aid; I’m definitely going to need to be able to compare packages or be guaranteed a good amount of money, as my family makes <10k a year.</p>
<p>You might want to try the financial aid calculator linked to from the Financial Aid website.</p>
<p>[Tufts</a> University Financial Aid - Awarding Info - Calculating Eligibility](<a href=“http://uss.tufts.edu/finaid/awarding-info/Eligibility.asp]Tufts”>http://uss.tufts.edu/finaid/awarding-info/Eligibility.asp)</p>
<p>It’s just an estimate, but it might help you get a sense of what’s possible, and looking into whether it’s still possible to switch to ED2 may seem more or less promising. If the financial aid award you receive is truly unworkable, you can be released from the ED commitment. Out of the hundreds of ED admits we have each year, less than a handful have issues like that with their financial aid. For nearly every single ED applicant, our financial aid awards make Tufts an affordable option. It’s totally reasonable to apply regular to compare FinAid packages, and prudence is always a virtue, but be thorough before you decide whether or not to skip ED for financial reasons.</p>
<p>Dan I will add my thank you for all the great information you share with all of us on the website!</p>
<p>My son wanted to apply EDII and we ended up talking him out of it as we were concerned about the financial part of it and being committed. He loves Tufts. It is his first choice and now after reading this thread I am feeling like we gave him bad advice. </p>
<p>Is it too late to switch? Will his first semester grades be considered if he does switch? Someone brought this up on another thread, but just want to make sure. He had a straight A semester and his cumm. GPA went up a full point and his ranking increased so it would be important to have those grades considered. </p>
<p>If we can switch to EDII should we call the admissions office? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
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<p>Honestly, I don’t know the answer to this. But if you call our office and ask, I suspect you’d get a pretty quick answer.</p>