<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I was wondering how Tufts makes its decisions. Is it simply one person reading and saying yay or nay? Is it a panel? Are there rounds, like if you can make it past an individual reader you go to a panel? Just wondering. I am very interested in how my application is/will be evaluated.</p>
<p>thanks a lot</p>
<p>Hmm. From what I've heard, many colleges have a "two evaluator" system, where two readers will look at your application and then evaluate independently from there. Then they look at the evaluations. </p>
<p>Of course, this isn't necessarily true of all colleges; however, I'm pretty sure that most of the colleges that I applied to use this system (e.g. UMich.) I'm not that sure about Tufts. Perhaps Dan could help us on this one. Pretty please. :)</p>
<p>It's a melange of ways. </p>
<p>Some applicants are REALLY awesome. So awesome that one person can read that file and go: "Wow... THIS is a kid who belongs here!"</p>
<p>Some applicants are on the other end of the spectrum.</p>
<p>For those applications on the extremes, one person can review the file, make a strong recommendation and that's that. But there's a lot in between, too. Those applicants will likely be read by two different readers. The first reader is always the regional admissions officer. I, for instance, read all the applications from Fairfield County, Ct; Monmouth County, NJ; Southern NJ; Maryland; Idaho; Wyoming; Montana; and a area in Mass that surrounds Hopkinton. At that point, all the applications we feel are "on the bubble" will go to committee. In a most selective environment, that's a substantial portion of the applicant pool. The committee will then go over those applications, and make decisions.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The committee will then go over those applications, and make decisions.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Said committee will add the natural log of the SAT to the square root of the GPA, divide by the class rank, and multiply by the number of ECs plus the number of essays submitted. Then they will sort the results in a smoky dark room using an IBM 360 mainframe running on punch cards, only to ignore the results completely and make admissions decisions based solely on intangibles. The lesson in all this? Do as many ECs and submit as many essays as possible, and hope that I am wrong :-)</p>
<p>^^^ Touche!</p>
<p>That was nice :)</p>
<p>To add a touch of contemporary intrigue to the process, if the admissions committee cannot reach a decision with the above formula, they will rely heavily on super assistant admission directors (a.k.a. "Tufts Elders"), who are not bound by the rules imposed on regular admissions directors and can vote whichever way they want</p>
<p>You can't see me, but I'm laughing.</p>
<p>Dan:
did you visit boise high earlier this year? Because i am pretty sure i remember you coming. If it was you, which i am pretty sure it was, you did an awesome job when you came!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
To add a touch of contemporary intrigue to the process, if the admissions committee cannot reach a decision with the above formula, they will rely heavily on super assistant admission directors (a.k.a. "Tufts Elders"), who are not bound by the rules imposed on regular admissions directors and can vote whichever way they want
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Lol. :P That made my day.</p>
<p>nice tie in there GroovyGreek. current events with college admissions, haha</p>
<p>That most certainly was me! And if the heavens smile upon me again, I'll be returning next fall as well. </p>
<p>Can never get enough Boise!</p>
<p>Does the committee include faculty from specific areas? I am thinking about engineering in particular. Also, I have heard that the essays count a great deal. Is that only for those who make it to committee?</p>
<p>I know it's been quite a few months since this thread has been up, but I had a question for Dan and just realized that I can't PM him.</p>
<p>You said that you read applications from an area around Hopkinton. Does that include Hopkinton? I'm from Hopkinton and was wondering if you could tell me how colleges view it. Thanks :)</p>
<p>Nelsoneas,</p>
<p>You questions deal with specific applicantions, so I invite you to e-mail me, as it isn't appropriate to discuss particular candidacies on the board. There have been HUGE changes in our process in the last 5 years, and I would be delighted to talk you through our process and honestly address the concerns you raised. </p>
<p>Until then, I'll move to the more general concerns. </p>
<p>We never EVER operate with a quota on the number of applicants we will accept from any national, ethnic, or geographic group. You can be assured that we do not look at applicants from Venezuela or any other area thinking, "Well, we're only willing to accept 2 people from this place, so who's it going to be?" Isabel, the admissions rep for South America, gets pretty excited about applicants from Latin America, and I know there isn't a bias against those kids. A bright student, expecting to find an internationally oriented education where she/he can meet people from all around the world, then learn from those people (and then travel there) can look at Tufts and find something special.</p>
<p>As for the question about Hopkinton - I never know how to answer questions about how we think of particular schools. Of course, I'm aware of much of curricular options - like the new AP Environmental Science class - and the rigor of the environment - you can't be a slouch at Hopkinton and expect to succeed. But it isn't like we have a big list of Massachusetts schools and we shuffle them up and down in comparison with one another (like Stephen Colbert's "On Notice" Board).</p>