<p>I'm quite surprised to find that the main campus of Tufts is only 150 acres. Is it really that small? I think most of universities are well over 1000 acres (Amherst is 1000 acres, which I feel comfortable during campus visit). So how will I feel when I am on the campus?</p>
<p>Did you visit the Tufts campus? You should definitely visit if you have a chance. Personally, I think it is just the right size from end to end on those snowy, blustery winter days.</p>
<p>No, cuz I’m international. I’m applying this year, so I don’t think I have chance.</p>
<p>You’ll appreciate the small size of the campus when you don’t have to leave half an hour early to get to class (as some of my friends at larger schools have had to do). I think that Tufts is a fine size, but it’s very much to each his or her own. Apply and then decide how you like the atmosphere once/if you get in.</p>
<p>Take the virtual tour! <a href=“http://admissions.tufts.edu/virtual-tour/[/url]”>Experience Tufts University in Virtual Reality.;
<p>It’s an almost ideal size I think. Big enough to have open spaces, grass, and trees. But small enough that it doesn’t take 25 minutes to walk from your dorm to a classroom (that was quoted to us on the Cornell tour - “not more than 25 minutes from the freshmen dorms to the engineering quad!”). It isn’t bigger than some other schools because the cities/towns of Medford and Somerville grew up around the campus. Quick access to shopping/restaurants/coffee shops of Somerville and Cambridge, and a short subway ride to downtown Boston.
So the location is ideal.
And that beautiful view of the Boston skyline from the top of the library 
[Panoramio</a> - Photo of Boston - From Tufts University, Medford, MA](<a href=“Panoramio is no longer available”>Panoramio is no longer available)</p>
<p>everyone, thank you for your comments. I was thinking about the center of New York City when I found out the size of Tufts. But it seems cool now.</p>
<p>The size and location of Tufts benefit people who have a hard time concentrating on their work had they gone to NYU or BU.</p>
<p>Tufts campus and student population are perfect sizes…not too small and not too big!</p>
<p>Amherst College is actually a rural liberal arts college, not a university. Amherst Colleges main campus is about 200 acres (my estimate from looking at Google maps). There are only about 1800 students at Amherst. So the student density at Amherst is a little less than 10 per acre which is quite low. The 1,000 acre campus that they refer to on their web page, is better thought of as the total amount of land that they own. Amherst College owns roughly 500 acres of wildlife preserve and a lot of farmland. So, unless you plan on studying to be a farmer or a forest ranger, I wouldnt consider that land part of the main campus. If Amhersts 1800 students were actually spread out over the full 1,000 acres that Amherst owns, the student density would be so low (about 2 per acre) that I dont think that many people would want to attend. </p>
<p>In contrast, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (which is in the same town as Amherst College and started out as an agricultural college) is a rural University with about a 1500 acre campus. There are about 28,000 students at UMass. So, despite the much larger campus, the student density (at just under 20 per acre) is actually much higher than at Amherst College, but much lower than an urban university. UMass Amherst has quite a bit of greenspace due to the rural location, but it feels very different than Amherst College due to the scale and student density.</p>
<p>Tufts started out as a rural liberal arts college, but grew into a small university while the surrounding town grew into a suburb of Boston. The original liberal arts college (now called the academic quad) is on the top of a big hill, and is relatively unchanged. The grad schools tend to be on the periphery of the main campus or in satellite locations (downtown Boston and Grafton). Tufts main campus is about 150 acres. There are about 5,000 undergraduates at Tufts. So the student density is about 35 per acre. </p>
<p>Since you are familiar with Amherst College
To envision how Tufts feels, imagine taking a pair of scissors and cutting out Amhersts main campus (separating it from the woods, farmland and rural town), squeezing the buildings together a little and then draping it over a big hill in the middle of a suburban city that is very close to Boston. When classes let out at Tufts, there will be about twice as many students walking between academic buildings and/or socializing in the green spaces and they will be more friendly :-). Probably the biggest difference in feel and life-style is going to come from the difference in the surrounding communities (suburban city vs. rural town) and the difference in proximity to Boston (about 7 miles vs. about 100 miles). The size/location of Tufts appeals to people who like the feel of a liberal arts college, but would prefer a little bigger student body, access to more research and easier access to the activities/cultural amenities of a city. </p>
<p>To provide additional context, Boston University has about 18,000 undergrads on a 133 acre campus and Northeastern University has about 13,000 undergrads on a 75 acre campus which put them in the range of 150 students/acre. These feel more like they are an integral part of Boston, with lots of tall buildings and very little green space. I am guessing that this is what you originally imagined Tufts to be.</p>
<p>Goodness! You have me wishing for an infographic now!</p>
<p>Be careful what you wish for, Dan some might consider that marketing collateral! 
</p>
<p>More seriously, I read zyl1024s message and it dawned on me how difficult it would be for someone from outside the country to get a feel for schools when they cant visit, have very little context and have to deal with some of the ambiguous jargon and misleading information on the Internet.</p>
<p>So, I guess that would be an example of good marketing collateral. </p>
<p>Let me think about it </p>
<p>Dan,</p>
<p>Your wish is my command (well, sort of) courtesy of Google Maps. This not exactly what you wanted, but it didnt require any real effort and it seems to have some value. Essentially, one can use the satellite images and directions feature on Google Maps to see the amount of green space on and around each campus, and judge relative distances. </p>
<p>Here are some useful interactive snapshots. Just use the pan and zoom features built into Google Maps to manipulate the image. When you are looking at the campus, you can switch between the plain map view and the satellite view to see the main campus boundaries. </p>
<p>This snapshot gives an idea of the relative distances to Boston:
[Tufts</a> University to University of Massachusetts Amherst - Google Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/UBLCp]Tufts”>Google Maps) </p>
<p>This snapshot shows the Somerville- Cambridge- Boston Corridor where college kids like to hang out. Note the increasing density (less green space) as one moves from Tufts (Somerville) to Harvard (Cambridge) then to MIT (Cambridge) then across the Charles River into BU (Boston) and Northeastern (Boston).
[Tufts</a> University to NEU - Google Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/RVUmw]Tufts”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>This snapshot shows the town of Amherst with UMass and Amherst College
[Amherst</a> College to University of Massachusetts Amherst - Google Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/4nOuJ]Amherst”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>This snapshot shows a close up of the main campus at Amherst College- toggle between Map and Satellite views to see the campus boundaries
[Amherst</a> College to University of Massachusetts Amherst - Google Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/iLJaO]Amherst”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>This snapshot shows a close up of the main campus of Tufts toggle between Map and Satellite views to see the campus boundaries
[Google</a> Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/yS1xG]Google”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>Totally fascinating. Thanks!</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, you can also use google street view on some campuses to walk around the neighborhood. Gives you an idea of the scale and nature of the area - shops, houses, trees?</p>
<p>Great suggestion Mathmom! For those who are not familiar, StreetView is another set of images taken from ground level rather than a satellite. The images are created by a moving vehicle with a panoramic camera on top so it gives a ground-level view rather than a birds-eye view. You enter StreetView automatically (if an image exists for a particular area) from SatelliteView by advancing to the maximum zoom. A better way if you want to simulate walking around is to click on the pegman in the SatelliteView or MapsView. You can then follow the paths the vehicle took (the blue lines on the map) by clicking on the arrows or using your pointing device. Here are some links to get you started :</p>
<p>You can take a walk around Davis Square:
[Google</a> Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/6Cca3]Google”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>You can also walk around the perimeter of Tufts. Or click on some conventional photos. Here are some interesting starting points:</p>
<p>Memorial Steps
[Google</a> Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/tSEGH]Google”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>Powderhouse Square
[Google</a> Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/OM0qG]Google”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>Looking uphill from the Presidents House
[Google</a> Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/aplJw]Google”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>Here is a popular hang-out (Sound Bites) in Ball Square (walkable)
[Google</a> Maps](<a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/fQoTP]Google”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>