<p>DS can't believe his luck, having been accepted at both Mac and Tufts! But now comes the big decision... He does not know what he wants to do in the long term -- he loves creative writing, has taken a real interest in his AP Government class lately, is fascinated by all things technological (but hates math), is very entrepreneurial, likes to argue/discuss/debate ideas, and enjoys the company of international students he's met, as well as other interesting people (preferably with a sense of humor). He is a good student, but prefers a less competitive environment, if possible, where he'll have a chance to exercise some creativity. Also, he's excited about being in a city, to partake of all kinds of activities, but especially indy and other music concerts. So the big question is -- which school is a better fit for him? We look forward to hearing all opinions, and will cross-post this on the Tufts board. Thanks!</p>
<p>IF he is from the northeast, he might want to try a different part of the country for 36 of the next 48 months. Macalester will do him good. If he’s from the midwest, then go Tufts. Obviously there are more variables to consider, but I think he should make gaining experience in a different cultural environment one of the considerations, and there some noticeable cultural differences between Minnesota and Massachusetts (I’ve LIVED in both states) and between the upper midwest and New England.</p>
<p>As it turns out, he’s from California, so either place will be a big change! I should have been more clear about that from the beginning. He’s really looking forward to experiencing a very different culture – and being far away from home! Anyway, I guess I was hoping to find out more about the differences in campus culture between Tufts and Mac – social scene as well academic atmosphere – competitiveness, class size/participation, connection with professors, workload, etc.</p>
<p>Supportivemom1, check your Private Messages.</p>
<p>OK, thanks, Plainsman.</p>
<p>I sent you a private message as well</p>
<p>Any chance that some of those private thoughts could be shared out here in the open? There are two of the schools that I’m considering as well. :)</p>
<p>Having children at both schools, I firmly believe that Mac is far superior to Tufts in virtually every aspect (other than weather). Certain things that Tufts prides itself on are in my opinion better at Mac (i.e. study abroad, interactions with professors, size of classes - (look at intro to Econ at both schools), opportunities for students, and diversity of student body). Additionally, to name a few things, the dorms at Mac are better, the food is great, printing if free, the immediate area around campus is superior, there is wi-fi throughout campus, the lack of greek life opens up other opportunities for students and there is a much more supportive student body.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the input, all. Mac definitely sounds wonderful. DS just returned from several days visiting there, and really liked it. He met an amazingly eclectic group of kids, and really got into the class he attended – loved the small group interaction and found the prof dynamic. He thought the cities were beautiful, and seemed to offer plenty of opportunities for the things he’s interested in. He said he could definitely see himself there… He’ll be visiting Tufts at the end of this week, and Skidmore in between – can’t wait to hear what he finally decides!</p>
<p>momxtwo, i’m wondering what your two kids are majoring/majored in, and whether you see any advantages for Tufts over Mac for any particular majors or interests?</p>
<p>supportivemom1, can you share some of your son’s impressions after his Tufts visit? I’m not going to be able to visit any schools before making my decision, and having never visited Mac and only been at Tufts during the summer, it would be hugely helpful. :)</p>
<p>Will do. By this weekend, he should have some pretty clear impressions to share, so I’ll be back…</p>
<p>It is very important to visit. He will get an excellent education at either school. So much comes down to fit. Both of my kids would have disliked the other school. I believe kids “find” the school that is right for them. Good luck, it is an exciting time.</p>
<p>Well, the results of my son’s college decision process are in, and he’s decided on Tufts. He is very happy with his decision, and though I held out some secret hopes for Mac, we’re glad he’s found a place that feels “just right” (in Goldilocks’ words)! </p>
<p>In case anyone’s interested in his decision process, and since @suitcases asked for impressions, here goes… He was accepted at Macalester, Skidmore, Whitman, Colorado College, Puget Sound, Tulane, Boston University, U of Rochester, Goucher, Ohio Wesleyan, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, and was waitlisted at Wesleyan and Middlebury. All in all, an eclectic mix of colleges, scattered across the country! He had different reasons for applying to each, but he actually gave due consideration to them all, and visited many of them (some even twice). Some dropped out because of inadequate financial aid (Tulane, Goucher, and Puget Sound - which he had initially liked because of the Northwest culture and city location). The UCs were dropped when he realized he really didn’t want to go where all his high school friends were going, and was instead ready to try something really different. Colorado just didn’t feel right socially, though their program was interesting and unique. He loved Whitman and really felt the wonderful camaraderie there, but just couldn’t get past the isolated location. He never visited Ohio Wesleyan, but also felt it would be too isolated. At one point, he liked Rochester, but then decided Boston would be a lot more fun as a city, and maybe the Rochester student body was too heavy on Northeasterners. His final four were BU (just because it’s in Boston), Skidmore (which he had visited early on and loved, largely because he hit it off with his guide), Mac (which he had never seen) and Tufts (which he had visited briefly). He was also wondering whether he should push to get off the waitlist at Wesleyan – he had never visited it and didn’t know a lot about it, so he thought he should, just in case he did get off the waitlist. He decided not to bother visiting Middlebury, since it was another great college in an isolated location, away from the city vibe he had decided was important to him.</p>
<p>So – we are just coming to the end of our visit to the Final Four plus Wesleyan. He flew to Mac on his own and spent 3 days and 3 nights there as part of their Extended Sampler program. He had a great time, and liked lots of people he met there - as I described in my earlier post above, he particularly loved the discussion in the class he took, and could definitely see himself there. On the negative side of the balance sheet, he was a bit concerned about the weather (though for a California kid, cold is probably cold, whether it’s Boston or the Twin Cities); he wondered if Mac might feel small after 4 years; and he felt a little weird about being in the middle of the country, far from the coasts, even though he recognized that as irrational. He also felt the kids he met were perhaps too individualistic – he didn’t feel quite the same sense of camaraderie that he had felt at Whitman and liked so much. Admittedly, this might be a function of the particular host he stayed with and the other kids he happened upon, but that was how he felt. Anyway, he went from Mac on to Boston, where he caught up with me (mom) to see the rest. At this point, Mac was still very high on the list. </p>
<p>Next up, we went to the accepted students’ day at BU, and he knew immediately that it was too big and impersonal for him, so we left. He might have had his mind changed if he had connected with a professor or something, but it just didn’t work out that way, so that was the end of that. Next came a road trip to Wesleyan and Skidmore. He liked Wesleyan tremendously, partly because he and his host seemed to have a thousand things in common, and also because Wesfest was about to begin, and we were treated to a surprise presentation of “Undies in Olin” – 100 or more students in the library dressed only in their underwear and singing the college fight song as our tour passed through! He thought that was pretty cool! It also made him feel that Wesleyan would have the camaraderie he liked, although we don’t really know if that’s true, since Wesleyan has a reputation for individualistic students, and our visit was short (no overnight). So anyway, at that point, Wesleyan went to the top of the list, and he was ready to start working on a persuasive letter to try to get accepted off the waitlist. Meantime, though, we continued on to Skidmore, where he stayed overnight and attended a class, etc. Although he had loved Skidmore before, and he still found it beautiful and liked some aspects of the curriculum, he now felt disappointed – it seemed a bit too much like high school for him, so he scratched that off the list.</p>
<p>His final visit was to Tufts. Maybe it was just exhaustion from the long decision process, but as soon as he walked onto the campus, he said it just felt right. He stayed overnight, and got on great with his host and just about everyone he met. The kids all along the hall in his host’s dorm seemed so smart and interesting, friendly and welcoming, he felt completely comfortable. He liked the fact that it was bigger than the liberal arts colleges, but not too big. Having a beautiful campus haven but also access to all the excitement and energy of Boston was awesome in his mind. So many programs and clubs and activities he heard about sounded exciting to him – it all just felt right. He recognizes he won’t have the same personal attention or as many small classes as he would at Mac (which I feel sad about), but felt he’s willing to trade some of that (hopefully not too much!) for the excitement of the “university” feeling and the friendly vibe he got at Tufts. We discussed whether he still wanted to try to get into Wesleyan, but he said he no – Wes might have been great, but there were too many unknowns associated with it, and he was ready to lay the whole process to rest. He felt confident in his decision. So there you have it – Tufts it is! </p>
<p>(Wow, this is long! Hope this hasn’t been a case of “Too Much Information”… if so, my apologies!)</p>