<p>I've narrowed down my top two choices to Northwestern and Tufts and I was wondering how you all feel the two schools compare academically and socially.</p>
<p>Please tell us a little bit more about yourself. What are you interested in? The two are actually quite different.</p>
<p>Yes, tell us a bit more; also, you should post this up in the Tufts forum because you'll obviously get more Nwestern love here and more Tufts love there-- that way you hear both sides.</p>
<p>Ok.</p>
<p>My GPA is 4.5 weighted and my rank is 16 out of 500+. I'm from NY.</p>
<p>My SATs: CR: 610
Math: 620
Writing: 690
Total: 1910
Taking again Oct. 14
Taking ACT in Oct. for first time</p>
<p>I've been in every AP/Honors class available.</p>
<p>I'm interested in studying law/political science and minoring in journalism possibly.
I interned for my state senator this summer and went to Georgetown for the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine.
I've been on Track and Cross Country throughout highschool
I've been a sportswriter for the school newspaper.
I've been a camp counselor.
I did an entrepreneur program for a year and finished 3rd in the business plan competition.
I did community service at the Rehab Center in my neighborhood and at MAS elementary school and my mom's law firm.</p>
<p>Obviously my SATs are a little low (hopefully ill do better when i retake them in a few weeks) so that's why I'm applying ED to either Tufts or NU to increase my chances.</p>
<p>What I like about Tufts and NU:
-near big city (Boston and Chicago)
-good reputation (NU obviously has a better rank and has the Medill Journalism School)
-Greek life (NU has a bigger one)
- Well-rounded students
- has an actual campus (unlike NYU)</p>
<p>The only thing I can really think of that NU has that Tufts doesn't is a Big Ten football team, but that's not crucial to my decision obviously lol.</p>
<p>So yeah, what would you suggest I do because I want to apply to one of these ED since they're my two top choices and I want to go to the one I'll have the most fun at/fit in the best at because theyre obviously both great schools academically.</p>
<p>Oh and be objective please!</p>
<p>Well what do you want to study? What school at Tufts/NU are you applying to, etc? (Once again, you should post this in the Tufts forum too).</p>
<p>I wrote im interested in studying political science/prelaw and minoring in journalism (but the minor isnt too important)</p>
<p>So College of Arts and Sciences.</p>
<p>You don't really have to comment on the academic parts of the schools...i know theyre both amazing academic schools. </p>
<p>Im more interested in your opinions about the social scenes at both schools</p>
<p>I'm from Boston, and went to NU--honestly, I don't think that you can go too wrong either way... Both schools are located next to world-class cities, on nice, safe campuses--both feature top-notch academics. </p>
<p>I didn't apply to Tufts because it would've been closer to my house than my high school. :) However, I haven't known anyone to complain about their experience there--social, academic, etc--on the contrary.</p>
<p>That said, I wouldn't trade my time at NU for anything--I loved the school, the access to Chicago, and the people.</p>
<p>(Sorry--I can't be very objective, I guess... Since you're from the Northeast, it might be exciting to go to school in a different part of the country. Did you think of that?)</p>
<p>Nyyankees:</p>
<p>Both schools are certainly excellent but if you want to study polisci/IR, I don't really see why you wouldn't pick Tufts over Northwestern. I got into both schools as a high school senior and picked Tufts. Let me tell you a little bit about myself and my decision:</p>
<p>I wanted to study IR or a related subject like Poli Sci, Peace & Justice Studies. I knew those programs either neither existed at NU (like Peace & Justice) or were not ranked as high as the depts at Tufts (Poli Sci, IR... btw, NU has Intl Studies not IR). I also knew then, as I do now, that I probably want to be a journalist. However, I didn't feel that studying journalism as an undergraduate at Medill was such a smart move. I generally don't agree with pre-professional majors as an undergrad. I like the whole liberal arts idea better.</p>
<p>I've loved Tufts and have never regretted coming here. My IR major is fantastic, and had I wanted to study journalism, I could have minored in Communication & Media Studies. However, I have found that my experience on the Tufts Daily and my internships at respected publications have gotten me more of a journalism education than a minor/major in the subject could have. I'm 21 but have already been published in Newsweek, the Washington Post, Reuters, and the Associated Press!</p>
<p>As far as social life goes, I feel like NU and Tufts have similar social scenes except that at NU, the frat scene is significantly bigger. They're both in similar locations with regards to cities (just outside Boston, Chicago). </p>
<p>You're right in thinking that you should apply ED to either school to have a better chance of getting in. Try to bring yoru SATs up! Good luck and PM me if you have any questions re: IR, journalism etc.</p>
<p>P.S.>Though I fear sounding like a broken record: Post this in the Tufts forum, too!!!</p>
<p>Thanks Lolabelle!</p>
<p>I havent posted it in the Tufts forum because for the past few weeks i've posted there so I know (for the most part) how the people there feel.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any feelings on Boston College as compared to these 2 schools?</p>
<p>BC is certainly a safety school for the kinds of students that go to Northwestern and Tufts. Just check out stats for the 3 schools and you'll see BC is just not competitive with NU and Tufts. Also, the average professor at NU/Tufts is much more illustrious than their counterpart at BC.</p>
<p>^aye this is true. BC is generally quite a bit easier to get into than Tufts or NU, and while well-regarded, is not quite as well-respected academically as the other two, though it DOES have a big name.</p>
<p>fyi, you can't minor in journalism at NU.</p>
<p>if you can get in, go to NU, it's ranked higher and gets recruited more heavily.</p>
<p>I respectfully disagree with Lolabelle on going to a school based on the department's rankings. What happens if you decide to change your mind and switch majors? Anyway, I think most people would choose to go to NU over Tufts if given an opportunity because NU's reputation is a little bit stronger.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><a href="http://www.stat.tamu.edu/%7Ejnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html#area39%5B/url%5D">http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html#area39</a>
NRC ranking of political science:
Northwestern: 22nd
Tufts: 49th</p>
<p>Apparently, you know very little. Yea, keep going around the CC to tell how "highly ranked" Tufts' poli sci is. I don't know "49th" means that much these days. I never thought NU's poli sci is "top-ranked" but now that we have a new definition, I should start telling others it is "absolutely one of the very best". LOL!</p>
<p>Those rankings seem to be graduate rankings...</p>
<p>Well, he was referring to graduate ranking. There's no such thing as undergrad IR or Poli Sci ranking.</p>
<p>no, i was talking about undergrad. and the only departmental ranking of undergrad programs available is Gourman, and tufts' undergrad polisci ranks higher. in any case, it doesn't matter esp. b/c that ranking hasn't been updated in 7 years. polisci/ir is a tufts forte while engineering/journalism is a nu forte.</p>