Overnight visit was a bust

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
1

<p>Here are some of my D's and my impressions after the overnight stay/open house on Spril 16/17.</p>

<p>My D was very excited for the overnight stay. Being an extrovert, her main focus is on campus atmosphere, so she was eager to get to know some Tufts students. First, her campus host, a senior, ditched my D and the other "pre-frosh" in her charge, about half way through the evening. She and the other pre-frosh ended up at a couple of different frat parties by following other pre-frosh and hosts around campus. At one frat, the other students were mainly talking about what they don't like about Tufts. When she did finally meet up with her host and the host's roomates again, she continued to hear about what they didn't like about Tufts. She finally called them on it, saying "you are making me not want to go here!" She said they looked taken aback by that, but didn't really know what to say, except a couple of them admitted they are getting an excellent education. </p>

<p>(BTW, the host just told them through texting just to meet her back at the dorms later in the night, which turned out out to be around 2:30 am. Given that that open house started at 7:15, I'd say my D got about 3 1/2 hours of sleep. The senior, of course, didn't ahve to get up and slept in. Which didn't put her in the best mood for the open house. I trust my D and wasn't so much worried that she ended up at a frat party, but to be ditched by her host before the night had even really begun? It turned out ok, but that has more to do with the fact that my D can take care of herself than anything else.)</p>

<p>I tried to point out later that it's very common and "cool" to diss your school, especially for upperclassmen, but I think some real damage was done there. So I guess the take-away is that hosts should be chosen who really love Tufts, and will introduce visitors to other students who really love Tufts (and who won't ditch their visitors). Not that student visitors should be protected from negative points of view, but still!!!</p>

<p>Also: what's with the joke about how the cannon on campus is pointed toward Harvard? Tufts needs to get over itself on this. The whole Harvard wannabe thing will only go away if Tufts doesn't feed into it. The opening welcoming video had a bit of this flavor: like it was trying to convince us how much Tufts has increased it's reputation. Coming from California, we'd never even heard of the whole "Harvard rejects" thing. It certainly doesn't help if Tufts as a school is trying to prove it's not like about that. If it were me, I'd act like Tufts is so unique, so special, so perfect, that the whole Harvard thing is completely irrelevant. "Harvard who?" As my D pointed out- she wants to attend a school that knows they are the best at what they do, so much so that they don't need to prove it. They know "they are the sh*&T." I suspect that for most Tufts students and staff/professors, this is the case. But there seems to be some lingering "chip on the shoulder" stuff that needs to go. </p>

<p>Overall, I think she was discouraged by the visit. She wanted to feel more excited about Tufts, and I think she'll probably still go there, but with more reservations than she had before we flew 3,000 miles to visit. I'm hoping through facebook or some other means, she'll end up talking to other Tufts students or even Profs who are not so negative about their school.</p>

2

<p>I think that’s a horrible, and very unusual representation of the school. Every single kid I met (which has got to be around 100 - so I suppose it’s just a sample, but regardless) LOVED the school. My host was a bit reserved, but still extremely nice. She lived in Haskell so I met all of her suitemates who were so hospitable, welcoming, and incredibly nice. Other people came into the dorm since it’s more of a suite-living style and sat in, and they were so willing to answer all of my questions and include me in their discussions. I felt right at home. I also stayed up until 3 AM talking about things… I kept saying “I should sleep” and then just being pulled back into the conversation because the kids were just so nice! Honestly, I have never met people as nice and welcoming as those kids in my entire life.</p>

<p>On the other hand, the events were a total bust for me. They were incredibly lame - Telescope was pretty lame (except for BlackOut - the step team which is AWESOME), and Mr. Fraternity was NOT my scene (a bunch of jocks/fraternity boys - although cute, totally annoying - getting really rowdy and cheering on their fellow brothers). I kept asking my host if this was representative of Tufts at ALL and she kept insisting no, so that comforted me a little bit. I also went to a frat party… which was also pretty lame. I got the sense that Greek isn’t big at Tufts. I did see sQ! though (an acapella group) and they were good :)</p>

<p>And I never heard that bit about the cannon? That’s odd… when I pointed at the cannon, my host was just like “yeah, that cannon. It’s a tradition” and that was the end of that.</p>

<p>I’m sorry your D was discouraged… but sometimes the hosts are really lame. One of my hosts’ friends was telling me a story about how when her sister attended JHU’s open house, her host took her into a bar, bought alcohol illegally for her (against her will), and then brought home some guy from the bar and engaged in sex while she slept on the floor… right next to them.</p>

<p>So yes, sometimes hosts do suck… I really hope she doesn’t judge Tufts as a whole because of this!</p>

3

<p>Thanks for your comments neethus1- I will share them with my daughter. Your experience is the kind she was hoping for. She was at the Mr. Fraternity thing too- that’s when her host disappeared. I think she’d agree with “although cute, totally annoying” :)</p>

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<p>No problem :slight_smile: I also had very high expectations when I attended, and although it was a bit weakened by the AOH events, my expectations were definitely maintained after talking to the students hanging out in the lounge/dorm.</p>

5

<p>Hey neethus1, I think your host was my roommate! :slight_smile: I’m glad you had a good time.</p>

<p>And Westernhills mom, I’m sorry your daughter did not have a good experience with her host. Mostly everyone I know loves being here (including me! :wink: )And most people who DO decide to host prospective students is mainly because they love being Jumbos. And as for the impression that Tufts kids “think they are the $h*t”, That is DEFINITELY not the impression I had when I first came to visit here last year. The majority of the people who go here don’t go for the prestige. I have yet to come across a person who feels that way, who feels they have the need to prove themselves worthy. Again, it is very unfortunate that your daughter had to deal with such a seemingly horrible host. She is more than welcome to message me if she has any questions. :)</p>

6

<p>I have a feeling they had trouble filling in the student host quota this year. I don’t know whether it’s the economy/graduation driving upper class students crazy or what not, but I’m pretty sure they had to resort to a few less-than-ideal hosts this year. Tuftslife had banners flashing all last week asking students to host. I emailed the AOH office a week ago to ask whether they knew my host already so that I could contact her but they said they hadn’t booked one for me yet.</p>

7

<p>I was at a party last night with a bunch of parents and we all agreed hosts and tour guides are HUGELY IMPORTANT faces to a college/university. From accounts online, others feel the same.</p>

<p>Obviously, Tufts didn’t really plan ahead for the turn out or people dropped out of hosting. Either way, I think its important whether or not you attend the school to let the admissions office know. It is their life blood and to not let them know is kinda doing them a disservice.</p>

<p>Then again, we know her and love her… it would have been hard to disappoint Neethus when it comes to Tufts love! :)</p>

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<p>In every college, there are “those” types of students. We have the students who love the school and students who are bitter and regret attending the school. Of course, the wisest judgment would be a “holistic judgment.”</p>

<p>Westernhillsmom - just because your daughter was unfortunate enough to have a bad experience at Tufts, I don’t think it is enough to exclude Tufts. Just like the admissions officers, THINK HOLISTICALLY. You can’t have one bad apple make an entire apple tree bad.</p>

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<p>kj - are you Karen?</p>

<p>@ Modadunn - Very true. Thanks - I love the CC community! I think it’s because I researched so MUCH about Tufts and learned so much about it already from CC that I knew so much about it to begin with… so I already knew what to expect :)</p>

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<p>I sometimes wonder why people who clearly have no interest in hosting pre froshes sign up anyways. It’s not like they could put it on their resume or anything…</p>

<p>Westernhillsmom, I suggest emailing the school so something like this doesn’t happen again. The occasional ■■■■■■ does sometimes leak through admissions, but most students here are mature and intelligent.</p>

11

<p>My daughter did Tufts’ over night 2 years ago and had similar experience. The host never showed up, they had to find someone else last minute. She then didn’t do anything with my daughter because she had too much work to do. She also told my daughter that people didn’t party, just studied a lot…Everything my daughter didn’t want to hear. </p>

<p>I hope this does not offend people that host over night…Someone pointed it out to my daughter the kind of people that would do over night probably are not the most main stream students. She tried to tell my daughter not to let her overnight influence her decision about a school. My daughter never went on another overnight after Tufts.</p>

<p>I don’t think one student could give you a good feel of any school, unless the student is just like your kid. Tufts is a great school. I think it could do a better job with admitted student weekend (I have seen better). But I wouldn’t let the overnight be the deciding factor of whether to matriculate.</p>

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<p>I also was a pre-frosh for the Telescope overnight and April Open House and completely HATED telescope. The planning of the event was so bizzare- they had really long breaks in between activities which led to awkward prefrosh mingling, when we could have been shadowing a host to see just what its like to be a tufts student. and they brought us to fanuil hall for 3 HOURS! way to long, and again, not something we wanted to do when we could have been more exposed to the life of a tufts student. the opening panel with the two profs was interesting but definitely really boring- not the way we wanted to start off our expereince at tufts, with many of us waking up at 4-5AM to make it up to campus. the supershow was excellent though. and tufts never gave us enough time to really “latch onto” our host, which would have given us a nice sence of what tufts is really like. at AOH the next day, i actually talked to dean of admissions Lee Coffin about the telescope program and told him this issues i had with it. he was very receptive. however, the program put a very bad taste in my mouth and was not what i was expecting at all.
however, i will say that the open house was fantastic, way more of what telescope should have been like. it was dynamic, exciting, and interesting. </p>

<p>however, after going to the vassar open house today, i have decided that school is an amazing fit for me and will most likely be going there next year</p>

13

<p>A lot of us that love Tufts and everything is has to offer can’t host students because we are so busy, especially at this time of the year. We would love to host students, but open house falls on the exact same time as projects, exams, and papers are due. That’s why you sometimes do end up getting people are are either busy studying or the types who don’t study too hard in the first place. </p>

<p>There are many more activities and things to do at Tufts that aren’t frat parties. I have never gone to a single frat party on this campus and haven’t died of boredom or felt socially devastated. Next Friday evening there’s going to be the Tuftonia’s Day: BBQ, Carnival Rides, and Fireworks. A bit ago we had an amazing production of Dr. Horrible, last Friday was the Gospel Choir concert. Every weekend Films Series shows films that have only recently been released and some great old films (all for free). There are shows, presentations, and fun lectures all of the time (we’ve had everything from Michael Poll speaking about his book to a faculty lecture on science fiction, fantasy, and society).</p>

<p>I hope your daughter sees beyond the bad experience and I for one would be glad to answer any questions that she might have about Tufts.</p>

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<p>^^ I couldn’t agree more with you. Telescope was a complete bust. Originally I was really excited about seeing Tufts for the first time but I was immediately taken to fanuil hall when I would have rather stayed at Tufts and get to know more about being a student there. Luckily my host and her roommate (and their friend) were really nice and engaging, they included me in the conversation and were always eager to answer my questions. The supershow was kind of a bust, each performance was good but the transitions were very long and awkward.</p>

<p>I felt that AOH was better, I personally enjoyed the video that was shown and the student’s perspective portion. I must admit that the two professor seminars that I went to were interesting but I was incredibly tires so I ended up dozing off. AOH was a lot more lively and I got a better sense of the school. </p>

<p>And to Westernhillsmom I agree with you about the Tufts wanting to prove themselves thing. I didn’t know anything about that when I applied because I live in FL but I’ve learned of Tufts syndrome and ivyenvy since coming to this forum. Although when I was at Tufts no one mentioned it at all and all of the stundets seemed happy about being at Tufts.</p>

<p>~as a side note I learned that I really don’t want to live in healthyliving even though I wanted to at first, it’s really quiet and there isn’t much interaction and Hodgon seems to have a perpetual odor to it.</p>

15

<p>We have had one relative and one friend who attended Tufts in recent years. LOVED it.
funny my D would not apply because students did not look happy. I think they need to work on their image for visitors a s it is a great school.</p>

16

<p>the only time i’ve heard that tufts is just a place for harvard rejects is on here. i’ve been to the campus twice, and have never gotten that vibe.</p>

<p>schools ought really be more careful about who they have be frosh hosts. one of my friends went to an overnight at the school he would eventually matriculate to. from what i heard of the story, the host offered him some pot, then told him that he’d be out partying for the night. so said friend ended up in another dorm and went out bowling with 6 different girls. lol.</p>

<p>but point remains that they should be looking for people who genuinely want to help froshes with their decision. not sure how they’d evaluate that, but it’s an optimistic wish.</p>

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<p>My daughter did 3 overnight visits after acceptances came and she narrowed it down to her top choices-Cornell, Northwestern and Tufts. Her Tufts host was very introverted and she had a better time with the girls from Cornell and NU (a family friend). However, she did pick Tufts despite the less than favorable overnight and is having a great freshman year. My daughter is an outstanding student, decent athlete and good campus/community citizen. She likes to have fun and definitely likes having interesting friends. She is always busy with studies and activities. She has attended a range of events from frat parties, concerts, and theatre to world renowned speaker forums.</p>

<p>I never hear her mention Harvard except for when she plays club sports there or takes the T to shop in Cambridge. Tufts is a first rate university with a vibrant global atmosphere near a very cool city-those were the tipping points for my daughter. In the end, use the factors that resonate with you to make the final selection-including overnight impressions. I just wanted to let you know that my daughter is having a TOTALLY different experience from your visit recap.</p>

18

<p>wait, I’ve been at Tufts for 3, going on 4 years and have never heard of that cannon story. hmm.</p>

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<p>westernhillsmom - I would be as upset as you if that happened to my daughter. You should report this, or else the school will never know.</p>

<p>My D and I attended the program on Friday and were overwhelmed with it all. The opening movie left a lump in my throat and the panel of students were so accomplished and funny - truly amazing students. We spent the day going up the hill and down the hill, running from event to event and talking to many, many students who feel nothing but love for the school. They were universally enthusiastic and helpful, answering our many questions. We had lunch with app. 8 of them, from freshmen to seniors, and came away with the sense that my D chose wisely, as Tufts is perfect for her (she was an ED II student, so this wasn’t a trip to help her decide). This was our 3rd visit and we’ve heard nothing about the cannon story. Tufts reputation has improved and they have every right to be proud of that. At President Bacow’s talk, he said that 25 years ago, the overlap schools were the small LACs, but now they are the large research universities, including many of the Ivies. Tufts is not trying to be Harvard, IMO, but they have certain risen in the world of academia. </p>

<p>Everyone I know who knows someone who attends/has attended reports that the student loves/loved Tufts. Every single person. I hope that one bad experience with thoughtless, callous students doesn’t taint the whole school.</p>

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<p>Aw stny! I wish I knew you were going - I would have tried to meet up with you!!!</p>

<p>I loved the student speakers too :slight_smile: And I started tearing from the movie… how embarrassing… I had to keep pretending I was using my tissue to blow my nose…</p>