Update
He did not end up getting the full-ride at SeattleU and didn’t get into Brown. After doing some preliminary ranking on a set of criteria he came up with, he’s down to Tufts, American and Occidental (as expected). Next few weeks will be fun with Admitted Student events and more research. Would be happy to have him at any of those three options.
Thanks for all the input so far and feel free to add any other thoughts on the choice.
Not very familiar with Oxy but am very familiar with American (I teach in the DC area) and a son is at Tufts. I think both AU and Tufts lean very liberal with a very friendly, collaborative student body. Courses at Tufts will be more rigorous than at AU (and I suspect Oxy) given what I have seen from my son’s courses in a range of disciplines (friends teach at AU, so have a sense of the rigor of the courses there, another friend taught at Oxy).
The AU campus is very nice, in some ways nicer than Tufts’, and DC is a great city. Both AU and Tufts are effectively in the suburbs. But access to downtown is quicker at AU. That said, Davis Square (an easy walk from Tufts) is more lively than the n’hoods near AU (including Tenleytown).
For Poli Sci related internships, I suspect DC beats Boston easily in terms of opportunities. The same is probably true for Econ.
For what it’s worth, at Tufts I think your child would be in the midst of an overall harder-working, more high-achieving group of students. This said, my son has found Tufts very collaborative, friendly, and outgoing. I should also mention that he has a very diverse set of friends at Tufts–in all dimensions. Yes, there are lots of kids from well-to-do families but there are also lots of kids who aren’t.
Good luck with the decision-making!
My daughter didn’t apply to either Tufts or AU, but she is admitted at Oxy, and if it were less expensive I think it would be her clear first choice. Good chance she ends up at a UC just because of the money, but I find myself really wishing there was less of a money gap between Oxy and the publics for us because I think there are some really unique and excellent things about the school. Some of it may come down to size for your child. Aren’t Tufts and AU quite a bit bigger?
Oxy’s universal capstone project (I forget what they call it) seems really great and rigorous, and there are some special programs that are unique, such as the chance to get course credit for working on a presidential/gubernatorial/congressional campaign. I feel like if Oxy were on the East Coast, more people would consider it a very strong LAC. There’s definitely a bit of an East Coast bias when it comes to that size of college. Of course, Tufts and AU are also fantastic schools! But I don’t think you’ll be engaging with lesser-qualified students at Oxy.
Obviously you can’t go wrong with any of these choices. Tufts is probably the most prestigious, but AU is wonderful. That said, I think Oxy is the most underrated slac I’ve seen. The campus is gorgeous, kids are smart and friendly. I can’t think of a nicer place to spend 4 years.
I’m still trying to get past that. I’ve never heard anyone say that - and that includes the kids on admitted student day 
OP has three very solid school - and likely at different price points.
Good luck - I hope they choose the one best for them.
LOL, I wrote that with some hesitation. I might be biased. I live near the AU campus and often go there on weekends. It doesn’t have those impressive collegiate gothic buildings, but the main AU quad is nice and the university seems to have put a lot of effort over the years into beautifying the campus. A new rock/water feature just appeared this past week. I find it more attractive than the main Tufts quad for much of the year. I know there are mixed views of the Tufts campus too–some people find it attractive, others don’t, it might well depend on when one visits.
Yes, three good choices.
Oxy is so pretty, and the UN internship program sounds great. It was too small for my child who wanted medium/big, but I would be happy to attend.
I liked it too! Some buildings are “FBI building style” but all in all, lots of buildings are pretty, its well upkept and green, compact enough that you can walk everywhere if you want to, but large enough that it’s not too dense, criss-crossed, and piled up together like some urban campuses.
Then again, perhaps one of the reasons your son leans socialist is that he can imagine a world in which access to schools of the sort you have mentioned does not depend on having well-to-do parents? Crazy, I know, but it happens.
Fair point
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