<p>I am not a science major myself but I can tell you one thing about undergrad research at Tufts: you have TONS of opportunities here. The fact that Tufts is research university with an undergraduate focus will serve you well. There is a LOT of money for undergraduate research whereas at a lot of Tufts' peer schools, that money usually goes to grad students. Several of my bio, chem, and physics major friends have already been published in big journals!</p>
<p>Look into Tisch Summer Scholars program, which pairs you with a Tufts faculty member for a summer of research, as well as specialized grants in each department. E-mail those departments for information specific to their field; I'm sure people would love to answer your questions, especially if you make it sound as though your acceptance of the offer admission may hinge on those kinds of opportunities. Also, it won't hurt to build relationships/connections before you come to the April Open House or before you enroll as a freshman in September! ;-)</p>
<p>You should also know that the natural sciences at Tufts are very well-regarded and that med-school acceptance is among the highest in the country -- don't know if that interests you.</p>
<p>It's small, which means you'll get tons of individualized attention as a math major from the math faculty. I'm not a major but had to take two math classes as part of the distribution requiremetns and though I loathe the subject, the professors I had were great teachers -- they made the subject interesting for the first time in like 20 years of schooling! You might want to ask to be connected w/ a math major by the admissions office or directlyw tih the math dept. to ask specific questions.</p>
<p>I have two math major friends who just got incredible jobs on Wall St. Don't know if you want to go in that direction, but just FYI.</p>
<p>Do most freshmen (who want to be IR majors) start a new language their first year, or continue the one they'd been taking in HS? Also, we understand they take language placement tests on arrival. If doing well on that exam means fulfilling a language credit, do you think it's worth it to brush up/study a bit beforehand?</p>
<p>S. is considering Russian-- terribly difficult? Sorry for all the disjointed questions...!</p>
<p>LSPF72: I think that people who are serious about learning foreign languages do one of two things. If they are already pretty much fluent in the language they studied in h.s., then they starta new one. If they are not, then they continue with that same language. The language placement tests are not that hard; I don't think you have to brush up on it if you've already been taking a language for a few years. It's not like if you study the night before it'll affect the level you get placed at. Also note that the language requirement for IR majors is EIGHT SEMESTERS whereas for regular Tufts students it's THREE.</p>
<p>Y2KPLAYA92: I'm not involved, but they're pretty good. Tufts regularly hosts the best debate teams in the world, including the ones from Oxford and Cambridge in the UK.</p>
<p>Thanks-- will show this to S.
One more thing- since IR is so popular, does it tend to be a more competitive majorl? I think I recall someone posting something to that effect in a post a long time ago -- I think they mentioned IR and pre-med, but can't recall exactly.</p>
<p>LSPF72: You know, the nice thing about Tufts is how "competitiveness" means something completely different than what you're probably thinking. Here, people are more competitive with THEMSELVES than with EACH OTHER. That means that you won't hear people asking each other what grades they got, etc. This is what differentiates Tufts from many of its top peer schools, where competition is cutthroat among fellow students. Here it's trying to top your personal best, not your neighbor's. This does not mean Tufts students' personal best is set at a lower standard -- which is evidenced by grad/professional school placement and simply the stats of each incoming class -- it just means we breathe a little easier (and happier) here.</p>
<p>That being said, IR and the natural sciences are the most popular majors, but I don't think that makes them any more "competitive" (in the normal and Tufts senses of the word) than any of the other concentrations at Tufts.</p>
<p>I'm interested in joining a sorority- i think its a great way to create a built-in group of friends. what do you think of the sororities/Greek life at Tufts? do they rush in fall or spring? FYI, i'm a very social person and like to party, but i am also extremely serious about my education and enjoy being around intelligent people.</p>
<p>There are only three sororities at Tufts, so as you can imagine, not many people are in sororities. That being said, if you're looking for a sorority, you can find it at Tufts, it's just that you will only hav ethree options. THat being said, I have a friend in Chi Omega who likes it a lot. She lived there one year and doesn't now, but has a good base of friends based around that sisterhood. You should know that sorority houses in Massachusetts can't have parties because of an old brothel law (hilarious, right?) so you won't be having parties per se in the house, but you may very well host a party elsewhere. Personally, Greek life does not interest me, and it shows that Tufts for the most part is not a Greek-centered campus. The good thing is that for the small percentage that it does interest, it's there as an option.</p>
<p>The Food
Student Life (Extracurriculars, guest speakers, music concerts, etc;)
The people (are they stuck up, competitive,)
How are the academics (challenging, tough)
The professors( available, menacing, don't care about undergrads)</p>
<p>Is the student life at Tufts as high as they say it is?</p>
<p>Food -- I actually believe Tufts' Dining Services is consistently ranked among the top 10 in the country by Princeton Review. I stand by it, especially after having visited friends + family at other schools. Brunch is fab as are the special ethnic cuisine nights. It's generally pretty good even on normal days.</p>
<p>Student life -- Great speakers. Everyone is involved in at least one extracurricular -- there are tons of options. We get pretty good musical and comedy acts.</p>
<p>People -- see my previous post on this thread; people are more competitive with themselves than with each other, which is good. </p>
<p>Academics -- You better be prepared to write, write, write. And work hard for your A's. (And B's).</p>
<p>Professors -- Undergrad emphasis at Tufts serves us well! Once you get past the 2-3 intro classes you have to take, you will have very small classes, and by the time you've picked a major, you'll probably have pretty close relationships iwth at least a couple of profs.</p>
<p>im not 100% sure....is there a "core curriculum" at Tufts? What classes are required for all freshmen/students before graduation (if its easier to link to a website, feel free!)</p>
<p>also, what kind of class schedule is normal for a first semester freshman?</p>
<p>People complain about taking math or science classes if they're not those kinds of students, but I personally foudn two math and two science classes that tied in with my IR major and loved them. Go figure! Vice-versa for the math/sci people having to take writing and language.</p>
<p>It's all about the liberal arts education! You'll be happy when you're done, that you had such a varied curriculum.</p>
<p>Class schedules vary. It's often hard to ahve a day with no classes as a freshman, as intro classes are spread out throughout the week. After your first or second semester, you usually don't have to ever have a class on Friday unless it's only offered on that day and you must take it. I'm a senior now and this semester is great: classes only on Mon, Tues, and Wed.... four-day weekends every week! (Be warned: I do study every day, though).</p>
<p>It's pretty small, I guess, but what makes it different from other engineering schools is that it is fully integrated with the liberal arts college, too. Engineering students live on the same campus, in the same dorms, go to the same orientation programs, etc. Except for the classes you take, you're not treated differently or kept separate from the liberal arts undergrads, which I think is invaluable. (I'm actually LA, but I liked Tufts' undergrad for this reason, too; I happen to love engineers!)</p>
<p>i dunno if this has been asked, but how attractive are the women? serious question. also, i've heard that there tends to be a lot of segregation between people from different socioeconomic classifications...true?</p>