<p>I just want to know about the weather (any of you from the west coast, your experience, etc?), academics (in particular IR), reputation (is it good? better than USC?), students (quirky? jocks? nerds? all of the aforementioned?)...</p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>My D1 is a freshman from Southern California. This was a mild winter, so the weather adjustment wasn’t tough. The west coasters seem to adjust just fine, after they learn things like how it’s not a good idea to go out with wet, just-washed hair when it’s freezing outside. 
There are a lot of students from California, so you’ll have companions in adjusting. </p>
<p>IR is a major, major strength for Tufts; its program is one of the best in the nation. The IR mindset influences non-IR students. Undergrads can take classes at the Fletcher School, and there’s [EPIIC</a> (Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship) | Institute for Global Leadership](<a href=“Programs | Tufts Global Leadership”>EPIIC | Tufts Global Leadership), a unique year-long seminar/course for undergrads concentrating on one issue of global importance. Academics are going to vary depending on coursework, but D1 (who came in with a boatload of APs from a demanding high school) feels challenged without being overwhelmed. Well, usually, on that overwhelmed part, but that’s because she sometimes chooses to overwhelm herself. :)</p>
<p>Yes, there are quirky students. And jocks. And nerds. Also quirky nerdy jocks. </p>
<p>Reputation? Depends on the subject. USC isn’t a bad choice for IR, but it’s not Tufts. </p>
<p>If money comes into the picture, neither school is worth taking out big loans in order to attend one over the other.</p>
<p>My son thinks the IR department is dominated a little bit too much by the political science guys and wishes that more historical perspective was required. He loved EPIIC (which doesn’t count for IR even though it’s the best IR course they offer.) </p>
<p>I grew up in African and spent time in California. I think worries about culture and weather are grossly exaggerated. In any event, I think it’s good for kids to get out of their comfort zone and get to know a new part of the country all else being equal.</p>
<p>Workload for my son would be very doable if he weren’t taking Arabic. Warning, warning! Arabic at Tufts moves a lot faster than it does at most other schools!</p>
<p>Hi Mathmom. My son will be going to Tufts this fall and is interested in an Econ/Arabic major/minor. He has had 4 years of Arabic (Modern Standard and Farsi) in high school…any sense of how he would fit into Tufts Arabic program?</p>
<p>^He’ll be one of those kids my son is jealous of. :)</p>
<p>I think he’ll be fine - they’ll give him a placement exam and figure out where he belongs. My son likes his Arabic teachers, he’s just not very good at languages and by all accounts Arabic is more difficult than average. (He took Latin in high school and struggled there too.) He did get an A in Arabic last summer in a program in Jordan though and said it really was much easier. College language courses generally move much faster than high school ones.</p>
<p>Thanks! I think Arabic has been rated as one of the top 4 most difficult languages to learn (the others being Japanese and Korean, can’t remember the other). I think it was helpful to him to take it in high school where the pace has been slower.</p>