<p>I've finally received all of my letters, and narrowed my choices down to just two schools: Wash U. in St. Louis, Missouri and Tufts University in Boston.</p>
<p>I'm having a lot of trouble deciding because there are so many good aspects of each school, and I can't see how one really outweighs the other yet.</p>
<p>I love Tufts because it right by Boston, I could swim for them (I wouldn't be able to contribute anything athletically to Wash U), and it just had a great vibe when I went there. However, by the books, Wash U. is statistically a better school. I love Wash U because it is strong in Visual Arts (which is virtually nonexistent at Tufts - you cannot major in it unless you spend 5 yrs and also dedicate the time to another school for arts in boston) and also I believe stronger in Planetary sciences than Tufts. I have no idea what I want to be yet, but I want to keep my doors open, and these have been two strong interests for me in the past.</p>
<p>The bottom line is, I know I can't go wrong deciding, but I still want to make the best choice :) So I would love any words of wisdom or advice. Also, I would really appreciate if you could tell me why you think either school is a better choice, not just that it is. Please feel free to write anything at all, though. Even if it's a personal experience, a rumor, whatever. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond!</p>
<p>Also, cost is not a factor for me because both will cost me just about the same amount</p>
<p>Hi marinara,
My D is a soph at Wash U and is quite happy. When we were going through the crazy college search we also visited Tufts. Once we stopped by unplanned and it was spring break, so couldn't do anything. And it was a ghost town. The other time we took a tour, and did an info session, thn walked around a bit on our own. I had thought we would like the school because of its reputation and nice location, but it really didn't click for either of us. It just didn't feel welcoming, or something. Hard to put my finger on. We had several nice visits to WashU. It just kept creeping onto the radar. My D would have never dreamed she'd go to school in the midwest. But the more we visited the more we liked it.
At the time Tufts was having a housing shortage, and housing definitely was not available for all upperclassmen who wanted it. We loved the dorms at WashU, and she has lived in 2 different awesome ones there.
One thing we have learned after the fact is how very expensive WashU is. You are required to purchase their student health insurance, even if you already have your own. It's over $600 a semester! I don't know about most people, but a couple of quick visits for colds/bronchitis are not worth that! They recently lumped cable in with internet, so you have to buy it as a bundle even if you don't have or want a TV. And that is now about $250 a semester. Ouch.
Having said all that, I don't think we would have done things differently. for her, the choice came down to WashU and Brown, and she just felt she'd fit in at WashU better. We are from the western US, which is very different from the NE. :) She is a double major in biology and neuroscience/psychology, and has been doing research in the psych lab since the beginning of this year. There are many research opportunities for anyone who is interested.
St. Louis is not a great city, has fairly high crime (mostly in East St. Louis across the river) and economic problems, but the area around the school is pretty nice. And the students are very involved with a lot of community service in the surrounding areas.
This is pretty rambling, but these thoughts were the first that came to mind.
Congrats on your acceptances, and I wish you luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Having read over my post, it sounds pretty negative. Haha. I didn't mean for it to. WashU is an amazing school, and I'm very proud that D is a student there. And she is, too, and didn't mind turning down an ivy to go there.
D will be studying abroad for fall semester, as will many of her friends. Lots of opportunities.
Also, WashU food is pretty highly rated! :) I love Center Court, their big dinner nightly buffet.
She has met some amazing people. She was Valedictorian of her sr. class of 691, and going to a university where EVERY kid is the smart kid has been eye-opening! In a good way. :)</p>
<p>Gotta realize that the books are bull S.</p>
<p>Regardless, OP, Tufts has Boston (it's just outside, IIRC) which is a much nicer city than St Louis. Both schools have highly rated life sciences programs, but it seems to me that Tufts is stronger in the social sciences. Seems to me that for research opportunities in BROADER areas, Tufts has the edge. Also, Boston is the quintessential college city...</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your input, Bengalmom and NewEngSocSciMan.
It's funny because my visits to both of the schools were just the opposite of your daughter's. Wash U. felt a tad less welcoming than Tufts. I guess impressions just vary from person to person. That's awesome that you're daughter went with her gut and picked Wash U. over an ivy league because it felt better, though.
Wash U. definitely has a gorgeous campus, but personally I agree with NewEngSocSciMan - I like Boston more than St. Louis, haha. Wow it's going to be hard to decide by May 1</p>
<p>Dear God, please don’t quote “statistically” as though that’s real. </p>
<p>Your concerns about actual program differences are valid, but not any ranking crap. They are both excellent schools but every school has its strong points. Only you can decide whether swimming trumps art, etc. </p>
<p>I live in Boston, have no great feelings about Tufts one way or the other. In terms of area, Tufts is in Medford, which is mostly working/middle class, but is a reasonable walk into Somerville’s Davis Sq and Cambridge Porter Sq, both of which are kind of hopping places. (It’s also close to Bob’s Food’s if you want a chicken parm sub, but that’s a different story. There’s also a terrific, genuinely authentic Sichuan restaurant in Medford Square.) It’s easy to get into Boston if you want, but it isn’t in Boston and I have no idea how often you’d do that. My impression is that Tufts’ kids tend toward Davis more for fun, etc.</p>
<p>Wow, this is a 2-year-old thread you dug up</p>