Hi I was admitted to both Amherst and Tufts and I am currently struggling to figure out which school to choose (a privileged struggle). I am going to attend both accepted students days but I thought this might be helpful as well. I am planning to major in biology and potentially going into medicine in the future.
I visited both schools a while ago and I really loved the town of Amherst and the campus feel. I thought the campus was beautiful. The small class sizes at amherst and the strong academics really stood out to me. One of the issues I had was that I really want to play soccer in college (probably club- I decided I didn’t want to go through the recruitment process) because it has been so central to my life in high school but Amherst (or so I heard) doesn’t have a very strong club team/it isn’t very competitive. I also worry about the small number of students because my high school is almost the size of amherst, and I am nervous that the social life/parties is not as inclusive to non-athletes.
On the other hand, tufts is a larger school and I really like the small-medium size. It didn’t stand out to me as much when I visited though, I’m not sure why. Maybe I didn’t like the campus as much. Additionally, the club soccer program is competitive, the campus is nice, and the pre-med/bio programs are supposedly very strong. I do wonder if the proximity to Boston causes students to leave campus more often, rather then staying and enjoying events on campus. At the same time, Boston also provides many additional resources to Tufts.
I’m not sure if club soccer is something that I should focus on while I’m making a decision- is it a bad idea to prioritize certain extracurriculars when choosing schools? I know It is a possibility that I decide I don’t want to play later in college or that want to try something else.
Also I was wondering if anyone could talk about the social life at both of these schools and if there are any differences between them?
I know that some of the details are unimportant, but I’m having a really hard time making a decision. If anyone also has any input on what is important to focus on when making my decision, or any other ways to help me choose, that would be great!
I don’t think there is anything wrong with thinking about a place where you will be happy with your extracurricular interests, as long as the school also excites you academically. It is, after all, your home for four years.
My son may be making similar decisions about club tennis next year! When a sport is a huge part of your life, it is important.
As a Williams grad, I don’t think you would find Amherst either exclusive or too small and like high school. In high school you probably hung out with mostly super smart people, and there were few of them. At college, your potential social circles will be much wider.
On a recent tour, our Amherst tour guide was not a varsity athlete, and he seemed very happy socially and lots of people greeted him as we walked around.
After your visits, it will be clearer to you which you prefer. And there is no wrong decision! You can create your own happiness at either of these stellar schools.
I think Tufts is a rising star and its recognition is sure to increase as the years go by, but it’s not quite at the prestige/endowment level of Amherst yet. Tufts is the top DIII soccer team, but Amherst is 10th- not a huge difference. I went to a LAC smaller than Amherst and still didn’t know everyone by the end of my senior year. I think one perspective a lot of students miss in thinking about size is that your friend group is going to be a comparable size no matter where you go, and it’s not going to be 1000 students. Amherst students are generally inclusive, interesting people who form friendships across identities. You won’t be in a shortage of meeting people there who will inspire you, and you have the other 4 colleges for a big party or an occasional cross-registration. Nearly 40% of all Tufts students do not live on campus, so that can change the residential atmosphere as well (98% of all Amherst students live on campus). The athlete-non-athlete divide is pretty serious, and why I didn’t pick Amherst myself a few years ago, but I’m not sure what it looks like now. Lot of topics on the Amherst board about it.
Another reason I picked my LAC over Amherst was due to access to city life, so I’m reminded of your pro for Tufts, and while I was able to go out quite a bit, it was not to the extent of what I was predicting. Academics are rigorous and there is so much to do on campus that it cuts down on the incentive/time to want to leave. I think you should consider that too- what does the residential life and social community look like at each college, as well as the immediate scene in the college town?
Good luck! 2 outstanding choices. My personal pick would be Amherst.