Tuft Luck?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
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<p>Hey... although I have made three or four threads before, I would never want to be one of those robo-students who copies and pastes their stats into every single Top U and Top LAC forum, but I am interested in a few schools with good International Relations departments.</p>

<p>I've heard and read that Tufts has an absolutely stellar IR department, mainly due to the Fletcher School, and I would love to take advantage of it. I assume, however, that because IR is very popular at Tufts, it is also very competitive. So here are my credentials; I'd love any feedback on not just my chances but my fit at the school as well. Danke!</p>

<p>Gender: Male
Race: White Guy
Location: Portland, OR (Geographical diversity, anyone?)
Income: less than $40,000 per annum
-Live with mom (divorced)
High School: pretty competitive public in Portland, OR; 5 or so kids to ivies each year, 10-15 more to top 30 schools</p>

<p>GPA uw: 4.0
GPA w: probably like 4.5-ish
Class Rank: 1/470ish (it's all about the vals)</p>

<p>SAT: CR: 780 M: 660 (yeah, whoops) W: 740
ACT: 30 (36 E, 29 M, 33 W, 24 S)</p>

<p>AP's, Honors, and College-in-Highschool taken:
AP Biology
AP US History
AP English
AP Economics
AP Constitutional Gov
AP Art History
AP European history
AP Calculus
*Took the AP French exam while I wasn't even taking French; got a 4)
Acc/Honors French
Acc/Honors English 10
PSU (Portland State University) English
PSU (Portland State University) French</p>

<p>EC's: probably the weakest part of my app, but hey..</p>

<p>Classical Piano: 12 Years, Guild Superior Rating 9, 10
Newspaper: Copy Editor (11), Page Editor (11) 10, 11
We The People Constitution Team: 12 (Our school has won 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in the nationals since 1999 or something)
Church Youth Group: lots of volunteering and fundraising
Habitat for Humanity: probably 120 hours so far; youth group goes on mission trips for a week once school gets out and we work on a job site somewhere; Certificate of Appreciation, Work Crew leader</p>

<p>Awards:
National Latin Exam- Summa Cum Laude (11)
Excellence in Chemistry (from school)
Valedictorian</p>

<p>Work Experience:
I'm a teacher at a local preschool: I work like 10 hour weeks during the school year, but I've been doing 40 hour weeks this summer. I've worked since January, 2007 and plan on working up until I leave for college.
Boss loves me, wants to write me a rec.</p>

<p>Intended Major: International Relations, International Political Economy</p>

<p>My teacher recs should be great; one from my soph. English teacher who holds a PhD in linguistics from Oxford (and has been trying to recruit me, so to speak), and another from my French teacher, who practically wets herself over my love of French.</p>

<p>Essay: I think I'm going to write about how when I teach my preschoolers some words of French, Russian, German, etc. it opens their eyes to a world outside what they experience everyday, and how my own love of foreign languages has influenced me to aspire to do foreign service in a global world. (I know it all sounds kind of overdone and cliche, but it's something about which I'm truly passionate and it matches my intended major.)</p>

<p>Thanks for any advice!</p>

2

<p>You forgot to mention that you have a great sense of humor.</p>

3

<p>Tufts has Tufts syndrome. Haha. They will be impressed by your Val status. S's Sal was accepted with lower SAT's than yours, so I think you have a very good chance. Don't send the ACT score; I don't think this helps you. Take SAT II's instead. For IR French, which you obviously have mastered, would be one choice.</p>

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<p>I don't usually post on chances forums, but I think you have a great shot. I think there are about 4 kids at Tufts from Oregon currently, but aside from that geographical diversity you have a lot going for you. And your essay topic is actually not cliche or overdone. It'd be different if you wrote about your service trip to Costa Rica, from which you returned with an understanding of how overprivileged you are. I think it will speak to admissions counselors and underscore your IR interest - which, if the Tufts syndrome is true, would show them that Tufts isn't your safety, you really do want to be here to take advantage of the IR department. But make sure you write it in a way that makes YOU come through - infuse it with the same humor that you've put into your silly little chances post. Don't make a generic five paragraph essay that any applicant could write; try to make your writing reflect your personality.</p>

<p>Good luck! Also, you could write them a letter in addition to your application that says you're really interested in Tufts, it has such great IR, you really love the global-and-active-citizenship focus, to show you really do care about the school.</p>

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<p>Wow, absolutely marvelous advice. Five-Star. Personalized and everything. The Tufts forum DEFINITELY beats Middlebury's on the quality of chancing. And don't get me STARTED on Georgetown's.</p>

<p>My teachers have told me that I write well, but an admissions essay is different from anything else I've ever written. It's great to know that I shouldn't stifle my sense of humor, but rather let it reveal itself rather slyly in my essay. I mean, I work at a goddamned preschool; how can I not laugh when, say, Lilah Rae (not kidding) bites Ava B on the ass for the twelfth time during rest time? (By the way, Ava was totally asking for it, the cheeky monkey.)</p>

<p>I'm visiting Tufts on the eighth, coming up (my mom's a flight attendant; I'm basically bumming a ride on a Boston/Logan layover), so I'll be able to get barrels of information from the school itself which I may inject into my essay periodically to show my interest in the school. Anything else I should know?</p>

6

<p>You seem to be doing everything right. Have fun and good luck!</p>

7

<p>You should visit some of the other universities in the Boston area. There are plenty.</p>

8

<p>My husband's quote from the information session--"we don't want to know about building houses in Mexico..." However, the line about Lilah Rae and Ava B is great! Please read Harry Bauld's book about essays--you sound like the type of writer who would be his poster child for great essays! Good luck!</p>

<p>H & D did the Boston college tour in April. She loved Tufts and BU, was lukewarm on BC. Tufts is two stops past Harvard on the Red Line; both BU & BC are on the Green Line.</p>

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<p>I agree with Kathy's last comment. Writing about opening your preschoolers' minds is laudable and all, but comments about Lilah, Ava, et al make it more than a stock essay, they make it memorable and genuine. If I were an admissions officer, seeing the phrase "cheeky monkey" in an essay would make me laugh every time :)</p>