<p>I'm posting this on behalf of CC user Annebam, who posted it in general College Search. I figured she'd have better luck if she'd posted it in here.</p>
<p>"Tufts Curriculum
I'm applying to Tufts now, and was wondering if there is anything unusual or especially good about the curriculum. I know you have a cure curriculum, but other than that it's pretty straigtforward right? I'm leaning toward being an English major."</p>
<p>And now, I'll respond. :-)</p>
<p>What stands out in terms of Tufts' core curriculum is the language requirement -- 6 semesters of language or equivalent OR 3 semesters of language and 3 semesters of corresponding culture classes. ALL liberal arts students must fufill this. If you're an IR major, it goes even further: 8 semesters of language or equivalent. I personally tested out of the core requirement, but decided to learn a new language (when else are there so many language classes at your disposal?) and in fact took 8 semesters equivalent in a new language. I am now, after having gone abroad to Paris for a year, genuinely fluent in French!</p>
<p>Also, there are 2 semesters of Natural Sciences and 2 sems of Mathematical Science required, which makes some lib arts students groan (necessary evil!). The 2 semesters each of Social Sciences and of Humanities, plus 1 semester of World Civilization are easier to fulfill for most lib arts students. At least there isn't a gym requirement like at Cornell. :-)</p>
<p>Enfin, you get the full liberal arts experience -- it forces you to take courses in subjects you wouldn't otherwise delve into. Annebam, I am personally a double English major (and IR), and let me tell you, the math class I'm taking now is actually INTERESTING. I would never have taken it if the core requirements didn't make me do it in order to be able to graduate.</p>
<p>The thing is alot of liberal arts majors cop out of their requirements by taking stupid **** like "Optics" or "Quanitative Reasoning" to fulfill their math and science obligations. </p>
<p>As a result not a few of them come out of school not knowing a thing about anything outside of their major. And its not just Tufts, this is a problem everywhere. There was an article in the Daily a few weeks ago about how college graduates score average a score of like 44% on questions about American government, history and society.</p>
<p>Lola is right, the languages at Tufts are superb, some of the best in the country and its one of only a handful of schools that offers languages like Arabic, Hebrew, etc. etc.</p>
<p>I'm trying to think of what is unique outside of what you're required to take though...I don't know, what the **** did the poster mean by unique?</p>
<p>I don't know, RBAY, I know lots of people who take BS math and sciences but that's not to say they got nothing out of them. I took Plants and Humanity and Environmental Biology as my sciences, which many advertise as BS sciences, but so far they were surprisingly the two most useful courses I've taken at Tufts. I learned a lot, the professors were great and it comes up in daily life much more than Western Political Thought or Creative Fiction Writing.</p>
<p>"I took Plants and Humanity and Environmental Biology as my sciences, which many advertise as BS sciences, but so far they were surprisingly the two most useful courses I've taken at Tufts"</p>
<p>Yeah, I mean if you're ever stranded in the woods of Northern Maine and are also starving to death that "Plants and Humanity" course will be absolutely vital to your survival.</p>
<p>I keed I keed. You do bring up a good point though that I hadn't considered which is what you actually get out the science requirement. In your case I guess it turns out you go way more out of the courses you mentioned then you would've out of a physics course. Only I think you'd agree that you are likely an exception to the rule :)</p>
<p>dude, don't judge my Bio 10! lol. But really, I learned extremely useful things in Plants and Humanity. Like what red tides were. Next time I'm in Florida I'll know not to go swimming if the water's red. Because I might get PARALYZED! How's that not useful? lol.</p>
<p>I found an article online by a Tufts freshman. He's writing about Tufts academics just generally, it might help: <a href="http://admitspit.wordpress.com/2006/12/04/how-x-does-academics-x-tufts/%5B/url%5D">http://admitspit.wordpress.com/2006/12/04/how-x-does-academics-x-tufts/</a></p>
<p>Red algae blooms can sometimes get into the mussels and make you go to poison control!</p>
<p>seaweed is in ice cream! shamans in Siberia would do shrooms, pee, and the people in the sweat lodge would drink the pee and ALSO hallucinate! Mushrooms have ten different genders, imagine how hard dating must be for them!</p>
<p><3 Bio 10 facts.</p>
<p>also, dude, that article is wrong about requirements. It says "Arts" is a distribution requirement, but the Fine Arts requirement is a Core requirement. Instead the distribs are Social Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences and MATH.</p>