Appreciate it.
Congratulations to those accepted! Our S22 was rejected too. He was truly excited by his ‘Why Tufts’ essay, thought he nailed it - oh well. This admission cycle is a wild ride. His HS counselors have been pretty confounded with his results, or lack thereof 
He has been shown love by a few schools, just not where he thought he’d be right now. Time to pivot and revisit these schools. Best to all!!
Congrats to those accepted! Our S22 was accepted ED1 with a similar profile to those rejected here. I have no idea what tipped the scales in his favor. Perhaps just dumb luck. The unpredictability is so terrible for all these kids.
Me and your son are once again in the same boat. Hoping for better news in March.
@audreybandel - it’s a rough road. I try be a decent cheerleader…and I’l cheer for you too!! But do try, as posted here, to tell yourself again and again that is it not your qualifications. These admissions cycles have been unprecedented. I asked a friend yesterday if I should have told my high stats kid to not work so hard. Clearly not. Your hard work and ethic will serve you all your life. Keep going!
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I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but here goes. I was accepted to Tufts ED2 and received my aid package today. My family received an extremely generous amount, more than we ever expected with our financial standing, but does anyone know how much aid can vary in the next three years? I have no reason not to not go, but my parents are assuming this equals a 4 year full ride, which it does not. I am simply worried cost will go up after freshman year(up to half tuition?) with the annual FAFSA submission - is there a limit to how much more we could be expected to pay? I was very shocked at the offer and want to know if this is just a way to discourage people from backing out of ED.
My understanding is that Tufts will meet your demonstrated need each year as long as there are no substantial changes in your annual FAFSA and CSS filings. That being said, if things do change your aid can be reduced based upon the submitted numbers-down to zero. Make sure there were no errors in your FAFSA and CSS filings for this year! @soulsearcher1
I think I read that in later years your aid might include more loans. I’m in the same situation, and I don’t think they’re trying to bait us or anything. They are supposed to continue to provide as much support as we need for all four years.
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So sorry to hear. If this helps, the best way to understand it is that college admissions is like casting a play. Of two people up for the same role, one may be an Academy-Award-winning actor, but is not as good a fit for the role as a no-name actor with the right je ne sais quoi.
@soulsearcher1 If your family’s financial circumstances remain the same, you will continue to get the same aid. Your aid will increase with any increases in tuition, room, and board.
The wild card is if your household income suddenly goes up a lot or if you come into a lump sum from an inheritance or similar. Then your aid will decrease (but don’t forget, it’s a two-year lag).
As a heads up, keep in mind that Tufts guarantees housing ONLY through sophomore year. You more than likely have to live off campus junior and senior years. That means sometime between November and March of your sophomore year you will have to sign a lease for your junior year apartment. Which means you’ll have to lay out the funds for first and last months’ rent, security deposit, and sometimes broker’s fee (equivalent to one month’s rent). So let’s say your rent is $800/month (which would be on the lower end), you’d have to lay out $3200 when you sign the lease. Good to plan in advance for that so you can start saving. Your financial aid WILL eventually cover it, but not until you start your junior year. They don’t give you the funds in advance to secure an off-campus apartment.
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I’ve sort of avoided this forum for the last week because I was deferred, but it’s been almost two weeks and I would like to add some substance to my application. My stats aren’t all that impressive. My GPA isn’t very strong compared to everyone else (4.07 weighted) and my ECs mainly involved music (Alt-rock band with a bunch of performing arts magnet kids, orchestra, founder of performing arts club, bass in my dad’s bands, etc.). The only thing that’s really good about me is my 35 act. Besides that, I feel like others who were rejected ED2 seemed far more qualified. I’m just putting this out in the discussion to ask if anyone has been deferred as well (in the past or present) and what I should aim to do before they review my application again since my stats aren’t enough to carry me? Sorry if this is hard to read.
The big takeaway should be that Tufts something special enough to consider you a worthy applicant. Otherwise they would have outright rejected you. And it was almost certainly not your 35 exclusively, there are plenty of kids with 35s they reject. So, your conclusion should be that there is lots ‘really good’ about you that resonated with the folks at Tufts.
Try to figure out what those unique qualities are. If that’s a blind spot for you, have people you trust and know you well look over your application and essays. Have them give you an honest assessment of what Tufts may have seen as special. Update and expand that story in a follow up LOCI. For example, that process may produce advice like: “Music is so important and unique to who you are and that comes through in your application. Why did you not tell them about that great song you wrote? The one you just started performing with your Dad’s band last week?” And then you’re off and running.
Whatever you do, keep your head up and go in with the attitude that you are special and worthy (without any whiff of entitlement).
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Typo: “…that Tufts saw something special…”
Does anyone know if Tufts ever offers / matches merit aid from another school?
After my son got accepted ED2, I asked Tufts if they could match the overall amount of merit + FA package he received at another school. The question was barely out of my mouth when she gave me a ‘We don’t consider what other schools give nor do we match’. It was a very definitive ‘nope’.
Thanks DD18. I am in a similar situation and I wondered if it was worth giving admissions a call. I guess not. Appreciate the feedback.
You have to remember, they meet demonstrated need. They do not give merit aid.
If you have need, they will calculate it based on what they decide.
That’s why their answer was easy to give.
Only 35% or so of students at Tufts get aid per CDS. For lack of a better description, it’s a rich kids paradise.
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