Tufts Likes/Dislikes

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
1

<p>There have been some posts on this topic here, but I need more :-). I am trying to narrow down the list of schools to apply to next year, and would appreciate a more meaty discussion. Yes, I plan on visiting, but in the mean time I would appreciate info on the topics below. PLEASE BE SPECIFIC WHENEVER POISSIBLE.</p>

<p>Thanks - Da Geek</p>

<li><p>What are the top 3 things you like about ACADEMICS. I don’t not care about the social life/party scene.</p></li>
<li><p>Ditto for the top 2 things you dislike about academics.</p></li>
<li><p>How would you describe academic instruction - buttoned down/routine; focused on rote memorization; quirky/free-spirited; etc. Do instructors on average try to make it engaging, or is it a typical “lecture” thing?</p></li>
<li><p>How difficult it is to get into the classes you are interested in?</p></li>
<li><p>How would you rate the opportunity for interdisciplinary studies? I am mostly humanties-oriented, but I do like art and some of the sciences, and would not mind to get a broad taste of things.</p></li>
<li><p>When are you expected to declare a major? Do you apply to a specific college and then have to major there, or is it wide open, e.g., through sophomore year.</p></li>
<li><p>Are students generally helpful and supportive of each other, or is it dog-eat-dog? </p></li>
<li><p>Did you feel that you had adeqaute internship/practical experience opportunites. Please include your major when responding to this one.</p></li>
<li><p>Does the school feel like it is on the upswing or downswing? Are facilities properly maintained, particularly the library?</p></li>
</ol>

2

<p>1-3 is all a matter of your teacher. Using websites like ratemyprofessor and tuftsreviews.com you can pick out the good professors usually.
4. As a freshman you can usually take any intro classes you want, but might have trouble getting into higher level classes or more popular classes like P.E. classes or history of rock and roll.
5. Interdisciplinary is very common, everyone has a set of requirements they have to fill as a liberal arts student and you get a chance to sample a bunch of different areas.<br>
6. You have to declare a major at the end of sophomore year. You are either in the liberal arts college or the engineering college before that, and some people do switch although its not common.
7. Mostly very very supportive, but there are some cutthroats. Rumor has it they spend a lot of time in pre med classes but i wouldnt know.
8. Havent tried
9. School has a definite upswing feel to it. A TON of improvements are being made to campus, our endowment and selectivity are growing a lot each year too. The library is more than adequate for anything I have ever had to do there, and there is the Fletcher library on campus too if Tisch isn't enough</p>

<p>phew, hope I answered all your questions</p>

3

<p>groovygreek, i applaud your initiative. =)</p>

4

<p>The History Of Rock And Roll?!?!?!?! That's A Class?!</p>

5

<p>In the music dept, yes. There are a ton of very cool, innovative classes through the Experimental College as well.
<a href="http://www.excollege.tufts.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.excollege.tufts.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

6

<p>They made the class harder because 80% of the people used to get As.</p>

7

<p>Cornell has "Wine Tasting" in the school of hotel mgt.- but... they say it is one of the hardest courses at the univ.!!</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
1. What are the top 3 things you like about ACADEMICS. I don't not care about the social life/party scene.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I don't not? I see :) It highly depends on the professor, but 80% of the courses I have taken have been very positive experiences.</p>

<p>
[quote]
2. Ditto for the top 2 things you dislike about academics.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I HATE it when I get a bad professor and there is NO way around it because it's a major requirement and/or scheduling conflicts. That's how it is everywhere else though.</p>

<p>
[quote]
3. How would you describe academic instruction - buttoned down/routine; focused on rote memorization; quirky/free-spirited; etc. Do instructors on average try to make it engaging, or is it a typical "lecture" thing?

[/quote]

Again, highly dependent on what course you get and what professor you get. Typically the better professors will be harder, but you'll want to work hard because you're inspired to learn and to challenge yourself. However, I've come to realize that part of the collegiate experience is having bad professors so you learn an essential skill: how to teach yourself. Life isn't always going to be explained on a silver platter as I've begrudgingly accepted.</p>

<p>
[quote]
4. How difficult it is to get into the classes you are interested in?

[/quote]

Not too hard for the sciences. Seniority gets preference of course.</p>

<p>
[quote]
5. How would you rate the opportunity for interdisciplinary studies? I am mostly humanties-oriented, but I do like art and some of the sciences, and would not mind to get a broad taste of things.

[/quote]

One freshman on my hall is taking physics for fun even though he's an IR major. Why? I have absolutely no idea. He's insane. However, people do take science courses for fun in order to gain a breadth to their education.</p>

<p>
[quote]
6. When are you expected to declare a major? Do you apply to a specific college and then have to major there, or is it wide open, e.g., through sophomore year.

[/quote]

End of your sophomore year. Some people switch majors in the middle of their junior year but usually pack on the 5 credits a semester in order to graduate. The graduation plan here is very flexible, but requires planning and nonrandom course selections. Most of my fellow students will graduate in 4 years (probably around high 80s, which is high for most colleges).</p>

<p>
[quote]
7. Are students generally helpful and supportive of each other, or is it dog-eat-dog?

[/quote]

In the sciences I feel that surprisingly people help you out here. Sure some people are competitive, but it can be mistakened for grouchiness from stress. We compete against ourselves (and mainly that B- curve) to push each other to do our best. No one will sabotage another student as I've heard some wonderful stories from bigger premed factories like UC Berkeley - we're all Tufts students after all.</p>

<p>
[quote]
8. Did you feel that you had adeqaute internship/practical experience opportunites. Please include your major when responding to this one.

[/quote]

Research opportunities here grow on trees. The only requirement is that one works to pick the fruit.</p>

<p>
[quote]
9. Does the school feel like it is on the upswing or downswing? Are facilities properly maintained, particularly the library?

[/quote]

The dorms need lots of work as they increasingly get prettier on the outside while the internal state of things remains stagnant. Regardless, you get used to it.</p>

9

<ol>
<li>What are the top 3 things you like about ACADEMICS. I don't not care about the social life/party scene.</li>
</ol>

<p>There are really interesting courses (I'm in History of Rock and Roll now and it's amazing), the ability to take classes that you WANT to take, and the distribution requirements. This last part might be an unpopular opinion, but if you pick well, you can take some really interesting classes. I took Environmental Bio for a science requirement and I can now understand what scientists are talking about when they discuss environmental problems(at least a little). </p>

<ol>
<li>Ditto for the top 2 things you dislike about academics.</li>
</ol>

<p>The language requirement is extensive. Also, sometimes it seems like the departments don't listen to students when bringing a professor up for review. My department has let two of its best professors go and keeps the ones I really dislike. </p>

<ol>
<li>How would you describe academic instruction - buttoned down/routine; focused on rote memorization; quirky/free-spirited; etc. Do instructors on average try to make it engaging, or is it a typical "lecture" thing?</li>
</ol>

<p>It all depends on the class and the professor. I wish I could give a better answer but I've had all sorts of professors with different teaching styles and different focuses, like on straight facts or solely applying concepts.</p>

<ol>
<li>How difficult it is to get into the classes you are interested in?</li>
</ol>

<p>It's harder as a freshman and sophomore but gets much easier as an upperclassman. If you don't get into a class you really want to take, try to fill a requirement so you can take the class you didn't get into later and it's one less potential conflict to worry about.</p>

<ol>
<li>How would you rate the opportunity for interdisciplinary studies? I am mostly humanties-oriented, but I do like art and some of the sciences, and would not mind to get a broad taste of things.</li>
</ol>

<p>You can take classes in any department you want to. I've also found that a lot of my classes in the past few semesters have overlapped a bit (today in my drama class, we were discussing how a play provoked people to commit suicide, which is an example of copycat crime, which is what we're studying in my criminology class).</p>

<ol>
<li>When are you expected to declare a major? Do you apply to a specific college and then have to major there, or is it wide open, e.g., through sophomore year.</li>
</ol>

<p>You declare in April of sophomore year, and it's pretty easy to change. I never changed majors but I know a lot of people who have and they still graduated on time. You can even switch schools, like from Liberal Arts to Engineering or vice versa, as late as sophomore year and still be able to graduate in 4 years.</p>

<ol>
<li>Are students generally helpful and supportive of each other, or is it dog-eat-dog?</li>
</ol>

<p>For the most part, people are helpful and supportive. You will find some hypercompetitive people but that's to be expected everywhere. I haven't really found many while I've been here though.</p>

<ol>
<li>Did you feel that you had adeqaute internship/practical experience opportunites. Please include your major when responding to this one.</li>
</ol>

<p>I'm a sociology major, but am probably going into theatre. I have an internship at the American Repertory Theatre this semester, and I worked out my class schedule so I can be there for 15 hours a week. It's easier to schedule when you get into more advanced classes that meet only once or twice a week, and you can often work your schedule so you have no classes on Fridays. I also interned at the State House during freshman year one day a week, so it's pretty easy to work off-campus. However, it's difficult to get credit for internships, and not all departments offer the opportunity to earn credit.</p>

<ol>
<li>Does the school feel like it is on the upswing or downswing? Are facilities properly maintained, particularly the library?</li>
</ol>

<p>The library is great. The school's on the upswing, and incoming students will have the new dorm, the new music building, and a whole bunch of renovated buildings too. I'm jealous I won't be here for them.</p>