<p>I am having such a hard time choosing between Tufts and Barnard. Tufts has been my second-choice school since sophomore year-- right after Columbia. However, when I got rejected from Columbia and accepted into Barnard, Barnard started to look better than it used to.</p>
<p>Right now I'm actually leaning towards Tufts, but it's not fair because I haven't even technically visited Barnard (I always walked past it in favor of Columbia College, haha).</p>
<p>I'm going to be an English major (possible double major in IR if I went to Tufts, and possible minor in a language wherever), and I'm an aspiring journalist.</p>
<p>Barnard is probably excellent for your academic interests.</p>
<p>Though they are part of the same “greater university community”, the experience of attending Barnard College is not identical to the experience of attending Columbia College. You might actually prefer it. But you should not pick it thinking it will be identically the same experience.
You might want to check into social situation at Tufts. Is there an actual vitality of campus life there, or do people just flit off into Boston all the time? Do they have dorm parties at Tufts, or are parties actually not allowed in the dorms?
And vica versa.
Barnard is single sex in the dorms which, at coed universities, is where many relationships form. The Columbia undergrad community as a whole is 60% female.
Don’t know about Tufts.</p>
<p>Friend’s kid who graduated from Tufts loved it.</p>
<p>BTW, this decision seems to be a pretty common one; has come up on CC before. You can do searches.</p>
<p>It’s a tough call, in this case I’d say visit both schools. I’d say both Tufts and Barnard/Columbia are very similar in terms of crowd. A very large northeast crowd that still maintains diversity with regards to minorities and internationals and region.</p>
<p>Tufts kids tend to stay on campus but also do go into Boston every now and then as they get to their junior/senior years (Boston is very strict on 21+, having grown up on the upper west side and going out around the city its much easier to party). From what I’ve heard Barnard/Columbia students also have a nice undergrad community, but its def more of a going out in NYC crowd. I’m currently a freshman so I can only speak to the freshmen experience, we stay on campus for the most part.</p>
<p>Then again, this is all partying advice I’m giving :-). Academically you can’t go wrong either way!</p>