<p>I am choosing between Tufts and Northwestern, with Duke and Harvard holding up on the waitlist. Truly, not a bad group of schools. However, I am somewhat torn.</p>
<p>I think my maim problem is that Tufts is seen as everybody's second choice-- a school for the kids who didn't get into their reach school. I would prefer to be in the Northeast (Tufts) but it bothers me (snob that I am) that I'll be at a second-tier school, when I could go to a place that has one of the most impressive applicant pools in the country (Northwestern). But then, do I want to go to a school with a reduced party scene (Northwestern) when I could be partying it up with every college in Boston (Tufts)? Would I rather stick near my sister (who is at Harvard), thus getting to meet people easily and making it easier to adjust to college (Tufts) or get out on my own, doing things my way and being independent (Northwestern)?</p>
<p>You can see the quandry I'm in.</p>
<p>There are times when I feel like I really want to go to Northwestern, thus proving myself "independent". That way, I would avoid the stigma of Tufts, where the prevailing question seems to be "So what was your first choice school?" Yet Tufts is in Boston-- a veritable hoard of top colleges, and one of the reasons why I liked Harvard to begin with. Although, being in such close proximity with Harvard just reinforces Tufts' status as the school for people who couldn't cut it in the Ivies. Northwestern, on the other hand, is the most selective school in Illinois (and, arguably, in the Midwest), making it an actual top university. Nonetheless, Tufts is more selective than Northwestern, and is (arguably) a better fit for me. If it helps, I am a political science major who plans to go into US government.</p>
<p>Thoughts would be very much appreciated.</p>