Hey all, I’m a junior in high school looking to apply to college as an IR major in the fall. (Go to my profile if you want to see my stats.) After visiting and researching numerous schools, my favorites are unquestionably Tufts and Yale, to the point where I want to apply early to each one. Of course, the issue is that I can’t. Here are a few of the things I’ve been considering:
- Tufts has a much bigger (and possibly better) IR program, without a cap: Yale's Global Affairs major is competitive to get into and is capped at 50 each year
- Tufts is known to have a more collaborative feel, while I've heard that Yale is much more competitive
- Yale's campus is STUNNING. Tufts is pretty too, but it doesn't compare.
- Yale has much stronger athletics, while Tufts does not appear to have much of an athletic focus at all
- I love the residential college system at Yale, which doesn't have an equivalent at Tufts
- Tufts only offers ED1 and ED2, while Yale has Single Choice Early Action
Basically: I’m in love with Yale, but my reservations include its competitive atmosphere and its much smaller IR program. These are reservations I do not have about Tufts. Of course, there’s also the issue of getting into Yale… I have zero connections there and I’m not a recruited athlete, so even if I was to apply SCEA I’m not sure if I would have any chance at all. My final issue is that I like Tufts to the extent that if I applied in the RD pool and was rejected, I would definitely regret my decision to do so.
So should I apply SCEA to Yale and go for ED2 at Tufts if I get rejected? Or should I just do ED1 at Tufts?? If you have any experience with either school, please offer it to help me decide!!! Thank you 
If I were in your position, I would apply to Yale early and then to Tufts ED II if deferred or rejected. Yale sounds as if it is truly your top choice- your major qualms is that you’re worried you won’t be accepted. I would try to get your math score above a 700 though. My stats were very similar to yours and I was rejected from Tufts regular decision.
Yale founded the CIA. How much stronger can you get in IR?
I’d go with Yale for sure. It is revered internationally.
@qwerty568 Wow our stats are incredibly similar! I’m definitely going to try to get my math score up, I know it’s an issue and I’m taking the SAT again in the fall. About Yale - my major qualms are more about their IR program and their atmosphere, both of which are things I’ve heard great things about at Tufts. At Yale, they only take 50 people for the Global Affairs major once you’re into the school, which really worries me because out of all the crazy qualified Yale students I probably wouldn’t make it. I also don’t want to spend my undergrad surrounded by preppy resume-builders, which it seems like Yale would be full of. Thank you for your feedback
@NavalTradition my issue is more that if I got into Yale, I would have to get accepted to their IR major, which takes 50 students each year out of 200-300 applicants. I’m less worried about the program’s quality than I am about the issue of not being able to major in IR if I wasn’t accepted.
Don’t know anything about Yale’s programs, but IR is an interdisciplinary field and I seriously doubt that not getting into that one major is going to scotch your chances for any future jobs if that is your worry.
Any feedback on collaborative vs. competitive atmospheres at Yale and Tufts?
Worry about getting into Yale first. Or Tufts.
Hmmn, Yale is many things, but actually “preppy resume-builders” is not of them. The students are very diverse in both leanings and background, with the commonality being very intelligent and self-motivated. To be certain, while Yale provides options and opportunities few can claim, being a Yale graduate is probably a feature, that many would like to lead with on any CV.
The smartest choice would be applying SCEA to Yale and then EDII to Tufts if Yale doesn’t work out. Unquestionably EDII at every school has the weakest pool so you might have an even bigger chance of getting into Tufts than EDI.
These are not peer schools, even for IR. Go with Yale if you can afford it. If not, go with the option you can afford. These are both very expensive schools.