<p>My main point was that SWHarborfan stated that her daughter had no interest in applying to Stanford (among other negative things she said about it) and now claims her daughter was accepted there. This seems unlikely.</p>
<p>Here is another quote from SWHarborfan:</p>
<p>If you reread my original posting(s), putting aside your lens of distortion, I said that Stanford was a fine school, not appealing to my daughter (who did not apply, by the way, to Stanford as an undergrad, despite a lot of encouragement from two of her Stanford professors), and listed that which she felt lacking in the school, for her and her sensibility and needs and desires. </p>
<p>It just bothers me when people feel the need to lie about stuff like this. I think Tufts is an excellent school. It is not necessary to say your child turned down Stanford for Tufts when she didnât even apply to Stanford.</p>
<p>Brassrat, maybe, you should take your issue outside, so to speak. Most of us are interested in expressing or learning about Why Tufts?, not going after other posters. </p>
<p>I for one am appreciating peopleâs feedback about Tufts. Please keep the thread relevant.</p>
<p>I agree. I donât get the feud with SWharbor or whatever. Doesnât matter much when I know people who have turned down Harvard and/or Stanford for Tufts. Doesnât really mean much other than from my experience. Just check the stats of some of the kids who were accepted ED.</p>
<p>Tufts is a good school. Enough said.</p>
<p>Sorry. Youâre right. I just get tired of this person constantly insulting other schools, including the one I attend. But I shouldnât have stooped to her level. Tufts was my number two choice because I loved the atmosphere on campus, the size (cozy, but not too small), the proximity to Boston, and the friendly students. I finally decided that it just wasnât as good a fit for my academic interests.</p>
<p>@ANTIDRAMAQUEEN - I love your name.</p>
<p>Thanks, Dan.<br>
Brassrat, thanks for not holding the thread hostage anymore. Am eager for all the Tufts input I can get on behalf of my son.</p>
<p>I would like to add that my son, who just got accepted ED to Dartmouth, really loved Dartmouth and Tufts equally and would have chosen Tufts over Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UPenn and Cornell. We did not look at the other ivies. His GC felt he had a good shot at most of these schools. After visiting, he would not even consider applying to Harvard, Yale or Columbia. They just didnât âfeelâ comfortable to him. He said, âI am not going here. Itâs not for me. I am not applying.â I said, âGreat! We can cross it off your list.â Obviously, they are all great schools but it is so much about fitting yourself and what you want and like and feel comfortable withâŠnot just a reputation.<br>
First you make your original list of schools that fit certain criteria. His criteria started with Northeast, small to medium size, highly selective, strong in sciences, must have undergraduate research, strong Japanese or Asian Studies(he has been learning Japanese for 6 years) and study abroad. This gave us a starting list of about 25 schools!
Next you visit a few and see the differences between city, rural, very small vs medium size, etc. List gets narrowed down.
Eventually after visiting, checking websites and gathering more info about each school, you can narrow down your choices. So, why Tufts? The answer to that depends totally on what YOU are seeking. Both Tufts and Dartmouth felt warm and friendly; both had medical centers and research readily available to undergrads; both offered the liberal arts classes while studying science; the size of the schools were comfortable for him; the students he met seemed like himâŠhe fitâŠand that is the crux of the matter.
There was a tiny tipping point toward Dartmouth having to do with study abroad (He wants to study abroad in Japan but plans to major in biomedical engineering and Dartmouthâs âD planâ is a little more flexible for his particular needs). Heâs very excited about Dartmouth and a bit sad about not going to Tufts but already thinking maybe he can go there for med school.
ANTIDRAMAQUEEN, if Tufts âspokeâ to your son then he feels the fit and that is the answer to Why Tufts</p>
<p>ANTIDRAMAQUEEN - While what Iâm about to post may be simple repetition of other posts in this and other threads, I would just like to state my opinions on the school as one more source from which you and your son can draw helpful information about Tufts.</p>
<p>Iâm a freshman here now, so while I may not be as acquainted with the school as upperclassmen, I was an avid college researcher during high school and know lots of facts about the school, both trivial and useful.</p>
<p>First of all, Tufts is great. Itâs that simple. All of the typical things students/parents look for in academics, Tufts has. Brilliant, but accessible professors - check. Small class sizes - check. High expectations and challenging course material - check. I cannot state enough how accessible the professors are. I thought that was normal until I talked with friends at other colleges, who were amazed that I could just go out for a cup of coffee with a professor to talk about class material or outside questions. The professors, while sometimes so brilliant itâs intimidating, seem like normal people too. A lot of times they come to class in jeans or khakis - but always professional :). Iâve gotten to know my professors on a personal level - I know some of their hobbies, their favorite movies, books, and places to frequent in Davis Square/Boston. Whatâs more, they want to know about their students too. They always encourage class participation (even in my biggest class, which is a 45-person lecture), ask how you are, and are eager to discuss anything you wish during office hours, over the phone, or by email. </p>
<p>Also, there are tons of academic and research opportunities outside the classroom. During my first month here, I emailed a professor, one whom I donât even have in class, and asked if anyone in his department needed a research assistant. Lo and behold, he took the time out of his surely busy schedule to contact fellow academics, eventually referring me to a grad student of his. Iâm now brainstorming and running experiments, all thanks to a superb professor who doesnât even know me. I also know another freshman doing research in the same field; there are always openings in any department, no matter your grade level.</p>
<p>Another thing I found interesting upon arriving at Tufts was Bostonâs overall perception of its universities. Harvard and MIT are not as revered, so to speak, as they are in the rest of US. Not that Bostonians respect them less, itâs just that theyâre used to them. People always speculate, âOh, I bet Tufts feels inferior with Harvard and MIT a few miles awayâ (again with this false notion of inferiority, presumably just because Harvard and MIT are more famous). Not true at all. I repeat, not true at all. In fact, the mental groupings of colleges that exist in Boston tend to group Harvard, MIT, and Tufts together (all on the same subway line, âbrain power triangleâ), then BC/BU (BCâs on the opposite end of Boston from Harvard/MIT/Tufts and BUâs right in the city), and then lots of other schools. I donât mean to say that these groupings put BC/BU below Tufts and the others, only that theyâre not usually thought of together. </p>
<p>As for anyone who says that going to Tufts is a bad idea if you want a job, thatâs ridiculous. I wonât even pull up statistics on job placement and recruitment, but only say that any employer in a big job market obviously knows what Tufts is and how good of a school it is. In my opinion, that matters a lot more than making sure that everyone in the US has heard of your school.</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post, but thereâs a lot that can be said for Tufts. I havenât even gotten to the student body and campus vibe, but will briefly mention that itâs a perfect balance between academic and social life. Everyoneâs competitive, but with themselves, not with others. The administration cares about the students, the admissions committee cares about the quality, not quantity, of applicants, and the students care about Tufts AND the world outside of it. Tufts may not be a perfect fit for everyone, but those who do find it fits them love it here. I can vouch for that.</p>
<p>ANTIDRAMAQUEEN, if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask on here or PM me. Good luck with your sonâs college search!</p>
<p>S2 looked at Brown, Cornell and Dart and liked Tufts better than all three. Chose not to apply to any Ivies.</p>
<p>Will say that when folks ask me where S2 is attending, Tufts gets a unanimous âWOW!â reaction! He thinks itâs pretty âWOW!â too.</p>
<p>Ellopoppet, thanks so much for your wise and helpful posting. My son is pretty sold on Tufts and will be applying regular decision. Weâre keeping all toes and fingers crossed because heâs really in love with the school. He wrote and rewrote those essays, so he wasnât ready for early decision I, because it seems to be a very large part of what Tufts uses in their assessment. </p>
<p>To reference what started this whole thread. I am guessing because of my sonâs PSAT status that that is the reason that some schools have sent him a lot of info., followed up by calls from current students. With all that and visits to schools, he still loves Tufts. He has not mentioned once that another school might have more prestige than Tufts. He just doesnât get bogged down in that sort of thing. Going with his gut, he says.</p>
<p>Ellopoppet, thanks so much for your wise and helpful posting. My son is pretty sold on Tufts and will be applying regular decision. Weâre keeping all toes and fingers crossed because heâs really in love with the school. He wrote and rewrote those essays, so he wasnât ready for early decision I, because it seems to be a very large part of what Tufts uses in their assessment. </p>
<p>To reference what started this whole thread. I am guessing because of my sonâs PSAT status that that is the reason that some schools have sent him a lot of info., followed up by calls from current students. With all that and visits to schools, he still loves Tufts. He has not mentioned once that another school might have more prestige than Tufts. He just doesnât get bogged down in that sort of thing. Going with his gut, he says.</p>
<p>^^^No pressure, of course, but thereâs always Early Decision II - and the deadline for that hasnât elapsed.</p>
<p>Thank you, Dan. We suggested as much, but someone he respects more than us (imagine that) - who is a Tufts student - told him that the danger of applying ED II is that Tufts would think that he hadnât gotten in somewhere else EDI and was now applying to Tufts. That stuck in my sonâs head (he did not apply anywhere EDI by the way), and so he thinks he is assuring his acceptance more by applying regular decision. If he were to apply EDII and not get in, it is my and my husbandâs head on a platter, so we are leaving this process to him. But yes, dang it, I would love for him to apply EDII. I feel so bad for him and all applicants, really. They overthink this application process too much and do a number on themselves and their families.</p>
<p>^^ANTIDRAMAQUEEN-
I donât know from whom your son got that piece of wisdom, but it strikes me not only as hogwash, but possibly even quite harmful. Hereâs why: First, Tufts doesnât care whether you apply EDI or EDII, because either way the AdCom knows that you are committing to going there if you get in ED. Second, while you wonât get in ED if they wouldnât have accepted you RD, it is distinctly possible that someone who might have been accepted ED will not be accepted RD for a very simple reason - i.e., the AdCom simply cannot accept everyone RD who is qualified; there are limits on the number of RD acceptances. Personally, I think he is making a huge mistake if Tufts is really the place he would go if he had his pick next April.
Good luck to him whatever he decides to do.</p>
<p>^^Sorry - clarification: I meant to say âSecond, while you wonât get in ED if they wouldnât have considered you to be a qualified RD applicantâŠâ
Plenty of people who are deemed âqualifiedâ on RD still donât get in because of the limitations to which I referred.</p>
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<p>To borrow a phrase from WCASParent: this is complete hogwash. Totally, utterly, nonsensical, for so many reasons. EDII is viewed by our office as exactly what it is: a binding round of admission wherein a student tells us that we are their absolute first choice for college. If your son is hesitating on EDII for other reasons, that is totally fine, and he isnât disadvantaging himself. But, given what youâve said, you could always encourage him to e-mail me so he can ask me directly about his concerns.</p>
<p>As everyone said, I liked Tufts very much for the first week. Iâm a freshman by the way. And a lot of people seem to be so. But I donât like Tufts anymore. I am extremely unhappy here. A lot of courses are just not so good, and a lot of professors are not so great either. Admissions will tell that each classes have 20 students on average but even if that is the case, teachers couldnât care less about your learning or your grades. Iâve taken 8 classes this year so far, audited many classes and that is the truth. I donât know if IR is that great either. Language department has very low reputation â among students who take language courses. Japanese department suck . Also, for IR I would recommend SFS in Georgetown or UPenn.</p>
<p>Sorry lizzygreat, but your grammatical and usage errors detract considerably from this post. You lost me at âI like Tufts very much for the first weekâ. Or perhaps it was âJapanese department suckâ. Or perhaps âeach classesâ. Sorry - but you have a minority opinion.</p>
<p>You make no sense. You canât take 8 classes if you are liberal arts without special permission, and even in that case, they wouldnât grant that to a freshman (the most you can take is 5.5). Furthermore, why would you audit so many classes? And you also have a freshman advisor. Also, Tufts IR is pretty reputable. I donât see why you are critiquing it when in another post you said you were part of the SMFA or whatever. </p>
<p>Thatâs another thing that doesnât make senseâtaking one class in a language and such doesnât mean the whole language department is bad, but rather you probably just are mad because you did poorly since Tufts is a tough school. Most people I know say that the professors are really open and that they really care about students. You actually have TEACHERSâs instead of TAâs.</p>
<p>I donât know what your beef is, but you seem pretty incoherent and college confidential isnât the best way to spend your time if you are struggling. Go to the academic dean if you have problems, but seriously, you are a freshman and donât have much room to speak on such matters (especially IR, since at most you could have taken introduction to International Relations and this new semester has barely begun).</p>
<p>I donât get youâyou say 8 classes but somehow you have only had at most one semester? Even if you count the ones you audited, there is a cap. Seriously, it has been only a week since the second semester. So confused.</p>