<p>Agree with Kofi. He said:</p>
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just because you don't like it doesn't mean everyone else will feel the same way
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<p>Very true. Otherwise schools like Tufts and Gtown (Kofi's example) wouldn't have such high post-frosh retention rates.</p>
<p>At every school there are kids who love it and kids who hate it. Each has his or her own reasons. My daughter goes to Tufts and happens to love it. She has connected with great friends, great professors who help her out of class as much as in class, and classmates who challenge her academically to work harder than she has in the past. For her, it was a great choice. Each prospective students needs to get a sense of the school and decide if it is a fit for you. If you want big time athletics, or a roaring greek life, it probably isn't. If you want a "name" school that everyone in the free world knows, it probably isn't for you. But if you want a top notch education, with very intelligent clasmates, at a small comfortable liberal arts school, that is highly recognized by the people who matter...Tufts is one of your good choices.</p>
<p>It's... interesting that the two who say they dislike the school don't mention anything in particular that bothers them. I'm primarily interested in Tufts for the engineering psychology program (the idea of a semester in Talloires is also a very attractive, but a pretty international campus isn't as rare as engineering psych), although I have absolutely no idea whether I'll get in or not. I'm applying through REAL with a 1480/2180 SAT even though I'm 19 (long story, they're waiving the 25/yo age requirement), so while on one hand I think my chances are low because there are so few spots in that program on the other hand I would imagine my SAT scores are going to better than returning adults, especially since they're already on par with the regular freshman applicant pool.</p>
<p>It would be nice to see some elaboration on what specifically those who are unhappy dislike about the school. I've always heard it's a little overly political correct, but that's about it. My only real academic concern is that I had always intended to major in economics- even though the engineering psychology program has lured me to Tufts- and I can't help but wonder if I'd be better off in IR with a focus in international finance instead. This is all hypothetical, of course. It would be less focused on what I want than economics, but the program seems to be of such a high quality and so highly regarded that it outweighs taking a few courses I might not be all that interested in.</p>
<p>I was hoping this thread would have more in-depth discussion about the quality of the economics program at Tufts, especially since you hear almost nothing of it. As far as the decision between IR and economics goes, I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge if I come to it.</p>
<p>I have intimate knowledge regarding almost all of these factors (Tailloires, econ, IR, int'l finance, career placement)... PM me if you're interested.</p>
<p>So do I, Tetris. I graduated from Tufts this year with a degree in IR, took several econ classes (basic and higher level), and spent the summer after my freshman year in Talloires. I also am now working my dream job, though mine is not finance-related. ;) PM me if you'd like, as well.</p>
<p>Tetrishead: I know of a student engaged in engineering psychology who will be going to China in a couple weeks to document the effects of new infrastructure for the Beijing Olympics. I was asking him on Wednesday about his winter break plans and he began talking about interviewing displaced populations and meeting with the heads of the subway system to ask about the intent of the system regarding tourists or commuters. </p>
<p>Adam is awesome, but I had no idea he was about to do that. He's found a lot of flexibility in the Engineering Psych program, and I'd be happy to put you in touch with him. I'm not sure what his take would be, but I suspect he'd tell you that a double major would be extremely doable with that particular engineering interest. E-mail me (the address can be found on the admissions website with the rest of the admissions folks) and I'll help you make the connection.</p>
<p>I love it at Tufts. If you had told me before I came what a horrible place it was, I would have missed out on a school that is such a good fit for me and gone to somewhere that I might have disliked much more. I think it's important to be honest to prospective students about things they might not like (like the distribution requirements, which can be daunting, and the ice) while still acknowledging that the things you don't like about a school might actually be appealing to others.</p>
<p>I don't know why people think rankings and prestige do not matter after you graduate. I interned at Boeing over the summer and found out that the department I worked for base their recruiting solely on the U.S. News College Rankings. The recruiting Powerpoint presentation specifically states "U.S. News College Rankings". This may not be a company-wide policy, but it's true at least in the department I worked for.</p>
<p>Also, there is another competitive program that pays an employee to go back to school for an MBA if accepted. The MBA program must be ranked in the top 20 in the U.S. News business school rankings. Again, this may not be a company-wide policy.</p>
<p>People here say that everyone shouldn't buy into this whole ranking business, but here's an example of a powerhouse company like Boeing buying into it.</p>
<p>That seems like a pretty unsustainable practice seeing that one year one school will qualify to be recruited from, and the next they might not. So does that employee get fired when their school stops qualifying? ;) That's not a serious question but just a demonstration of how ridiculous that seems.</p>
<p>Is it just me or are others bothered by how poorly positioned Tufts is on the CC website?? </p>
<p>The Ivies and the LACs have it sweet. But Tufts isn't even listed with Top Universities. What's up with that??</p>
<p>DanAdmiss@Tufts is this something you are chasing down? I've also asked you a few questions on this thread that I think others would like insight on as well.</p>
<p>It's not just you, BalletGirl. I asked a CC admin and the official response was that they have no justification for why certain schools are on the list and others are not. They said they'd "look into it". This was two years ago.</p>
<p>This was awhile ago, but there was a petition thread in the NYU forum to get NYU on the list of top universities. Maybe one could get started in the Tufts forum. The NYU one wasn't successful though...</p>
<p>I have worked with many people at Boeing...it doesn't surprise me. But truthfully...I don't believe it. No HR policy would be that uninformed. Even US News and World understands, and clearly states, the limitations of the rankings. If Boeing really does follow this policy, I will fly on Airbus</p>
<p>BalletGirl: Congratulations, I think you will be happy at Dartmouth. I am interested, maybe almost amazed (!), that you remain interested in these questions. </p>
<p>As to your unanswered questions: If you think about it carefully, you'll realize that it is pretty difficult to get information on the schools that students pick over Tufts. Very few students share that valuable information with their rejected schools. But, for what it's worth, I can share a few conversations--</p>
<p>One admissions counselor told me a few years ago that Brown was the number one school that students picked over Tufts when they got into both. The lure of the Ivy League is very strong, and I tend to think that students who pick Tufts over the Ivies do it when they decide not to apply to the Ivies rather than at other stages.</p>
<p>And another said that Tufts tends to lose students to larger universities rather than to LACs.</p>
<p>I've stayed away from this thread, but the last statement, alleging that"Tufts tends to lose students to larger universities rather than to LACs" really provoked me.</p>
<p>I dropped my son off on Aug 25th. Later that week he fulfilled a personal ambition by hiking up Mt. Washington with the outdoors club. Upon his return to Tufts he acclimated immediately to the campus, dorm, and classes and never looked back. He loves Tufts. He has great friends - of both sexes, and multiple nationalities, enjoys his classes tremendously, and works hard/plays hard.</p>
<p>It's become cliche to suggest that Tufts is just the right size - the intimacy of the small LAC with the strengths/assets of a large research university - but it's true. Tufts is not the be all and end all for every applicant. But for the right student, it is educational heaven on earth.</p>
<p>When I write recommendation for my high school students, I always discuss the concept of "fit" with them. Some students will have extraordinary success regardless where they attend school. Others will thrive in a large state university. I'm sorry to read an earlier post from a student who didn't like Tufts. Sorry for him/her, and also sorry for the applicants/parents who think that one unhappy kid represents a school of 4200 or so. S/he doesn't.</p>
<p>My son has already made great connections with other students as well as his professors. He has found everyone extremely helpful, approachable and informative. He has discovered avenues for further exploration in areas he has never even thought about before. He loves the food. He has attended talks by some of the great minds of our time, sledded on the hills behind the library, attended the Metropolitan Opera, and plunged into the sciences. Whenever I speak to him on the phone he is happy, and seemingly surrounded by friends in his dorm - and when I ask what he is doing, he tells me, honestly, that most people are studying for their exams.</p>
<p>To top it of, I wore my Tufts LS T-shirt to see Gov. Bill Richardson - a living embodiment of the Tufts global ethic - and he smiled, pointed at me, gave me a thumbs up and later asked if I was a Jumbo. "No" I replied, "but my son is" - and we proceeded to have a brief conversation about the extraordinary Tisch College. </p>
<p>I'm proud that my son is going to Tufts. He is thrilled to be a Jumbo. And if you are looking for a small school with the resources of a large university, in a suburban setting, with a beautiful campus, outside of a major cosmopolitan city, with programs that serve as bridges to the rest of the world - a school that truly does - in my opinion - have the potential to change your life - choose Tufts.</p>
<p>PS - I guess I should have pointed out that Gov. Richardson serves on the Tufts Board of Trustees!</p>
<p>As a parent of a freshman daughter at Tufts, I echo TheOldProf's post. In addition, I will add that my daughter, when home for Thanksgiving and seeing her hs friends for the first time, came to me and said "I am the most happy in college than anyone I graduated with!" (Most of them are at ivies or similar "prestigious" schools." She went for fit, not prestige - but don't sell Tufts short on prestige, either! Earlier in the post someone made the comment that people didn't turn down the ivies for Tufts, that NU was better, etc. etc. My daughter turned down two ivies - and didn't like NU the minute she stepped onto the campus. Although she's halfway across the country, neither she nor I could be happier about her choice to attend Tufts! She participated in a preorientation event the week before school started, and when I came for the matriculation ceremony and we were out for breakfast, she was already missing her new friends. I knew then that it wouldn't be so tough to let her go. :)</p>
<p>PS: For what it's worth, Northwestern had to go to their waitlist this year, while Tufts did not.</p>
<p>I agree. So many people can get caught up in the whole world of statistics and numbers and rankings when all of that doesn't really matter. What matters is that when you step on campus, you feel at home. Can you really vision yourself among the sort of people that matriculate at that given college? The most important thing is that you go where you'll be happy. </p>
<p>I believe Tufts is that place for me. Others may not.</p>
<p>OldProf et al.--I intended no reason for anyone to be provoked. I myself went to Tufts ED, choosing it over every place on earth as a good fit.</p>
<p>The question was, for students who are (lucky to be) accepted by Tufts but choose to go elsewhere, where do they go? The answer is that they are more likely to go to bigger schools than to smaller ones. It's a minor bit of information that I haven't analyzed or even thought about in much depth. Possibly slightly interesting to BalletGirl who, for reasons I don't understand, keeps asking.</p>
<p>Hi everyone , I'm applying to Tufts this year and I really wanted to learned something about Tufts' s CS major. Could someone give me some experience? Thank you guys in advance</p>