<p>Would someone on the Tufts forum please verify the meaning of "Tufts Syndrome." There seems to be some debate on both the meaning as well as the existence.</p>
<p>This is named after the belief that Tufts will reject applicants that they think will turn them down to go some place more prestigious. Since “yield” is one of the criteria that is used in the USNWR rankings this practice would result in a higher ranking. I have seen absolutely no evidence from examining our high school’s acceptance data that this is the case at all. I do think sometimes, students who are aiming at the Ivy’s may blow off their applications to what they perceive as lesser schools and then are surprised when they aren’t accepted. There’s a much easier way for schools to ensure good yield numbers, that is to have ED, which Tufts does.</p>
<p>I don’t believe yield is used in US News and World Report.</p>
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<p>That is correct, but Bob Morse has indicated that it may return: </p>
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</p>
<p>[What</a> May Change in Upcoming College Rankings - Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings (usnews.com)](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-rankings-blog/2010/06/04/what-may-change-in-upcoming-college-rankings.html]What”>http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-rankings-blog/2010/06/04/what-may-change-in-upcoming-college-rankings.html)</p>
<p>I think people here have the correct definition. Yet I have also heard of Tulane syndrome. From what I have read, there seems to be no evidence except self-concious individuals on college confidential who use the term. I think mathmom has it right, it appears that people don’t spend as much time on applications and thus they get rejected. If i recall from my friends applying to Tufts, they require a lot of essays to get to know your personality and if you want to attend the school. Obviously if you blow them off, that won’t bode well. Several friends of mine who I know that go to Tufts turned down better “ranked” schools (including ivies).</p>
<p>However, this is anecdotal evidence just like people getting rejected. Tufts I think is like the 18th most selective school in the nation (it’s acceptance rate being tied with U of Chicago and Northwestern…I think). So it’s nothing to be ashamed about if you get rejected.</p>
<p>The funny thing is that Tufts has stats that are at par with higher “ranked”(including ivies) schools (by that i mean teacher/student ratio, SAT scores, 10% in graduating class, etc.). So the idea that the reject top applicants seems kind of silly to me. From what I gather about the school, they seem to not just view people as just numbers.</p>
<p>And as someone pointed out, they didn’t include yield in the most recent USnews.</p>
<p>They don’t include yield, and doing so would be another example of the gross errors made by USNWR. In this day and age of the common app and applying to 10-15 schools not being unusual, claiming that choosing one school over another serves as a proxy for how much one values the academic reputation of school A over school B is absurd. There are numerous variables that come into play for schools that a student may consider equal academically, or even choosing a school that might be slightly less academically but offers other benefits, such as money, climate, sports, any number of issues. Students overall are more informed these days and many realize college is about more than just classes.</p>
<p>I graduated from Tufts more than 30 years ago and have kept in touch, but I never heard of Tufts syndrome until I came to CC. </p>
<p>Hear’s my theory of how it got its name: Harvard’s location is very close to Tufts, and a lot of people who apply to Tufts also apply to Harvard. Applicants who are accepted by Harvard and rejected or wait-listed by Tufts tend to justify the result as their being “too good,” that Tufts doesn’t want to risk being turned down. </p>
<p>In reality, there is no Tufts syndrome, at least not at Tufts. I’ve seen a lot of admissions data, and the higher your grades and test scores are, the higher your chances of admission will be. One great thing about schools, and especially Tufts, is that they look at a lot more than just those grades and scores. But it doesn’t mean that they’re rejecting top students to protect their yield.</p>
<p>Yield *was *used though when the term was invented. :)</p>
<p>I am confused, when was this term invented? Is there a year? On college confidential in the <insert years=“” when=“” yield=“” existed=“” as=“” did=“” college=“” confidential=“”>? I think it’s weird that yield is seen as such a deciding factor when it hardly carried any weight to make a difference. Since Tufts has been in USNews, it has maintained a rank range of 22-29 (min, max). I am pretty sure it wasn’t yield protection that was the decisive factor in “originating” a term but college confidential people who have an inferiority complex. College confidential is not webster. Perhaps if the term, you know, turned up on google scholars or in the dictionary.</insert></p>
<p>It first appeared in Wikipedia in 2006 if I am reading the discussion page correctly. [Yield</a> protection - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufts_syndrome]Yield”>Yield protection - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Like I said, I never heard of Tufts syndrome until I came to CC in 2006. I immediately googled it and the references were all for … CC. I’m amused by these lines in the Wikipedia discussion:</p>
<p>“Is the term “Tufts Syndrome” ever used outside of College Confidential and Princeton Review?”
and
“I agree. This seems like a neologism. And worse, one that is unused outside of College Confidential.”</p>
<p>One more point–don’t think that even 30 or 40 years ago, Tufts was filled with students who were using it as an Ivy safety. I applied ED, as did a surprising number of my friends. For us, it was the right size, in the right location, with friendly professors and opportunities to interact with people across disciplines.</p>
<p>…wikipedia. The site in which my 12 year old cousin can edit. Specifically an article which doesn’t mention tufts syndrome and has no sources as it is apparently an “orphan article.” Hilarious.</p>
<p>Again though, google scholars or the dictionary. A legitimate one too. I think it’s funny considering the profile (legitimate source!) of accepted applicants to Tufts (class of 2014):</p>
<p>[Profile</a> of the Class of 2014 - Office of Undergraduate Admissions - Tufts University](<a href=“Tufts University”>Tufts University)</p>
<p>The mean (when available) are in the top 5% of their class.</p>
<p>The mid-50% SAT range are 690-770 in math and writing (critical reading is 690-760).</p>
<p>91% in top 10% of class.</p>
<p>Doesn’t seem they reject qualified students.</p>
<p>This is such an interesting thread. I never heard of Tufts Syndrome but at our competitive Northeast public school, Naviance clearly shows clusters of admitted students(top decile/ good boards) and cluster of much higher ranked/ higher sat/act that have all been deferred…maybe 10 or so of the top students in the past 6 years and not one accepted in this higher ranked cluster.
My son has 5 schools that are his top favorites…Tufts being tied for 1st. He is not applying early to Tufts because he likes another(Ivy) equally. We are worried that he may not get in based on the history of admissions from our school. In fact, top 2 (got into Harvard, Penn, Northwestern, Georgetown) from last year did both were deferred from Tufts. Three students attending Tufts from last years class were all ranked 30-40 in the class of 400. I find it hard to believe that all of these top students didn’t put enough effort into their apps.</p>
<p>^^ We’re also from a highly competitive northeast public school (Boston metro) and our naviance indicates that the top students are almost always accepted (in fact, for the past 5 years, only one of the top students was waitlisted). From my daughter’s class (two years ago) the top 1 and 2 students both got in (one is attending). I am sure that your highly qualified S, if his application demonstrates how Tufts speaks to him, has nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>Statistics can be funny. Ten students over six years isn’t much of a sample size. The data I’ve seen have been for entire annual applicant pools, broken into about a dozen categories, including a very small tippy top group. For every year that I’ve seen, there has been a clear relation–the higher the test scores and GPA, the greater the chance of admission. It’s just that even in that tippy top group, there’s not an admit rate of 100%.</p>
<p>Your son should, of course, take every opportunity of conveying his great interest in Tufts and what it is that he likes so much–he should do that for all his schools. If he’s lucky enough to have a particularly on-the-ball guidance counselor, he might get some insights into the admissions pattern from his particular HS. But regardless, there’s enough to worry about without the imaginary problem of Tufts syndrome. Good luck to him and to you as you navigate this big year!</p>
<p>Anecdotal evidence doesn’t seem to weigh well. I have two really close friends who go to Tufts. Both were valedictorians of their respective high schools (one came from a graduating senior class of 700). Their high schools were also top notch and did well. They also selected Tufts over Brown, Duke, Columbia, and one of them over Harvard.</p>
<p>Yet you can’t seem to take my anecdotal evidence either. When looking at the statistics that I posted, it appears that a lot of kids are in the top percent of their high school class (40/400 X 100 = 10%). Furthermore, when available, the mean is top 6%!</p>
<p>The problem is that high schools rank differently, some utilizing number of AP classes/weighted GPA’s, others don’t. This is why test scores are included. Yet even beyond that, these are just numbers. What I think makes Tufts unique is that they go beyond being hardworking in the classroom. Anyone can just memorize things in high school and work hard and study tricks for the SAT. But by emphasizing the essays, a different kind of intelligence comes forth. High school academics is infinitely different from college academics. Many people can do well in high school but horrible in college.</p>
<p>If a student who has really good academics is rejected from U of Chicago, is that yield protection? I rather believe it’s their quirky essays. With many people applying to ivies and other schools i am sure people spent more time on the schools they really wanted to get into. Writing is a very different form of intelligence than high school memorization, etc. But again, that’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>I am also pretty sure that USnews excluded yield like in 2003:</p>
<p>[The</a> Best, The Top, The Most | NewAmerica.net](<a href=“http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2003/the_best_the_top_the_most]The”>http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2003/the_best_the_top_the_most)</p>
<p>And I know they didn’t include it this year. No clue about the other years. But it begs the question of why a school would practice yield protection if there was no incentive. Especially since anecdotal evidence was from “last year” or whatever.</p>
<p>Seashore, Thank you for your well-wishes. There were a total of 60 applicants in last 5 years. 16 of those clustered around 4.0-4.15 GPA, SAT 1350-1450s, ACT 29-31 got accepted. ALL (11) of the students higher than this cluster(GPAs 4.2-4.5, ACTs >31) got deferred (not rejected). These are students who have taken and excelled in 10+ AP courses and been admitted to other top schools.I still think this is very strange. I know one of the girls, last years saluditorian, and she is an amazing writer amongst her many other unbelievable attributes (sportscaptain, all county, volunteer pres of group, IB, national merit finalist). She is attending U. Penn but it is just an odd phenomenon.<br>
Buzzers, I understand that those admitted were top 10%…my point is, at least at our school, those around 7-10% are getting in; those at 1-3% are getting deferred. I believe that you are definately ccorrect about the essays being of ultra-importance tho…
Hopefully my S will be able to convey his strong interest thru his essays because Tufts is such a great fit for him. We are discussing doing 2nd early decision for Jan.</p>