I recently found out about SMFA Boston’s joining with Tufts University. I’m a bit confused on the entire thing, does that mean if I apply to SMFA, (which has a exceptionally high acceptance rate compared to Tufts) i’ll be taking classes at Tufts (like RISD does with Brown) or are they still separate departments?
SMFA students were already taking classes at Tufts (and vice versa). It’s not clear to me either what exactly changes (especially with admissions) but the SMFA is now explicitly a part of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts.
Here is he information on the degree program. The non-studio courses are typically taken on the Medford/Somererville Campus and the studio courses are typically taken at the Museum Campus.
We had an extensive talk with the Director of Admissions at SMFA on this topic. I would recommend that you call him directly - he’s a really nice guy, and the situation is definitely evolving. In August, when we asked this question, he said that his understanding at that time was that SMFA degree candidates would need to get into both Tufts and SMFA. He said that they were discussing how this would work, as the admissions rates are habitually very different. He said that he predicts a much higher rate of applications at SMFA, as for the first time they would be part of the Common App. PLEASE post what he says… I think even last month’s info is potentially out of date.
Practical note here- it takes at least 1hr to get from Tufts to SMFA during rush hour for an evening class. Not sure if there is a mix of classes in any given semester, or if they try to group classes together for efficiency, but I can tell you that a 3 hour evening class will take up at least 5 hours and you’ll be getting back to Medford pretty late. There is a shuttle that is a little faster, but it doesn’t always line up with your class start time, which means that you’d be spending more like 7-8 hours away from campus.
Just wanted to make sure people knew this is not like Brown/RISD distance, which is basically contiguous.
@bluepig97ie -
I called the Tufts admissions office to get the scoop.
From an admissions standpoint it is going to be similar to applying to a major in the School of Engineering.
You must fill out the Common App and the associated Tufts Supplement. You will specify the BFA Program and there will be a specific arts essay on the supplement that you will have to write.
You must also submit a portfolio.
This is an art school program, so the portfolio is the most important part of the application. The second most important part is the essay, because the feeling is that it is important for artists to be able to effectively communicate their work.
Applications will come into the admissions office and be evaluated by an SMFA admissions team as a separate pool (just like Engineering). The applications will be evaluated holistically in a manner appropriate for a studio art school
(not a liberal arts school or an engineering school). There is no way to know ahead of time how selective it will be because this is the first class. The program is being integrated into all the admissions literature and outreach programs and there appears to be a high degree of interest, but it is a new program, and it usually takes some time to get the word out.
From a financial aid standpoint, applicants are handled the same way as for applicants to the other two schools - i.e. Tufts will meet the full need of anyone accepted. (I think this is unusual for an art school, but I do not know this for a fact). Previously, the SMFA offered some merit scholarships, but these are being replaced by the standard Tufts need based aid program.
Admitted SMFA students are now Tufts students that just happen to be enrolled in a new major (BFA) in a new school (SMFA) at Tufts - they receive the same Tufts degree as everyone else and have all the privileges of a Tufts student, but there is the dual campus aspect that needs to be taken into consideration.
Admitted students will be housed at the Fenway Campus (downtown, next to the Museum) for the first two years. After that they are free to seek housing on either campus or anywhere off-campus, just like any other Tufts student. On-campus housing is not guaranteed after the sophomore year, just like for other students.
In terms of transportation, the shuttle will become a “continuous service” running about every hour. Efforts are being made to coordinate class schedules and shuttle schedules and to make it easier for SMFA students to take courses and fully participate in extra curricular activities on the Medford/Somerville campus. ThIs should also make it easier for Engineering and Liberal Arts students to participate in classes/events at the Fenway campus and the Museum of Fine Arts.
All studio art courses on the Medford/Somerville campus are taught by SMFA faculty (this has always been the case) so MFA majors can take some of their studio classes in Medford/Somerville as well as their non-studio classes. I believe that there are also non-studio classes taught at the Fenway campus. The studio facilities (as you might expect) are more extensive at the Fenway campus.
The SMFA curriculum (see link in previous post) is quite flexible, and I think historically students have tended to take more of their Fenway-based courses in their first two years on the Fenway campus - but you should check this with someone at the SMFA.
Anyone applying to the inaugural classes should recognize that they are going to be pioneering this new program and that it is going to be a work in progress for the first couple of years. It should start out better than it was previously for SMFA students and then get even better as the two campuses become more integrated and the cross-campus programs expand. Anyone applying now will be the second class, not the first.
If/when the Green Line extension is completed, that will enhance the transportation options, but that will not be in a time frame that the inaugural classes can take advantage of.
It is recommended that anyone applying to the program call the SMFA admissions office to get guidance on how to put together a competitive portfolio (which is really important).
Best of Luck, and don’t hesitate to call the admissions people, they are really friendly.
Great news on the shuttle schedule change. This will really make it easier for the Medford campus students to get new experiences. I expect the Engineering Psych kids will probably take full advantage.
@Mastadon Thanks all for the info- but i’m still confused on the acceptance. I’ll probably call later to ask, but just to be safe, i’ll post the question up here. What about admission rates? SMFA obviously has a higher acceptance rate which probably mean that stats are a bit… lower? Than the Tufts stats, which in contrast to SMFA, has a less than 15% acceptance rate. I myself don’t have much of a great gpa and i’ve had my eye on SMFA for a while, but if they are going to expect admitted students to be accepted into both Tufts and SMFA, isn’t that a bit unfair? I know i don’t have much of a say in this but … its just my judgement ://
First things first.
Post merger, the SMFA and Tufts become one, so there is no notion of being accepted into both, unless you are applying to the dual-degree program.
Pre merger, the overall Tufts acceptance rate and admissions statistics were the average of two separate pieces, one piece was the acceptance rate and statistics associated with the School of Engineering and the other piece was the acceptance rate and statistics of the School of Liberal Arts. These are two different sets of numbers.
Historically, the School of Liberal Arts has had a lower acceptance rate than the School of Engineering, but due to the recent surge in popularity of Engineering in general, the acceptance rate of the School of Engineering has been lower than the School of Liberal Arts for the last few years.
Due to the fact that the two schools have different admissions criteria, the admissions statistics for the two schools are also different. Math and Science standardized test scores and grades tend to be higher in the School of Engineering and non Math and Science standardized test scores and grades tend to be higher for the School of Liberal Arts.
Post merger, the overall Tufts acceptance rate and admissions statistics will be the average of three separate pieces.The new third piece, will belong to the SMFA.
I expect that the acceptance rate of SMFA piece will be lower than the acceptance rate of the SMFA before the merger, but significantly higher than the School of Engineering or the School of Liberal Arts. The reduction in acceptance rate would be a result of the SMFA becoming more popular as a result of the merger. The size of the reduction is very difficult to predict, but I would expect that the reduction would continue over time as the word gets out and more cross campus programs are developed.
Due to the fact that the admissions criteria for the SMFA are very different from either the School of Engineering or the School of Liberal Arts (i.e the quality of the portfolio is the dominant factor) the admissions statistics for the SMFA are also going to be very different. Standardized test scores (if they are even required) will be lower as will GPA’s.
As far as ease of admission goes, don’t sell yourself short. There are very few engineers or liberal arts students that were accepted to Tufts (other than the dual degree students) that would be capable of putting together a portfolio good enough to get them accepted to the SMFA. Standardized tests and GPA are not usually good indicators of artistic ability.
The admissions office said to feel free to call them to get advice on how to put together a portfolio that showcases your artistic talent. This is a lot of work if you have not started it already, so do not delay. Also, put a lot of thought/work into your essay(s).
I hope this helps and good luck!