<p>I'm currently deciding between Tufts and American University (if you couldn't tell from the title). I was admitted into the honors program at AU and received a great scholarship (about half total costs). I received no money from Tufts (no merit scholarships given and only loans and work study for part of the cost). I've visited both schools for overnights and liked Tufts quite a bit better in terms of campus, feel, and students. How do the two schools compare in IR? How do the rest of the academics (GE etc.) compare, considering the honors program at AU? Taking into account the money, any suggestions on where I should go?</p>
<p>Also, has anyone had any success appealing financial aid from Tufts? What about begging the office? Thanks so much for the help.</p>
<p>I think you know the answer: all other things being equal, it’s Tufts hands down. But in your case, the finances make things unequal, and only you can determine how important that is. Half of the total costs of college strikes me as a lot of money.</p>
<p>Boomboy, I was in pretty much your position. I went to Tufts and turned down a full ride from American, and while Tufts gave me some money, the difference was over $100,000. As much as I love Tufts (and regulars around here will tell you that I, in fact, do) I don’t love it a hundred thousand dollars worth, and I’m sure I would also have loved American. There’s just not a significant enough difference in career prospects to justify such a vast expenditure. While overall, Tufts is a significantly better institution in terms of academic quality and reputation than American, the two compete at a much closer level on political science, and Tufts’ IR program is just its political science department wearing a fake mustache and a wig.</p>
<p>If I could do it again and have $100,000 less in loans (and with interest the final sum I’ll be paying will be closer to $200,000), I would go to American. Tufts was wonderful, but I’m sure I would have been just as happy at American, with a lot more money to spend.</p>
<p>Maybe y’all are wiser and savvier than myself and never labored under this misapprehension, but when I was first interested in Tufts I was under the impression that International Relations was its own department, with its own faculty. That’s not the case. There aren’t even really any classes specific to IR. An IR major just takes a series of courses from several different departments that all coalesce around a “thematic concentration”. My claim is less true than it used to be: under the old curriculum for IR, most thematic concentration were composed primarily of political science courses, so a senior IR major when I was a freshman had likely taken 75% or more poli sci courses, with some econ and culture thrown (plus eight semesters of language). Looking into it again right now, it seems that the new curriculum re-balances the concentrations, with required classes in econ, history, culture, language, and political science. If anything, history now seems dominant in the curriculum, though not nearly to the degree that political science used to be.
Check out their [URL=<a href=“Homepage | International Relations Program”>Homepage | International Relations Program]site[/URL</a>].</p>
<p>Snarf has been one of the best contributors to this forum since I started reading @ 1 1/2 years ago and his response above (# 3) is one of the best I’ve seen anywhere, on CC or elsewhere. I know (from previous posts) that Snarf has loved Tufts, but is smart enough to realize that he could have loved/done well/gotten a great education at many institutions. I truly believe that kids who are offered great financial packages at good schools should grab it and make the most of it—expenses going forward are more than you can imagine at this point. Take heed.</p>
<p>Am wondering if anyone has insight with respect to other departments. My D is deciding between American (honors - full presidential scholarship) and Tufts. She plans on studying Psychology/History/Communications with IR component. We have visited both campuses and she could easily attend either based on those visits. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>light10491 - If money is no object, and for some people it isn’t, then yes, Tufts hands down. However, if boomboy needs to take out a $100,000 ten-year loan at the standard 6.8% interest rate to attend Tufts, then when he graduates his loan payments will be almost $1,200 per month. That’s a lot of money: for a young grad with a liberal arts degree, you wouldn’t expect to make more than $40,000 ($25,000 - $30,000 in this particular economy), so $14,000 a year in loans may well be completely unaffordable. A Tufts BA will not garner you a starting salary that is $14,000 per year higher than an American University BA. </p>
<p>momiac - Thanks!</p>
<p>flamom124 - Pretty much the same thought I have for boomboy/light. If money isn’t a primary concern, then Tufts certainly has better programs in all of those areas, particularly psychology, and the student body (in my humble opinion) is a bit more erudite and interesting. Without money as a barrier, I would certainly recommend Tufts. However, American is still a very good school, and anywhere your daughter could get to from Tufts, she could get to from American if she works hard enough. AU students seem to enjoy themselves immensely (if not quite as much as Tufts students, of course ), so it isn’t like she’d be miserable for four years in order to save money. I think Tufts is definitively better than American on almost every dimension, but NOT $100,000 better, and, for your case, certainly not $200,000 better.</p>
<p>I think American’s location in DC gives it’s IR program a somewhat different flavor from Tufts. There are ex-diplomats and government people and fewer academics. If you are 100% positive you will be doing IR, I think American is absolutely on a par with Tufts and in some respects has an edge on it. But in the areas outside IR I don’t think American is as strong. Being in the honors program probably makes up for that to some extent. But I agree with Snarf - if that money means taking out $100,000 in loans - it would be very hard to justify going to Tufts.</p>
<p>As a Washingtonian, I can tell you that while AU does indeed have a very strong IR program, it still plays third fiddle in the DC area to Georgetown and GWU, which have even stronger IR programs in my opinion. However, the benefits of being in DC cannot be understated. A lot of AU students are able to procure choice internships just because of the proximity factor. However, if you are looking for a better total academic experience, I suggest you choose Tufts if you can find a way to make the finances work.</p>
<p>^^^would concur. Naviance data for both the schools my kids attended indicated that American is a far, far easier admit than Tufts. S2 applied to SFS (deferred/rejected), but his heart was never there. Never really got to seriously considering GW and AU. Part of that probably has something to do with that I work within a couple miles of all three schools! ;)</p>
), so it isn’t like she’d be miserable for four years in order to save money. I think Tufts is definitively better than American on almost every dimension, but NOT $100,000 better, and, for your case, certainly not $200,000 better.</p>