<p>D is definitely leaning towards Tufts - just want to hear other opinions on which school is best. Probably pre-med but she isn't sure.</p>
<p>She cannot go wrong with any of those. All three have alumnae who absolutely loved their experiences there.</p>
<p>That said, those are three different types of schools - the big state school with the exceptional football; the all-women’s school in the suburbs (a town that is definitely more suburban than Medford); the coed liberal arts school near a city. </p>
<p>I advise any serious pre-med to consider college as the first four of eight years of higher education that needs to be paid for. Many students decide to take a merit scholarship, or in-state prices at a state school, for college, and put the money towards medical school. (Or at the very least, they don’t accrue med school debt.) But if someone isn’t sure about premed, or if the above plan is not applicable (schools all cost the same, are all expensive; parents will help with med school costs, or there is an inexpensive med school option), please ignore this advice and go to the school that is the best combo of fit and academics.</p>
<p>Hi Ariesthana- thanks for your input. Cost is the same with merit scholarships. Think She wants Smaller school and Boston area. Any insight Tufts v Wellesley?</p>
<p>They are both academically strong, student-focused schools with great professors who love teaching. Both would be fine, even great, for pre-med. What distinguishes them is their social environment, in ways that go beyond the co-ed v. all-women’s thing. If your daughter could arrange to do an overnight at each school, she would come away with a very clear winner. </p>
<p>Your daughter will get an outstanding education at either school.</p>
<p>1) Tufts
2) tie between Michigan and Wellesley so decide on size and the sex issues</p>
<p>One of (Tufts sophomore) D1’s long-time friends is at Wellesley, and I second ariesathena’s comment that Wellesley and Tufts are both academically strong schools with different social environments. </p>
<p>Academically, you can’t go wrong at any of these. ariesathena pegs it exactly right that it’s a question of money (if it IS a question of money, looking ahead to med school and depending on your family resources) and personal taste.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input. She is still leaning towards Tufts but will go visit both again for admitted students day. Glad that either school is a great choice.</p>
<p>While Tufts and Welllesley are both “great choices”, they are not equivalent schools academically. Wellesley offers a richer academic experience - smaller classes, better faculty, more research opportunities and higher standards. What can’t be found at Wellesley is available at MIT or Harvard. </p>
<p>All of this is, in large part, because Wellesley has a $1.3B endowment for 2300 students, all of them undergraduates. Tufts has the same endowment for over 9500 students spread across the undergraduate school plus all its graduate and professional programs that include a medical school, a dental school and a veterinary school. </p>
<p>In addition, there are a wealth of internship programs at Wellesley where it pays stipends and travel-related expenses. Nearly everything is better there, the dorms, the facilities, etc. because it is a very wealthy school. Tufts is not. If you look closely on your visit, you will see this. </p>
<p>Wellesley gets an A for academics; Tufts a B+. Look at any significant output measure (such as graduates who attend top professional and graduate schools) and you will see that Wellesley affords a better education. </p>
<p>Be a savvy buyer. There are nuances in the decision process that can make a difference, especially when you are spending $250,000+.</p>
<p>Wellesley an A in academics, Tufts a B+? That is one interesting and tough grading scale you’re employing, scarecrow. 
My one pair of data points (between D1 at Tufts and her friend at Wellesley) grades them equally, but that’s anecdotal. Your mileage may vary. I do agree with the assessment of the dorms. </p>
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<p>Again, purely anecdotally, I can say that my D1 at Tufts has found more funded research opportunities than her buddy at Wellesley. But one anecdote does not make data. Could just be random chance, could be a difference in majors or areas of interest or personality of the student. OP, I agree that you want to be a savvy shopper and find what works best for your D and your family.</p>
<p>A B+, in my book, is a very good grade, almost by definition. I award A’s for consistently superior work. Tufts is very good. Wellesley is excellent.</p>
<p>Wow, first time I ever heard anyone suggest that Wellesley is better than Tufts. I don’t agree, but both schools are truly excellent so there is no “wrong” choice.
I’m sure the OP and family will do their own research and ask plenty of questions during their visits to both schools.
U Mich is a totally different category due to the difference in size compared to either Tufts or Wellesley.</p>
<p>just another consideration…Tufts has a med school and other life science grad schools (vet, nutrition, dental) which may offer research opportunities that would be appealing to a pre-med. Also, I think there are some highly competitive preference programs for Tufts undergrads applying to Tufts med.</p>
<p>I think that for most liberal arts majors, Wellesley is considered to be at the very, very top academically, while Tufts is half a rung lower on that ladder.<br>
On the other hand, for most girls that I know, going to an all girls school is such a negative that it’s not worth it, and most of them would therefore choose Tufts (or Michigan, if the size was not a turn-off) over Wellesley. For those that find the all female environment more comfortable, then by all means, I would go with Wellesley.
I consider the totality of the college experience, not just academic rankings, and for most people I know, an all girls school does not offer the total experience - socially as well as academically - that they want in their undergrad years. One member of our nuclear family went to Smith, another first rate all girls school, and felt the same way. She objected vociferously when i made my daughter look at Wellesley. (My daughter eventually chose Northwestern.)</p>
<p>
My B+ Tufts education leads me to say this: please provide data. You made the claim; you back it up.</p>
<p>I would posit that you know very little about Tufts, Scarecrow. Very, very little. Most classes at Tufts are quite small, beyond the large ones in intro bio, chem, etc. The research opportunities are innumerable. I was one of the few in my major who did not do on-campus research, but that’s because I got a snazzy, well-paying internship. Most of my friends had on-campus research available to them. On the scale that gives Tufts a B+, Wellesley is also a B+. Maybe a B in some areas, maybe an A- in its specialties, but if Tufts is a B+, then Wellesley doesn’t break into the A category. </p>
<p>Finally, endowment helps, but the quality of an education is not just in the “facilities” and “dorms” and “paid travel.” The fact that you would rate the academics by the standards of the dorm rooms shows, IMHO, that you’re grading isn’t quite as accurate and meaningful as you would like to suggest.</p>
<p>Scarecrow is trolling…A college with an average ACT of 32 for incoming 2017 grads is a b+??? baahahahahaha!</p>
<p>
Years ago, back when Auntie Aries was a co-ed, about 80% of Tufts alumni went on to get graduate degrees (MD, JD, PhD, MBA, or masters). Even then, Tufts had a reputation for making its students work hard. And the smallest of the Research I schools?</p>
<p>But OldScareCrow thinks that Tufts is a “B+” on the scale that gives Wellesley an A because we don’t send enough students to graduate school? Give me a break.</p>
<p>One crude output measure:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.inpathways.net/top50feeder.pdf[/url]”>InPathWays - Discover latest hot new trending topic, insights, analysis;
<p>Schools 1-15 = A
Schools 16-30 = A-
Schools 31-50 = B+</p>
<p>Thank you for all your insights. D has decided to become a Jumbo!</p>
<p>First, macbeatlebaby, congrats! I hope your daughter enjoys her time in Medford.</p>
<p>OldScarecrow, I couldn’t imagine a much cruder measure (except maybe pulling them out of a hat).
That study might be more meaningful if they divided by the number of students who wanted to go to Law, Medical, or Business school instead of the entire student body.</p>
<p>While Tufts sends many alumni directly to Law or Medical school (and some eventually to business school), there are also a large number who go on to MS/MA/PhD programs, Veterinary/Dental school, the workforce, or other paths entirely. </p>
<p>Here’s the list of representation in the Peace Corps, for instance: <a href=“http://files.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/schools2013.pdf[/url]”>http://files.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/schools2013.pdf</a></p>
<p>Also, NSF awardees this year - Wellesley has 4 / 2300, while Tufts has 12 / 5138: <a href=“https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/AwardeeList.do?method=sort&page=5[/url]”>https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/AwardeeList.do?method=sort&page=5</a> (may not be statistically significant, but who’s to say the other study is, either)</p>
<p>That list has CalTech at #28. Need I say more? </p>
<p>And yes, Tufts does send a lot to PhD programmes. With an engineering school and no business major, it is bound to fall below other schools - few engineers go for law, med, or business, and Tufts does not send a lot to business.</p>
<p>Also, by that ranking, my own JD does not count - it was from a top 20 school.</p>