<p>Hi guys!</p>
<p>I've been comparing a lot of universities lately, and now I need a comparison for these two. I like both locations. I've heard Baltimore is a bit dangerous in some parts, but it's close to D.C. and I really like that. I also wouldn't mind being close to Boston. I've heard it's a good college town. </p>
<p>I have a few questions. Warning: I will use the word "which" a lot!</p>
<p>Which one out of the two is more of a party school? I don't want to go where the parties are. Which one has stronger IR and Middle Eastern studies departments? How do their libraries and overall facilities compare? Which university has better food? Is Tufts more generous with financial aid? Does Johns Hopkins have more options to study abroad? Whose curriculum is the most flexible?</p>
<p>Any answers to these questions would be very much appreciated! Any extra information would be awesome!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Haven’t been to both schools. The Johns Hopkins neighborhood is a little scruffier than Tufts but not enough so that it should be a major consideration. There are people who party at Tufts, but you certainly don’t have to. Tufts has a gorgeous library with an amazing view of Boston from its rooftop terrace. Tufts IR requires 7 semesters or fluency in a foreign language. Tufts food is the best I’ve had at any college we visited. To figure out which curriculum is the most flexible I think you have to sit down with a course catalog and the rules for the majors. That’s one of the things my son did when he was making his final college choices. My son (studying Arabic in Jordan right now) thinks that Tufts doesn’t make studying abroad as easy as they imply, but it’s easy enough. </p>
<p>The Institute of Global Studies is an amazing resource. Also Fletcher School is on campus while graduate IR for Johns Hopkins is located in DC. I don’t know if it makes a difference, but it might.</p>
<p>Mathmom: Thank you so much for replying! I think having access to the rooftop terrace would be awesome! That’s the ultimate study spot. I’m happy about the food! I hope your son is enjoying Jordan. I hope I can study in Israel.</p>
<p>I like the idea of everything being right there together, so that’s perfect. I’m already looking forward to becoming fluent in another language. Coincidentally, I want to learn Arabic too. </p>
<p>You’ve helped me so much! 
If you don’t mind me asking, how smoothly did the financial aid process go?</p>
<p>Tufts study abroad was ranked like 2nd this year by the Princeton Review.</p>
<p>It’s also known to have really good food and Princeton Review has rated it as high as second. And even if you don’t like that, Boston has soooooo muchhhhh gooooooood food.</p>
<p>You probably won’t go to DC much at JHU. It’s about a an hour trip by car alone to get to DC.</p>
<p>At Tufts, you can take classes at the Fletcher school as an undergrad (and the students there are all really brilliant and smart).</p>
<p>Tufts is a school where people study hard during the week and then have fun on the weekends. Having fun can entail parties, hanging out with friends, going out into Boston, whatever. Definitely groups of people who don’t drink or party on campus.</p>
<p>Tufts is really well regarded in IR and the bonus of the Fletcher school makes it that much better. The school also has a reallyyyy good language program. As an IR major, you are required to take 8 semester of a foreign language and are highly encouraged to study abroad (45% of juniors study abroad).</p>
<p>Princeton Review also ranked Tufts as one of the happiest schools. People are also very nice and friendly. You definitely have room to double major or major and minor in something. Professors are also VERY accessible and the campus is beautiful (Especially in the Fall). You can even study at the Fletcher library…it’s beautiful but most people feel guilty just walking in there because it can be so quiet. Yet Fletcher also has a a top floor where you can go and see a gorgeous view. Plus, Tufts library roof has the skyline of Boston right in front of it.</p>
<p>Tufts is de facto need blind. So if you need it, more than likely they will give it to you. The average debt for students is about $20,000 after graduation–wayyyyy below the national average. And that’s after graduation (/it includes all 4 years).</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Buzzers: I think I’ve made my decision. Tufts seems more friendly. Your reply was very, very helpful and I think I would love it there. I need to look into the Fletcher School. It sounds awesome! The library sounds incredible! The financial aid sounds great too!</p>
<p>Is there any way you can visit both schools? While Tufts is awesome, it’s definitely not for everyone. I felt that I just didn’t fit in there, despite finding nothing particularly wrong with the school. It’s definitely very quirky. I didn’t apply to JHU so I can’t help with that, sorry.</p>
<p>Both schools are excellent, academically, but Tufts seems to attract the more iconoclastic thinker. Baltimore does not compare to the riches and quaintness of Boston and the 22 colleges and universities that feed into “Bahston”. </p>
<p>Hopkins is accused of not having a collegiate life–e.g. being predominantly academic with a lot of stressed-out students. Tufts has been characterized as academic and collegiate.</p>
<p>I did medical school in Boston and residency and fellowship in Baltimore (Hopkins). Boston, is by far, the more hospitable city for a college student.</p>
<p>RainbowRose: If you don’t mind me asking, why did you feel like you didn’t fit in? How quirky is it?</p>
<p>I honestly don’t think I can visit either of them. My parents said I can only visit the schools I get accepted to. That’s partially why I decided to not apply ED to Brown. It’s still my first choice, but there’s a small chance that it might not be the right fit for me. If for some reason I get in RD (the odds are against me), I would almost certainly go. It’s perfect.</p>
<p>I know your parents said that you could only visit schools that you get into, but you really have to change their minds about Brown at the very least. It’s reasonable to only visit Tufts/JHU after you get in; you’ll go to the tour knowing more of what you want out of a school. I don’t think it’s reasonable for people to apply ED to a school that they are unsure would be right for them.</p>
<p>Plane tickets to Boston Logan from St. Louis are $200 round trip via Southwest, possibly (probably) a lot lower. Visiting Brown (and combining the trip with visiting Tufts) and paying that extra bit of money, probably $300 in total, is a small price to pay compared to not liking Brown and being miserable and/or wanting to transfer out.</p>
<p>You may want to double-check on the offerings in Modern Standard Arabic available at JHU. I seem to recall discovering they offered only ancient Arabic.</p>
<p>SWHarborFan: So, are you saying the students are radical or that they just think outside the box? </p>
<p>I want a healthy mix of collegiate and academic. Boston seems much nicer than Baltimore.</p>
<p>TuftsStudent: One of my friends wants to take a senior trip with her parents to visit colleges in Florida. I could ask my parents to do the same. You’re right; it isn’t that expensive. I just want to see Brown. I probably won’t get in, so I just want to visit the campus, so I can see if it’s as great in person. It’s more than amazing on the computer screen.</p>
<p>Tufts didn’t seem quirky at all to me, but it is pretty diverse. You’ll see some kids with shoulder length hair, you’ll see some jocks, you’ll see some preppies, you’ll see a fair number of international students. </p>
<p>JHU has a reputation for being overly serious, but a while back someone posted about how that’s really only true of their science/premed majors. The school is much more relaxed in other departments.</p>
<p>I think Tufts location is great. It’s an easy walk to Davis Square and it’s one stop away from Harvard Square. A couple stops more and you are in downtown Boston. My son and his IR friends attended some of the events at the Kennedy School at Harvard easily.</p>
<p>mathmom: It sounds great! I’ve heard Harvard Square is incredible. I want a lot of diversity. There are maybe a handful of kids at my school who aren’t Caucasian. </p>
<p>If I get accepted, could I live in the all-female residence hall if I wanted or would I just be assigned to a random dorm?</p>
<p>Not for freshman year, I don’t think. There are two (three?) all female floors on campus, and I don’t think any are open to freshman because of demand from sophomores. I may be wrong about that. Perhaps you could call Tufts and ask them if any of the single-sex floors (two floors of Carmichael, one-floor of Hodgdon, and all of Richardson House) are open to freshmen girls?</p>
<p>Richardson House has all-female housing and is open to freshman girls. If you request all-female housing in the freshman housing survey, I’m pretty sure that’s where you’ll end up. It’s a really nice dorm.</p>
<p>TuftsStudent: Thanks! I wouldn’t mind living if a co-ed dorm, but I want the bathrooms to be single-sex. I was just wondering what options I had.</p>
<p>Dancingqueen413: It looks nice from the outside. Thank you!</p>
<p>Unless I am much mistaken, bathrooms are either single-person or single-sex in every dorm.</p>
<p>TuftsStudent: That’s even better! Does Tufts have any cons?</p>