<p>My son was accepted to both schools. His strength is writing and english. He is very outgoing and athletic. He loves both places. May be pre-law. </p>
<p>Which school would do more for his future - Alumni and otherwise?</p>
<p>If you are asking about prestige and future opportunities, I think they are almost the same. Tufts might be more well-known nationally, but Middlebury is very well-respected in the northeast.</p>
<p>taking this decision down to the wire, eh? The two schools are rather different. One is a larger university located outside a major U.S. city, the other a smaller college in a rural setting. Middlebury's English program is quite strong and well respected. Both schools have strong alumni bases. What it really boils down to is size and location.</p>
<p>Both are good schools with roughly comparable academic reputation, but I think Midd would be better for humanities and the potential for law school. Overall, I think that Midd would be the more enjoyable experience too, but this is coming form someone who was inclined to apply to Dartmouth & Colgate, but not Tufts.</p>
<p>Middlebury is a great school, especially fro English. They also excel in foreign languages and have a campus in Italy.</p>
<p>Tufts is quite a bit larger than Middlebury, less intimate.</p>
<p>I'd go with Midd.</p>
<p>Although Tufts also has its' own centre in France, along with superb IR and humanities/classics programmes...</p>
<p>Tufts University.</p>
<p>T is right outside of Boston and M is in the middle of nowhere. If location is an issue, these two schools are totally different in that respect.</p>
<p>tufts 10char</p>
<p>Definitely Middlebury.</p>
<p>I went to a small school located in a small town/suburban area, and ended up hating the surrounding environment (loved the school itself, but almost never set foot outside of the campus gates). If you're a city slicker, you might appreciate Tufts' location more than Middlebury's. Then again, if you're a city slicker who's sick of the city, then maybe Middlebury's better for you. However, Tufts isn't located in the center of Boston...it's more like a suburban area with easy access to Boston's center through the "T" (they call the subway there that, which I always found amusing).</p>
<p>Tufts' English program is not very strong. My sister is a writer too and she was thinking of applying to Tufts when she found out that their English program is one of their weakest.</p>
<p>I'd go for Middlebury.</p>
<p>for english, definitely Middlebury</p>
<p>m_c: We're in the middle of the college search. Just how does one determine that a department is "weak"? Conversely what makes a department strong? And what details support those assumptions for these
2 schools? If anyone could share some insight into this, I'm sure many posters would be most grateful!</p>
<p>Word of mouth, mainly. It's not the most reliable way to research, but it's often quite accurate. Feedback from current students or recent alumni is extremely helpful.</p>
<p>i say Tufts.</p>
<p>i live right next to tufts, and i have to say id love to go there if i didnt call it home now. its a perfect location for school - a contained campus, yet right next to the city. its also cheaper than middlebury and has more research and postgrad potential. pick tufts</p>
<p>If he wants to major in english, it doesn't get much better than middlebury.</p>
<p>This is a tricky one, as Tufts has an outstanding classics programme. That being said, My English teacher did his grad work at Middlebury and absolutely loved it - they give English the same knid of attention that Tufts gives to IR.</p>
<p>What is the athletic department like at Tufts?</p>