Tufts vs Northwestern

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
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<p>I posted a similar thread at Northwestern, any input from you guys would also be highly appreciated...</p>

<p>So I did not search my colleges well before admissions and got accepted at Tufts.</p>

<p>And I got in at Northwestern too. I do not know much about these schools at all. I am thinking of doing International Relations or Economics, and later going to law school. However, I am still UNDECIDED!!!</p>

<p>Which school would you guys recommend? What is better in one school over the other? Is there is a difference in prestige? I would really appreciate any input.</p>

<p>I am hoping to fly up to Boston in April to get a first hand look, but I don't think three days would tell me as much as all the erudite people on this forum. So please help me out.</p>

<p>I thought applying/getting in was hard, choosing is actually harder.</p>

<p>Btw, I also have the option of paying a fraction of the cost at my instate schools of UVA and William & Mary, and if I feel rebellious can go to New College of Florida.</p>

<p>So what do you all think?????</p>

<p>Thanks in advance :)</p>

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<p>I would go to UVA if you have financial considerations and you like the school.</p>

<p>If not, you cant go wrong with Tufts or Northwestern.</p>

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<p>i personally like northwestern more.. (got rejected from nu : ( accepted at tufts tho..) both are great schoools i would say, IR is great at Tufts, but maybe econ is better at Northwestern? I do think nu might be a little more prestigious than Tufts tho.. i guess thats the reason it's put under 'top uni' in CC.. Im actually deciding between cmu, umich, tufts, and still awaiting for uchicago.. currently leaning towards tufts for my current three choices.</p>

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<p>northwestern > tufts, although if you want to go to law school tufts is probably the better choice.</p>

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<p>Tuft's IR is really great, I hear.</p>

<p>Heard Northwestern's Econ is really good.</p>

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<p>Yeah, that's the same opinion I got on the other thread:</p>

<p>Tufts is better for IR, and NU for Econ</p>

<p>Except I have NO idea what I want to major in.</p>

<p>I definitely think that Boston is A LOT better than Chicago (as a college town).</p>

<p>I know prestige should not be a factor, but still NU seems to be more highly regarded.</p>

<p>Which of these schools do you think does best in terms of place at Harvard, Yale and Stanford law schools? mehh why do you say Tufts does better? How much consideration should one give to this <a href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate your replies. You guys have no idea how confused I am.. However, bob's reply made me feel better that "I cannot go wrong"</p>

<p>Please keep them coming, and lemme know which is the best choice: Tufts, Northwestern, UVA or William & Mary. THANKS!</p>

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<p>yeh, i think you really cant go wrong with either one, visit the schools i guss or just think where you'll be happier in terms of location, weather, campus, size, students etc.</p>

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<p>^ You know why so few leave Tufts for Harvard law, etc? This is because the Fletcher school is the oldest Intl Law school in the country and you can take courses at Harvard while you're there getting your MALD, etc...skewed stats.</p>

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<p>Tufts and Northwestern are two very different kinds of schools and campuses. I suggest you think more about the type of school rather than the specific major and it's reputation for that program. Many many kids change majors midway through college. NU is a great school in a GREAT city...but its an urban campus that isn't for everybody.</p>

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<p>hm, i personally dont think northwesterns campus is THAT urban, tho probbaly more urban than tufts, i mean evanston is quite suburban, and to me, tufts and northwesterns campus feels the same since they are real close to a bustling city, but are quite suburbanish in their feel. maybe northwestners campus look more modern tho. well ive only visited northwestern and look at pics for tufts, so i cant really be a judge in their comparison hahaha.</p>

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<p>NW is supposedly a nightmare in admisistration and isnt supposed to be great for UG... Id say Tufts</p>

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<p>all i have to say is congrats. i got rejected from both and tufts was my first choice. =[</p>

<p>my friend is going to go to northwestern, though, and she did a summer school there and loved it. if it were me, i'd go to tufts... sniffle.</p>

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<p>As an alum who is in law school, I'll weigh in.</p>

<p>Northwestern does have slightly more of a "name" among the non-academics. However, I've found that Tufts is more impressive than I thought in high school - many people have a lot of respect for my degree. Don't split hairs over that.</p>

<p>Tufts is outstanding for IR and virtually without peer. If that is what you want, consider going to Massachusetts.</p>

<p>You aren't going to go wrong. If at all possible, go to admitted students fairs at both schools, because how well you mesh with the campus will really determine how valuable an experience it is for you. You'll get more out of college - and enjoy it more - when you click with the university.</p>

<p>Now, finances & law school. Financing undergrad is between you and your parents; however, please strongly consider that law school is extremely expensive. UVA, in-state, is about $40,000 this year for law. Northwestern's law school costs about $56,000/year. Financial aid is usually very minimal. If you are considering that route, talk to your parents. Will the money saved by going to UVA and W&M be available for law school? If you apply to law school straight out of undergrad, you'll certainly be a VA resident for admissions and tuition purposes - which means that you'll have less expensive options at UVA, Mason, and W&M. That will be very, very hard to turn down in favour of extremely expensive schools. Do you want to spend seven years in Virginia - and then, having no ties to anywhere else in the country, probably end up living there afterwards? (Law firms are very wary of accepting people who are most likely going to go home in a few years, so you ought to have strong ties to the region to which you are applying.) </p>

<p>I would usually say that you should take the in-state option (esp. with UVA and W&M being such excellent schools) and save the cash for law school, but your best bet might be to spend the money on undergard and go to UVA for law school. You can find the application for in-state tuition for law school in VA on a website - take a look at it and really consider that route. </p>

<p>I do think it would be easier to say to a Chicago firm, coming from UVA law, that you want to return to your old stomping ground, rather than trying to convince them that you really, really love Chicago, even though you've been there three times and have done high school, college, and law school in Virginia.</p>

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<p>I just heard from Amherst</p>

<p>I got accepted there</p>

<p>so please throw that in the equation too</p>

<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH everyone</p>

<p>I am mesmerized by the level of response I got. I never knew that other people would go out of their way to help me.</p>

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<p>Thanks ariesathena for that extremely insightful reply</p>

<p>This whole think became even more complicated with Amherst. Now I am really torn...</p>

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<p>Having grown up in Iowa and Missouri, I can say that I would never go to college in the midwest.
I did visit Tufts-and loved it.
Amherst- boy idk... between Tufts and Amherst.. if it were me, I would go with Tufts.</p>

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<p>lol</p>

<p>so what do other people think for Tufts vs NU vs Amherst vs UVA???</p>

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<p>One downside I see to Northwestern is that it's based on the quarter system, meaning you have exams literally every 2 weeks while only taking 3 courses at a time. For Amherst and Tufts, which are on the quarter system, mean you usually take 4 courses (max of 5) per semester, allowing you to spread your work out while having more concentrated but less frequent examination periods. I personally would loathe being in a quarter system, but some people like the intense atmosphere where they can focus diligently on one set of courses without spreading themselves too thinly.</p>

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<p>um.... so.. both of them are on the quarter system, but a different kind ????????</p>

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<p>I think snuffles meant that Amherst and Tufts are on the semester system...Tufts definitely has 2 semesters!</p>