Tufts vs. USC- Premed Class of 2027

College Search & Selection
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Hey guys! As the title states, I’m choosing between Tufts and USC. I’m from a reasonably competitive high school in the East Coast. I think I will be happy at both, and for me, the cost is practically the same. Which one would you guys pick if you were in my position? Looking for some insight :slight_smile:

Factors I’m considering:

  • Prestige [a bit I’m sorry LOL - but given that in case if I don’t do premed in the future, I’m trying to think ahead].
  • Location [LA vs. Boston for healthcare].
  • Classes/research [Inflation/deflation, ease of research].
  • Non-premed options [in case if my plans don’t work out].
  • Clubs/organizations [social life, basically]
  • Facilities.
  • Personal growth/challenging oneself!

Thank you! :slight_smile:

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Were you accepted off a waitlist?

Boston and LA have a wealth of health care.

Both are excellent colleges.

Both have tons of majors…so plenty of options.

I’m quite sure you could find research options at either school.

Both have plenty of clubs and activities.

Have you considered things like:

  1. Weather. Significant cold winter in Boston…not so in LA. Will you miss winter? My kid did.

  2. Distance in terms of travel to come home (disclaimer, my own kid went to college on the opposite coast so we considered things like travel times and costs to travel).

Personal growth/challenging oneself! this is on you to make happen…and can happen at any college.

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Piggybacking on @thumper1, I think these two are academic equals (overall) that will offer similar opportunities. To me, this is all about location, weather, and maybe vibe (to the extent we can evaluate that).

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Yup, I was accepted off the Tufts waitlist. Having trouble deciding.
Thanks for your insight on the last bit though :slight_smile:

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I might miss the aspects of having winter [ex: snow], but I do sometimes get seasonable depression. Actually speaking about the coast, I plan on working in the East Coast. Does going to either school matter then?

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If you have trouble with seasonal depression, go with USC

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Prestige - both are prestigious. UCLA is more known due to sports but from everything I’ve read about pre-med, prestige is not relevant.

Location - outside of Boston or in LA - what’s your preference?

You can do research and have great classes anywhere. Which has the major or curriculum that you want as you don’t major in pre-med.

Both will have more clubs than you know what to do with.

Facilities - are in the eye of the beholder.

Personal growth and challenge oneself - that’s on your desire to accept this and each will provide.

Wow - all that and there’s nothing.

If you have a warm/cold preference or school size preference, that’d be a good place to start.

Let me ask you this - were you happy with USC before, have a roommate lined up and relationships started?

Because if so, why mess up a good thing - just because one gets off a wait list doesn’t mean one has to go to that school. In fact, I surmise that most don’t…they’ve moved on.

Best of luck.

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Congrats on two great offers!

I don’t think there’s any objective winner between these two, but they’re different enough in “vibe” that many people would have a preference one way or the other.

Are they similar financially for you? Saving money and minimizing debt is always a consideration, especially if med school is in your future.

What’s your intended major? (I know you said premed, but premeds can major in almost anything.) What do you see your “Plan B” looking like if you do not stay in premed? Do both schools have all of the programs that might be of interest? (For example, if I thought I might land in a business major, I’d choose USC over Tufts. If I wanted Engineering Psychology I’d pick Tufts. Also Tufts for film, because switching into film at USC would be nearly impossible. Completely random examples but you get the idea.) You mention “non-premed options” as a criterion, but what are your most likely non-premed options?

In terms of social life and vibe, USC is more “rah-rah” school spirit-y, especially relative to spectator sports but not confined to sports. Even the alumni network has this vibe. Tufts alumni love their school too, but in a more reserved kind of way. I see USC as the higher-adrenaline campus, whereas Tufts has its own kind of intensity but seems to have a less extroverted culture, if that makes sense. There’s plenty of social life in both places and there’s plenty of overlap in terms of students who could enjoy both.

Do you like Trojans on horseback, or taxidermy elephants? :sweat_smile:

Sometimes being waitlisted can have that “playing hard to get” effect of making a school seem more desirable, but as tsbna says, don’t let this sway you. Can you remember which school you preferred before you got into either of them?

You can’t really go wrong here. If you’re stuck, there’s always the “flip a coin and then see if you’re happy or disappointed with the result” approach!

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Thx! My non-premed options would most likely be like data science, public health, or like biotech [maybe comp-sci?]

Unfortunately for me, costs are similar :confused: I was happy to get into both tbh!

I will try the flip-coin approach, thanks! I’m just stressed that this decision will determine the path of the rest of my life.

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I do have a roommate and a few convos on IG started! For Tufts though, my best friend is going [not that it plays any role in my decision], but I don’t think I will be lonely at Tufts.

I don’t mind school size, but more like “class size”. I know some schools out there have big populations, but the actual students per class is smaller.

I am from the East Coast and will def miss seasons, but I also get a bit of seasonal depression soooo :confused:

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You’ll often find one of two things:

  1. If you go with a best friend and you “protect” each other, you’ll close yourself off and not be happy.

But more likely is #2. You start with this best friend and you leave having grown apart pursuing other interests - and meeting other people.

There’s no wrong answer.

Good luck.

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Thanks! That’s reassuring that a lot of ppl are saying that there’s “no wrong answer” because I’m sooo conflicted.

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Had u gotten into both initially you’d have needed to choose one ? Which?

Maybe they’d both be great.

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Well, all of your areas of interest are solid at both schools, so I don’t see a strong academic mandate toward one school or the other.

Not that you asked for major advice, but I feel like the data science possibility you mentioned is the field where all of your interests overlap. Health care management is very data-driven these days, and data science skills would be highly valued. Likewise, if you wanted to work in public health, there’s always a need for data/stats skills, both on the research side and on the advocacy side. And medical research draws on those skills too. So a major like data science would be great for keeping all of your options open. It would allow you, during undergrad, to apply data science principles to a field of your choice (a concentration is usually required within the major); and you could go on from there to med school, or to business school, or to an MPH/MPA/MPP program. The data analytics foundation would serve you well no matter what path you take.

What I’d do is compare your specific programs of interest side by side. For example,
Bachelor of Arts in Data Science - USC Viterbi | Data Science Program vs. Bachelor of Science in Data Science | Department of Computer Science - which program appeals to you more, and which best accommodates the spread of coursework you want (the premed classes as well as the classes in a concentration area like public health or other). Likewise, both schools have MPH grad programs and have combined degree programs for students who want to begin MPH coursework while still in undergrad.

It’s true that whichever school you don’t choose will be a big “road not taken,” and you’ll never know how the other choice would have gone. But what the two choices have in common is you; you will find your path at either school! So make your best call and then don’t look back; the only wrong choice is one you can’t fully commit to. Let us know what you decide!

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Coming back! I’ve always wondered how people decided in the end when they make School X vs. School Y programs. I ultimately ended up choosing Tufts University!

I chose Tufts because I loved the Boston area (am a Boston native who moved after a year), and I knew that there’s a lot of very well-respected healthcare and research centers there, perfect for my area of interest (for now, obvs premed track, biology/psych, biostatistics/data science, etc). What user @aquapt said resonated quite a lot, and as someone whose learning Python atm, I honestly might look into it fs if Plan A doesn’t work out! Tufts also has an EMT class that the kids can take (which is pretty great because I’d like EMT certification, but at USC, you have to find the class yourself independently - usually at another college).

Boston also pretty accessible and a good city for a college student (especially one who cannot drive like me lol) - LA isn’t walkable and I’d have to be able to take longer public transportation and not commute as easily to outside opportunities and volunteering. It’s also slightly safer, which I appreciate :0)

I think socially, I would thrive more at Tufts. USC is great, don’t get me wrong, and the people I have really gotten to know so far are so kind and welcoming! However, the overall vibe at USC as being more of a ~frat-based~ “rah-rah” school, and while I do like school spirit, I didn’t really interact with it at my high school compared to some others. Some of the people there also seem a bit superficial, which I didn’t really like. I think at Tufts, which from what I can tell is a bit more introverted but close-knit, I would long-term, be happier :smiley:

Finally, Tufts was slightly cheaper (hey, save money especially bc these were both amazing choices!) and I don’t need to pay for expensive plane tickets :smiley:

Boston here I come, ROLL JUMBOS!

Thank you all for debriefing with me about this choice!! Especially shoutout to @aquapt again for the amazing point you made about data science - I do love statistics, and I think Tufts curriculum is great for integrating premed reqs and the programming, etc. It’s something I will definitely research more about!!

I was definitely scared about making this choice, especially because I was trying to not focus on prestige and name-brand and fame so much. USC is definitely the more “well-known university in the media” I think (maybe because of aUnT bEckY . . . kidding, there are other redeeming qualities!). I tried to pick the place where I knew I could thrive physically, academically, mentally, and socially, especially as a premed student (where undergrad pReStiGe isn’t as important here . . . ), and Tufts was one of the first schools I fell in love with: so I picked it!

I’ll see if I can come back after like 3-4 years (if CC doesn’t close the thread) and talk about how my college experience was and reflect on this choice. I remember I had a lot of Q’s about what decisions people made and how it ended up turning out for them . . . so I want to provide some insight and just give back :smiley: I know that the life doesn’t end after getting into University X, and I hope that my journey is fulfilling, with personal growth!

Thank you again so much guys!! Sending love xo <3

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Congrats!! Glad to hear that you’re feeling settled about your decision!

If you come back in a year or three with an update, this thread will be closed, but you can start a new thread and link back to this one :slight_smile:

Best of luck at Tufts! :elephant:

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Congratulations!! From everything you said, Tufts seems like the better fit. My sister and her husband went to Tufts and loved their time there. Wishing you a wonderful time as a Jumbo :elephant:!

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I am also an incoming freshman at Tufts. I think you will have a easier time finding research opportunities given the proximity to the major medical research institutions in Boston. But I heard USC is viewed as more prestigous than Tufts due to its high US News ranking (T25 vs T35). Anyways, look forward to seeing you in Medford.

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Most would not know that (ranking dufference). Those that know USC would be moreso because it’s a Pac 10 school with a huge athletic history. Many schools are like this.

Tufts, like many others that might be less known, will be known by those that matter. Research will be readily available at both.

Most would see these as peers and with others such as Emory, Notre Dame, Wake. But others will have gotten in and chose lower ranked schools for whatever their reason.

You’ve all made a fine choice if it’s the right choice for you. Don’t worry about rank.

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Doesn’t the school presitge of the undergrad matters a lot in Med school application? I am not a premed but I heard undergrad prestige + gpa “basically” determines your med school outcome.