<p>I want you to tell me which one is better and why! GO!!!!!</p>
<p>Tufts is better!</p>
<p>But why???</p>
<p>They’re both members of NESCAC which nominally speaking means they can both trace their roots as small (mostly men’s) colleges at the turn of the last century. Other than that they are very different. Tufts is its own train stop on the Boston underground while Wesleyan is tucked in a part of central Connecticut that isn’t easy at all to get to by public transportation. That one aspect makes all the difference in the world; Wesleyan is more of a traditional LAC (even though it produces a small number of Ph.Ds, mainly in the sciences) with an uber-active social life based on campus while Tufts students spend far less time on their own campus. Wesleyan students produce their own bands, host their own concerts on a near-weekly basis while a typical weekend at Tufts in spent in Boston.
Wesleyan students party in nearby houses and dormitories; Tufts students party a train stop away in nearby Davis Square.</p>
<p>It really depends on what type of campus you are looking for.</p>
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<p>Not for a few years. Davis Square is the Tufts stop for now. Students are as likely to go a few stations to Harvard Square as into Boston proper. </p>
<p>The student bodies have some similarities: intellectual, quirky. If you want a smaller, more intimate college experience, then Wes. Some majors (engineering, International Relations) will be better served at Tufts.</p>
<p>How about in the job world? Or maybe which one is a better feeder to top grad schools?</p>
<p>Take your pick. Tufts has undergraduate professional schools in nursing, engineering and diplomacy. Note, however, that for something like engineering you’d better be sure that’s what you want to do because studying for the prerequisites begins the moment you hit campus.</p>
<p>Wesleyan does well in pre-med and in producing Ph.Ds in science (particularly if you are a woman), but the admission rates correspond pretty closely with how well you do in your coursework, so there are no surprises there. It also has a pretty good track record in the entertainment industry, but be aware that entry into the Film Studies major is correspondingly intense.</p>
<p>Tufts does have its own medical school, and I’m willing to guess that the lion’s share of its students come directly from Tufts.</p>
<p>In terms of the job market directly out of college, I found this article that talks about another budding “Wesleyan Mafia”, this time in the East-coast based, tech start-up industry: <a href=“Business News & Current Events | Observer”>Business News & Current Events | Observer;
<p>I disagree with a few statements in post #7. Tufts does NOT have an undergraduate (or graduate program) in nursing. Perhaps you are confusing nursing with the BSOT (Boston School for Occupational Therapy) which Tufts does own? That is graduate level only.
By “diplomacy”, were you referring to the “Pace and Justice Studies” major, or the graduate programs in international law and diplomacy at the Tufts Fletcher School?</p>
<p>I’m not mentioning these to be a nit-picker but I just didn’t want someone to get the wrong impression.</p>
<p>I think the major difference is that Wesleyan is more like a LAC while Tufts has a much larger set of graduate offerings through its grad schools: Fletcher, Dental, Medical, Vet, Nutrition Science and Policy, Biomedical Sciences, as well as through the Arts and Sciences and Engineering schools. Many of these are not located on the main campus. Yet, the undergraduate student body is still not large for a university, about 5,000 so it has the feel of a LAC if you are an undergrad.</p>
<p>Both Tufts and Wesleyan are both excellent schools that are pretty tough to get into. I agree that Wesleyan’s Film Studies major is much better known. </p>
<p>Which one is “better” depends on what you are interested in!</p>
<p>Also, the medical school does not accept the “lion’s share” of its students from Tufts undergrad. Last time I saw numbers on this it was 33 out of 200 in a med school graduating class.</p>
<p>^^My bad. I was under the impression that all of Tufts professional schools had undergraduate components, and somehow the word “nutrition” had become “nursing” all this time when thinking of Tufts. Thank you for the correction. :p</p>