<p>I've been accepted as a transfer student to Tufts School of Engineering and to William & Mary, in the Computer Science major. Which one's better?</p>
<p>well.. do you mean in terms of academics? bc i can't help you there... but i know they are very different schools as a whole... what are your reasons for transferring? how does each school fit (or not fit) with those reasons?</p>
<p>As someone who lives in Virginia, and applied to W&M I can tell you a lot more about W&M. As far as rankings, they are about the same on US News. They also have around the same number of students (W&M has around 500 to 1000 less students than Tufts). William and Mary is in the middle of no where (Williamsburg), but the campus is beautiful. It is also a two hour drive from Washington D.C. From what I heard, it is very stressful and academically intense there. It is also grade deflationary, but colleges take that into consideration when looking at your GPA for graduate programs. According to Wikipedia: "W&M students with at least a B+ average have a 70-75% acceptance rate to medical school and students with at least a B average enjoy an 80-85% acceptance rate to law school, rates which are double the national average. Sixty percent of W&M students go on to graduate school within five years of graduation." </p>
<p>I don't know much about Tufts, aside from the rankings. I believe they are like two or three spots higher than W&M, but I would not look at that as a accurate measure of the education you will get at William and Mary. Academically, it is probably the best education you can get from a public university AND one of the best at the undergraduate level. I know Tufts is in Boston, so I assume it has a more urban vibe. Again, that about all I can say about Tufts. On the other hand, William and Mary has a very antique feeling to it. It is like the second oldest university in America, so it is high on tradition. It is kind of considered like a Southern Ivy League school.</p>
<p>As far as which has the better program, I would assume tufts. William and Mary is more known for its liberal arts programs, and has half the endowment that Tufts has. I don't really know about research opportunities, but I think their doctoral programs are sparse. If I were in your shoes I would probably pick Tufts. William and Mary has a reputation of being kind of depressing, and introverted. More of the introverts at my high school go to William and Mary, and the preppier kids go to UVA. I think Tufts was voted like 7 for happiest students, so thats a big plus as well. Plus there are more research opportunities, but I wouldnt really know (I only looked at them for a liberal arts perspective). But if money is an issue, I would assume that W&M is cheaper because it is public (it is considered one of the "best buys" in terms of colleges).</p>
<p>I hoped that helped.</p>
<p>Obaig, that was a really helpful post—I'm sure the OP will glean a lot from it.</p>
<p>Well, I'm a Tufts student, so I can fill in some of the gaps re: Tufts. The engineering school is relatively small so that means that you have a lot of opportunities for individualized attention, one-on-one interaction with faculty, and really good funding for undergraduate research (something you might not find at a bigger engineering school). I know that engineering grad school placement is very good, as is placement straight into the work force. I have friends graduating from the engineering school this year who are going on to make very high salaries at government contracting firms; Wall Street; bio-tech firms, etc. </p>
<p>Good luck, you'll do great wherever you go. I think that it has to do a lot with fit. If you like more rual, go to W&M. If you like more suburban, go to Tufts. If opportunities for research are a big lure to you, then if the above poster said that W&M has a small endowment, I can assure you that Tufts will be the place for you in that sense.</p>
<p>endowments have nothing to do with research grants, they're two totally separate things. WM's endowment is about 500 million, and to say that it is a depressing student body couldn't be far from the truth</p>
<p>when did you find out about tufts?</p>
<p>Last Thursday.</p>
<p>Oh, ok thanks. Did everyone get answers last thursday?</p>
<p>..? anyone else get an answer?</p>
<p>I found out today, rejected. Fortunately I'm in at G'Town, Cornell, and Wash U already. Tufts has been giving me headaches for 2 years straight. :(</p>