<p>I know Tufts Syndrome does not exist. I have heard it from Tufts admissions and I have seen myself as an alumni interviewer and in the acceptances of kids I know. How do we make this term go away????</p>
<p>Creating a new thread on the Tufts board and linking it to the one above certainly doesn’t help; it just gives the whole ridiculous notion more “air time.”
(Incidentally, if you look at post #3 on that thread, it takes the clear position that Tufts doesn’t have “TS.”)</p>
<p>I was thinking of posting this in the “what colleges did you turn down for Tufts” thread, but maybe it is more appropriate here.</p>
<p>I will have to admit that I was a little disappointed in Dans reaction to the revealed preference research and the new Parchment Ranking.</p>
<p>Since this research/ranking pretty much crushes the notion of Tufts Syndrome and throws water on the notion of Tufts being an Ivy backup, I kind of expected that he would don a pair of ruby slippers and break out into a chorus of Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead.</p>
<p>There is even room for speculation that he helped fund the research .</p>
<p>Its time for everyone to come out and spread the news!</p>
<p>Sure, Tufts does factor in demonstrated interest, but I implied in no way that Tufts suffered from the syndrome…</p>
<p>I agree, this thread just seems to validate the expression. I had never heard of the term and now have spent a very interesting half an hour reading all about it. So, now, Tufts=Tufts Syndrome in my mind. Actually, what is the big deal? Basically isn’t it admission officers evaluating students on “demonstrated interested” Many very very good schools are very upfront that they base admissions of demonstrated interest! Maybe the only problem is Tufts name is associated with it. This seems to be a bigger problem nowadays since kids are applying to 15 schools in many cases. That just affects yield numbers. Wash U has been very aggressive in increasing their selective rankings by aggressively sending postcards urging tons of kids in the Midwest to apply - only to deny them admission when they do apply! I guess when I got the postcard from Wash U I thought I don’t want my kid “Washed” so we through the postcard away and saved the admission fee. -I should copyright the term!</p>
<p>What are the best colleges from which to get at least “some” merit aid? Clearly the top privates have no interest in diversifying their classes. What exists now is a haves and have nots society at these campuses. Either the FAFSA qualifiers or you’re super wealthy. If you’re barely above FAFSA qualifying level, you simply cannot put your get through a at a $240,000 investment, and hope to remain in your home or buy clothes. Sorry. Hope this doesn’t offend anyone…but it’s how I feel.</p>
<p>Mitch, you should really check out the Financial Aid forum, which has many, many posts and suggestions along these lines. That said, schools that were on my D1’s list (now a Tufts sophomore) which offered significant merit aid included GWU, Macalester, U Maryland College Park (out of state) and Muhlenberg. A friend of hers agonized between Rice and Tufts, finally going with Rice; another friend of hers received one of the very generous (but highly competitive) merit scholarships from Rice. U Rochester, Bryn Mawr, Pitt, many of the Colleges That Change Lives, Boston U, Tulane, WUStL, USC…many many many choices. For that matter, she could take a swing at the handful of schools that offer super-generous need-based aid.</p>
<p>Based on what I hear about my D1’s friends at Tufts I entirely disagree that Tufts students only come from families that are either super-rich or super-poor. Yes, there are many well-off (even seriously wealthy) students. Yes, it’s an expensive school; a wonderful school, but like ANY school not worth putting a family’s financial health in danger.</p>
<p>Mitch-
This is a good resource to see where non-need based aid is given…
[Kiplinger’s</a> Best Values in Private Colleges-Kiplinger](<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php]Kiplinger’s”>http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php)
[Kiplinger’s</a> Best Values in Public Colleges-Kiplinger](<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php]Kiplinger’s”>Best College Values, 2019 | Kiplinger)</p>
<p>Thanks all. Appreciate the advice. that said, it’s simply not true that the top schools offer anything in non need based…to average income students…unless they are uber smart and top 2% of class etc. I will check out the links which are referred above. Been through it with D-1</p>
<p>Check out this thread on merit aid: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/52133-schools-known-good-merit-aid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/52133-schools-known-good-merit-aid.html</a></p>
<p>I know a lot of middle class families that figured out how to afford top colleges. Mostly by saving from the day their kids were born. We shared an apartment for the first three years of our married life, and our first house was tiny. We had one car until DH got promoted to Associate Professor. Americans have forgotten how to save money. Sorry rant over! Back to Tufts… Great school!</p>
<p>Yes Mathmom. Everyone’s situation is different. But thanks for the rant.</p>
<p>Oh, just saw this. Quick note to Slithey above. D1 attends USC. Very very minimal merit money available from USC. Very small “Presidents” program. Huge money to very few students. It’s a great program, but only the top of the top few students can win one of these. So USC is not a school where much merit schol money is given. fyi.</p>
<p>Mitch, USC offers automatic half tuition to NMFs, so for some students yes, it is a big merit school. Without NMF it is far more competitive, as is the case with others like Rice, Duke, U Chicago, and so forth. You know your own child’s stats and strengths best, which will of course inform your search for merit aid for her. Best of luck!</p>
<p>@Slitheytove-Macalester offers merit aid?? A coach recruiting DS told him that they don’t offer merit aid bc they have such outstanding students they would have to give it to everyone. I dont think it was a case of ‘we offer it but you wouldnt be able to compete for it’ bc his ACT was in the 75% range. We never checked on it ourselves, just made the decision we wouldnt be able to keep him there based on their EFC chart. That is interesting! It worked out for the best bc he was then much less conflicted about committing to his favorite school vs committing to his favorite coach.</p>
<p>Roboloto, I’m a couple years out of the game so Mac may have changed their policy–apologies if that’s the case.</p>
<p>Are there departments that are afflicted by Tufts Syndrome at the graduate school level at Tufts (not called Fletcher or a dental/medical/vet school)? </p>
<p>After reading the applicant profiles of years past on PhysicsGRE (the CC equivalent for physics PhD hopefuls) I suspect that, at one time, the physics department at Tufts was afflicted by Tufts Syndrome as far as physics PhD admissions are concerned, although there is not enough data for a diagnosis. No acceptances, two rejects with no publications while having 2 years’ worth of research experience, middle-of-the-road GRE scores, and GPAs in the 3.4-3.5 range, which are IMO legitimate rejects that don’t qualify for the tufted label, and a reject with 2 peer-refereed publications that had much better GRE scores/GPA overall (and, as I would expect from one at 3.8 from Cornell with 2 peer-refereed publications, solid recs) than the other two, the one that I could say that has been tufted. That reject got into Ivies as well as Berkeley (which he ultimately attended)</p>
<p>Why I’m saying there’s insufficient data for a diagnosis: I saw ~1-2 Jumbo hopefuls on PhysicsGRE yearly in the applicant archives until this year, where there are 6 Jumbo hopefuls instead. (I have been credited for “making hundreds of previously unaware physics students that there exists a school called Tufts and that they have a graduate program” on PhysicsGRE) And PhysicsGRE is the only place I know of where people post applicant profiles for physics PhDs, other than CC, but CC has far less appplicant profiles.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what the funding situation is for the Physics department but I don’t see rejecting qualified students as being at all rational for a grad school, especially when nobody (I don’t think even US News) cares about yield rate.</p>
<p>The only reason I can imagine is if they’re sure the applicant wouldn’t come (and then why would they have bothered applying?) and they’d rather offer their limited funding to someone who will come to ensure that they get a sufficient amount of students to enroll.</p>
<p>Back with physics results for the F2013 cycle from PhysicsGRE:</p>
<p>Acceptances: </p>
<ul>
<li>A Romanian student, GPA: 3.96, 3 years of research experience without publication, Q:167-V:152-A:4.5-P:720</li>
<li>Another student, GPA: 3.87, 18 months of research experience without publication, Q:168-V:169-A:4.5-P:850</li>
<li>A girl, GPA: 3.8, 1 poster, 3 years of research experience, GRE scores unavailable</li>
</ul>
<p>1 waitlist: some Laval University scrub (or another Canadian college with photonics and attosecond physics), GPA: 3.85, 1 article as 2nd author/2, Q:790-V:600-A:4.5-P:720</p>
<p>1 rejection: A 3.8 student, with 3 REUs, GRE scores unavailable</p>
<p>Any trace of tufting?</p>
<p>Catria: No trace of “Tufts Syndrome” there.</p>
<p>To all: I used to snarkily point out that the alleged “Tufts Syndrome” rejectees had lower scores, grades, and equal/worse ECs to mine, but I got accepted. Apparently, the snark was ignored (or a new generation of people came up who hadn’t heard it). </p>
<p>The reality is that if you are white or Asian, from the suburbs of Boston, NY, DC, or California, attended a good high school, and have college-educated parents, you aren’t going to get in unless you are top 5% of your class, mid/high 700s on all parts of the SAT, and have great extracurricular activities. From those who were given more opportunities, more is expected.</p>
<p>Almost one in ten Tufts students is the first generation to college. I doubt that the admissions committee is looking for as strong SAT scores out of that crew. A lot of Tufts students do not speak English as their first language; I doubt that the admissions committee is dinging them for low verbal SAT scores. Many are from the South and the Midwest, states wherein students typically do not score as high as their coastal counterparts on standardised tests. (Look at NMSQ scores to get an idea of how sharp the differences are.) </p>
<p>And Tufts <em>really</em> cares about extracurricular involvement. Don’t apply to a school that has an entire college of active citizenship if you sit on your tush all day.</p>
<p>(How was the rant?)</p>
<p>“The reality is that if you are white or Asian, from the suburbs of Boston, NY, DC, or California, attended a good high school, and have college-educated parents, you aren’t going to get in unless you are top 5% of your class, mid/high 700s on all parts of the SAT”</p>
<p>Absolutely positively not true,</p>