<p>My son is struggling with the decision of Wake vs. Tufts. Any input on comparisons of student body/school spirit/fun, best school for medical school aspirations, research opportunities, anything else is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Hi!</p>
<p>My reply will probably be far from scientific but I looked at Tufts as well and have two friends who go there as well as a friend from here who actually transferred from Tufts to Wake.</p>
<p>The general opinion is that the social life is much better/bigger here. Also, since Tufts isn’t a big sports school, I would venture to say we’re more spirited. Both schools are top 30 (Wake is top 25 and Tufts is about there, I think 28 but I could be wrong) so you’ll get a comparable education.</p>
<p>For pre-med I would say maybe a toss up, maybe leaning towards Tufts - just because many of my high school friends who wanted to go to med school were all dying to get into Tufts. Not sure why/if this is based on facts though. Many students here are pre-med and Wake’s med school is top notch, though. </p>
<p>Research opportunities - really can’t help you there unfortunately. However my little sister in my sorority got an awesome research opportunity at Wake for the summer, so I can tell you that they exist! But that’s about all.</p>
<p>I hope your son figures it out. If it helps at all, Tufts and Wake are very different, so if he is able to visit either/both that might make his decision easier. My parents both hated Tufts and I loved it (in the end I was wait listed but decided not to stay on the wait list). Definitely different atmospheres.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>The two schools are categorically very similar - collegiate universities with relatively small graduate schools. This means that at both schools, the professors not TAs will teach and you will get research opportunities if you ask the profs. I considered Tufts as well, and lately I have been thinking that it might have been better if I have chosen Tufts, but I have no regrets.</p>
<p>Tufts’ student body is more diverse while Wake Forest is pretty much the least diverse school among the USNWR top 30 institutions. Tufts is a bit bigger in terms of student body, but Wake is planning on recruiting more students, so it will be about the same. </p>
<p>Wake probably has more school spirit, but Wake’s sports teams have not been doing very well in recent years. I don’t know how I would define “fun”, but Greek life is big at Wake for sure. I have heard that Tufts had a sizable Greek population, but that’s from my friend who goes to Harvard. I would say, though, if you are not into the Greek scene, the Boston area would be a very fun place for a college student. In terms of getting into Med school, the program itself is well organized, but many of my friends who wanted to go to the med school struggled with their grades. However, Tufts’ grade deflation situation is very well known for those who have heard of Tufts. I actually think the competition might be tougher at Tufts, but that is just a guess. </p>
<p>In addition, as far as reputation is concerned, Tufts is slightly better known internationally (I know this because I am an international student) and better known in the northeast as a very tough (tufff…ts?) school academically. Wake is probably better known in the South, also reputed as a very tough school to get A’s, but perhaps unlike Tufts’ reputation part of (but not all) Wake’s name recognition owes to its sports teams as well. </p>
<p>Lastly, as far as rankings are concerned, Wake’s USNWR ranking has had an upward trend in recent years whereas Tufts’ ranking remained the same/slightly downward trend. But I’d advise you not to trust USNEWS. In other rankings, Tufts is usually ranked higher than Wake.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies Hucmenzu and Pinkcupcake14. Much appreciated.</p>