I’m really interested in Tufts (deciding between it and two other schools) but I always get inconsistent information on what the party scene is like. Do Tufts kids use fake IDs at bars? Do they go to parties at other colleges? I’ve read that there are frat parties, but how often are these and how much do people go? Party scene isn’t the most important thing to me obviously, but it is a factor. I’m worried that most Tufts kids spend most nights in, and I’m not like that. I work really hard, but I like to blow off steam. Do Tufts kids party, where, and how much? Thank you!
There are people who fall under all of the categories you mentioned at Tufts. If you want to go out any given night you’ll be able to find something.
Here’s a short answer after I consulted with my daughter, a freshman at Tufts (and she is pretty social, but not wild). it really depends on how actively you want to search for a party. If you want to find one, you will find one. The first semester this year at Tufts was especially rough because more than half of the frats were on probation, and they are generally the center of freshman (and possibly sophomore) party activity. Still, she managed to meet a lot of new people and be very social. What she likes at Tufts, even if you aren’t part of a frat or Greek house you can still attend the frat parties. My daughter rushed, but ended up not pledging and is still going to frat parties. Now that she has been to all the frats and a bunch of the athletic houses for parties, she realizes she isn’t a fan of every house or party, so when she doesn’t like the frat or the parties offered, there can seem to be a lack of things to do on campus. She may be a bit more choosy in that regard, than others. As for using a fake ID to get into bars in Somerville, I am not sure how prevalent that is. My daughter has he bartenders are very vigilant about that, because obviously everyone probably has one, and I am not sure if she’s ever tried to get a drink at a bar in Somerville. Also, being 18 and female, bars aren’t often the first place you are going to look for social activity. The on campus parties are more fun. Bottom line I would say that Tufts is moderate in this regard. She has friends at state schools (Michigan, Cal, Indiana,) and has the sense that you start drinking/partying at 10 AM on game days (every weekend) and need to be part of a Greek system or athletic group to be involved, or invited. As for other LACs, her best friend is at Wesleyan, and we hear that the partying starts on Tuesdays and goes through the weekend. For her, that’s too much. She also seems to think that the LACs in more rural areas (Kenyon, for example), there is more partying because there is less to do. At Tufts, there is Somerville, Cambridge and Boston to consider for fun, as well.
I’m a freshman (dude) at Tufts, and I had some of the same concerns because I am also a social person. I’m going to be honest about the social scene for me and of course, it’s different for everyone. Now that I’m here, sometimes it can be more of a challenge to get into the more choosy frats, and first semester was rough because all the probations. A lot of the social life moves off campus for juniors and seniors since so many have houses, and they sometimes have big house parties that freshmen attend, either invited or friends of friends. A lot of clubs have bondings off campus and there are the athletic houses which function as mini frats in terms of party scene. Even our “frattiest” frats are much smaller than what you’d see at a bigger school but I haven’t had much of a problem finding things to do. If you have any more specific questions don’t hesitate to ask.
Daughter is a freshman. My impression is that there is a huge social scene if that’s what you want.