<p>I guess that would be the holy trinity :) . yeah yeah "I didnt visit". But when I do , maybe I might not think to ask this question. thanks for any input.</p>
<p>Here’s a thought. Do your own homework…</p>
<p>Bowling and cinema in Davis Square- close to campus. Catholic church services on campus.</p>
<p>The bowling alley is candle pin, which you may not have in your area.</p>
<p>Cinema is gorgeous from outside. Think it shows a mix of first-run and art house fare. And friends love the candle pin bowling joint.</p>
<p>except for one snide remark, thanks for the answers. this is my homework. this is what CC is for - questions, info . I did see in the virtual tour of Tufts which I did click through that there was some sort of multi every denominational building-church. But it was unclear whether it would have a catholic service or some kind of generalized/coexist type of service - thus the question of where is the nearest catholic church to campus.</p>
<p>and yes I never heard of candle pin bowling but looks cool.
<a href=“Candlepin bowling - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlepin_bowling</a></p>
<p>Your point is valid, roderick, about the snide comment, but you ARE starting quite a number of threads with Tufts-related questions. Only so many folks can answer, even on CC. Are you suffering some indecision at the moment? Is something keeping you from being sold on Tufts?</p>
<p>Movie theater also has the Museum of Bad Art which is a hoot.</p>
<p>The Somerville Theatre is one of the top indie theaters in the Boston Area. Also has live performances. Dates back to the early 1900’s</p>
<p><a href=“Somerville Theatre - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerville_Theatre</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/somerville-theatre-somerville”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/somerville-theatre-somerville</a></p>
<p>gondaline, I have never visited Tufts. I live over a 1,000 miles from Tufts. One way you come to know something is to ask questions - you know, in a collegial kind of way. Is there a max number of questions in this Tufts forum’s TOU? I am naturally curious. I am also the dad of my daughter who would be going here, so I have an extra bit of interest in a more thorough vetting of the place. She is 99pct for Tufts from her readings and from her friend who is here now. As I said in another thread I might act as a bit of a devil’s advocate sometimes. But I just read that the dailybeast (2010) said that Tufts is the nmbr 1 in cr<em>m</em>. what’s up with that? </p>
<p>Another way to come to know something is to visit and observe, which we will do on a Jumbo day later. But I just read that the classes for this Jumbo day are not even real classes, but some kind of model classes. The point being here - there are limitations to the empirical observations. I have been to these kinds of sessions and you are shepherded here and there and you might forget those important questions about the cinema, the church and the bowling alley. 
peace</p>
<p>also, we are coming to the d-day home stretch and frankly , it was a bit of a surprise for the acceptance (tho D’s stats exceed ), a pleasant surprise to be sure, so we did not do the old once over w/ Tufts 411.</p>
<p>Our medical school is located in downtown Boston in an area that isn’t the most dangerous, but where (mostly petty) crime is a regular feature of life. This is fairly normal for teaching hospitals. The way the Tufts police department records and reports crime data includes crime in our surrounding community, and the Daily Beast used the relevant crime statistics as reported by our med school, which essentially includes the crime statistics of the entire surrounding neighborhood in downtown Boston.</p>
<p>That ranking, and it’s methodology, has absolutely no relevance to our main campus where all our undergrads live and learn. </p>
<p>On/off topic: the pizza in that bowling alley is ridiculously good. </p>
<p>It’s great to ask so many questions, roderick, and seek empirical answers. I only noted the plethora of questions on your part because I sensed they might not have been answered to your satisfaction.</p>
<p>We went through the same micro-analyzing of factors before D made her decision to apply/ attend, but she actually found the there was a point of diminishing returns when it came to comparing rankings/ lists, reading articles/ guides, etc. In the end, what helped the most was talking with matriculating students. The amazingly helpful admissions office arranged for my D to spend a day with a student, with whom she was able to attend a class and make observations, and to whom she asked questions (and who was a delight to share the day with). I know distance prevents you from attending an actual class, but you might still be able to arrange for her to talk with a student.</p>
<p>As for Jumbo Day, I believe the classes we attended were “model” in that they replicated actual lectures, discussions, etc. We sat in on fascinating classes in archaeology and engineering and did not feel we’d had a “watered-down” experience. And we were not shepherded about that day. Indeed, after opening speeches, you are left pretty much on your own to choose among various class sit-ins, performances, club tents, dining hall drop-ins, etc. I would suggest you take in Davis Square while you are here.</p>
<p>And Dan’s analysis of the misleading crime statistic is on target, and has been discussed on other threads, I believe. My D makes her way in and about the Somerville campus/ Davis Square/ Boston without concern.</p>
<p>Good luck to your D!</p>
<p>thanks for the replies. was there ever a sort of re-do of the ranking (by the DB or Tufts), stripping out the med school in dt Boston? that would be interesting - and <em>relevant</em> for the <em>UG</em> Tufts pgm. I am sure some smart Tufts person cd do (have done) this. If this were done, would it drop in rank do you all reckon? I have to concur with posters above who tell the importance of direct observations to better evaluate this dimension. Are there boarded up buildings, martian landscapes, obvious drug dealers on the corners? this is the landscape less than a mile from the Univ of Chicago (near where we hail from) which is curiously ranked below Tufts in this ranking.</p>
<p>Yes, we look forward to two whole long days on the campus. </p>
<p>“Are there boarded up buildings, martian landscapes, obvious drug dealers on the corners?” Absolutely not. the Medford/Sommerville neighborhood surrounding the Tufts campus is charming. Davis Square, which is the closest commercial area, is lively and filled with terrific restaurants, a CVS, live music, etc. There are some homeless people there but it’s a very safe area. You must really visit and all your questions will be answered.</p>
<p>Michigangem is spot-on. </p>
<p>And if you’ve never been to a first-tier Boston suburb, then you’ll be either charmed or overwhelmed (or both!) by the circuitous roads and rotaries, the densely packed residential Victorians/ Queen Anns/ Colonials and low-rise brick commercial buildings, the parks and greens butting up against busy streets, the WholeFoods near a corner gas station… Having been raised in the Chicago area myself and spent most of my life in Northeast, I would say that the Boston area suburbs are unique in their sense of “ancient-ness”. Beauty and history abuts grunge in the most unexpected ways. But never that “wasteland” feel of the endless Chicagoland sprawl, imo.</p>
<p>Any rough-and-tumble feel to the area is more a factor of its diverse demographics and busy topography. It is not blighted by crime and decay. Read this article to get a sense of how the area has transformed:</p>
<p><a href=“Somerville worries it’s growing too hip - The Boston Globe”>Somerville worries it’s growing too hip - The Boston Globe;
<p>You do have to watch out for mountain lions. Winchester is next to Medford.</p>
<p><a href=“Winchester police warn residents about mountain lion sightings - The Boston Globe”>Winchester police warn residents about mountain lion sightings - The Boston Globe;
<p>an update: went to jumbo days and loved the place. I did not get an unsafe sense in and around the campus. I walked alone (dad) to davis square at around 11-1130 pm. saw one single girl walking; two groups of gals walking back; a guy walking his dog and a jogger. davis square was really nice. </p>
<p>The houses along the way were all kept up . Most were big rambling victorians. I dont think they were vinyl or alum sided so the owners have kept up on the $14k paint jobs.</p>
<p>Having no car, we gave the mass trans a workout and it worked nice and seemed safe enough.</p>
<p>The one word to sum up my impressions of Tufts so far (from a person from chicago where proximity to home was an important factor):</p>
<p>HOMEY</p>
<p>daughter gladly accepted and it a jumbo.</p>
<p>is a jumbo</p>
<p>Congrats to your daughter! So glad you had a favorable impression of the school and the area during your visit. Descriptions on this site can only convey so much. And yes, “homey” is a great one-word description of the school!</p>