<p>Tufts is, objectively, a better school than Bowdoin. My parents would not let me even look at (let alone apply to) Bowdoin - straight-up, they just said that it wasn't a good enough school. I was 17 and asked to look at it - they said "no way in hell." </p>
<p>Not that it's a bad school, but it's not Georgetown or Tufts, which are more similar than different. The only thing G-town, Duke, and Northwestern have going for them that Tufts doesn't have is DI sports, which make a fantastic difference in the rankings but are negatively correlated with actual educational benefit.</p>
<p>Playing your game... PROVE that Bowdoin is unquestionably better than Tufts. :) </p>
<p>My problem with "SmartGuy's" posts was not that he was a teenager; it was that, as a teenager who had never set foot on the Tufts campus, he presumed to know more about it than other people who had actually, you know, gone to school there. I do not insult people based on their ages; however, his age was a relevant credential (or lack thereof) in the discussion. I don't insult people based on their gender, either, but if some guy presumed to be the know-it-all about child birth, then his gender would - quite rightlyr. - be a very valid criticism. There is no rule - legal or otherwise -that dictates that we must be so careful to avoid insulting anyone based on age, sex, religion, handicap, weight, or what-have-you that we avoid pointing out the obvious: that said person's characteristics make them less knowledgeable about the subject at hand. If I were to start telling a bunch of testicular cancer survivors that I knew more about the disease than they did, I really hope that they would btch slap me, say that, as a chick, I have no clue, and tell me to go get my nails done. I would not see that as undermining my equally valid viewpoint or saying that their only argument against me is that I'm a girl, so they are pathetic. Sixteen year olds don't know a thing about college. They certainly don't know something about more than one of them. Pointing out that his credentials leave something to be desired does not make us unable to respond intellectually. Teenagers do not have equally valid viewpoints as adults on things they have never experienced. They haven't gone to war, gone to college, held a real job, driven cars (in some states), signed leases, gotten promotions, gotten married, had kids, been engaged, bought a house, paid their car insurance, had friends die, traveled by themselves, had a legal drink, or done much of anything aside from going to high school and doing marching band. There is NOTHING wrong with pointing out that they are uniquely unqualified to make certain judgments, and that their opinions are significantly less informed than the opinions of people with more experience. Hello!</p>
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I'm sorry but bashing someones posts because he's a teenager = not adult.
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Let's play your game, dahlin. Where did I bash his posts solely on account of him being a teenager? Would it be on account of him never having attended Tufts? Would it be on account of him never having attended college? Would those posts have been so utterly ridiculous and uninformed that it needed to be pointed out that he lacks any basic understanding of my alma mater? Face it - TEENAGERS AND ADULTS ARE DIFFERENT. TEENAGERS ARE OFTEN LESS INFORMED THAN ADULTS. I'm under no obligation to pretend that every lilly-livered 15-year-old who comes along has an equal understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of attending my alma mater as I do, having actually graduated from high school, gone there, and spent several years as an active alumna. </p>
<p>This isn't rocket science. In case you think I'm contradicting myself, I'm not... just pointing out that 1) there was no bashing going on; 2) pointing out that he is a teenager is, in this context, an extremely valid criticism. You are always allowed to point out that someone lacks the credentials to make an argument, when the argument largely depends on certain experiences. </p>
<p>You do backtrack; you're not trying to say that I haven't had a great time, but you do doubt the benefit of being an alumnus/a and of the Tufts name. I'm pointing out that, in my experience, it has been extremely beneficial to have the Tufts degree. You seem to doubt this, but give us NO reasons as to why. All you say is that "Tufts clearly isn't elite." Well, to me, that isn't so clear. In fact, when people say, "Wow, you got a great education," "Tufts is an amazing school;" or "You must be really smart if you were a Tufts engineer," then I tend to think that many people have a very high opinion of the school. </p>
<p>I'm really sorry for you - you do have the hate going on for your school. You don't, sadly, see how far it's going to get you. Life isn't Harvard, Yale, and everyone else. Again, Harvard grads don't walk around with their own personal sunshine; they don't have legions of adoring fans who are prepared to move heaven and earth from them; they don't mention where they went to school and have everyone swoon onto Italian silk sofas. They are still human! You don't like Tufts because you expect $160,000 to come with a fairy godmother, too. Guess what? MIT won't give you that, either.</p>