Tufts University Top Questions

Mostly rich---strong Jewish presence; fair amount of international folk. Most socially adept individuals should be able to find a niche

Tufts is like a TV dinner; everybody sticks to their own groups with very little intermingling. The average Tufts student is a rich liberal Jew from CT (myself included). Possibly one of the most liberal places in the US. For the most part we're all big dorks.

Ok...here is the deal. There is mad segregation on campus. Don't ask me why, Tufts is one of the most PC and accepting student bodies imaginable and yet racial groups seem to form. There has been a lot of talk about there being houses like the Asian house and the Africana house and whether we ought to allow them since they may add to the milieu. However, despite there being visible signs of racial self division, there is no racism anywhere to be seen.

Being from the West Coast, it was hard to adjust to the attitudinal differences of a mostly Northeastern student body. Ultimately, I struggled to find my "place" on campus, but I think the students are pretty good natured.

Tufts is a very accepting campus- in many respects. My friends are so diverse I really feel like that has added a lot to my growth. I mean, economically, religiously, ethnically, orientation-wise my friends come from all walks of life- and I feel like, unless you go out of your way to shape your group of friends a certain way, that's the same pattern for everyone. People are politically aware- in fact one of my good friends and I have been emailing back and forth about the primaries while we're away from school! Tufts is liberal and moderate, not many conservatives.

I feel that Tufts is very diverse compared to most New England colleges, especially ethnically and internationally so. It is also fairly liberal, however, not as much as I expected at all. There are extremely artsy/hippie segments of the Tufts population, however, I came from an artsy highschool so I find Tufts to be less artsy than what I'm used to. Students wear typical clothing to class- very casual, sweatpants, etc. Occassionally there will be a girl who dresses up but its not overall like some colleges I've visited in the south. Students definitely mix along ethnic lines, especially in the realm of athletics and dorm life. However, people do tend to group by interest so after the first part of the year, usually you will see athletes hanging out with athletes, actors with actors, etc, although definitely not as what you could call cliques.

It is very socioeconomically homogeneous and the level is the high levels upper middle class. It can be hard if you do not fit into the bracket to keep up with friends. The community around the university also recognizes this so living off campus near school is extremely costly. The make up of the student body, regionally, is a lot from the MA,NY,PA NJ, the northeast, and California specifically LA and the bay area. The students are very liberal, however the conservatives do have a strong presence: there have been numerous incidents of blatant racism and class-ism.

Tufts is mostly white. Most students are from the northeast with a big California representation, but I do have friends from the South and Midwest. Tufts is a great place to be Jewish. Tufts is very LGBT friendly.

I think Tufts deals with diversity exceptionally well. We have a diverse student body, and there does not appear to be very much animosity between different groups. I will say that like anywhere, it is noticeable that certain groups tend to spend time together based on commonalities such as race, country of origin, etc, but I do not think that this is a problem on campus- I take it to be simply a bond between people that draws them to eachother. I don't think anyone should feel out of place at Tufts- everyone is open minded and very accepting. Most students at Tufts are from the Northeast, California, foreign countries, and Miami. The only regions underrepresented at Tufts are probably the Midwest and West. Socioeconomically students tend to be from Middle to Upper Class background, though I think it's also well known that Tufts tries to reach out and accept students from other backgrounds as well. Students are Tufts are very politically aware and active, and tend to be more to the left than anything.

There is lots of diversity, statistically speaking, but groups tend to self-segregate. We have a "Group of Six" which includes a Women's Center, Asian-American Center, LGBT Center, etc. These groups all have representatives in student government, etc. Tufts is very left-leaning, which is great if you are too. Lots of students are politically active, in all kinds of groups.