Tufts University Top Questions

I love the Tufts academics- I'm double majoring in Spanish and Community Health (CH). CH is a great major, and not every college has it! I'm also in a combined degree program- I'm taking graduate classes now (for free!) and will be able to finish my Master's of Public Health in just one year after I graduate. Tufts has a lot of combined degree programs which are great because Tufts students can take their graduate classes for free, and can apply easily to graduate school as sophomores, avoiding that stress senior year. Class size and professor depends on the department. Intro classes are usually big- 200+ students, but after taking the intro class, the other department classes are much smaller and there's more participation. Some professors know every kid's name, some never learn any. You talk to upper classmen and find out which classes are good, and which aren't so good. Also, because Tufts is relatively small, it's really easy to bend the academic rules. Last semester I designed my own independent study class and took it one-on-one with my adviser. You don't have that flexibility at bigger schools!

I have had some excellent professors at Tufts. I have also had some God awful professors here. Usually by sophomore year or so you hear who you should take classes from and who you shouldn't.

i think academics at tufts varies tremendously within departments. in economics, the faculty was so-so but in international relations, the professors were phenomenal. there is also a problem at tufts with grade deflation. there isn't anything like a forced curve, but professors make it so difficult to get an A sometimes that it is ridiculous, especially since Harvard, which already has a much bigger name, gives out grades of 'A' like crazy. it is also somewhat tough to get a job in certain industries, especially finance. the tufts name isn't big enough yet in the finance world and career services needs to focus more on that

The professors are brilliant!

I have been slightly disappointed by the professors in the Economics department. Many that I have had have been boring and hard to understand. Unfortunately I have not had the luck to take classes with quality professors that I know exist.

I have such great relationships with professors. With some I am on a first-name basis and have gone to their houses. Others are less personal, but they are equally inspiring. Of course, some are lame. Classes are generally great, but I have been in some crappy ones. Seminars are an excellent way to learn from both your professors and your classmates. Everyone does the reading and people honestly debate and sometimes persuade each other in different directions.

Academics are top-notch at Tufts. No matter what major, you are probably not going to have a light load of work, but Tufts is especially known for its international relations program, which carries with it many many stressful nights, but with a huge payoff. Its a grueling program but the international relations professors, along with most of the other professors, have huge connections outside of the Tufts bubble. Classes can either be fiercely intimate or quite spacious (my largest class has been around 150), but no matter what, professors are always available if you need help, and they WANT to get to know you. Every single one of my professors, with a very limited exception, have been extraordinarily helpful if you ever need advice, whether it be for their own class or even if you are thinking about career paths. Something that does annoy me about Tufts though is the distribution requirements that every student has to fill. Even if you are a drama major, you still have to take two math classes, and an assortment of other classes that include humanities, world civilization, english, and natural sciences. As much as it annoys me, Tufts is a school that stresses a liberal arts education, so you will leave the school having a more rounded education.

Tufts students may love to have fun on the weekends, but the focus is first and foremost on academics. It's enjoyable to be in classes full of bright engaging kids who ask questions and care about what they are learning. What I appreciate the most however is how supportive everyone is. I studied with classmates in nearly every single class, and I have yet to meet anyone who wasn't truly glad to offer help and to see everyone else succeed. It's an extremely positive work environment and in my one big lecture class of 40 kids this year I learned more from my friends than from my teacher. My average class size this year was about 14 kids per class and I especially got to know my german professors really well. I've found that if you take the first step and reach out to your teacher, they will always respond and become a great friend and mentor.

Academics at Tufts has a lot of negatives with some sporadic positives thrown in. In small classes characterized by an intimate atmosphere, professors tend to know your name. However, in large lecture classes, it is the complete opposite. My favorite class was Dante's Inferno, which was a small class taught by a brilliant professor who knows any and everything there is to know about Dante Alighieri the poet. I HATE THE BIOLOGY DEPT. AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY...it ruins lives. Class participation is fairly common. Be prepared to share your ideas and thoughts, even if you know very little about the subject matter at hand. I am a biological-psychology students, which basically means I take half of my required courses in Bio and half in psych, and all classes deal with neurobiology. I rarely spend time with my professors outside of class unless I attend office hours or review sessions. Students at Tufts are incredibly competitive which, as a freshman in a challenging class can be very intimidating. Professors are very knowledgeable intellectuals, but often they are unable to portray their knowledge to students in an efficient way. Education is geared toward learning for its own sake rather than getting a job.

I love my classes. Professors are wonderful - some great, some not as great, just like everywhere else. I personally love how available the teachers are outside of the classroom. They love working one-on-one and helping students.