Tufts University Top Questions

Tufts is an amazing community that provides students with so many opportunities. Its not a huge college town type of school and its not like the other NESCAC schools (Bates, Bowdoin etc) which are very small. For me, Tufts is the perfect sized school that isnt so large that you feel lost and insignificant and its not too small where everyone knows everyone by the end of the first week. I will always remember staying up the whole night to paint and guard the cannon(a tufts tradition where anyone can paint a cannon for any event/group/birthday etc). We painted it to wish our softball team good luck at the conference tournament. While it was absolutely freezing outside, it was totally worth it.

Tufts is a good suburban school, you have access to Boston but most people don't actually use it because there is plenty to do around campus.

I would say at first glance Tufts looks pretty homogeneous, a sea of brown fleece. Although there are lots of preppy types and over achievers Tufts also has hidden coves of different, interesting people. Given the opportunity you can meet some pretty kooky people, but don't expect Tufts to be a hub of hipness. There are lots of rich kids. There are a fair number of people that I would identify as "uptight" but who you meet has a lot to do with where you live and who you hang-out with. Both the Arts Haus and the Crafts house(to themed houses where you can live starting freshman year) are places of interest and oasis' from the l.l. bean and j. crew crowds.

campus is alright. It's all on a hill - hard to avoid the hill. College students are generally lazy walkers unless you're a go-getter. Right outside the city - very close to public transportation. The locals, whom Tufts students call "townies" try to bully tufts students. Those students who are mean, ignorant of the locals - to me it's like a dog sense - if the locals can tell you are scared or you're not real they'll be rightfully all over you. But if you're a real person who doesn't mind respecting and talking with locals you'll be alright. School is cliquey (like AAfricans hang with Africans, Europeans hang with Euros and so on) but there are a good amount of people who are past that and reach beyond their ethnicity. There's not much talk about on campus, but like i say if you're a go-getta you can do. People won't do anything beyond their norm unless someone initiates - so the opportunities are there. If you're not from New England, I wouldn't reccommend it. Don't get me wrong, coming to a school in Boston, I reccommend the experience, but the social life gets old fairly qucikly. Be careful with the "pre-frosh" invite. Tufts does nothing all year and then try to dress up the school to basically 'sell' Tufts to students. They try to make it all exciting, vibrant and happy when normal days aren't like that. There is no school pride (our biggest event is a Naked Quad Run - ask somebody about the dumb event), but a whole lot of individual pride. If you are applying to colleges, PLEASE VISIT as many Pre-Frosh invites as possible. Cuz U'll get a better idea of how the school is trying to "sell it" to you and what's reality. I'm from DC and I wish I never went to the school, but at the same time Boston (and the colleges) is very unique. It's a place where you would want to say "I've been there." There's a big disjunct between students and admin. Unless you're already an A student, the admin seems to be out to fail students. One more advice, IF you know you are a Family Person and You Know Thy'll Support U, Don't Go to School Far (more than 3 hrs.) from HOME, especially if you're not from NE. It's one of the worst places to stay if you have that situation. The people of New England are just like the weather, VERY COLD-HEARTED. They won't even speak to you, unless, like I said, you are a GO-GETTER. You have to be a real Go-getta to survive socially (even academically) at Tufts. So I know you want to go to college far from home, but I please know that family support situation. Nobody really likes NE, except NE. I reccommend you don't go to any school more northern than NYC. But do find a friend who goes to school in NE because, like I said, NE is a place where you would want to say "I've been there. And seen that." Peace

worst school ever

The size and location of Tufts is perfect for me. There are enough students that you can make lots of friends but still be able to meet new people all the time, but it's not so big that you're just a number. We're so close to Boston, but don't have to really deal with the city and the T unless it's just for a day. I find that Tufts didn't used to be a name that people knew when I told them where I was applying. That's changed considerably in recent years, with a lot of Tufts grads making important contributions to the real world... Now when I tell people where I go, more often than not I get both recognition and respect. The most frequent student complaints are the things you hear on any college campus-- dining hall options/hours, the housing system, living costs, etc. Tufts handles them as well as any other university. Walking up the hill to class in winter isn't exactly a blast, but what can you do about that? It builds character, anyway.

The great thing about Tufts is that it is big enough that you don't bump into that crazy ex-girlfriend or boyfriend (or both, depending on your preference) all the time and have that awkward glance but it small enough that you at least recognize most people in your class. One of the major reasons that I decided to go to Tufts over some other comparably ranked schools I got into was because it has a campus (with lots of grass and trees) but is still very close to a major city (Boston). You get the best of both worlds. Potentially the most unusual thing at Tufts is our annual Naked Quad Run (NQR) where the student body lets off steam before exams by running around the quad naked in December (which is a bit cold for us guys).

Tufts is a great school to attend. Everything you could possibly want is within reach and you get a top notch education. The student body is very accepting of all cultures and I had no trouble making many different groups of friends during my time at Tufts.

I really liked the size of my graduate program at the Fletcher School and thought that it was an appropriate size and scale for what I wanted. There is certainly some tension between the Fletcher School and the University and it is often stated that Fletcher is exclusive and shut off from the remainder of the University. There are some initiatives to overcome this barrier, and I think and hope that it is changing. I thought that the student traditions at Tufts were really fun, and there seems to be an international presence and interest at the school that is really notable

This school is the perfect size. It isn't too small so it's a change from high school, but it is small enough that the students don't get lost in the shuffle. It's in the perfect location. It has a campus, but is 15 minutes from the great city of Boston. The administration at Tufts is available, but not overbearing. Mostly, there are people pulling for ya every step of the way and help is readily available when college becomes (and it will) a little overwhelming.