impressions about Tufts?

Question

Im looking at several boston area schools, what would you say about Tufts? What have you heard? Compared to boston university? Its comparable to Cornell, one of the lower "ivies" isnt it? same acceptance rate i think.

Answer 1

I attend BU for my MA in CJ, and there have been deflation grading articles recently about the university, but I have not seen or had this happen. A few people I know have complained they cannot get above a B-, but they do not put in the time to influence their grade in a positive manner, as BU classes require a lot of dedication. I also know people who went to Tufts for undergrad and liked it, but it is VERY different then BU, as the type of people are different and the push of programs are different. I would probably look at the programs you are interested in and the type of classes required, as you might be more interested in one over the other just based on the type of classes as one school might have more of your type of learning style classes. Plan your college career around the program of your interest and your future, less according to its rank in society. Good luck and wish you the best in your choice, as they are both good schools!

Answer 2

Tufts has a campus while BU does not. BU is more in the city, so it's a lot less of the "college campus" feel.

I made a visit to Tufts and it seemed the campus is more uniformly kept up and up to date, whereas BU's facilities can range from the state of the art new fitness center to broken down and leaky classrooms in very desperate need of repair.

BU has been plagued with administration changes and drama in the past 5 years. Although for the most part it doesn't directly affect student life from day to day, the fact that changes are in place and that the university is in a bit of a transition period (relatively new president, the dean of the arts and sciences school will step down).

BU has been rumored to have an informal "grade deflation" policy, which can make getting an A extremely hard, although the administration denies it. It's also dependent on what types of classes you take.

If it matters to you, the ratio of male to female at BU is 40 to 60 percent or so.

All schools, however, have their own individual dramas. If you get the chance, find the "Off the Record" books which is supposedly based on students opinions. Other sites that you can take a look at (take a grain of salt...) include ratemyprofessors.com

Answer 3

Tufts is certainly not compatible with Cornell when it comes to reputation. The acceptance rate may be similar, because a different pool applies to the two schools. It may be that many more people try Tufts driving down the acceptance rate.

But yes, you're right, the rate of acceptance is similar, 27% at Cornell, 28% at Tufts according to this table:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/webex/lowacc_brief.php