Summing it up: I enjoyed it immensely overall. For those who aren't familiar with the school, it is medium sized (around 5,000) undergrad and while it boasts wonderful grad schools (Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts Medical School, Dental School, etc) the only one that resides on the Medford campus (the main Arts and Science campus) is the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Having Fletcher there is a gold mine to International Relations majors (as myself) because its prestige as the top Masters in International Affairs program in the country attracts prominent speakers and professors. Therefore, it was nice having all undergraduates on the campus.

Tufts is a research institution which means that no TA's can teach an undergraduate course. While some prospective students may not care about this fact, when you start paying 30,000+ every year, you want the best quality education that money can buy (i.e. published professors with credentials) and not some grad student to teach you). An interesting note, my Introduction to Anthropology course was taught by the HEAD of the Anthropology Department. My TA (who led the weekly 50-minute recitation) was the Intro to Anthropology teacher at Harvard. The difference? You decide...

As for student life, Tufts offered the best of both worlds. Having a campus tucked away in Cambridge gave it a New England college-feel with grass and trees while the ridiculous proximity to downtown Boston attracted city-savvy students. One of the best views in Boston can be found on the roof of the Tisch Library! Tufts also offers a Greek system which can be important to some (about 3 sororities and 13 fraternities) however unlike many schools in the US, Tufts' social scene does not revolve around the Greek system since it competes with the whole city of Boston and the rest of the Tufts activities as well (plays, cultural shows, comedians, etc). Boston is not just a college town; it is a college city and playground to all 60-college students. I really never was bored once at Tufts, it was more a stressful decision of what to choose each weekend!

Food-never a problem. I heard once while at Tufts that we had the #3 food quality in the country. Some may laugh at this fact but when I had a friend at another college call her dining hall "The Rat", I realized just how lucky I was. Daily vegetarian casseroles, fresh wraps, delicious Sunday brunch (blintzes, waffles, and pancakes), etc led to my being on the meal plan all four years.

While I have praised this school up and down, I will now be blunt and explain some "cons" about Tufts. The cost of this school is absolutely ridiculous. There is no reason why it should cost this much when some of the Ivies are cheaper. Tufts unfortunately has a small endowment compared to other schools it's size and caliber (Emory University in Atlanta and Washington University in St. Louis) come to mind). While alumni givings are increasing each year, it is just not at a fast enough rate to compete with student demands. This results in an exorbitant tuition as well as nickel and diming throughout the four years. Something to take into consideration.

In short, please do not pass up looking at Tufts because Harvard and MIT are nearby. I had friends who turned down Harvard and Brown and chose Tufts instead, and never once regretted it. Broaden your horizons and come take a closer look!






Recommended: Yes