Tufts University Top Questions

Yes, completely accurate.

There are a few that might fit these , but that's the case with all schools.

The only one that is true is the strong international presence. Tufts is known for being a very diverse school. We certainly know how to have fun though. I was supprised by party scene because I believed the stereotypes. I couldn't have been more wrong. Plus our sports teams are actually really good. The football team has suffered in the past but its getting a lot better and a lot of teams are either 1st or 2nd in the conference. And most of the Ivy league schools are crap. I wanted to go to Tufts and I applied early decision. Sure there are some good Ivys but c'mon...Cornell? Those weirdos at Brown?

No, Tufts students work hard, but they play hard as well

Not in the least. While there are certainly the nerdy kids, as well as a fair number of Asian and Jewish kids on campus, to say that everyone on campus is like that is far from the truth. I have met every kind of person at Tufts in the past year, and I have yet to hear someone say that they were truly unhappy that they ended up at Tufts (For most of my friends, it was their first choice school).

To a certain extent, the stereotypes are true. There are a lot of wealthy students here, but I (and many others I know) depend on financial aid. That's probably like most New England liberal arts schools. Academic competition-wise, Tufts is pretty laid-back. A lot of students choose to come here to escape high school grade comparing. There are a few crazy pre-meds, but generally students work together on problem sets, for example, and aren't concerned about edging out their friends on tests. As for the Ivy reject complex - it's pretty much over. I chose Tufts over an Ivy and I know many others who have too! We seem to have some stiff competition with Brown though, and I've heard complaints of being waitlisted there. Still, students are happy where they end up.

Yes but there are other types of people that can be happy at Tufts too. Those are just the most visible on the campus

some... a lot of kids who are wealthy from NY or NJ, but many of them are really cool and unpretentious. All the stereotypes about the international kids seem true to me.

Sort of. 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of us did apply to Ivys and a most of us did get rejected from them or weren't offered enough aid. There is a healthy amount of competition but it's not cut-throat and even if we came in bitter, with each passing month, TUFTS feels more like home.

I do not believe in or support any stereotypes. Tufts students should be judged as individuals.

Let's face it, all stereotypes come from some truth. Yes many Tufts students are Ivy-League rejects, and some of those are definitely bitter about it. However, those students usually seem to look to transfer in my experience. Also, I know students who have gotten into Ivy-League schools but not into Tufts, so who knows how the college application process really works. I myself applied to Tufts early decision and am friends with a handful of others who did. As far as being liberal, that is pretty accurate. I have only met a handful of conservatives so far at Tufts. Yes, most of the students have money. Let's face it, the tuition is quite high. However, most of the people I know spend and manage their money very carefully and don't just throw it around. As for the girls all being unattractive, as a female I'd disagree, but I know some males who feel otherwise. As for the guys all being nerds, I mean yes a lot of them are, but being a nerd isn't a bad thing. It just means that they are smart and that even most of the frat guys can hold an intelligent conversation.

yes

There is a bit of everything.

yes

Students are generally very smart. Almost everyone was extremely involved in their high school in both academics and extra curriculars. I did not find that anybody was particularly bitter about not going to a "better" school. Tufts has a rising reputation and students were happy there. Many students were wealthy, but there were quite a few who had work-study programs and had to worry about financial issues.

we have lots of IR majors and im sure some kids used to want to be at an IVY league school but have since changed their tune because they realized that Tufts rocks.

Hells to the no! Just kidding, they are. I mean, I've heard that our courses are harder, but having not gone to an Ivy League school, I wouldn't know. As far as I'm concerned, though, it's the student that makes the student, not the university. So this Ivy League categorization can go to hell for all I care.

I find that a good number of students did apply to Ivy Leagues, as Tufts is an elite school and overlaps with that group of colleges. However, even if some did get rejected from their "first choices" schools, a great many came happily and now say they wouldn't want to be anywhere else. The amount of people that are early decision might also surprise the "Ivy-backup" nay-sayers.

Not in my experience. I've certainly come across a few examples of such attitudes, but the vast majority sneer at these stereotypes and just go on being active, enthusiastic Tufts students. Most people I know are happy to be here, and even if they initially did not have their heart set on Tufts, that tapers off pretty quickly. Many actually choose Tufts over big name schools, I feel that the type of person who makes this choice is someone who cares more about the fit of the school and the undergraduate experience than the name cred of attending a school that's mostly well-known because it has a good basketball team, or somesuch. Tufts is no Brandeis. There are a fair amount of Jews, but I think that speaks to the diversity we try to encourage. Also Hillel has an established presence - but I know lots of people who identify as ethnic Jews and don't practice the religion at all. It's true that many people adopt the North face fleece and the Uggs - but I think that's more about the need for warm clothes when you have to walk around outside in the winter. At Tufts I've been exposed to kids of all different socioeconomic backgrounds, even if on average the students do come from families that can more or less afford the costly tuition. Mostly we do not talk about socioeconomic differences, and don't let someone's financial situation ever become an issue or get in the way of a good time. Freshman year it wouldn't occur to me that some of my friends may not have the money to go out to dinner every week - by now we've found different, cost-free ways of entertaining ourselves. I know a pair of girls; one is from rural Pennsylvania and the other lives on Park Ave in Manhattan. You probably wouldn't be able to tell which is which, and they've been best friends since we got here 3 years ago.

While it is slowly changing every year, there are a large number students that consider themselves well-off. The good news is that if you assume a Tufts student is wealthy, you'll be wrong far more often than right. Furthermore, you'll mostly meet well-adjusted richer folk who would never waggle their fortunate background in anyone's face. For the obnoxious few that never learned about humility, most tend to figure it out by the end of their freshmen year.