Tufts v Wesleyan - social scene?
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Anonymous
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My DS has narrowed his list down to Tufts & Wesleyan.
He attended both admitted student days but still doesn’t have a great feel for what the social life would be like. It sounded like maybe Wesleyan might be a closer-knit community? He wants to have fun but isn’t a hard core partier. Dating? He is at an all-boys HS so it’s definitely a consideration. |
Anonymous
| I have a very social DD at Wes and she loves it. There are options for all types of kids, everything from large frat parties to small house parties, campus events, theater and art shows, to hanging out in dorms and playing pool or board games. Sometimes they go out in Middletown or West Hartford. And yes, there plenty of dating and hookups. It is not BYU, after all! |
Anonymous
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Boston vs West Hartford. Easy choice.
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Anonymous
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We visited both, kid ended up at neither, but they didn't like Wesleyan because it's in rhe middle of nowhere - seriously, downtown Middleton is like 2 blocks surrounded by rednecks. Tufts is just outside Boston (that appealed to our child). But, it's high up on a hill, away from the city.
If they don't have a favorite, go with whichever one gave your child more money |
Anonymous
Eye roll. |
Anonymous
Strange definition of this middle of nowhere. Most schools aren’t in major cities |
Anonymous
My DS was admitted to both and ultimately chose Tufts. He is also not a hard core partier, but is social and has lots of friends. Social scene is what you make it at Tufts - join clubs, activities, intramural sports, pre-orientation, tufts mountain club, etc. Easy access to Somerville (Tufts is in Somerville, and Davis Square is a 10-minute walk), Cambridge and Boston also opens up avenues. My understanding with Wesleyan that most of the socializing is on campus. Not much to do in Middleton so it's more like a traditional contained LAC. My DS decided after visiting that he personally preferred more urban access and things to do outside campus. That said, both student communities seemed collaborative, social, with bright, motivated students. Both great choices depending on what your DS prefers! |
Anonymous
| Not a bad choice to make between these two, but I think Wes is a touch more social. |
Anonymous
| Tufts has twice as many undergrads as Wes, which will be a positive for some kids and a negative for others. Similar type of students overall, with Wes a bit more artsy and hipster. Both great schools! Neither is particularly urban or middle of nowhere. |
Anonymous
| Both lean left. |
Anonymous
Tufts looks like a campus stuck in the middle of a parking lot. I’d choose Wesleyan in a heartbeat and I don’t particularly love Wesleyan. |
Anonymous
Both colleges have slightly higher female to male ratios, so dating options should be fine! Tufts have 7,000 undergrads, Wes has 3,000 so there's more to choose from at Tufts to find your people. The people at DS's school who got to Wes lean more artsy/alternative. The people at DS's school who go to Tufts are a bit more normie but there's enough people there to find all kinds. Wes is kind of in the middle of nowhere but feels less remote than Midd and Carleton, but it's still a LAC at the end of the day. And Yale is only 30-ish minutes away. Tufts is off of Davis Square/Somerville which is very hip once you walk a few blocks out of campus. Cambridge is very close (access to free Harvard museums and parties) and Boston proper is on the T ($5 return trip) or a 30-ish minute uber ride away. Tufts is bigger, so if you go, definitely sign up to do the pre-orientation, and lean to clubs/activities/intramural sports. Wes has a bigger athlete/non-athlete divide. Both are great - congrats OP! |
Anonymous
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This middle of nowhere stuff about both schools is weird. We just visited both schools. Tufts is 2 miles from Harvard Square and has a subway stop on campus as well as another one that is a 15 minute walk away. There's also free shuttles all day to the Museum campus in the Fenway. It's definitely not urban but it is not a parking lot or far away from the city.
Wesleyan is in a small town that has commuter rail to NYC. Hardly the middle of nowhere. |
Anonymous
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Thanks, all.
He isn’t crazy about the Tufts campus and doesn’t love the location of Wes. But generally likes most everything else about them. Academics, etc. I think he’s leaning a little more towards Tufts at the moment just to have Somerville/Boston nearby. If he does pick Tufts which pre-orientation “camp” should he do? |
Anonymous
It depends on his interests. TWO is a 5-day wilderness camp bonding experience. FIT is for active, sporty kids. GO is wonderful for those who want to explore more about Boston and do lots of cool excursions. There are a few other ones that are about civic engagement into the towns of Somerville/Medford or political engagement with the community. All are very bonding. |