Is Tufts underrated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Zero difference in terms of quality of undergraduate teaching and caliber of students between Tufts and schools like Wash U and Emory, which rank in the 20s. I am guessing it has to do with endowment. For many kids, the location more than makes up for whatever the impact the difference in endowment would have on their experience.

As for "school spirit", it is not a Michigan or Duke...but the kids I know there absolutely love it.

Actually zero difference in teaching and student caliber with anyone period. This highlights the absurdity of trying to granularly rank schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone asked about endowment. In addition to effect on ranking, I think it also really affects student experience. DC is at a WASP, and resources really matter — money for paid summer research or outside internships for first years, lots of money for research assistantships, well resourced and staffed quant center and writing center, career resources center, many student events, etc. I teach at a T5 and funded opportunities that seem pretty much available to all first years at the WASP are very competitive at the T5 and unheard of for first years. Big endowment goes a long way with a small student body; I don’t know what Tufts is like, but if endowment is much smaller it would likely affect these sorts of opportunities.

Very true but there are diminishing returns. The same benefits that you attribute to WASP are available at next 10 top SLACs as well. All of these schools have much higher levels of endowment/student than Tufts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Zero difference in terms of quality of undergraduate teaching and caliber of students between Tufts and schools like Wash U and Emory, which rank in the 20s. I am guessing it has to do with endowment. For many kids, the location more than makes up for whatever the impact the difference in endowment would have on their experience.

As for "school spirit", it is not a Michigan or Duke...but the kids I know there absolutely love it.

The student quality might be the same, but the research, job placement, and the reputation is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is indeed underrated. All of the state schools on the list are overrated. Maybe US News has it in for Boston area schools: BC is underrated, BU is underrated, and even Northeastern (famous for trying to game the U.S. News rankings before methodology changes) is now underrated.

If you want to be in New England, Tufts is great. People in New England are smahtah anyhow; they will be way more impressed with Tufts than University of California, San Diego, believe me.

I think this is the right way to look at it.

But I am over 50 so my thinking may be dated. As an example, is Florida really a better school than BC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its overrated.

+1. If anything, it's overrated.

[Anonymous]

UFlorida is much better school than BC. Tufts is also better than BC by a wide margin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UFlorida is much better school than BC. Tufts is also better than BC by a wide margin.

Tell us you are not from the northeast without telling us you are not from the northeast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For mechanical engineering, I'd think a school such as, say, Lafayette would be stronger.

What makes you think that Lafayette is stronger? Not a knock on Lafayette, it’s a great school.

My original comment was mostly a personal opinion. Nonetheless, I might recommend Lafayette for mechanical engineering based partly on the quality of its science lab facilities. This site, for example, includes Lafayette, along with schools such as Caltech, Harvey Mudd, Rose-Hulman and Lehigh — schools I also would recommend for mechanical engineering:

Best Colleges for Science Lab Facilities | The Princeton Review https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/?rankings=best-science-lab-facilities

If a student likes Tufts for its general attributes, however, I'd say go for it, including for mechanical engineering.

[Anonymous]

I went there and it was phenomenal for international relations because of the Fletcher school. Also good premed. I think it wouldn't be a great school for engineering, stem, computer science

[Anonymous]

Overrated, super woke, sad campus. Kids still like it there though! And Boston.

[Anonymous]

Need aware fwiw. Their NPC shows their less than average FA offers compared to peers. In the NE they have a strong reputation.

[Anonymous]

LinkedIn ranked it #16 for long term career success

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-top-colleges-2025-50-best-long-term-career-success-kritf

I think it attracts a specific kind of kid — their webpage says for Why Tufts: “Intellectually playful. Kind. Collaborative.” DC’s first visit was a little meh but second visit fantastic, as professors & students took the time for long talks, saying that the close bonds between profs & students as well as collaborative vibe were strengths there, and it sold my DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is indeed underrated. All of the state schools on the list are overrated. Maybe US News has it in for Boston area schools: BC is underrated, BU is underrated, and even Northeastern (famous for trying to game the U.S. News rankings before methodology changes) is now underrated.

If you want to be in New England, Tufts is great. People in New England are smahtah anyhow; they will be way more impressed with Tufts than University of California, San Diego, believe me.

Your post proves you are anything but, “smahtah.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is indeed underrated. All of the state schools on the list are overrated. Maybe US News has it in for Boston area schools: BC is underrated, BU is underrated, and even Northeastern (famous for trying to game the U.S. News rankings before methodology changes) is now underrated.

If you want to be in New England, Tufts is great. People in New England are smahtah anyhow; they will be way more impressed with Tufts than University of California, San Diego, believe me.

Your post proves you are anything but, “smahtah.”

I’m wicked smaht, so smaht I know where a comma is supposed to go. How bout them apples?

[Anonymous]

Tufts refuses to publish data on its early decision acceptances, which in addition to showing a lack of transparency leads many to speculate they accept a large percentage of the class through ED and their ED acceptance rate is very high. This makes the regular and overall acceptance rate comparably small, making the school appear more selective. Similar to Northeastern.