Tufts University-Medford Somerville Campus

Kid got her needs oh-​so-​met at Tufts – great classes on both sides of the academic spectrum, unrivaled professorial access, interesting, eclectic, and collaborative student body, proximal to Boston, and headed to her first choice med. school choice. Killed the MCATs because while she had mega-​tough, mega-​competitive pre-​med classes, she learned the material inside or out. Greatest unhappiness was graduating and leaving it all behind. Greatest happiness was leaving behind the cold weather, or so she thought – she is going to med. school in Philadelphia. Oh, well.

I go to Tufts University about 6 times a year. An organization I belong to uses the Cohen Auditorium for their meetings. Great facility, limited parking but very close to home.

I might be a little biased because I went to college here, but I have fond memories of the campus, the professors, the general student makeup, and neighborhood. However, I have really started enjoying Tufts once I learned alumni could enroll for courses and audit them for a very low price. I believe this is also available to Medford/​Somerville residents, so if you ever were curious about taking a psychology course, but never had the chance to take it in undergrad, here is your chance!

pros:
— small college feel with small classes and lack of bureaucracy. profs are accessible. lack of bureaucracy opens up windows of academic opportunities and flexibilities. eg, switching between liberal arts and engineering college is a cinch, if you ever change your mind. despite having small college atmosphere, tons of opportunities to seek out research and projects in many different fields.
— excellent engineering program and pre-​med /​pre-​dental programs. international relations, english, biology — those are all popular majors that get good reviews from students.
— particularly great for pre-​med (and maybe pre-​dental, as well), since it is easier to get an interview with tufts medschool if you go to tufts as undergrad. the advising service for pre-​med/​dental is excellent.
— easy access to boston and harvard. just hop on the red line from davis square. harvard square, you can take the bus direct from the campus, or take red line, or better yet just run there.
— social life does not revolve around greek life and on-​campus partying (although there are plenty of on-​campus activities/​parties if that’s what you like). people tend to go hang out in boston on weekends, although some stay in and study.
— tufts’ designated ‘college town’ is davis square, which is very cool with tons of restaurants, cafes and very cool vibe.
— diverse student body from all over the country, with significant international representation as well, who tend to be liberal-​leaning and is generally hard-​working and enlightened.
— awesome cafeteria food.
bad:
— very expensive.
— tufts’ inferiority complex. it’s often said that tufts is a place for ivy rejects. tufts students like to deny this vehemently, but how can they? i did not know a single jumbo (= a tufts student) who had been accepted to any ivy league school other than cornell and columbia. tufts administration likes to think that the school is on par with schools like dartmouth and brown… having lived on the west coast and worked in the industry, i can tell you that tufts is in no way regarded in the same class as those schools. not saying some people wouldn’t choose tufts over those schools necessarily. just that tufts’ nationwide reputation is not on par with those schools. i worked for a blue-​chip silicon valley corporation and they made their recruiting rounds extensively in the northeast as well, but certainly not at tufts. another example of tufts’ pathetic inferiority complex is that every once in a while, the tufts community rehashes this old myth about how tufts was invited to join the ivy (which is complete bs). reputation isn’t all that important. it’s about what you get out of your college experience; everyone i know from back in the days at tufts is very successful and earning tons.

Tufts is supposed to be a non-​profit, but since it’s such a huge university that is pretty well-​known it ends up acting like a business.
If I could give Tufts zero stars I probably would, but I have to remember that its academics are good and despite the terrible administration there are many good, dedicated professors out there. There are also a few good students — it just takes a lot of effort to find them.
What really ruined Tufts for me is their horrible treatment of sexual assault survivors on campus. If an employee attacks, they will fight tooth and nail to help you. If another student rapes another, then it’s all downhill. They don’t respect the rights of survivors, only using measures that prevent them from getting sued by the rapist’s parents. I can’t believe how many students I’ve meant who have been wronged by the system.
The admin feigns concern for survivors, but only perpetuates the campus’ rape culture with their victim-​blaming policies and actions. Here is a Daily Op-​Ed that merely touches upon the problem.
There are other blog posts that talk about it as well that one can find through Google.
Tufts simply isn’t a safe place for women or any sexual assault victim by the hands of another student. The fact that they ruin lives for the sake of protecting the institution’s reputation is disgusting.

living in davis square, i have mixed feelings about all the tufts students around. even though i often get mistaken for a 16 yr old, watching them reminds me of how far i am from student life (i’m now an old lady).
but one cool thing is that they offer a community audit program for residents of medford and somerville where you can audit a class for $ 175 (it was a lot cooler when it was $ 100 but i guess prices went up:
). mostly in the arts & sciences or engineering school, but you might be able to do one in the experimental college, the trouble is finding one that is held outside of regular working hours.
i audited feminist literature, which was interesting while i still went, but didn’t really work out since it was an upperclass english seminar and i felt awkward being the random engineer working person who didn’t read the book. the other bonus though is you can get a tufts id once you register, which gets you student discounts, and i’ve heard… access to their fitness center and library.

I don’t go to Tufts. Never have, never will. I have lived in it’s towering shadow ever since my arrival on the Right Coast and have had a few interactions with the campus. Recently, I have realized it is one of the best places to do some serious sun-​bathing. Being a child of the Left Coast, I am a sun whore. Unabashedly. In my past life, I could just pick up and drive to Shell Beach whenever I felt the urge. Here, it’s slightly more difficult:
1) I don’t have a car, so can’t drive anywhere and public transportation is too much effort for me. I just want to take a damn nap in the sun!
2) My new apartment is not conveniently located mere steps from a park like my last one. Now I have to trek. Again, I just want a nap in the sun, people, not a field trip.
I have seen many a people sunbathing on the Tufts lawn located at the very tip of campus on the Powderhouse Rotary. So the other day, when it was finally nice enough to lay out and I finally wasn’t working, I checked it out. Granted I do have to trek there, but that has recently become much easier for me as I have acquired a bike. A kick-​ass bike. Now, it’s a 2 minute bike ride for pure, unadulterated sunshine with limited cat-​calling happening.
Now if I could just find a better sunscreen and learn not to fall asleep for too long. Ow…

tufts is a little like nikki hilton. looks good, but you really only go there because you just got rejected by the more glamerous harvard, i mean paris hilton. remember, they’re almost ivy league!
Acceptance:
they have a diverse community if you don’t count the mass amounts of jews from ny/​nj and asians. surprisingly, a lot of people from cali and florida here. i guess they fall for the «we have all 4 seasons» crapola. if you fit a demographic that they’re looking for (wealthy /​black /​female /​hick state /​wealthy /​engineer /​wealthy /​black /​international /​black /​black /​wealthy) then it’ll be much easier for you to get in.
housing:
students usually live off campus junior and senior years because of housing shortage. dorms to live in are sophia gorden, west and latin way. dorms to avoid are haskell and wren. good luck in finding your way around wren. dewick is generally considered the better dining hall. trays mysteriously disappear in the winter and wind up becoming sleds. force you to live on campus and big meal plan freshman year.
tufts life:
popo cracking down on parties. they should concentrate more on runaway rats. not much attendance at sporting events. typical frat parties (whatever frats are left). so many damn clubs you’re bound to find some club that interests you.
teachers:
not too much experience with the teachers, but the night classes i’ve taken are a cinch to pass.
staff:
if you’re looking to work @ tufts, don’t get your hopes up unless you know someone. it WILL take them month (s) to get back to you after you submit your resume (if they call). even if they hire you, they still take their sweet ass time to put all the paperwork through. good thing tufts isn’t a real bussiness. they like diversity at the workplace too. so they like to hire people that fill multiple quotas (minority, female, out of state). then they hire a bunch of older white males since they filled multiple quotas. when you finially do get in, don’t expect to move up the corporate ladder. it’s more likely that they’ll hire someone from the outside to fill the position. lots of townies working here so don’t be surprised if you there is some underlying racism here. medford/​somerville isn’t really known to be racially friendly to begin with. otherwide, some really nice people here. guess they have to be to put up with all that bullcrap.
synopsis:
tufts may play second fiddle to harvard in just about every imaginable catagory, but they kick their ass in naked running… bar none. that’s what counts in my book! i’ll give them an extra star for that. all kidding aside, i think nqr is a great event. every tufts student should run at least 2 laps around before they graduate.

I met some really great people here. Ligaya’s review is spot on, except the English thing, it is true that if you get an A you don’t need a second semester, but the second semester is far more interesting and worthwhile if you even have a passing interest in literature.
Tips:
1. make friends with the international bunch and scrounge future vacation spots from them.
2. do study abroad.
3. do live on campus, but choose your location wisely.
4. do live off campus, but choose your location wisely.
5. work for university catering.

typically known as a place for harvard rejects, tufts is coming up in the rankings and is increasingly difficult to get into. that does not mean that everyone is intelligent. my ex-​boyfriend used to joke that my roommate one year was so incompetent she was «bad at life». sad.
the dorms are overall okay, but vary in their quality and location. the food is normal college food. there are a bunch of options on boston ave tho. the dining points are key, but you cant use them freshman year. to prospective students, be kind to the lunch ladies and janitors. they have to deal with so many dumb-​ass kids all day, it would be refreshing and also restore many people’s faith in humanity to meet a nice teenager.
anyway…the teachers also vary in their knowledge, but check around (ask upper classmen) and see which classes fill first, those usually have interesting subject matters and enthusiastic professors. try the experimental college. they have really interesting topics taught by seniors or guest professors. also, get an A in freshman english I, so you dont have to take II. my fav professor was the enlightened joseph walser.
the school carries a fairly prestigious name, so tons of international kids go there to return to their home countries with their american diplomas to run their father’s companies. they are generally filthy rich and are all about partying super hard and getting excellent grades. suprisingly, most do it. although for some i dont know what miserable honor roll student they pay… but yeah, its diverse. i liked that. there are more freakin’ clubs (not night clubs mind you) than you can imagine. its a nice way to meet people when you first start. also, everyone has the option to go to an orientation. do it. i did the international one and the friends i made there i still keep in touch with.
all i care about now is if my alma mater can get me a job.