Tufts Admissions
SMFA at Tufts
En EspaƱol
  • Quicklinks
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Explore Majors & Minors
    • Calculate Cost
    • Check Application Status
    • Our Blogs
Discover Tufts
Academics
Life at Tufts
Tufts Blogs
Jumbo Magazine
Tufts Traditions
History of Tufts University
Tuition & Aid
Tuition and Aid
Types of Aid
Applying for Aid
Contact Financial Aid
Connect With Us
Open Houses
Admissions Events
Join the Mailing List
Contact
Read Our Blogs
Admissions Instagram
Privacy
Our Statement On Racial Injustice
Visit
Plan Your Visit
Virtual Tour
Audio Tour
Open Houses
Admissions Events
Parking & Directions
Dining on Campus
Accommodations
Apply
First-Year Students
Transfer Students
International Students
First-Generation Students
Undocumented Students
Counselors & Teachers
Advice & Getting Started
Profile of the Class of 2026
Essay Questions
Interview
Search
Navigation

Advice for High School Juniors and Younger

First-Year Students
Transfer Students
International Students
First-Generation Students
Undocumented Students
Counselors & Teachers
Advice and Getting Started
For Juniors & Younger
Dispelling Myths
Past Essays
Profile of the Class of 2026
Essay Questions
Optional Alumni Interview
Check Your Application Status

It’s never too early to start thinking about your future college experience. But it is too early to get stressed out about it. Frankly, we wish you’d never get stressed out about it!

If you think Tufts might be a good fit for you, here are some things to keep in mind over the next year (or two or three).

  1. Visit if you find yourself in the Boston area. Or do a virtual visit! While you’ll probably do a formal set of visits as your time of application approaches, there’s no reason not to stop by our campus earlier if you find yourself in the area. Check out our visit calendar to sign up for information sessions, campus tours, and more! Click here for information about virtual opportunities. 
  2. Concentrate on planning your high school curriculum. Build a schedule of solid academic subjects—math, science, English, second language, history/social sciences—for all four years. (Note: This is a recommendation, not a requirement. We understand that you may not be able to take four years of a second language at your school, or your science lab may conflict with the most rigorous history course you have your eye on—and that's OK. You need to build a schedule that is both realistic and intellectually engaging, as well as balanced.) Challenge yourself within reason, and don’t be afraid to try an AP class or the IB diploma program if that’s available.
  3. Meet with your college/school counselor (if your school has one) early in your high school career. Find out what your school has to offer. Familiarize yourself with the counseling office so it is not intimidating to you when you actually need to go there.
  4. Think about testing. Beginning with students applying for Fall 2021 admission, applicants have a choice about whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores to be considered for undergraduate admission to Tufts University. If applicants would like us to consider their exam results as one component of their candidacy, we will do so in a nuanced and contextual way. If students choose not to submit exam results, we will evaluate their candidacy in a nuanced and contextual way without scores. We do not require SAT Subject Tests, the SAT Essay, or the writing section of the ACT and will not consider them in our process. Tufts accepts self-reported testing on the Common Application, QuestBridge Application and Coalition Application when students are applying. Students who are admitted and choose to enroll at Tufts will be required to send their official scores. 

    Should you choose to pursue standardized testing, here are some tips to make the process less stressful: 
    1. If you are disappointed with your scores on the SAT, rather than retaking it three or four times (two isn’t excessive), try taking the ACT. Some students seem to do better on one versus the other. Here at Tufts, we’ll always give you the benefit of the doubt and use whichever score puts your application in a better light.
    2. Try taking the test a little early...if you can. If you're able to take the test before the fall of your senior year, you can have time to retake if you choose to do so.
  5. Learn about admissions, academic programs and student life at Tufts through our blogs, YouTube, and Instagram (@tuftsadmissions). They’re informative as well as entertaining.
  6. Contact the admissions officer who works with your high school or a current Tufts student who hails from your home state or country. You can e-mail us questions, check if we’re going to be visiting your high school, or talk to us about your college search process.
  7. Sign up for the Mailing List to get more information and be notified if we're visiting your school.
  8. Start to investigate scholarship and financial aid options. Talk with your family about paying for college, and keep in mind one very important fact: private colleges may seem too expensive, but students who qualify for financial aid often pay a small fraction of that cost - and sometimes, nothing at all. Check out the College Board Cost Calculator to get a sense of your eligibility for financial aid.

This process of preparing for college can be equal parts fun and frustration. Try to focus on the former. And let us know how we can help you.

Featured Blog Post

Tips for a Campus Visit You'll Actually Remember

Falling into the stereotypical college visit is easy. You stumble into an information session earlier in the day than you would like to be awake. A peppy admissions representative…

Read The Post
Featured Blog Post

A Tour Guide's Guide to Tours

As a Tufts Tour Guide, I have had the chance to observe what makes a tour really engaging and enjoyable, and conversely what makes a tour seem long and tiresome. During my…

Read The Post
Featured Blog Post

Do I Need Four Years of a Foreign Language?

    If you’ve ever been to an information session at Tufts, you’ve heard that your high school curriculum and rigor of courses are crucial components of your application…

Read The Post
Featured Blog Post

Does it fit?

by Tufts Admissions Team

The term “fit” is likely one of the most overused in the college admissions process (up there with “holistic”). But hey, it’s a word that’s trying to capture a really essential…

Read The Post
Featured Blog Post

For Juniors: Crafting Your Senior Schedule

by Beky Stiles

Hello my junior friends! While seniors around you are attending admitted student days and buying way too much college swag (don’t worry, this will be you soon enough!), you…

Read The Post
Featured Blog Post

What should I be doing over the summer?

by Grace Marshall

First and foremost, you should give yourself a big pat on the back for completing another school year. As admissions officers, we have an intimate understanding of how many…

Read The Post
Previous Next
Tufts University

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Bendetson Hall
2 The Green
Medford, MA 02155

617-627-3170

Visit tufts.edu Contact Tufts Admissions Non-Discrimination Statement Privacy Statement
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Discover Tufts
Tuition & Aid
Connect With Us