Tufts Blogs

In the world of college admissions, April is an important month. For most high school seniors, April is the month when they decide which college they want to attend in the fall. I can’t believe it was two years ago that I was deciding where I wanted to continue my education. Ultimately, as you probably guessed, I decided to attend Tufts University. Tufts was, and continues to be, the right place for me, so here are five of the reasons why I decided to attend Tufts: 

1. The Student-To-Faculty Ratio 
Coming from a very small high school, I knew my teachers very well and had created strong bonds with them throughout my four years. When choosing a college, I wanted to be able to know my professors and have them know me. At Tufts, we have a student-to-faculty ratio of 10-1. Because of our small class sizes, I have been able to get to know my professors very well and have formed strong connections that I know I will have for many years to come. 

2. Interdisciplinary Opportunities
When I was deciding where to go to college, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to major in, as I had a few different areas of interest that I wanted to be able to explore. I was interested in double majoring or at least majoring and minoring. Tufts is a liberal arts institution, and thus, students must take courses in many different departments and fields of study. Because of this, it is common for Tufts students to double major, major and minor, triple major, and more with relative ease. This is also due to the fact that the School of Arts and Sciences houses many different departments, and students are able to double major across varying subjects—such as computer science and music—within the same school. 

3. Size 
As I mentioned above, I went to a small high school in a small town, so for college, I knew I wanted to branch out and attend a college that was bigger than my high school. That being said, I didn’t want to be one in a school of 30,000. Tufts is the perfect middle ground, at least for me, with an undergraduate size of 6,000 and 8,000 with graduate students. At Tufts, when you leave your dorm, you are almost guaranteed to see at least one person you know, but there is always no shortage of new people to meet. 

4. Location 
Again, coming from a small town, I wanted to experience a new, more urban environment for college. I didn’t want to be right in a city, but I wanted to be in close proximity to a city. In my (somewhat) expert opinion, Tufts is in one of the best, if not the best, locations for a college. Tufts is situated about 30-40 minutes (depending on how fast the T decides to be on a given day) from Boston in Medford/Somerville. Because Tufts is situated outside of Boston, we have beautiful greenspace, a relatively widespread campus, and all around, a more chill vibe; however, Boston is only a short train ride away! 

5. The Student Body 
The last major aspect of choosing a college that I considered was the student body, namely, what types of students attended that university and if I could see myself as a student there. When I visited Tufts, I went to an information session with current students. When my mom and I were making our way to the information session, we passed a group of students studying outside of the room. They all looked so happy and friendly, and I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, that looks like such a nice place to study, I would love to study there.” In the information session, it was clear that the students were incredibly passionate, creative, and kind. From those two interactions I had with the students, I not only wanted to be like the students at Tufts, but I could truly see myself fitting in at Tufts. 

There are so many factors that go into choosing a college, and to anyone trying to make that decision right now, I wish you all the best of luck. If you are considering attending Tufts, I hope this article helps (even just a bit) in helping you decide if Tufts is the right place for you!