Seeme25

Right now I have 11 schools im applying to. I don't want to apply to too many schools and the last spot (in no way am I implying that these are safety schools) has come down to University of Penn. or Tufts. Based on my research, I think Tuft's size and environment will suit me better. I have not visited Tufts or Penn. I have visited several parts of Philly, which I liked, but i have not visited Penn. Both are great schools, but i don't have time to visit them right now. SHould I just apply to both? Is 13 schools too much? If i have to make a choice it comes down to academics:

~I'm applying as undecided. Which school would be better for someone entering in as undecided.


*I'm also posting in the Penn forum so I can get a balance of opinions. And on a side note I really enjoyed the questions posted on both Penn and Tuft's supplements. I think that both their prompts would be fun to write about/ do, and if this is any indication of the type of education I'll recieve at either of these places, then that makes my decision even harder.

Seashore

They are both great schools. Both fine for someone who is undecided about a major.

You are applying to a lot of schools. But I don't see a big difference between 12 and 13--how did you pick 12 as a target? Since you like the prompts at both places, why not do both?

hebrewhammer

So you're essentially asking which school should be your 12th choice?

WCASParent

i would apply to both. You don't have enough information to decide one over the other.
However, here are a few factors which may or may not affect your feelings about the two schools:
Penn has about 10,000 undergrads and is an urban school in Philly (not the nicest neighborhood in Philly). Tufts had 5000 undergrads and is a suburban campus outside of Boston, with easy access to public transportation into Boston or Cambridge. Tufts looks more like a liberal arts college; Penn like a great urban university.
Both have a wide range of academic offerings; it is impossible to say that one is better than the other for an undecided major.
Both are very well respected schools, but Penn is ranked higher (if that sort of stuff matters to you). Tufts is incredibly hard to get into; Penn is even harder.

Seashore

Ooch, hebrewhammer. The list probably includes a few less-favored academic or financial safeties.

momiac

I would apply to both---13 is not an obscene number and, in the scheme of things, the investment of time and money of one additional application is just a drop in the bucket. Although our daughter didn't heed this advice (she applied ED to Tufts feeling sure that it was "the one"---no that there is only one---and appears, as usual, to have known her mind because she is over-the-moon happy there) a parent who had already gone through the process advised that students should apply to a wide array of schools because they change a lot between fall and spring of senior year. And last spring I witnessed many cases of that---kids who had applied only to large schools now wanting a small one (and vice versa), or wanting to go someplace warm and only applied in the north, or a change of opinion between urban and rural, etc. I also think that it is much easier to make a good decision regarding actual options versus hypothetical possibilities. So, apply to both---both great schools in terrific locations with all the world to offer.

Seeme25

No hebrewhammer, I am not suggesting that I'm making my 12th choice. I have two safety schools, 4 matches, and 5 reaches right now. Because i value the environment of the college I choose, and because i have only been able to visit 3 colleges, my college choices are somewhat broad and reflect where i think I would be happy. After researching Penn and Tufts, I think, but by no means know, that i might enjoy going to school at either one of these places. Since my list is already fairly large, I thought it would be better to pick one.

~And in my original post, I mentioned that in no way do i consider either of these schools a safety school. They are both great schools, but I felt that i should only choose one to apply to.