I’m sorry your son isn’t having a great start at Tufts. You’ve gotten a ton of great advice, but I didn’t see if anyone had suggested that he go spend a couple of long weekends with friends from high school who are at other schools he might like to “try on”? It might give him a sense of what it’s really like, and maybe he could see for himself that a) the grass isn’t always greener or b) the kind of place that does energize him.
FWIW, as I’ve read through the thread, I think your son would love UCLA, where my D22 is a sophomore. People are SO friendly—you can talk to anyone, truly. There’s tons going on all the time, LA is a great city, Westwood a gem inside it… and her classes have been interesting with some professors at the top of their fields. It’s very diverse (don’t get me wrong, plenty of OOS money andCA is no slouch in the income department) but it’s a huge school with every kind of person.
I’ve only skimmed this thread, but from what I read was also thinking Rice could check a lot of boxes: urban, excellent academics, much more economically/racially diverse than many of its peers (far fewer über-rich kids than Tufts for sure), and consistently at the top of “best quality of life” lists. The residential college system makes it hard to feel lonely, I think.
I wonder if your son can really articulate what’s wrong with his current experience. Not so much what’s not right about Tufts but what’s been wrong with his experience therr. It just might add clarity to the process of finding a transfer school (or the experience in Medford).
I know, for example, that students in the dorms with suites (like Wren) meet far fewer people and miss out on a lot of impromptu socializing than kids in the other uphill dorms. The engineering students tend to get tight faster before they’re all taking the same schedule (more or less) whereas someone with a pile of big intro lecture classes may not meet people in class. The latter may have some fixes next semester just through scheduling. The former isn’t as easily remedied but there can be strategies around that.
And of coursr, other schools may have solutions built in to their DNA!
We visited many of the private schools listed here, some of them multiple times. While many schools have wealthy students, we found that the state schools were not as extreme (although I have no doubt that there is wealth). One of my daughter’s “must haves” was to attend a college that was more economically diverse than the wealthy suburb she grew up in. She chose a state school.
If economic diversity is a “must have” for your son, I encourage him to visit a few schools if possible, both public and private. Walk around, talk to students, etc. I agree with the idea of visiting friends from HS if possible. He can also join a few student groups.
My daughter worked with refugees during undergrad and did public health research in underserved communities. She was also recruited her junior year by an organization whose mission is to decrease systemic inequities. She graduated with a job that helped launch her into her graduate program.
College was an eye opener for my daughter, as many of her friends came from families of lesser means. It was a real step outside of the bubble she grew up in.
Your son has been given a real gift, as Tufts is an amazing school. I hope he finds his people and creates a community in which he thrives, but if for some reason this does not happen, my advice is to do a lot of research.
I feel that your son is leaving one school with wealthy students (not saying he can’t find his peeps) only to attend another school with wealthy students. Emory is great, but do not kid yourself- there is a lot of wealth. My colleagues niece transferred because “there are way too many rich kids from NJ.”
I hope your son stays at Tufts and finds his community. Best wishes!
After reading & scanning all of the posts in this thread, I think that I know your son. I roomed with similar individuals while in college and was friends with others who seem similar to your son. I withdraw my earlier–much earlier in this thread–suggestion of Northwestern University and would like to suggest the University of Chicago instead–if he truly has intellectual horsepower. ( U Chicago kids often spend time sitting together discussing deep thoughts; Northwestern students are equally brilliant, but tend to be doers rather than armchair philosophers.)
Maybe the problem is your son’s intended major or majors.
Your son needs to think about majoring in philosophy or religion. Both are great majors for the later study of law.
Of course–point well taken. My point was that relative to private peer institutions Rice is markedly more economically diverse. Per the NYTimes, half of the UG student body is from the top 10% of US incomes, with 11% from the top 1 percent; at Tufts, those numbers are 61 and 17. That’s a considerable difference. At UCLA, the numbers are 34/4, so another notch down. Statistics can be found here:
“Math for Social Change”? That is a thing? I knew that the humanities were filled with social change/social justice themes, and that some schools even have “social justice” majors, but I did not know those theories had reached STEM departments yet.
I don’t see a course titled Math for Social Change. There is a course called Math of Social Choice. There is also a course called Math of Poverty and Inequality but that one requires differential equations.
It’s a pretty standard math choice, it exists at most universities - usually under the title “Math for citizenship” or “Citizen Math”. It existed at my university 20 years ago.
At Tufts, you’re right it’s titled “Math for social choice” and it involves “mathematical methods for dealing with questions arising from social decision making” and always covers various electoral systems (two round systems, FPTP, ranked choice, impact of packing or cracking…)
My daughter, at a different university, is minoring in “Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences,” which is probably in this same vein of math classes. It’s described as combining “data science with social science to prepare students to solve problems, shape policies, and explain a complex world.”
Sounds more like a game theory type class, “the prisoner’s dillema” and all that. I agree its pretty standard coursework, no matter what they chose to call it.
My daughter is a sophomore at Tufts and I would advise two things…first encourage him to keep trying and being active. There are almost too many choices and for some the acclimation takes longer. Her first semester was a slower start to feeling integrated but now she is super integrated, happy, thriving! But second, I would also encourage him to apply for transfers so he doesn’t feel trapped–he doesn’t need to transfer just because he applies/gets in. I actually transferred in my college days and had such a great transition I became a transfer counselor. I found that those who transferred typically fell into two buckets–those who are unhappy, for whatever reason, and the location of the student doesn’t matter (i.e., transferring does not help) and those for whom they just need a new location to find that happiness. I would make sure your son is getting all of the support he may need personally during this time of great change. Also the Boston weather may not help, especially if he is used to CA weather–so make sure he has warm clothes and maybe some Vitamin D?? Good luck! I am sure all will be fine!!