So they are more along the lines of “History of Physics” (aka, Physics for humanities students), rather than actually learning math proofs or equations to change society.
1 Like
There were two such courses at UW, known by their nicknames:
“Clap for Credit” (I think it was a Music Appreciation course or some such thing) and “Rocks for Jocks” (Geology 101).
The most popular Humanities course on campus was “The African Storyteller”. I tried four times to register for that course during my frosh/soph years, but failed each time – 'twas already full. I settled for “The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen” for the Lit requirement.
If this were my child I would definitely explore transferring, but encourage him to keep trying to find his people at Tufts. As you’ve mentioned first semester freshmen year is so hard. Some kids get lucky but we found most just attached themselves to whoever they could and then things started to shuffle around next semester. My D really struggled first semester. She felt everyone else was connecting and “finding their people” and she just wasn’t. She kept trying to put herself out there, join activities, and so on and second semester things started to click and she ended up with a great group of friends.
That said, perhaps Tufts just isn’t the best fit for your son. My D goes to Rice and she has made friends with a few transfer students and they all have various reasons for making the switch. And speaking of Rice, has your son considered it? When visited for an admitted student day I looked around the room and said to my husband that I think it was the most diverse group I’d ever been a member of. Because the have great financial aid (the Rice Investment) they have an economically diverse student body as well. One thing I really like is that they include sophomore transfers in their Orientation Week activities. O-Week is a BIG deal at Rice and it’s a great way to get acclimated to Rice socially.
Best of luck to your son!
2 Likes
Just read a comment by one who recently visited several schools in New England. That poster shared that students at Tufts did not look happy.
2 Likes
This is such a subjective thing.
13 Likes
Yeah, I don’t put much stock in any of these types of drive-by (or walk-by) opinions based on seeing/talking with a small sliver of students in a
portion of campus in one time period on one particular day.
Some people on these boards seem to be really confident in their own ability to suss out a “vibe” like that though.
5 Likes
I have spent a lot of time at Tufts and disagree : students seem happy and engaged. Again, subjective.
6 Likes
I for one have a current student there and can say without a doubt she and her friends are all very happy.
8 Likes
I know a young man who was unhappy at one ivy and was able to transfer to Columbia as a sophomore.
I love the suggestions people have made for Georgetown, Northwestern and University of Michigan. I went to a smallish liberal arts school and it was fine but in hindsight I wish I had transferred out. A larger school would have let me find a group I clicked more with- bigger schools means more people to find your people. What about schools in NYC? Columbia, NYU, Fordham etc? All of them would be great for law or journalism and the city provides so many opportunities in both for internships, side jobs etc.
3 Likes
This is a very long thread and I reviewed most of it. I am chiming in with my two cents. My son transferred to USC in 2018 after his freshman year at a UC. He found the students at USC to be friendly and collaborating in sharing notes and studying. There was no elitist attitude. Most students were regular common people, and many worked hard in their studies. The very few that were from rich and famous families kept low profiles. S heard that there were a few from the elite in his class year. In fact, former President Obama’s daughter was a student at USC (transferred from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) during that time. His experience at USC was very positive. In his sophomore year, he lived in a USC managed apartment, a few blocks from campus, and made many friends from class, his apartment complex and clubs or activities at USC. USC, as a private school which has a huge endowment, has vast resources available to USC students for summer jobs, internships, volunteer work, etc., in helping the students succeed in college and life. By the time S graduated, he had a stellar resume and GPA (Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa). He is now in his second year in a T14 law school. He just finished a summer internship with a US District Court Judge. The Judge hired him because of his USC connection. This coming summer, S has an internship offer with a “Big Law” firm.
One consideration if your freshman son is thinking about a top tier UC, like Berkeley or UCLA, he might consider the California community college path, assuming he is in California. S had a friend who attended a UC in her freshman year. She transferred to a community college in her sophomore year hoping to attend UC Berkeley. In her junior year, she was able to transfer to UC Berkeley. She had a stellar GPA in her freshman UC year and in her sophomore year at the
community college.
A drawback at USC was the cost. Despite having a stellar GPA, as a transfer student, he had no scholarships or grants, even in the 3 years he was at USC. The neighborhood surrounding the USC campus had high security, was patrolled 24 hours and was very safe. However, when walking, one should stay in the confined patrolled one-mile area.
A positive at USC was exploring things that the Los Angeles area has to offer. For him (he had his car), it was the yearly passes to Disneyland, eating out and experiencing other cultural cuisine, events, etc. Prior to college, he was not much of a sports fan, but at USC, he attended many USC football and basketball games. When he can, he still travels to LA to see his SC friends, many who are lifetime friends!
5 Likes
The poster has said several times that they are not California residents.
Tufts is a great school in a great location, challenging peers. Pretty, leafy campus, walkable to Davis Square and quick subway to Harvard Square and Boston. I honestly cannot imagine a good reason for leaving and suspect the usual unhappiness of first semester at college. Certainly applying to transfer can lessen feelings of being trapped. If cost is an issue, that would be the most legit reason for transfer. As I wrote before, there are volunteer and work opportunities aplenty off campus as well.
1 Like
Sure it could be that OP’s S is experiencing typical first year adjustments to college, but there can be many good reasons for someone to leave Tufts (or any school really.) People know themselves best, even young adults.
IMO Tufts is a ‘fit’ school…meaning not for everyone. The great thing is that there are many schools that would love to have OP’s S. Regardless his ultimate decision, I wish him good luck and a good college experience.
5 Likes
I am late to this thread, but I read your posts here @KarenKaren .
If he is not into preppy, I would not suggest BC. Nor Davidson. It seems he is looking perhaps for a more intellectual and less sporty environment. You mention social justice and societal change. Again, that isn’t the vibe at BC, Davidson, and some other schools mentioned here. Yes, I’m aware that I’m generalizing.
Cold is relative. Frankly, whether he is in Boston, or Chicago, it’s going to be really cold in the winter. I don’t know if Northwestern or U Chicago have been mentioned, but they are larger than what seems to be the classic LAC he attends and they are certainly going to be rigorous.
I think he is judging his entire 3.5 coming years as being not challenging based on what he thinks is too easy as a freshman. If his LAC is top, there is no way it isn’t rigorous. I have no doubt his coursework will be challenging. But it’s very possible he isn’t getting the more intellectual environment he may prefer. I’m thinking of schools such as Brown, Swarthmore, Pomona, Amherst, and some that might be a tiny bit easier to get into. Wesleyan and Carleton could be great. Oberlin should be considered.
2 Likes
However, the OP’s son attends Tufts, at which the only classic LAC attribute may be its membership in NESCAC.
2 Likes
I don’t think Tufts should be part of NESCAC frankly. Too big. I didn’t read every post throughly so I missed that the student is at Tufts. All the more reason to not look at BC then, IMO.
2 Likes
sorry, I gloss thru this very long thread very fast and didn’t see the CA residence part. I mainly focused on the USC experiences that the posters were interested in comments.
If I’m not mistaken, Tufts was once a liberal arts college – likely joined NESCAC in those days.
Since then it has grown and now, of course, identifies as a university – is a university, based on the number of grad programs it offers.
4 Likes
If he is not into preppy, I would not suggest BC.
What does “preppy” even mean these days? To me, it meant wearing chinos and Lacoste shirts in pink and Kelly green. My D goes to BC and she mostly wears “vintage”.
I’m also confused by saying you won’t find social justice there. Justice has a wide range, and BC urges the students to serve society.
For the OP, your son is very close to this school and can go and check it out easily to form his own opinions. The Philosophy department is excellent. I’ll just add that my D made several friends while working over the summer, all happy at their different schools. I met one friend from Tufts and she did not strike me as elitist or privileged, so maybe he just needs to mix more.
1 Like