I love hearing this. My guy longs for a larger school with more social opportunities. But he’s had opportunities at his smaller(ish) school that I don’t think he would have at a large school. He’s actually made a bit of a name for himself with a few professors and an accomplishment of his is Google-able. So, that’s a positive for a first semester freshman.
A few folks posted that clubs and opportunities can fill up quickly in larger schools. Did your son experience any of that?
My guy is not enthusiastic about Greek life. Will that be an issue? Thank you again so very much!
Please know I’m not bashing Tufts. It’s a great place. he loves his professors. I would never discourage a young person from applying. I think he just hasn’t found his groove and he thrives in a hustle and bustle kind of environment that might not be ideal for some. In fact, I’m hoping that there may be a shift in the next semester and that he feels more at home
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I just worry that if he finds the classes at tough too basic - that he might find similar elsewhere.
On the other hand, high pedigree doesn’t mean rigor just like low pedigree doesn’t mean no rigor.
It could just be that he needs to get in higher level classes.
Once he transfers - then how does he find the groove.
Since he seeks bigger, it sounds like an SC or other big private like a NYU, NEU, or GW could work but maybe not a Vandy. Or perhaps it’s the public school with added benefit of Honors.
Even though he’s considering a transfer, he knows Tufts is a great place. He has respect for his professors and he’s learned a lot. He also sees many happy people. It’s just not his particular groove. But he is proud to have been accepted and to attend. We will continue wearing the sweatshirts no matter the outcome
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Rice was not on the original list - we just really didn’t know anything about it. Since then, we’ve learned a lot. Thank you for sharing. And thank you also for the words of encouragement
Then you shouldn’t be looking at the Tufts and Vandy’s.
Neither of my kid’s schools have restrictive clubs that I’m aware of - and maybe that’s an issue - and at a school with hundreds, maybe he won’t encounter this or to the point that he can’t find a substitute.
Or if he has a passion he can start one. Mine did - to help assist Afghan refugees.
Then he will be the chief and meet kid that way.
It’s not simply that they fill up quickly, but that many of the most coveted clubs and opportunities are competitive. They mimic job interviews or sorority rushing with rounds of applications/resumes, mixing with current members, interviews, and cuts after each round.
Another example can be research opportunities. My daughter was accepted for a research program, but the program didn’t match her specifically. She had to go through available opportunities, apply to ones that seemed like a fit for her interests, and then hope for interviews and an offer. She got one that was a great fit, but not all kids received an offer at all.
My daughter has had a great experience at her school, but if your son decides to transfer somewhere that has competitive extracurriculars (I’m pretty sure there are posts where people discuss which do and don’t), it’s good to be aware and prepared.
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My daughter attended a state flagship. There was a mix of competitive and non competitive clubs and organizations.
She was an admissions ambassador, which is highly competitive and involved several weeks of grueling interviews. The interview experience was stressful.
She also belonged to a few other organizations/clubs which filled up but they seemed to allow everybody to join (she joined a refugee organization and Spanish club).
She was a bilingual navigator at the hospital on campus. They did not take everybody and she had to interview and take a test.
As far as research, it wasn’t an issue at all and she (and others) had plenty of opportunities.
She interviewed at the campus newspaper and was accepted, but decided to turn it down. This was not as competitive a process as the admissions ambassador.
My advice is to research the clubs and organizations that your son is interested in and determine whether there is an interview process and limited spots.
She was happy at her school but the first semester was tough.
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I think supporting him is the right thing AND most people IME don’t “find their people” in first semester and suspect he may feel differently by April, even. It is hard for most kids, even if they don’t show it to him. I think keeping his head at Tufts while exploring options (hard to do!) is a wise idea… 1st semester is just an intense time
As someone else said he definitely may want to consider volunteering outside of school community to get some outside perspective and people for a break if he feels it is insular.
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A liberal arts college (LAC) typically has no – or few – graduate programs and graduate students.
A university has plenty of both.
And though not necessary, universities tend to have far larger student bodies than LACs. Universities tend to have more majors available (especially pre-professional majors), while LACs tend to have smaller class sizes.
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Absolutely true. S24 didn’t spend a lot of time prepping, didn’t have a tutor or attend a prep class. He took the test twice and got a 1580 the second time - mainly based on reviewing grammar and getting the timing down.
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For many undergrads, the difference isn’t meaningful. Tufts has a highly regarded school of dentistry- is that relevant for your son? Not likely.
Don’t get hung up on numbers or nomenclature… or Grass is Greener syndrome. No matter where he lands for next year (or stays) he still needs to wake up, go to class, eat lunch, find a quiet place to study. The core dynamics of being a college student are remarkably similar from place to place!
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Thank you so much!
I was unaware. My older kids were in less competitive environments and never had an issue getting into clubs. I imagined clubs being an opportunity for a student to try something out and maybe discover a new passion
Do you mind sharing where your daughter attends / attended college? Thank you so much! This is very helpful!
Your son is extremely bright AND has great test taking skills. That’s great. Very impressive score!
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Yes, my daughter is at the University of Michigan.
It isn’t only large state schools that have competitive clubs, though. Some Ivies and other highly selective schools do, too. It varies from school to school, so I won’t try to generalize.
From what I have seen at Michigan, the more competitive clubs are often pre-professional in nature. There are other clubs that are not competitive there, so it is certainly possibly to join organizations without the process I described, but it is good to know what to expect going in.
I always imagined clubs as welcoming organizations where kids could spread their wings and try new things, too! It was kind of a surprise for my daughter, who came from a tiny, out-of-state school, to get to campus and realize how challenging getting involved can be. Had she known, she probably would have mapped out a few contingency plans for clubs vs. thinking she could join whatever she wanted.
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Thank you! I would think that being an Admissions Ambassador would be extremely competitive and selective. Those young people make a huge difference. We toured a few amazing schools and were so turned off by the students leading the tour (indifferent, distracted) that we crossed some schools off the list. Others had amazing students leading the tours and that made a huge difference. Thanks for sharing!
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There are some very long threads discussing the topic.
@Lindagaf created a list of colleges with competitive clubs in this thread. The info was gathered from the following threads.
and
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My son was interested in politics, and he joined some political organizations, which were not competitive to get in. He got interested in watching presidential debates, political speakers, etc. For him, volunteering opportunities were also not difficult to get. Some of the volunteering opportunities, such as tutoring underprivilege immigrants, gave him a different life prospective that he had not experienced. He felt sad for these immigrants and that he did not have the resources to help them more.
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My kiddo is at one of these and is struggling with finding their people, and says a lot of people she knows do not love it there either…