Great idea. He is such a voracious reader, that subscribing to all the local papers and magazines would be a great idea for many reasons. Thak you for this suggestion
Law is a tough profession which means you need to learn to be tough and adjust to whatever environment there is and learn how to connect with people regardless if they are flashing wealth or struggling finding a living space. That requires being open minded. I think he should stay and get the high GPA and have time to build on getting a high LSAT score and other things helpful for applying to law school. If he wants rigor: U Chicago. 
I don’t Brown is much different from Tufts in terms of rigor.
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Brown gets brownie points (no pun intended) for always making the happiest students lists.
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I’m going to share this with him today! Although its freezing today. But he does love the train. Thank you so much!
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It looks like tufts students can cross-register at Boston College, Boston University, and Brandeis, if any of that would be appealing for him. He can also take a semester abroad next year to gain perspective, and some colleges have a “semester abroad” at another US college which might be of interest.
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Maybe! But know too that more than a few schools throw merit at kids who would otherwise be comfortably full pay (so, not just donut hole kids) to reel them in. Point being it’s not a super clean proxy.
Some good news about this in case OP’s son is similar. Our kids have found that DM’ing over Insta is very effective. LOTS of clubs and teams at schools have dedicated Insta accounts, so they’re there ready and even eager to reply, provide info, and encourage interest.
That didn’t sound right to me so I double checked on maps. It’s 3-4 miles from the literal center of DTLA, depending on route. Regardless, a lot of people describe DTLA as far from wherever they are in LA! I think the larger issue is that it’s so dense that a few miles can feel like a world apart. Not to mention take forever to get to and from thanks to LA traffic. And if by “LA” you mean West Hollywood to Santa Monica/Venice as some people do, then all the more distance to USC.
This is a great idea and I’d add that IME the kids who go on these programs very often bond quite closely.
Anyway, @KarenKaren I’m on team #toosoon for this one. You’ve been given so much great advice here. I’d just say to be supportive as you obviously are, and see how things shake out in the coming months.
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FYI, taking classes at these other schools may not be as easy as it sounds. I’m aware of one Tufts student who finds it challenging to manage classes in Medford and at the Museum School of Fine Arts (close to BU).
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He has done massive amounts of research. I will always support my kids. But he needs to lead the way, which he is doing. Folks on this platform have provided many helpful tips which I will be happy to share with him as he considers his next steps. I am very grateful for much of the information that sometimes is available when someone has had some first hand experience. I have learned so much in less than 24 hours here and I am so grateful
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While I think it is great that you are encouraging your son to seek alternatives that may be a better fit, most of the schools that are being mentioned here are high reaches with very, very low acceptance rates for transfer students. Because your son is a freshman, his transfer application will be heavily weighted towards his HS record as he will have only one semester’s worth of college grades to consider. Being a TO transfer applicant may or may not be a negative. I say this not to discourage him, but to encourage a broader range of transfer schools - including those with much higher acceptance rates for transfers.
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Anywhere you live in LA will take you 40 mins in traffic including if you live in dense Santa Monica. USC is actually pretty central to LA, much easier to get to the westside than the suburbs. There are a lot of stereotypes here.
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I KNOW! That 's what I want is a happy student! Okay, another reason for a him to consider a trip to Brown! Thank you
Yeah but then you’re starting out in Santa Monica so less need to get elsewhere 
USC may be “central” but it’s not convenient to many areas of LA.
Excellent point. Thank you
We are probably both natives so we can agree to disagree. :). Even from Santa Monica it will take you sure to 40 mins to get to your class at UCLA. Also, the USC campus today is much different than even 7 years ago. It is very diverse both ethnically and social economically.
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Heads up that he should be aware of the academic calendar before making a trip. Visiting during finals (or reading period) won’t give the most accurate perspective. He can google “name of college” academic calendar to get that info for any school he wants to visit.
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I would think the same. Of all the colleges we toured with all kids, Davidson was my personal favorite. I think for me that a more intimate environment would mean a better opportunity for social engagement. I personally would likely feel lost on a large campus. This guy feels differently.
As you probably already know, he should not bother applying to any school he was rejected from last year.
Way too early to expect any different decision.
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This sounds interesting. Forgive my ignorance, but I don’t know anything about cross-registering/ The idea of potentially explaining a social circle, perhaps at BU, while staying at Tufts might be great. If you could be kind enough to let me know where I could learn more I would really like to investigate this opportunity. Thank you so much
Here’s the webpage I found on this:
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Does he do social media? A lot of kids in the same unis or ones nearby connect up that way through Instagram, snapchat. It could be that he finds a girlfriend and stays put.