required curriculum-pros and cons????

lolabelle
Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:59:03 +0000

Yes, Tufts accepts credits from most schools if your son wants to use summers to fulfill his distribution requirements.

However, I don’t know anyone at Tufts (I’m a senior now) that has had a significant amount of trouble fulfilling them if they plan ahead (my boyfriend, for one, left both math classes until next semester–his last at Tufts–which is a shame for him but that was his fault). A good portion of the students here follow Route A: they are double-majors, which shows that not only did they have time to get all their requirements down, they also had time to major in two subjects that interested them. I, for one, chose Route B: I majored in one subject (International Relations) and then have dabbled in about four subjects (English, Art History, and am 2 credits shy of a French major) I am really interested in but don’t necessarily feel I have to major in. I have also finished all my distribution requirements, I went abroad for a year, and I am involved in many ECs. It’s doable.

I shoudl also point out that two classes I would never have taken were it not for the distribution requirements, ended up being two of my best classes at Tufts. My Epidemiology class with Dr. Gute in the Civil Engineering Dept, which I took as one of my two Natural Sci requirements, turned out to be fascinating. As is my current math class (yes, math!) called Math of Social Choice – it’s the first time I’ve ever taken a math class I feel I can apply to my everyday life and even social conversations (yay, nerd). A rigorous core curriculum only emphasizes the liberal arts education.