I have a daughter who is in her first year at Tufts. Like you, she fell in love with the place when we first visited and she applied ED1 over both Brown and Hopkins. She still loves it and is very happy. Unlike you, she was not interested in any Ivies other than Brown, as she did not want a core curriculum (which I believe both Harvard and Penn have)and while she has good friends at Harvard, and enjoys Cambridge a great deal, the atmosphere there struck her as a little self-important and competitive. At Tufts she has found smart, interesting and NICE kids. And she can be herself, which, at 18, she is still finding out what that is. It’s an eclectic group, not everyone is either a perfect 2400, a champion pole vaulter, or the son of a Senator. Partying is pretty much limited to the weekends, and not everyone parties every weekend. She has found school challenging, but not overwhelming, and she easily got involved in different groups (radio station, club volleyball) and is able to get into leadership positions in her freshman year. No question that opportunities are manifest at Harvard, and it’s got “that” cachet, but some kids do turn Harvard down. It has a higher status than Tufts for sure, and Tufts will always live “in the shadow” of both Harvard and MIT. But its star is ascending, no doubt. One thing you don’t want to do, is go to Tufts, or Vanderbilt, and spend time telling people you turned down Harvard. If that is going to happen, go to Harvard. Go to Tufts if that is what you want. It’s not like it’s a junior college in comparison. You are obviously a very bright and accomplished person, as well as being pretty mature and grounded (I infer that from the fact that you aren’t immediately picking Harvard because it’s Harvard, and are giving a great deal of thought to the matter). And honestly, with your abilities, you will soar wherever you go. You should visit each place again, possibly more than once. You will be living there for 4 years and it’s your life. You may also want to read the book, “Excellent Sheep.”