<p>Outside 1, you are correct. In making a whirlwind tour of four college campuses in 3 days, one ends up with impressions, stereotypes even, that lack substance, but nonetheless linger, and the particular set of experiences we had that morning were weighted away from the cultural mainstream I was expecting. The Wes my son experienced in the spring with his dad was more balanced; he had enough time to interact with a lot of students, and he was able to envision how he could fit in the campus community.</p>
<p>But getting back to this thread’s main topic, the very next campus we visited after Wes last fall was Tufts! I think Tufts, like Wesleyan, is a happy place where most students end up very satisfied with their education and overall experience. Personally, I do not like the core requirements much. I also found the campus to be very compact due to its urban location, comparing unfavorably to Wesleyan’s beautiful campus, and I also got the impression that walking up the hill on windy winter days would get old fast. Campus issues minor; core requirements not so.
Tufts and Wesleyan attract students at the same academic level, and I suspect that many students end up trying to choose between the two. Good luck to the OP, can’t go wrong with either school.</p>