<p>I applied as a transfer student and I having gotten into all of my schools… now have the option of attending:</p>
<p>Tufts
Bowdoin
BC
Brandeis
BU</p>
<p>I’m mostly stuck between Tufts and Bowdoin. I love Tufts location and social atmosphere and size. I felt a bit stifled by Bowdoin’s size and atmosphere. I also love the fact that Boston is so close by and accessible for internships during the year.</p>
<p>I love Bowdoin’s administration and the fact that professors are INCREDIBLY open to meeting with students outside of office hours. I’m aware that at schools like Bowdoin and Middlebury professors are truly there because they want to teach, I also recieved all grant money from Bowdoin (though Tufts met full need I’m left with 6,000 in loans that Bowdoin gave me in grant form). </p>
<p>So I’m stuck. Professors and money v. size and location</p>
<p>Graduating debt-free is much better than graduating $12,000+ in debt. Moreover, Bowdoin is an amazing school that I’d pick over Tufts even without the financial incentive. My advice is to go with Bowdoin.</p>
<p>the thing is, I really hated my social experiences during my visits to Bowdoin. The only thing I like about Bowdoin more than I do Tufts is the academics (Bowdoin only getting the edge because of their ridiculously dedicated professors), whereas I feel that Tufts has everything else.</p>
<p>Well, I go to Bates… I feel incredibly stifled by the size, I hate the social atmosphere, etc etc (which is why applying to Bowdoin actually made little to no sense except for that I really do care about student-teacher interactions)</p>
<p>Go to Tufts! It’s a great school and social fit is worth $12,000 extra dollars. It sounds like you’re just waiting for someone to tell you it’s OK. I know the conventional wisdom is to go with the money and I agree to a point, but $12,000 is not $120,000, some people end up owing astronomical amounts. I believe that college is as much about that illusive “fit” as with academics. Tufts will have great faculty/student interactions, you’ll just need to be proactive and go to office hours.</p>
<p>Re-read your posts. You dislike everything about Bowdoin except for your belief that the professors are more accessible and dedicated than those at your other schools. That’s not an insignificant assumption. In today’s day and age 12K of debt is pretty trivial. To an outsider like me Bates and Bowdoin seem like two sides of the same coin. It seems like you’ve made your decision.</p>
<p>concur with vince. If Bates is too small (“stifling”) why would Bowdoin be any better? They have nearly identical undergrad populations. </p>
<p>Do you really believe that Bowdoin’s Prof’s provide that much more student interaction? (Hint: plenty of Tufts profs will be happy to hold your hand – just go to their office hours.)</p>
<p>I would agree with the consensus. I have heard from alumni that the small size can be stifling. If you think this before you go then it will only get worse. It may also be a difficult environment to transfer into because everyone who is there will know each other and it may be difficult to break in. Go to Tufts. Over time, the debt will seem insignificant - people lose more than $6,000 in the stock market in a day and a new car loses that much value when it is driven off the dealer’s lot. I would also have trouble believing that the professors at Tufts are not dedicated.</p>
<p>How did you get into Bowdoin? I thought Bowdoin wasn’t accepting any transfers this year whatsoever? Anyway, Bowdoin is probably the best out of the entire list.</p>