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Are you ready to “Fall for Tufts?”

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Craig Meister

Earlier this month, Tufts University welcomed its Class of 2028 to campus, but even as the university’s newest students settle into life on the Hill, Tufts’ admissions team is turning its attention to recruiting future Jumbos to join the Tufts Class of 2029 through the university’s signature virtual open house, Fall for Tufts.

Fall for Tufts will begin in earnest the week of September 16, 2024 and offer students, counselors, college advisors, and family members a variety of entirely virtual events from which to choose in order to learn more about Tufts University. Programming includes virtual mock classes taught by professors, specialized admissions sessions, and student panels.

Tufts is known for its rigorous academics and offers a wide range of programs, particularly strong in international relations, engineering, and the humanities. It has a reputation for encouraging interdisciplinary studies and allowing students to explore diverse fields. Tufts also has a vibrant campus life with numerous student organizations, clubs, and activities. Whether students are interested in arts, activism, sports, or other extracurriculars, there are ample opportunities to get involved. Situated in Medford, Massachusetts, Tufts is close to Boston, which provides students access to a major city with a wealth of cultural, academic, and professional opportunities.

For additional details and registration information, visit the Fall for Tufts webpage.

University of Rochester Application Deadlines Extended

Posted on December 5, 2020 by admissions.blog 1 Comment

University of Rochester Library.

The University of Rochester has announced a major shift it its Regular Decision and Early Decision II application deadlines for the current admissions cycle.

Dr. Robert J. Alexander, Rochester’s Dean of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management, informed high school counselors on December 4, 2020 that applications for both admission plans, which are typically due in the first days of January are now due January 20 – a full two weeks later than normal.

“In recognition of these turbulent and unprecedented times, the University of Rochester is offering an extension to both our Regular Decision and Early Decision II application deadlines.” wrote Alexander. Students applying by the new deadlines will still be considered for both admission and merit scholarships. He added, “We hope this extension allows students, families, and counselors more time to navigate the challenges associated with COVID-19 and virtual interactions, and to take care of themselves and their families.”

While those are lovely sentiments, as we mentioned previously when discussing Tuft’s decision to move its Early Decision deadline into late November, such dramatic shifts are not taken out of altruism alone. While we don’t have access to internal data from Rochester, what’s becoming clearer is the decision to go test-optional this admissions cycle by many selective and hyper-selective colleges has boomeranged back particularly hard on many typically selective colleges like Rochester that don’t have the name recognition of the Dukes, Penns, or Browns of the world. This is because many students who would have never considered hyper-selective colleges are applying to them instead of colleges that are typically slightly less selective; even the Ivies are test-optional this cycle.

For instance, let’s say you are an average straight A student in the high school Class of 2021 with a 1030 on the SAT; in a typical year you would never apply to anything other than your state university and a few others with relatively low test score averages. This year, you say to yourself, “I might as well put in an app or two to Duke, Harvard, and Vanderbilt since they won’t look at my scores.” And he or she has heard of them in pop culture.

Meanwhile, the typical Rochester applicant, one with, let’s say, a 1350 on the SAT, is now also looking to trade up the rankings lists to Carnegie Mellon, Wash U., or even Yale this year. Rochester likely finds itself in what we’ve call previously a doughnut hole of a situation; Rochester is getting overlooked by both its typical applicants and those academically weaker than its typical applicants all because both groups of applicants are applying to higher ranked schools OR opting for options with retail prices lower than private Rochester (in-state universities, community colleges, etc.) considering the economic disaster brought on by governors and mayors shutting down so much commerce. What a shame for a great school like Rochester! Yet, what a great year for a strong student looking for a great college and a scholarship to consider Rochester. And now such a student has even more time to apply (though we always say, “the early bird gets the worm”). Stay strategic.

 

 

What to make of Tufts’ Early Decision Deadline Extension

Posted on November 17, 2020 by admissions.blog Leave a Comment

While occasionally colleges extend application deadlines in response to hurricanes or other natural disasters, Tufts’ announcement in October that it would extend its Early Decision I (EDI) deadline from November 1 to November 17 in response to COVID-19 and various natural disasters didn’t pass the smell test.

It’s one thing to be or appear charitable by giving struggling students a few extra days or a week to complete their applications; yet, giving every applicant seventeen extra days to submit applications EDI is an extreme act that reeked of desperation.

Now, we are getting Common App data that supports our suspicions.

Inside Higher Ed shared that Common Application colleges are seeing average application declines of eight percent this fall. Meanwhile applications for first-generation students and those eligible for fee waivers are down sixteen percent so far. A full sixty percent of Common App colleges are seeing application declines. In addition Common App colleges and universities in the Northeast and Midwest experienced the steepest declines in application volume – down a full fourteen percent compared to last year.

While we don’t yet know if Tufts is one of the schools with application declines, by pushing its EDI deadline out nearly three weeks the university is signaling that it at least wanted more EDI applications to review for some reason (it could be a dip in application numbers, some other internal application target not being met by late October, and/or just the desire to make more money – after all, Tufts does charge $75/application).

This was all expected and is one of the main reasons why colleges were so fast to go SAT- or ACT-optional for members of the high school class of 2021. Colleges rightly worried that pandemic closure-induced job/income losses and the ongoing pandemic itself would scare students away from wanting to live and learn in close quarters far from home. This is an acute worry at second tier or lower colleges that cost a pretty penny to attend. Interestingly, with so many colleges now SAT- and ACT-optional it is likely that the biggest name colleges are benefitting most from the test-optional trend while others like Tufts that have more limited name-brand appeal are more likely to be overlooked by students newly-emboldened to apply to reach colleges they would have never considered if their SAT or ACT scores were any good.

For instance, let’s say you are a straight A student with a 1010 on the SAT; in a typical year you would never apply to anything other than your state university an a few others with relatively low test score averages. This year, you say to yourself, “I might as well put in an app or two to Harvard and Yale since they won’t look at my scores.” Notice how Tufts (or other similar schools) was not mentioned in such a hypothetical student’s line of reasoning. That’s because most college applicants have never heard of Tufts. Those who have are also probably holding off on applying EDI to Tufts when the school also offers EDII. This is because many typical EDI Tufts applicants are now going to try and swing for the fences at Brown, Penn, Princeton, or Harvard. Tufts likely finds itself in a doughnut hole of a situation.

January 2021 Update: Tufts is thrilled with itself because overall it got thirty-five percent more applications this admissions cycle compared to last year. Yet, in Tufts’ self-congratulatory press release, Tufts attempts to memory hole the fact that pushing back its ED deadline nearly three weeks probably played at least a small role in the increase. The main driver, of course, was Tufts’s decision to go test-optional, which resulted in HALF of Tufts applicants this cycle opting not to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications! It will be interesting to learn what percentage of those accepted ultimately did or did not submit their SAT or ACT scores. As things stand now, it’s pretty clear that Tufts simply wanted to drive up its perceived selectivity as much as possible by driving down its top line acceptance rate and used test-optional applicants to do so. Should Tufts ultimately accept a significant percentage of its Class of 2025 via the test-optional pathway, how selective can Tufts really be considered? Maybe its acceptance rate will plummet, but, objectively, it will no longer be a college that prizes academic excellence above many other factors. This is because assessing a student by his or her grades in high school as the only measure of academic achievement denies reality that is obvious to most astute observers: most American high schools have become environments of rampant grade inflation and short-term self-esteem boosting and very little more. While SAT and ACT scores are imperfect measures of academic excellence, they are a least objective standardized measures that allow colleges to compare what applicants know upon submitting their application regardless of what curriculum applicants experienced in high school. Test optional colleges may still reject more students than they accept, but what they are basing their admissions decisions on is more akin to what those holding a velvet rope at a night club base their admissions decisions on than any sort of academic achievement metric.

Tufts now offers international gap-years and semesters to high school applicants

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Craig Meister Leave a Comment

While Tufts University in Massachusetts is best known as a very selective research university that offers a diversity of strong undergraduate degree programs, it also offers two First-Year Global Programs that could be great experiences for students looking for a novel start to their undergraduate studies. Both of these programs offer the opportunity to live and work overseas with a cohort of other Tufts students while supporting a community organization, living with a local host family, and discovering the world beyond the borders of the United States of America.

A First-Year Fall Semester Abroad: The Tufts Civic Semester

  • Civic Semester participants take classes together on the Tufts campus in August before departing for one of two service locations (Peru or China) where they study the local language and work part-time at a community organization.
  • Students return to campus for their Spring term with a full semester of academic credit, allowing them to graduate in four years.
  • Civic Semester is a student’s first semester of college, and tuition and fees cover all expenses, including the option to utilize financial aid awards.

A Gap Year Before Tufts: The Tufts 1+4 Bridge Year Program

  • Tufts 1+4 is a year of full-time international work before students begin their four years of study on campus.
  • In one of four countries (Uruguay, India, Brazil, or Ecuador) across the globe, students make a difference on an issue they care about, have time to explore new interests, and return with a deeper sense of self and a broader perspective on the world.
  • The Tufts 1+4 program offers full financial support for any student who is admitted to the program and qualifies for Tufts financial aid at any level.

If you are interested in one of these unique programs, you should indicate interest in them on your first-year application to Tufts. You will have the chance to apply for them on the Tufts applicant portal once you submit your Tufts application or at any time once you have been accepted to Tufts University.

For more information, contact firstyearglobal@tufts.edu.

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