2013-2014 Tufts University Application Thread

[surely]

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Letters of Intent are certainly a thing. I sent one to my top choice school recently.

Oh. Hmm. To expand, my understanding was that schools place no real stock in letters of intent, because there's no mechanism by which anyone can enforce them. Therefore, letters of intent can come across as a bit disingenuous or just, y'know, "talk is cheap." Meanwhile, letters of interest still give you an opportunity to talk about why you're interested in the school and why you're a good fit, without coming across as a potentially sleazy applicant who'll thoughtlessly make a non-binding commitment to the school for the sake of getting an acceptance. Does that make sense? Not that I'm trying to turn this thread into a referendum on the etiquette of the various breeds of LOI.

(on preview: what @johnamo said!)

Anyway, if the OP is stressing about committing to one program or another, she should not be writing a letter of intent!

Also, OP, one more thing that occurred to me: You should consider which school has more waitlist movement. If most applicants with outright acceptance to Brown end up matriculating, your letter of intent may be better off at Tufts. Unfortunately, waitlist movement can be hard to predict. Good luck.

 

[SixStringPsych]

Oh. Hmm. To expand, my understanding was that schools place no real stock in letters of intent, because there's no mechanism by which anyone can enforce them. Therefore, letters of intent can come across as a bit disingenuous or just, y'know, "talk is cheap." Meanwhile, letters of interest still give you an opportunity to talk about why you're interested in the school and why you're a good fit, without coming across as a potentially sleazy applicant who'll thoughtlessly make a non-binding commitment to the school for the sake of getting an acceptance. Does that make sense? Not that I'm trying to turn this thread into a referendum on the etiquette of the various breeds of LOI.

(on preview: what @johnamo said!)

Anyway, if the OP is stressing about committing to one program or another, she should not be writing a letter of intent!

Also, OP, one more thing that occurred to me: You should consider which school has more waitlist movement. If most applicants with outright acceptance to Brown end up matriculating, your letter of intent may be better off at Tufts. Unfortunately, waitlist movement can be hard to predict. Good luck.

Yeah, I see what you're saying. It's not like it's legally binding but it's incredibly unethical to not take an acceptance on a school you sent an LOI to so they'd certainly look out for you for residency.

But also I don't think anyone is just writing letters saying "I will guarantee my attendance to this school if I get accepted" and that's it. I wrote a letter saying that, AND explaining why I find the school so appealing, AS WELL as updated them on my current activities. So it was a letter of intent, interest, and update letter all in one. I think that's definitely worth it.

 

[JHUDJA]

I'm still confused as to who's on the waitlist and who was deferred. The mailed letter I got made it very clear (with bold/italics) that being deferred is NOT the waitlist. They also told us on my interview day that exact same thing. I feel like writing a letter if you're deferred makes a lot of sense because they haven't made a final decision yet. If you're waitlisted...it makes sense to write a letter only if the waitlist is unranked. A waitlist is a "final" decision on their part, so it won't make them randomly change their minds, BUT if the waitlist is unranked and they know you're very interested, it can help because they go back in and review files accordingly to suit their demographics.

 

[ccreate]

It's silly (and a bit telling) that your main concern is their respective "rankings".

Brown and Tufts are very different schools with different missions, philosophies, and environments. Basically, I agree with Chir0nex above. They're both great schools where you will get a top-notch education. Go with where you feel you will be a better fit -- this will mean a lot for the next few years of your life.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you applied to both of them because you thought they would be an equally good fit and not because they're ranked similarly.

Thanks for the benefit of the doubt 🙂 , and please rest assured that ranking was only a part of my concerns. I am definitely much more interested in figuring out the best fit, quality of life & education. At the same time, I can't say that I don't have worldly interests when comparing these schools so I will make sure to keep the right attitude in mind! Thanks for everyone's feedback though.

 

[14Sky]

Hi guys! I'm not sure if there is a thread where this would be more appropriate, but I'm just putting some feelers out there to see if any admitted students who are planning on attending Tufts in August are interested in sharing a 3BR + a 3rd floor studio apartment house in Everett, MA. If interested, PM me for more information.

 

[premedbynight]

Does anyone know when Second Look might be?

 

[8luckycharms]

Pre-interview rejection this morning, complete early August. Finally got some closure on this school!

 

[darklabel]

Pre-interview rejection this morning, complete early August. Finally got some closure on this school!

+1, looks like a large wave of rejections.

 

[ChiapetBrownie]

Pre -II rejection this morning. Knew it was just a matter of time.

 

[sstackhouse]

Still haven't heard anything over here

 

[hopefulxox]

Still haven't heard anything over here

+1 complete late September.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

+1 complete late September.

+1... complete late July. 😕 I'm just cringing every time I get a new e-mail. I can't say I'm very hopeful for anything other than a rejection, unfortunately.

 

[Groovin]

Does anyone know if all their interview dates are currently full?

 

[pDeluxe]

Does anyone know if all their interview dates are currently full?

6 dates in March are still open according to the portal

 

[ttothemac]

+1 complete late September.

August 🙁

 

[juliuspepperwood]

6 dates in March are still open according to the portal

You're deferred here too right? We are just holding down the limbo status squad at Ucsd & tufts lol

 

[pDeluxe]

You're deferred here too right? We are just holding down the limbo status squad at Ucsd & tufts lol

Yeah. And while it sucks, we will be kings come May 16th (at least thats how im coping haha)

 

[juliuspepperwood]

Yeah. And while it sucks, we will be kings come May 16th (at least thats how im coping haha)

Sounds good to me

 

[GBODumich2012]

Yeah. And while it sucks, we will be kings come May 16th (at least thats how im coping haha)

Any idea the proportion of deferred applicants that eventually get accepted?

 

[JHUDJA]

Any idea the proportion of deferred applicants that eventually get accepted?

No clue, but I'm hoping a lot of them lol
The letter says "many" of them do. Hoping that's accurate!

 

[neuronerd24]

+1... complete late July. 😕 I'm just cringing every time I get a new e-mail. I can't say I'm very hopeful for anything other than a rejection, unfortunately.

Same ahh I'm dying to hear something from this school

 

[pDeluxe]

Any idea the proportion of deferred applicants that eventually get accepted?

no idea. I'm still not even 100% clear on the difference between deferred and waitlisted.

 

[TheBDP]

no idea. I'm still not even 100% clear on the difference between deferred and waitlisted.

Waitlist= if accepted people do not matriculate, you're in.

Deferred= we are still reviewing your app. Could turn into a flat rejection, outright acceptance, or eventually turn into a waitlist.

 

[granger1]

6 dates in March are still open according to the portal

Anyone know if they're still extending II since 6 interview dates are still open? And if so, when they'll be sending out the last batch?

 

[UltimateforFun]

Is Tufts still sending out interview invites?

Just received interview invite!!! So stoked! I sent in an update and interest letter a few weeks ago. Would love to be in Boston!

 

[neilpryde21]

Just received interview invite!!! So stoked! I sent in an update and interest letter a few weeks ago. Would love to be in Boston!

Congrats!! Now go crush that interview!!

 

[UltimateforFun]

Congrats!! Now go crush that interview!!

Thank you! For those who are interested there were only two days available for interviews.

 

[starkidbee]

Just received interview invite!!! So stoked! I sent in an update and interest letter a few weeks ago. Would love to be in Boston!

Congrats! Do you mind sharing your stats?

 

[UltimateforFun]

Congrats! Do you mind sharing your stats?

For sure: MCAT 32 VR 10, BS 11, PS 11
GPA: 4.0
Solid ECs
NMR Research
Global Service
Lots of leadership

Sent in my update/interest letter February 13th. Finished secondary 9/13.

 

[Digitalis28]

Thank you! For those who are interested there were only two days available for interviews.

What were the dates?

 

[UltimateforFun]

What were the dates?

Ha I suppose that would be useful information. March 25th and 27th were the only ones left that I could see.

 

[guannaberry]

Does anyone/current students/etc know how much financial aid/scholarship most students get? I am CA res, and if I come to Tufts, I am not sure how I can actually pay. If I take out loans, it would pretty much be like 75% loans since i'm doing a combined degree program, and the cost of that is astounding. Thanks!

 

[guannaberry]

Also, what is the housing situation? Being from CA, I would probably have to dorm on campus for the first year at least. Does anyone know what that is like? i.e. are bathrooms shared, is the dorm on the school of medicine campus, costs, etc.

 

[highhopes92]

For sure: MCAT 32 VR 10, BS 11, PS 11
GPA: 4.0
Solid ECs
NMR Research
Global Service
Lots of leadership

Sent in my update/interest letter February 13th. Finished secondary 9/13.

Did you send it in via email or just updated the portal?

 

[Chir0nex]

Does anyone/current students/etc know how much financial aid/scholarship most students get? I am CA res, and if I come to Tufts, I am not sure how I can actually pay. If I take out loans, it would pretty much be like 75% loans since i'm doing a combined degree program, and the cost of that is astounding. Thanks!

It really depends on your situation, but unless if you have clear financial need (i.e your family is low income and/or has significant illness etc...) you probably won't get much. Certainly contact the financial aid office for a better answer.

Also, what is the housing situation? Being from CA, I would probably have to dorm on campus for the first year at least. Does anyone know what that is like? i.e. are bathrooms shared, is the dorm on the school of medicine campus, costs, etc.

Dorms are single rooms with a shared bathroom and kitchen on the floor. The dorm is across the street from the library, hospital and anatomy lab. I think it costs between 700 and 800 but I am exactly sure. I think it's a great deal, but it is first come first serve, so apply for it quickly if you are interested. Also, even if you are form CA, it is still possible to get off campus housing, especially if you are roommates with someone local. There is a fair amount of flexibility especially considering that multiple subway lines all run close to school.

 

[UltimateforFun]

Did you send it in via email or just updated the portal?

I sent it in via email. Probably should have done portal haha but oh well it still helped I bet.

 

[Chipster.]

Does anyone/current students/etc know how much financial aid/scholarship most students get? I am CA res, and if I come to Tufts, I am not sure how I can actually pay. If I take out loans, it would pretty much be like 75% loans since i'm doing a combined degree program, and the cost of that is astounding. Thanks!

I'm looking for cheaper housing along the orange line around Jamaica Plain. The more people you live with the less expensive it is usually so I'm interested in finding a couple M1's who are in a similar situation.

 

[kyamh]

I'm looking for cheaper housing along the orange line around Jamaica Plain. The more people you live with the less expensive it is usually so I'm interested in finding a couple M1's who are in a similar situation.

Take a look at Mission Hill and the Brigham Circle area. It had a bad rep a decade ago, but now it's full of Northeastern students, HMS students, and Brigham residents/staff. It is right on the orange line and is closer to Chinatown/Tufts than JP is. I have lived there for two years and have been happy with my rent:what you get ratio.

I would probably avoid Roxbury and Dorchester though...

 

[myu74]

I sent it in via email. Probably should have done portal haha but oh well it still helped I bet.

Did you get an email confirmation of any sort?

 

[UltimateforFun]

Did you get an email confirmation of any sort?

Nope just got the II a week later. I bet if you did the portal they would give you some sort of confirmation.

 

[myu74]

Nope just got the II a week later. I bet if you did the portal they would give you some sort of confirmation.

Haha you would think so, right? I submitted via portal and haven't yet received any sort of confirmation. I'll probably give them a call just to make sure since it was about 2 weeks ago. Thanks for the info!

 

[neuronerd24]

Sent in LOI yesterday via portal and email... Not sure if I'm being annoying at this point, but I don't have anything to lose so...

 

[myu74]

Sent in LOI yesterday via portal and email... Not sure if I'm being annoying at this point, but I don't have anything to lose so...

Did you get an email acknowledging your LOI?

 

[PR-passion4]

Interviewed mid-February and deferred today. Now some more waiting

 

[onedaydoctorihope]

Interviewed mid-February and deferred today. Now some more waiting

Same here...I may be grasping at straws, but does anyone know if there is any correlation between being deferred and any of the final admissions outcomes?

 

[Hemorrage]

Can anyone comment on how late Tufts interviews? I still haven't been rejected but i haven't heard anything either.

 

[rsc25]

Can anyone comment on how late Tufts interviews? I still haven't been rejected but i haven't heard anything either.

+1

 

[LLbean12]

Does anyone know how long of a wait there is after submitting financial aid info to receive a financial aid package?

 

[PR-passion4]

Can anyone comment on how late Tufts interviews? I still haven't been rejected but i haven't heard anything either.

According to the dates they give people to choose from on the application page post-II, they interview through March, and it looks like they only have spaces available for March 25 and 27. Good luck!

 

[JHUDJA]

I was deferred Feb. 7th and still haven't heard anything yet. Praying for good news!