Tufts - Worth the price?

[JMan9]

Anyone out there have experience with Tufts that could help determine if it is really worth 40K a year in tuition? Compared to a state school, is the reputation really going to help get the competitive residencies?

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[mlh25]

Tufts is great

 

[Heather Noelle]

I did the same. That's a HECK of a lot of $$ when you really think about it (and I'm sure you did during the financial speech they give at the interview). I chose state -- I'm in NY -- and although our tuition is rising, I'm much happier with the price.

 

[LP1CW]

Tufts, BU and a few other schools are definitely not worth the price.

 

[Mr.Tweed]

The cost of BU and Tufts is very high, however, it's not that much more than other private schools. So you'll have to wait an extra year to buy that beamer.

Tufts, BU and a few other schools are definitely not worth the price.

 

[Rod Farva]

No, it's not worth the price in my estimation... if you have any other allopathic options I would recommend going somewhere else.

 

[asdash]

Let me defend my school for just a bit...

I think our match list is pretty impressive. Sure, it doesn't look like Duke's, but it's definitely far superior to my state school's list. Decent amount of ortho, rads, anesthesia (at some top hospitals too), rad onc.

So get your hands on your state school's list and compare it to Tufts' (or any private institution you're considering). If there's no difference, save your $$$ for coffee and textbooks.

 

[exmike]

Let me defend my school for just a bit...

I think our match list is pretty impressive. Sure, it doesn't look like Duke's, but it's definitely far superior to my state school's list. Decent amount of ortho, rads, anesthesia (at some top hospitals too), rad onc.

So get your hands on your state school's list and compare it to Tufts' (or any private institution you're considering). If there's no difference, save your $$$ for coffee and textbooks.

I tend to agree with this poster. My two acquaintences at tufts both matched VERY WELL. One is doing Rads at UIowa, and the other Ophtho at Jules Stein at UCLA!! The latter is indeed impressive for any school.

 

[piyomonsta]

Coming from a boarding school and Ivy League, I had a very difficult time deciding between Tufts and my state school because of reputation vs. great tuition and family. I ultimately chose state for several reasons. Paying 50K for a ranked school seems ridiculous when I could get the same education for 10 times less. Medical school is also what you make of it; if you try your best and work hard, you will present yourself as a competitive candidate to top residency programs regardless of your school's reputation. I also want to practice in my state in the future, so getting some educational experience in Arizona may benefit me in the long run.
There are a lot of things to consider in choosing a medical school, and match lists are just one small part of that decision-making. Look at curriculum; maybe you want a school that's more traditional, or maybe more aggressive (some schools don't teach biochem, others are considering simulatory anatomy). Look at the students; maybe state is more laid-back and name schools are more cut-throat. Think about location and family. And of course finance; is it really worth paying 50K for the same degree that you would get at a lower price?

 

[Masonator]

I'm a Tufts student as well. The reputation definitely came through for me.
If you want to do something competitive in a good city, and your state school sucks ass, then Tufts may be a good choice. If your state school rocks, like UNC, any UC, UMinnesota, Downstate, Colorado, UA or whatever then Tufts is not worth the price. If your state option is University of South Central Illinois or whatever then Tufts might be good. You should also ask yourself if you want to be in Boston. Boston is a hard city to live in. It is very expensive. Do you like the northeast, do you want to be away from friends and family, etc.

 

[Masonator]

Coming from a boarding school and Ivy League, I had a very difficult time deciding between Tufts and my state school because of reputation vs. great tuition and family. I ultimately chose state for several reasons. Paying 50K for a ranked school seems ridiculous when I could get the same education for 10 times less. Medical school is also what you make of it; if you try your best and work hard, you will present yourself as a competitive candidate to top residency programs regardless of your school's reputation. I also want to practice in my state in the future, so getting some educational experience in Arizona may benefit me in the long run.
There are a lot of things to consider in choosing a medical school, and match lists are just one small part of that decision-making. Look at curriculum; maybe you want a school that's more traditional, or maybe more aggressive (some schools don't teach biochem, others are considering simulatory anatomy). Look at the students; maybe state is more laid-back and name schools are more cut-throat. Think about location and family. And of course finance; is it really worth paying 50K for the same degree that you would get at a lower price?

I see a lot of premeds going to state schools who assume that because they aren't going to a big name school they are going to be in the top 10% of their class. This is a horrible assumption to make. State schools have just as many good students as big name schools unless it is a truly crappy school. Competition will be just as stiff in most state schools. Also clinical performance determines the majority of where you match. Who does well clinically is very unpredictable and doesn't have much to do with simple intelligence and hard work. There is a lot more to it then this. Go in with your eyes open.

 

[piyomonsta]

I see a lot of premeds going to state schools who assume that because they aren't going to a big name school they are going to be in the top 10% of their class. This is a horrible assumption to make. State schools have just as many good students as big name schools unless it is a truly crappy school. Competition will be just as stiff in most state schools. Also clinical performance determines the majority of where you match. Who does well clinically is very unpredictable and doesn't have much to do with simple intelligence and hard work. There is a lot more to it then this. Go in with your eyes open.

I couldn't agree with you more; there are people in my first-year class who started med school with the mentality that they'll again be top of their class. That's definitely the wrong idea. And true, there are certainly a number of factors that determine where you match residency. But I'd have to differ on one point. Although there is competition here at UA and probably other state med schools, there isn't as much cut-throatiness as I had experienced in college and high school on the east. Perhaps it's just a west-coast=more laid back, and east coast=more on the go-type issue. That's just my opinion based on my first-year in med school and comparing it to experiences in the past.
So to jman9 and other pre-meds, most likely you'd be happy at any med school, big reputation or not so big. Analyze your priorities and see how well your med school choices match up to them. Tufts is a wonderful school for many reasons, but I'm sure your state school has many strengths as well. Good luck in your decision.

 

[mjl34]

Four years ago, I had to make a decision similar to yours. I got into a top-ten private school back east and a top-twenty state school in Texas. I thought about it a lot and decided to go to Texas. . . . .

Four years later, I'm in 1/3 the debt of my friends who went to the east coast. I matched in a sweet residency program in a highly competitive field and I couldn't be happier with my med school experience.

In the end, it's what matters most to you. An extra $65,000 in debt was too much for me to take on just to stroke my ego.

 

[Rod Farva]

I also go to Tufts. I hate it. Not so much for the education and the people as for the simple fact that I hate Boston with a passion, and I don't feel I'm getting any superior education/training as anyone else in the country, yet I'm paying about 65K per for total cost of going to school. If you like paying obscene amounts of money, crappy weather, and having homely girls shoot you down at bars, then Tufts is the spot. If not, then go somewhere else.

 

[CyberMc]

What do people think about Tufts vs. Stony Brook. I really was interested in living in a city, and Stony Brook (while 20k less per year) is ~50 miles east of NYC in a sububian area of Long Island.

Any thoughts?

 

[Masonator]

I also go to Tufts. I hate it. Not so much for the education and the people as for the simple fact that I hate Boston with a passion, and I don't feel I'm getting any superior education/training as anyone else in the country, yet I'm paying about 65K per for total cost of going to school. If you like paying obscene amounts of money, crappy weather, and having homely girls shoot you down at bars, then Tufts is the spot. If not, then go somewhere else.

I can definitely sympathize with you my man. Boston did not agree with me either. It is hard to come from a nice, easy living part of the country and try to make it at Boston. There is a lot of attitude everywhere you go, both inside and outside medicine. I do want to give you a glimmer of hope though. I've done rotations with students from various schools all over the country and my clinical training was better then 90% of them. You are learning a lot even though it seems harsh and painful. Once match day comes, the Tufts reputation will most likely come through for you if you play your cards right. Hang in there, I was in your shoes.

 

[Masonator]

What do people think about Tufts vs. Stony Brook. I really was interested in living in a city, and Stony Brook (while 20k less per year) is ~50 miles east of NYC in a sububian area of Long Island.

Any thoughts?

I think NYC is a much cooler city then Boston. You would have to commute to hang there though.

 

[meanderson]

Let's say someone is accepted to an ordinary state school(in-state) and Tufts. First, it's important to note that the talent levels(in terms of gpa/mcat) at each school are going to be almost identical. 3.5/30ish type students. So Tufts/BU doesn't attract better students than most state school. In many cases, it attracts students who didn't get into their state school. Second, the reason Tufts is percieved to have a better match list than say Colorado has absolutely nothing to do with Tufts reputation but the rationalizations of the students making the decision 4 years previously. I could understand us having this argument about a school like Northwestern, Emory, or Chicago and whether or not it is "worth" the extra money as opposed to an ordinary state school, but Tufts even in that category. Heck, it's even possible to look at the University of Washington's match list and argue that their isn't much difference between it and NYMC in terms of "prestige", but nobody would argue that NYMC = Uwash in terms of medical school rep. So much of a residency match list depends on geographical desires. Because of that, it's fair to compare the match list of say Tufts to George Washington, but it's not fair to compare the match list of Baylor to Yale. I'd argue that Baylor and Yale are pretty similar in terms of rep and quality, but this won't be shown in the maych list year in and year out because of self selection due to geographical preferance. But for a baylor grad who is open to all areas of the country like their yale counterparts, then it's an even ballgame.

 

[bariume]

I also go to Tufts. I hate it. Not so much for the education and the people as for the simple fact that I hate Boston with a passion, and I don't feel I'm getting any superior education/training as anyone else in the country, yet I'm paying about 65K per for total cost of going to school. If you like paying obscene amounts of money, crappy weather, and having homely girls shoot you down at bars, then Tufts is the spot. If not, then go somewhere else.

Haha~ cheer up buddy. Despite all the skepticism in this thread, things do get better for Tufts students post-graduation. Take it from an alumni. The Tufts name is well known around the country, and has helped me much. It is costly, and I wish there was a some sort of loan relief for the students, but face it, medical education is costly wherever you go. If I had to choose again, I would go for Tufts again in a second.

 

[precisionplus]

what do you all think about tufts vs. robert wood johnson?

 

[southbelle]

Absolutely no meaningful difference in the price betweeb rwj and tufts. Anything below the top 25 or so schools won't give you a small "boost" that may help come match time. A school ranked #56 isn't any worse than a school ranked #48. At that point regional differences may come into play.

Go to RWJ if it's a lot cheaper. I don't know whether you are in or out of state.

 

[BassDominator]

This is your career at stake. Whether you are 100,000 or 150,000 in debt really makes no difference. Just go to the school that you think is best for YOU.

 

[Masonator]

Let's say someone is accepted to an ordinary state school(in-state) and Tufts. First, it's important to note that the talent levels(in terms of gpa/mcat) at each school are going to be almost identical. 3.5/30ish type students. So Tufts/BU doesn't attract better students than most state school. In many cases, it attracts students who didn't get into their state school. Second, the reason Tufts is percieved to have a better match list than say Colorado has absolutely nothing to do with Tufts reputation but the rationalizations of the students making the decision 4 years previously. I could understand us having this argument about a school like Northwestern, Emory, or Chicago and whether or not it is "worth" the extra money as opposed to an ordinary state school, but Tufts even in that category. Heck, it's even possible to look at the University of Washington's match list and argue that their isn't much difference between it and NYMC in terms of "prestige", but nobody would argue that NYMC = Uwash in terms of medical school rep. So much of a residency match list depends on geographical desires. Because of that, it's fair to compare the match list of say Tufts to George Washington, but it's not fair to compare the match list of Baylor to Yale. I'd argue that Baylor and Yale are pretty similar in terms of rep and quality, but this won't be shown in the maych list year in and year out because of self selection due to geographical preferance. But for a baylor grad who is open to all areas of the country like their yale counterparts, then it's an even ballgame.

Your arguement doesn't make a lot of sense. UWash and NYMC are not equal in reputation. UWash is one of the top state schools in the country. Colorado is one of the top state schools in the country as well. People from these schools are going to match well. When you directly compare two schools match lists, how do "rationalizations made 4 years previously" have anything to do with rating the quality of the programs? Comparing match lists based on reputation is pretty cut and dry. It is especially easy if you have knowledge of program quality all over the U.S. rather then in one region.
As for Baylor vs. Yale, I hate to say it but Yale has a better reputation in many places eyes.

 

[Masonator]

Absolutely no meaningful difference in the price betweeb rwj and tufts. Anything below the top 25 or so schools won't give you a small "boost" that may help come match time. A school ranked #56 isn't any worse than a school ranked #48. At that point regional differences may come into play.

Go to RWJ if it's a lot cheaper. I don't know whether you are in or out of state.

I think it is more meaningful to look at match lists rather then rankings to determine if a school will "give you a boost". You are pulling the 25 number out of your ass. Some people would argue that RWJ is better/worse then Tufts. It gets to be somewhat variable at that point. I haven't seen RWJ match list so I can't make any generalizations.

 

[southbelle]

Your arguement doesn't make a lot of sense. UWash and NYMC are not equal in reputation. UWash is one of the top state schools in the country. Colorado is one of the top state schools in the country as well. People from these schools are going to match well. When you directly compare two schools match lists, how do "rationalizations made 4 years previously" have anything to do with rating the quality of the programs? Comparing match lists based on reputation is pretty cut and dry. It is especially easy if you have knowledge of program quality all over the U.S. rather then in one region.
As for Baylor vs. Yale, I hate to say it but Yale has a better reputation in many places eyes.

My point is that col and NYMC aren't equal in rep, but there are many people would argue that tufts match listy is better. My point is that there are geographiao factors at work here that lead to this. Take away selecting factors and I'm not CU's matchlist would be better than nymc.

Bottom line is that Tufts is not a top med school, and there it doesn't make sense to pay an extra 80-110k to go there over an average ranked state school(not to mention an above average state school).

 

[southbelle]

I think it is more meaningful to look at match lists rather then rankings to determine if a school will "give you a boost".

I don't agree with this at all because of geographical and state residency issues. If you were to take the approach you mentioned(looking at residency matching), Tufts gives a slightly higher boost than UAB grads, which is total nonsense. But given two students with the same career plans, the UAB student will be the one getting the boost. Not the the tufts student.

The whole idea of "getting a boost" is pretty silly anyway. Unless you go to a true top 20 twenty school(and really a true top ten school), the "boost" you will get has to come from competitive clinical grades, step 1 scores, and LORS. It's not going to come from nymc, tufts, or george washington. Picking schools in that range based on reputation for matching as the #1 factor is asinine.

 

[Masonator]

I don't agree with this at all because of geographical and state residency issues. If you were to take the approach you mentioned(looking at residency matching), Tufts gives a slightly higher boost than UAB grads, which is total nonsense. But given two students with the same career plans, the UAB student will be the one getting the boost. Not the the tufts student.

The whole idea of "getting a boost" is pretty silly anyway. Unless you go to a true top 20 twenty school(and really a true top ten school), the "boost" you will get has to come from competitive clinical grades, step 1 scores, and LORS. It's not going to come from nymc, tufts, or george washington. Picking schools in that range based on reputation for matching as the #1 factor is asinine.

So you are saying that when comparing a UAB grad and a Tufts grad, with the exact same grades, boards scores and career/location aspirations that programs would favor UAB? This doesn't make a lot of sense. I could see programs favoring a UAB over an identical Tufts grad if they were trying to match in the deep south. Is that the point you are trying to make?

By the logic you are using, UAB has a worse match list then Tufts because they have "lower career aspirations". You are saying if they had "higher career aspirations" then they would match better then Tufts. This doesn't make that much sense to me. Do you think Tufts students have better overall career aspirations then students from Alabamba? Is Alabamba a hard core primary care school or something?

 

[irlandesa]

I go to Tufts and while I love Boston (at least for 6/12 months of the year); I would have gone to my state school (U of Maryland) without question. I think the only times that going to Tufts over your state school would be an advantage: a)your state school has significant problems with reputation or financial issues, b)you want to match in one of the more competitive specialties at a good program, and/or c)you have a strong interest in doing your residency in Boston or NYC, two geographical areas in which Tufts grads are well-respected. Otherwise, save your money and go in-state! And if you are interested in match lists, don't just look at one year as it may not be representative of your specialty of choice. For example, IMO, Tufts' IM list this year was so-so compared to 2003, when the "average" person matching in IM matched at BID in Boston. And this year 15+ grads chose to go into FP at at our school, which is most unusual for an expensive private school and not typical for Tufts. I could go on and on. I chose Tufts in part on reputation over another private school (SLU) to which I was accepted, and sometimes regret that I did so. I don't know for sure that I would have been happier at SLU, but I know that the lack of support of other students for each other during 3rd year combined with unabashed competition and lying (c'mon all you Tufts kiddies, you know you're not all REALLY honoring everything so cut that BS out) has made me want to run for the hills. I am afraid to even post on this board much anymore b/c I know that I'm just going to be torn down and labelled as a whiner.

 

[meanderson]

So you are saying that when comparing a UAB grad and a Tufts grad, with the exact same grades, boards scores and career/location aspirations that programs would favor UAB

Sure. As long as we aren't talking about a program that has a close relationship with tufts. UAB is a much higher ranked medical school than tufts, gets a tremendous amount more NIH money, and has a lot more distinguished hospital network. In the minds of 90% of the medical community, it is a better medical school.

UAB has a better 'reputation' than Tufts. The fact that their match list doesn't blow tufts away speaks more about the desires of many UAB grads wanting to stay where they were from(the southeast) than it does of their ability to match at top end programs.

At some of the higher end new england programs, Tufts may have the better name. Nationally, it's not particulary close, and this is evident in all the objective data.

But this is all silly. An ENT epplicant who has has **** together coming from tufts is going to match at a decent program while a UAB ent applicant who is a slacker won't. It's only at schools like Harvard and Hopkins where you can slack off and walk into a sweet residency.

 

[Mr.Tweed]

This is your career at stake. Whether you are 100,000 or 150,000 in debt really makes no difference. Just go to the school that you think is best for YOU.

I completely agree.

 

[Mirror Form]

This is your career at stake. Whether you are 100,000 or 150,000 in debt really makes no difference. Just go to the school that you think is best for YOU.

The difference in debt b/w tufts and a state school is more then that. Eg, I'll graduate my state school w/ only 60k in debt total. So if I'm comparing 60k in debt to 150k in debt, I think that's a big difference! Especially if you consider the interest as well. By the time you pay that last 90k off, it'll be more like 180k with the interest (and that's after taxes). So, if you go into Peds, that's two years of your salary down the drain, ouch.

 

[meanderson]

The difference in debt b/w tufts and a state school is more then that. Eg, I'll graduate my state school w/ only 60k in debt total. So if I'm comparing 60k in debt to 150k in debt, I think that's a big difference! Especially if you consider the interest as well. By the time you pay that last 90k off, it'll be more like 180k with the interest (and that's after taxes). So, if you go into Peds, that's two years of your salary down the drain, ouch.

What's more, plenty of state schools actually have better reputations than tufts. Most state schools have about the same rep.

 

[Masonator]

Sure. As long as we aren't talking about a program that has a close relationship with tufts. UAB is a much higher ranked medical school than tufts, gets a tremendous amount more NIH money, and has a lot more distinguished hospital network. In the minds of 90% of the medical community, it is a better medical school.

UAB has a better 'reputation' than Tufts. The fact that their match list doesn't blow tufts away speaks more about the desires of many UAB grads wanting to stay where they were from(the southeast) than it does of their ability to match at top end programs.

At some of the higher end new england programs, Tufts may have the better name. Nationally, it's not particulary close, and this is evident in all the objective data.

But this is all silly. An ENT epplicant who has has **** together coming from tufts is going to match at a decent program while a UAB ent applicant who is a slacker won't. It's only at schools like Harvard and Hopkins where you can slack off and walk into a sweet residency.

I know that UAB is a great state school, and an Alabamba resident would be stupid not to take it. I also know that they get a massive amount of NIH funding, hence the great ranking. I think whether UAB has a better national reputation then Tufts is argueable. I agree with you that in the South, people would take UAB over Tufts any day. I don't know if this holds true in the rest of the country. I always thought people in the south wouldn't like Boston trained docs more for their "snotty yankee attitudes" then anything else. Anyway I can't really argue who has a better national reputation with you because I'm not a well connected program director. Different programs probably have had different experiences with graduates from both programs.

Just to defend my school though, we do match well in areas besides the northeast. Most Tufts students are from the northeast and want to stay there. This doesn't mean that they don't have options elsewhere.

I think rather then generalizing about all of this, it is better to line the schools you are accepted to up side by side and directly compare them.

 

[Masonator]

I go to Tufts and while I love Boston (at least for 6/12 months of the year); I would have gone to my state school (U of Maryland) without question. I think the only times that going to Tufts over your state school would be an advantage: a)your state school has significant problems with reputation or financial issues, b)you want to match in one of the more competitive specialties at a good program, and/or c)you have a strong interest in doing your residency in Boston or NYC, two geographical areas in which Tufts grads are well-respected. Otherwise, save your money and go in-state! And if you are interested in match lists, don't just look at one year as it may not be representative of your specialty of choice. For example, IMO, Tufts' IM list this year was so-so compared to 2003, when the "average" person matching in IM matched at BID in Boston. And this year 15+ grads chose to go into FP at at our school, which is most unusual for an expensive private school and not typical for Tufts. I could go on and on. I chose Tufts in part on reputation over another private school (SLU) to which I was accepted, and sometimes regret that I did so. I don't know for sure that I would have been happier at SLU, but I know that the lack of support of other students for each other during 3rd year combined with unabashed competition and lying (c'mon all you Tufts kiddies, you know you're not all REALLY honoring everything so cut that BS out) has made me want to run for the hills. I am afraid to even post on this board much anymore b/c I know that I'm just going to be torn down and labelled as a whiner.

You shouldn't be afraid about expressing your ideas here. This is a public forum. I can definitely sympathize with what you are saying.

 

[southbelle]

I also know that they get a massive amount of NIH funding, hence the great ranking. I think whether UAB has a better national reputation then Tufts is argueable. QUOTE]

Well i think any point is arguable, but every single piece of objective data would suggest that UAB has the better national reputation. Whether you prefer to look at NIH funding, PD assessment, peer assessment, mstp programs, we could go on and on. It's not *just* NIH funduing that goes into US news rankings, but because UAB comes on top on the other factors involved in the metholdology, they have a much higher ranking than Tufts. Frankly, Tufts and UAB simply aren't schools that are compared. UAB is always grouped with UVA. Tufts with Jefferson and George Washington and MCV. If Tufts were a state school that costs 10k a year and UAB were an out of state school that costs 40k/year, I would be the first to admit that I would pick Tufts because the "boost" from either one is so insignificant.

And since there is smaller gap in rep between rwj and tufts(if one even exists), than between uab and tufts, I just don't see the rationale of turning down a state school to go to tufts. But I know some people have a love affair with boston. Never been before so I can't comment....