The Hidden Gem

Introduction
The honest reason I chose Tufts is because I wanted an Ivy education without the pretention that goes along with it. I didn't exactly get what I bargained for, but it was an experience I wouldn't trade. The academics are rigorous, and you'll soon learn that although you can get away with daily drinking, it probably won't be conducive to fantastic success. This is a school where you can shine or hide, depending on where you are most comfortable. This is a school neither for the weak-willed, the individual who needs his hand constantly held, nor the student seeking out and "Animal House"-esque party scene. It is, however, a place where one can delve into his interests, embrace differing cultures, and learn far beyond the realm of books. Tufts certainly has a unique community.

Campus Life and Social Life
The social life certainly shifts between one's sophomore and junior years, when students begin to understand that the Greek system isn't all it's cracke dup to be. A quick T ride to the city helps matters profusely, in addition to the abundance of university events, which are never lacking. Tufts is certainly not a party-hard school - most times the parties are over by 2 AM and afternoon drinking on the porch is not a norm - but, again, it's really more about finding the group if that's what you're into. Academics
Nearly every department has its brilliances and shortcomings, but the former always outweigh the latter. The pre-med program in and of itself at Tufts is outlandishly rigorous (and, frankly, scary), weeding out the weak-of-heart, but it virutally guarantees a brilliant MCAT score. The big majors are International Relations, Economics, and English, all of which house professors who sometimes teach from books they have written themselves. The only downfall of this liberal arts education is the huge number of core requirements which seem daunting and almost insurmountable at first, but are slowly completed over four years. Especially gasp-worth is the six-semester foreign language requirement, whose ins and outs take nearly two pages to explain in the first place.

Student Body
The student body is not as diverse as many would like to claim. It mostly seems overrun by rich, private school kids and people who have somehow traveled the world by the tender age of 18. This is pretty surface-level, though, because when you look for it you can find the underground of students who almost literally represent every walk of life, every socio-economic group, and every background imaginable. It sometimes takes a while to find your niche, but it does happen. The problem is that if you don't fit into the rich, private school stereotype, it might take a bit more time to acclimate than you'd for it to.

In Closing...
Not so much.