Opening Tufts’ application decision and seeing confetti populate the screen is exhilarating for many, but over thirty thousand people a year never see it. With a 10% acceptance rate and 37th place ranking in national universities by U.S. & World News, Tufts sits in a high echelon. It boasts substantial programs in international relations, dentistry, medicine, and computer science, with associated resources. So, why do over sixty students transfer from Tufts every year? While there may be many peripheral reasons why students transfer, transferees interviewed by the Tribune suggest that the school’s ability to ensure professional success is a primary driver.
While Tufts is many students’ first choice, others feel differently about attending the university due to its poor brand recognition and sub-optimal career services. In her freshman year, Ray* noticed that Tufts provided inadequate career resources for students interested in law. At the end of her first semester, Ray applied to transfer to Cornell after not being accepted in the regular cycle. Her decision to leave Tufts was difficult, especially after forming a close social circle. However, Ray felt that Cornell’s alumni connections and job opportunities were incomparably better than those at Tufts.
Ray now studies Industrial Labor Relations (ILR) at Cornell, and she’s noted many differences from her experience at Tufts: “I’m able to get certain resources at Cornell that are unavailable at Tufts. There is a professional emphasis, and Tufts didn’t have that.” Unlike Tufts’ large arts and sciences program, Cornell ILR is a specialized school. The ILR office at Cornell promotes employment opportunities by directly connecting employers and students. Routine ILR-specific career fairs and internship programs make this a normal part of student-life. Meanwhile, Tufts hosts only one career fair per semester, covering multiple job markets. Happy with her decision, Ray says, “I would not have reached my potential or put myself out there as much as I do here [at Cornell].”
Students cite high tuition and distance from home as reasons to leave. Aoife Hernon, formerly involved in Tufts Track and Field, judged Tufts unworthy of its price tag after her college expectations were frustrated. “I was unhappy; it was far from home, and having grown up in the California public school system, the small private liberal arts school was not something I loved. Ultimately, I could not see myself thriving in the environment,” she said. After Tufts, Hernon studied at a community college for a year and later transferred to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). She found that UCSB’s broader range of academic and extracurricular experiences better suited her interests. While Hernon misses the idea of staying in one place for four years, she does not regret her decision, “I am very grateful for my time at Tufts and the people I met, but I am equally grateful that I made the decision to transfer and decided to follow my gut.”
Will Garceau, now a student at The Ohio State University (OSU), says there were “a lot of little reasons” for him to leave Tufts. The lack of intellectual diversity is one of them. Garceau stresses how Tufts students cannot admit to being wrong or hear perspectives they might disagree with. He says Tufts students’ anxiety-riddled behavior reifies their adversity to conflict. Meanwhile, the social scene at OSU is entirely distinct from that at Tufts, as students gather en masse to watch sports games and enjoy other social events. OSU’s intellectual diversity and work-life balance better reflected Will’s desired college experience and compelled him to transfer.
Besides the social events, Garceau argues that OSU provides more academic opportunities. Tufts offers few business resources, leaving students with scant opportunity to develop their skills or network. Students must apply to selective student organizations, such as the Tufts Financial Group and Alpha Kappa Psi, especially as there is no business major at Tufts. As students increasingly seek help from their colleges to find post-graduate employment, Garceau argues that Tufts’ lack of resources is a liability to students, causing them to consider different schools.
Garceau sees OSU’s resources as a model framework that adequately prepares students for life after graduation, “At OSU, there is an office dedicated to undergraduate business and engineering resumes. There are career prep [sessions], fake interviews, and people who will help decide which job offers are the best. These resources are difficult to ignore at OSU. The Tufts resources were: We don’t have anything, and we need to try to find something that might work.” Garceau had to search for these opportunities at Tufts, while at OSU, they are abundantly available and advertised to students.
Zoe Yang (’27), a student who transferred from and back to Tufts, offers a different perspective. She recognizes that much of her initial dissatisfaction with Tufts stemmed from the broader college experience rather than the university itself. Despite actively participating in organizations such as the Investment Banking Club, Tufts Consulting Collective, and Jumbos for Nonprofits, Yang left to pursue a business major. She felt that her Psychology and Economics curriculum did not support her professional goals. Seeking a more regimented business education, she transferred to Washington University. “WashU has an undergrad business school that I was really interested in, and offered a broader range of business classes,” she explained. Yang quickly became involved in several business-oriented clubs at her new institution and joined the club softball team.
However, Yang found it challenging to adapt to her new school, as it was “hard to transfer into a class of people that have spent an entire year together.” While her time at Washington University was enriching, Yang missed the friendships, mentors, and programs at Tufts that she had previously overlooked. “I met so many great mentors that I also kept in touch with throughout my semester away that have helped a lot with my professional goals,” she shared. Upon reflection, she realized that Tufts offered valuable business opportunities, including both the Finance and Entrepreneurship minors and extracurriculars that she felt supported students in preparing for a professional career.
Yang petitioned for readmission to Tufts and returned after just one semester away. Although her transfer experience provided valuable personal and academic growth, the time apart only deepened her appreciation for Tufts. “I’ve learned to cherish the small things I once took for granted,” she reflected, adding, “When I transferred, I realized how lucky I was with the people, opportunities, and experiences at Tufts. I’ve come back to campus with a new perspective, and the transfer experience has definitely made me more grateful for the communities and people that I’ve met here.”
Alexa Pil (’25) initially enrolled at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania to pursue a Community Health major. However, she contemplated transferring before setting foot on campus, an inclination that grew concomitantly with her first year’s progression.
Besides proximity to her family and a specialized academic track in Biopsychology, Pil cites Tufts’ liberal arts curriculum as an inducement for her transfer. Pil’s transition to Tufts was seamless. She assumed roles as transfer orientation leader, women’s hockey team captain, and researcher under the Laidlaw scholarship program. “I’ve really enjoyed getting involved on and off campus and have been able to visit my siblings often,” she reflects. The transfer ultimately provided her with a more fulfilling academic and social experience, surrounding her with like-minded, intellectually curious peers and expanding her educational pursuits. Pil is grateful for the path that led her to Tufts, “I believe most students can excel and be successful anywhere, but transferring allowed me to exercise my agency in the college application process more deliberately.”
All our interviewees cite the benefits their universities provided as reasons for their transfers. The amelioration of Tufts career services is central to retaining and attracting potential transfer students, as demonstrated by former Tufts students’ asseverations. Colleges are meant to prepare students for the workforce. With Tufts being among the most expensive universities in America, students must feel well-supported in their career pursuits to stay. Essential resources include support for job hunting, especially in occupations that can aid students in paying their student debt. For many students taking out loans or utilizing financial aid, the paucity of career-focused infrastructure is the fatal flaw in Tufts’ appeal.
*This name has been changed to reflect the interviewee’s desire for anonymity.
Photo by Sascha Dembling