FAQ
President Bacow says during his matriculation speech that we have to 'let go.' But it is easier said than done. What advice can you give us to help with this transition?
Each year in his matriculation speech to entering students and their families, President Larry Bacow talks about the wonderful but often difficult transition that occurs when children go away to college. As children grow and become more independent, parents have to step back and allow them to make their own decisions and choose their own path. Parental influence is and should still be strong for college students but parents help their children grow and develop most by “letting go.”
Both federal law and Tufts’ philosophy require that we treat your son or daughter as an adult. We communicate with them directly, and we expect them to negotiate the college experience by reading and following instructions, gathering accurate information and making thoughtful decisions. We offer them support to do this through their pre-major/major advisor, their academic dean, specialized advisors such as pre-health and pre-law, academic resource center counselors and tutors, career counselors and many more individuals who are here to help them.
This website is meant to give you a clearer picture of what resources are available. You can help your son or daughter the most by encouraging them to take advantage of those resources and then asking them about their experience in doing so. While faculty and staff at Tufts are happy to speak with parents, there is a limitation as to what information we can share. The most important lines of communication to keep open are the ones between you and your son or daughter.
Who will be giving my child academic advice upon arrival at Tufts?
Your son or daughter will be assigned a pre-major academic advisor who is trained to assist in the selection of courses and the identification of long-range educational goals. Tufts offers innovative advising programs for first-year students. Each program enables students to get to know their assigned pre-major advisor. In the ongoing relationship between student and pre-major advisor, the advisor will offer suggestions but leaves final decisions to the student.
At the end of the first year for the School of Engineering, and the second year for the School of Arts & Sciences, each student is required to declare a major and select a major advisor. This major advisor will guide in the selection of courses and help answer questions about major requirements.
What advice can you offer on picking a major?
Selecting a major might feel like a daunting task for your son or daughter. This is due, in part, to the fact that there are so many disciplines and courses that were not available to him or her in high school, and which are likely being taken for the first time in college. Our best advice for your son or daughter is to sample what the university has to offer, while working to fulfill requirements.
Another contributing factor to the anxiety some students feel when asked to declare is that they believe this choice is a permanent decision, and that the major they choose will be firmly indicative of their future career. While we require that your son or daughter declare a major early on in his or her college experience, it is absolutely possible to change majors—and many students do. Furthermore, this selected major does not have a direct connection to a future career.
What can you do? Encourage your son or daughter to talk to faculty and to their advisors when thinking about this decision. Encourage your son or daughter to attend Majors Week to see what disciplines are available. Encourage your son or daughter to be informed, and then support the decisions—and changes in decision—that are made.
We want our daughter to get a broad liberal arts education. But will she be able to get a job upon graduation?
A liberal arts education has long been recognized in the workplace for its value and versatility. Employers say they want employees who can think critically, communicate clearly, and solve problems creatively. They emphasize the need to work collaboratively in teams, to continue learning on the job, and to view things from multiple perspectives.
This is the essence of the education your student is receiving at Tufts. Your daughters and sons are prepared to enter the workplace or graduate schools with transferable skills that ensure their success in a variety of challenging tasks and environments. To learn more about how Career Services teaches students to market a Tufts degree, click here (LINK to pages 10 and 11 in Career Guide - Marketing Your Tufts Degree & Transferable Skills: Your Marketing Edge in Job Search—see attached .pdf file).
Why should my son or daughter study abroad?
Jobs in the twenty-first century require the ability to cross borders that are cultural and linguistic as well as geographic. A semester or year in a foreign country offers a chance to see the world through different eyes and teaches flexibility, independence, and maturity. A foreign-study experience is the best preparation for the challenges of life and work in an ever-shrinking world.
If my son or daughter studies abroad, will he/she graduate on time?
Students are encouraged to work closely with their academic advisers in planning their semester or year abroad. For Tufts' own programs (http://ase.tufts.edu/studyabroad/TPA1stPg.htm) many courses have been pre-approved in satisfaction of Tufts academic requirements. For non-Tufts foreign programs (http://ase.tufts.edu/studyabroad/NonT1stPg.htm) students seek approval of individual by faculty in the corresponding departments.
Where can my son or daughter study abroad as a Tufts student?
Tufts operates its own study abroad programs in ten locations throughout the world (http://ase.tufts.edu/studyabroad/TPA1stPg.htm). It is also possible to take a leave of absence from Tufts for a semester or an academic year to study on a recommended non-Tufts program (http://ase.tufts.edu/studyabroad/NonTufts/NTRecProg.htm ).
What are the various forms of academic honors for undergraduates?
Latin honors are conferred at commencement to students who have met certain criteria and have been voted the honor by the faculty. Latin honors include summa cum laude (degree conferred with highest distinction), magna cum laude (degree conferred with distinction), and cum laude (honorable mention). These honors go to undergraduates with outstanding academic records who have been deemed by the faculty as having a superior quality of mind. The minimum criteria for each level of honors are spelled out in the Bulletin. Some departments within the schools have additional requirements for highest honors.
Students who write an honors thesis may receive thesis honors. Upon the oral defense of the thesis, the student’s thesis committee will determine whether the work deserves highest thesis honors, high thesis honors, thesis honors, or no thesis honors. A grade for the thesis is also assigned and will appear on the transcript. Students may be recognized with both thesis honors and Latin honors.
There are several important honor society chapters at Tufts. Most notably, students may be elected by a faculty committee to the premiere arts and sciences honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, and the premiere engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi. Many disciplines have their own honor societies as well.
The Dean's List is created after each semester and recognizes students who have performed to high standards in the term. The criteria for making Dean’s List are spelled out in the Bulletin: http://ase.tufts.edu/bulletin/gen-undergrad.html
Please see http://ase.tufts.edu/bulletin/liberal_arts.html for information on honors in the School of Arts and Sciences and http://ase.tufts.edu/bulletin/engineering-info.html for honors specific to the School of Engineering.
