How hard is to get into Tufts MA program?

[Kratistos]

Hi guys,

I finishing up my interdisciplinary major(philosophy and linguistics) (3.9) and overall GPA(3.75). I really want to go into Tufts philosophy program but I don't know how competitive it is. I wrote to them and they told me to focus on my writing sample(which I am doing).  Is it more of a luck thing, they said that only 7 to 13 applicants are selected? What are the cut off GRE scores? 

[brush]

Top or funded MA programs are very competitive and it'd be foolish to apply to only one program. I wouldn't say it's "more of a luck thing", but luck certainly plays a role. For example, different admission committees weigh different aspects of the application differently. Most schools don't have GRE cut-offs, but if they do its usually really low like a combined 300. That's not to say that your GRE isn't important though.

[philosophe]

They have about a 10% acceptance rate. There's no official GRE cut off. Apply to multiple MA programs in order to avoid putting all of your eggs in one basket. 

[dgswaim]

I've heard Tufts doesn't fund their students particularly well. I don't know if there's any truth to that, but if so, it may be something to consider.

[philosophe]

Just now, dgswaim said:

I've heard Tufts doesn't fund their students particularly well. I don't know if there's any truth to that, but if so, it may be something to consider.

It varies widely from student to student. Some are funded only through TAships, where others are almost completely covered + TAships. 

[Poetic Justice]

13 hours ago, philosophe said:

They have about a 10% acceptance rate. There's no official GRE cut off. Apply to multiple MA programs in order to avoid putting all of your eggs in one basket. 

I concur with this.  This year's acceptance letter quoted a 10% acceptance rate.  

I am not quite sure about the funding package however since it's yet to arrive in the mail.  However, I will post up any interesting details for future potential applicants, but I suspect that @philosophe is largely on point with this too. 

@philosophe : seems like you know a lot ... did you go to Tufts? 

Edited March 2, 2016 by Poetic Justice

[philosophe]

3 hours ago, Poetic Justice said:

I concur with this.  This year's acceptance letter quoted a 10% acceptance rate.  

I am not quite sure about the funding package however since it's yet to arrive in the mail.  However, I will post up any interesting details for future potential applicants, but I suspect that @philosophe is largely on point with this too. 

@philosophe : seems like you know a lot ... did you go to Tufts? 

[philosophe]

If you guys have questions, feel free to DM me. 

[Another applicant]

19 hours ago, dgswaim said:

I've heard Tufts doesn't fund their students particularly well. I don't know if there's any truth to that, but if so, it may be something to consider.

This was very important to me. My top pick was NIU when I was gunning for MA programs (although I ended up in a fellowship program instead of an MA) because (so far as I can tell) they're nearly as strong as Tufts and Brandeis and they offer full tuition and $12k stipends to their 6 top picks. Plus, it's a little bit less competitive than Tufts.

Also, those who apply to MA programs would do well to look at each top programs' placement records. There are good programs other than Tufts, even though Tufts is academically very strong!

[philosophe]

1 hour ago, Another applicant said:

This was very important to me. My top pick was NIU when I was gunning for MA programs (although I ended up in a fellowship program instead of an MA) because (so far as I can tell) they're nearly as strong as Tufts and Brandeis and they offer full tuition and $12k stipends to their 6 top picks. Plus, it's a little bit less competitive than Tufts.

Also, those who apply to MA programs would do well to look at each top programs' placement records. There are good programs other than Tufts, even though Tufts is academically very strong!

Absolutely, plenty of excellent programs out there. 

[philosophe]

41 minutes ago, Abendstern said:

You should 100% apply to a mix of at least a few top 10 PhDs, a few top-20 PhDs, and several MA programs, including Brandeis, Tufts, GSU, and Milwaukee. I would also suggest a lower-ranked PhD program like Arizona State where they might even expect you to transfer out to a better PhD (as a way of being fully funded).

To give you a sense of how competitive and arbitrary this all is, so far I've been admitted to several top programs (one top-10), but was just rejected from Tufts...

Just out of curiosity, which offer are you leaning towards? 

[philosophe]

3 minutes ago, Abendstern said:

It's honestly too tough to say right now. They're both so in line with my interests and have their various pros and cons. I'm hoping my upcoming visits help sway me one way or the other.

Good luck! You're in an enviable position

[Another applicant]

2 hours ago, Abendstern said:

To give you a sense of how competitive and arbitrary this all is, so far I've been admitted to several top programs (one top-10), but was just rejected from Tufts...

To be fair, it's hard to draw any inferences from this data alone. Some MA (and PhD) programs won't admit the best candidates because of fit, or because they think the applicant is likely to take other, better offers, or because they think they could help another candidate more. They may have just thought, for example, that you were ready to do a PhD, and that it would be better to give the spot to a promising student who isn't quite ready to move into a PhD program. 

[502845824]

14 minutes ago, Another applicant said:

To be fair, it's hard to draw any inferences from this data alone. Some MA (and PhD) programs won't admit the best candidates because of fit, or because they think the applicant is likely to take other, better offers, or because they think they could help another candidate more. They may have just thought, for example, that you were ready to do a PhD, and that it would be better to give the spot to a promising student who isn't quite ready to move into a PhD program. 

FWIW, I've heard this is super common. MAs and lower-ranked PhDs definitely do pass on students they think could go on to PhDs or higher-ranked PhDs. I don't know how I feel about that strategy, but it makes sense on one level.