Given the recent debate that has graced the pages of this newspaper of late over the issue of Tufts' admissions policy and the practices and attitudes of President Bacow and Dean Coffin, I feel compelled to speak my piece. When I read their response in Monday's Daily Viewpoints, detailing their "need-sensitive" admissions policy, I was shocked. This response was generated by my experiences (I'm now a freshman) in the last two years of my life, a large portion of which was focused on gaining acceptance to Tufts University.
As a prospective student of the university, I attended many information sessions in my home town. These sessions were led, alternately, by two individuals from the admissions outreach staff. At each session, the representatives from the university would discuss the various aspects and numerous merits of Tufts (as one would expect at any college information session) until, inevitably, the dialogue turned to the topic of admissions.
When this topic was broached, the assertions of the Tufts representative were always the same. Without fail, the first words uttered were, "The admissions policy of Tufts is need-blind." Not "need-sensitive," not "we could reject you (or your son or daughter) if you ask for too much money, but it's not likely," but NEED-BLIND. This would be followed by a detailed description of what need-blind means: "Your (or your son or daughter's) admission will not be affected by your financial aid needs."
In the period between these information sessions and the submitting of my application to Tufts, I seriously considered applying for financial aid. However, I learned from many sources, none of them Tufts sponsored or affiliated, that Tufts did, in spite of what I had been told, take financial aid into consideration when evaluating students for admission. Consequently, as it was possible (although not necessarily easy) for my family to afford the costs of tuition without assistance, I did not attempt to apply for financial aid.
What if I did not come from such a fortunate situation? What if monetary aid would have alleviated major strains on my family's financial status? Had I accepted at face value the misrepresentation of Tufts' admissions policies that I had received at these information sessions, I might have applied for aid, and consequently not have been accepted to this institution, in spite of my qualifications.
The shock that I felt when I read last week's article by President Bacow and Dean Coffin, which claimed that Tufts' admissions policy was not need-blind but need-sensitive, was not a reaction to the policy itself; my own experience had given me ample evidence to that end. The impetus for that response was that my experience had shown me that, for all intents and purposes, Tufts wants its applicants to believe that when they apply, financial aid will not be taken into account.
I applaud President Bacow and Dean Coffin for being so forthcoming at this point in time about their policy. I worry, however, that it is a courtesy afforded exclusively to the Tufts community, rather than to the group of prospective applicants of which, at one point in time, I (and a large majority of those who read this newspaper) was a member. If Tufts is going to continue to observe the policy of need-sensitive rather than need-blind admissions, as may very well be mandated by the financial constraints on the university at this time, the administration must take care to make this policy clear to all of those interested in applying to this school.
I understand the desire to attract a higher level of applicant; raising the quality of all aspects of the school, including the student body, should be the goal of any university. It may be in this interest that the official policy and the advertised policy of the university differ so ambiguously. However, while such aspirations are admirable, and should be applauded, they should not be allowed to undermine the integrity and honesty which Tufts, or any university, brings to its application process.
Jonah Peppiatt is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
