Dear Editor,
As a student in the Tufts/SMFA combined degree program, I was very disappointed to read your article, "Administrative transition at SMFA brings changes, confusion." Specifically, I was upset by the impression the article gives of our program and the poor range of opinions it offers through interviews. The article, written by Julia McDaniel, interviews only two students: a first year in the dual degree program and a dropout. AndieEisen, although excited about the program, has very little experience navigating the Tufts/SMFA connection, as she only recently transferred into the combined degree program. Lauren Giglio, the focus of the article, spends most of her time complaining about a program of which she is no longer a part. As an objective writer for the Tufts Daily, I would have hoped that Julia McDaniel would have offered Tufts students a more well rounded view of the combined degree program.
I am in my fifth and final year of the Tufts/SMFA combined degree program, and I love it! The program enables me to pursue both art and academics at two excellent schools. Quite frankly, I would never have applied to either Tufts or the SMFA without this program; it is a rare opportunity to have the best of both worlds! I do acknowledge that the dropout rate of this program is high, which is largely due to the added expense of the fifth year. Furthermore, many freshmen enter college without a clear idea of what they want to study. Juggling two degrees is hard! I believe many students are overwhelmed by the challenge as they realize their true interests don't necessarily lie in both fields.
Throughout her article, Julia McDaniel offers negative feedback about a program that has incredible value. I only wish she had interviewed combined degree students such as my friends and me, who are grateful for the combined degree program and fully intend to graduate with two degrees. I believe that our experiences in the program, alongside those of a dissatisfied student such as Lauren Giglio, would have provided other Tufts students with a more accurate portrayal of the Tufts/SMFA combined degree program.
Sincerely,
Corrin Barnes, Class of 2015
