random234

I'm a high school senior trying to choose between Dartmouth and Williams. I know both are very similar in terms of location, liberal arts focus, and professor quality. I'm hardly an athlete, prefer coffee to beer, and plan to divide my time roughly equally between the sciences and the humanities. I like music/theater, outing clubs, and publications/radio. Williams' small size/homogeneity worry me, but on the other hand I'm nervous about the Dartmouth frat scene. What do you think? The cost is approximately the same for each, too.

La La La

I have the same dilemma too (but it's a nice one to have).

I don't think you would have to worry about the frat scene as much, I'm sure there are tons of other people who don't care for frats. If that's your only concern, I would say go for Dartmouth, especially if you like the outdoors.

Williams and Williamstown are pretty small, but Dartmouth and Hanover are not that much bigger either.

It is pretty difficult to choose...

IvyIsGreen

Looked at both with my son a couple of years ago. He is at Dartmouth. Dartmouth is more of a town/village and there is substantially more to do at Dartmouth. I also feel you get more out of the connections at Dartmouth than you do at Williams. Williams is a great school, but ususally as an LA backup option to certain (not all) Ivies. I would think most who have the choice between the two, such as my daughter this year, would choose Dartmouth between the two.

mythmom

My S preferred Williams and there are many kids at Williams who chose Williams over Dart.

Points of different: semester vs. quarter system
Winter study vs sophomore summer
no frats vs. frats
tutorials vs. no tutorials
entry system vs. Dartmouth's system.

There are concrete difference between the two. I am not at all suggesting how you should evaluate them. Hanover is a bigger town than Williamstown but it is also more expensive.

Both are fabulous schools. Good luck.

IvyIsGreen

^ interesting, and depending on your preference, you may, like us, prefer getting quality versus quantity through the quarter system; having a Winter study abroad- maybe even a second Summer in Australia or New Zealand; a bunch of open frats to visit when you want; a more flexible system; a focused Summer in a pretty time of year in New Hampshire- remember, Dartmouth is the biggest land owner in New Hampshire and all the cabins, hiking, fishing, golfing, etc., owned by Dartmouth, through the outdoor center is pretty rare; and ..... Williams is a top notch school, but if you have the choice, Dartmouth becomes a pretty easy decision.

BalletGirl

As mythmom points out, it is very difficult to evaluate these great options. In part, this is because you have a limited experience base with which to make comparisons (e.g, quarter system vs semester system; frats vs. no-frats). You should visit both schools, if you haven't already done so. If that is not possible, flip a coin. It is much more likely that your satisfaction with college will depend not on which one you go to, but on a host of factors for which you can't foresee or control. Check out this:

Barry Schwartz: Why Selective Colleges--and Outstanding Students--Should Become Less Selective

On size, I am freshman at D and have found that I wouldn't want a school smaller than Dartmouth.

Good luck.

danas

I think mythmom's son preferred Williams after experiencing Williams as a student.
The students at these two schools are as similar as can be.
Revisit both if you can.

johnleemk

I'd ditto BalletGirl re size. I think Dartmouth is just right as far as size goes for a liberal arts college. We're also closer to major cities compared to Williams; we're about 2 hours away from Boston and Montreal, and there's actually a direct coach from campus to Boston that leaves every 2 hours.

La La La

^ just a question on that bus

How expensive is it?

OK13

the bus: Dartmouth Coach - Bus Service to New Hampshire's Upper Valley

La La La

Kinda expensive . . . but not as bad as I thought it would be I guess

caronant

i was deciding between williams and dartmouth until yesterday when i picked dartmouth. the more centralized location, bigger size, stronger poli sci programs, and more diverse population are what did it for me.

slipper1234

I love Williams, but I in my opinion Dartmouth's size is an advantage as it adds to social options.

sybbie719

Congrats on being accepted to both schools.

My D also had to choose between both schools.

Personally I loved Williams and would have been more than happy if she attended, but since it was her choice, she chose Dartmouth along with a lot of her friends who she met at both admitted students events. There is about a 50/50 split when it comes to choosing between Dartmouth/Williams and Amherst.

With the exception of size, Williams and Dartmouth are more similar than they are different. At the end of the day there is a large overlap of students who were either accepted to both, some choosing Williams, others choosing Dartmouth (D chose Dartmouth over Williams).

There are students who get accepted to Williams and get rejected by Dartmouth and students that are accepted to Dartmouth and rejected by Williams.


Both are undergrad focused with accessible professors and amazing opportunities to do research, both belong to the 12 college exchange, both have Oxford exhanges, strong alumni systems (from the man on the street perspective more people may have heard of Dartmouth over Williams).

The one thing that really stood out for her is that while she wanted a small school, she said that you can really feel the difference between 2000 and 4000 students.

While Williams has a great entry system, there is nothing like being a freshman at Dartmouth.

Williams has purple cow ice cream, Dartmouth has green eggs and ham.

Visit both and then choose the best one for you as there really is no "wrong" choice.

all the best

Midwest Dad

As many of the posts have indicated, the choice between Dartmouth and Williams is not easily quantified. My daughter choose Dartmouth and that has worked extremely well for her. She choose it not because of academics or social scene, but it just felt like a better fit for her. If possible, visit both again, find your fit, go with your heart and you won't regret whatever choice you make.