collegelookin

Besides the obvious difference in location (Massachusetts vs. North Carolina), these schools sound pretty similar to me. Can anyone discuss some of their similarities and differences overall or in the following areas:

1. Academic strengths
2. Quality of professors
3. Difficulty of workload
4. Social scene (what students do on weekends, prevalence of drugs/alcohol, etc.)
5. What's the average student there like? (stereotypes)
6. Liberal or conservative
7. Study abroad program
8. Overall atmosphere

rom828

I'd love for you to get a response here as well!

nceph

Williams is about 20% bigger than Davidson. (Williams has over 2100 students, Davidson only 1700.) That may not seem like a big difference, but if you were to take away 400 of Williams' students, I think you'd notice.

Demographically, the schools are a bit different, too:

Davidson has 4 % international students; Williams has 7%.

Davidson says they have 14% "students of color."
Williams has 29% "U.S. minority enrollment."

Williams College :: About Williams - Fast Facts November 2008
Davidson College - Fast Facts
(you can check my numbers on these links)

Davidson has fraternities and eating clubs; Williams has neither.

My sense is that Davidson has more politically conservative students than Williams has, but I have never seen any figures regarding the political leanings of the students at either school.

At one time in the '70s, Davidson referred to itself as the "Williams of the South." The schools are similar in many ways (both are very academically rigorous and have first rate faculty) but I think the differences in size and diversity are significant.

Corbett

The elimination of frats had a huge impact on Williams. Davidson still has frats for men, "eating houses" for sororities, etc.

Both schools tend to attract athletic, outdoorsy students. However, Davidson is NCAA Division I and offers athletic scholarships; Williams plays at the lower Division III level and does not offer athletic scholarships.

My guess is that a student's identification with a particular frat and/or athletic team would probably be a more important defining social factor at Davidson than at Williams. This is not necessarily good or bad, just different.

collegelookin

Thanks for your responses

And since I'm assuming most of you on the Williams board prefer Williams to Davidson, if you'd like to explain why you like one rather than the other that might be helpful- I'm considering applying ED to one of them but they're very similar, it's hard to choose

mythmom

My dear friend's son graduated from Davidson. He reported that about half the students attend some kind of worship service on Sundays.

This is not Williams' atmosphere at all.

The honor codes are different; I concur with NCEph that Davidson is more Conservative and perusing the honor codes would show this.

My friends son loved his experience at Davidson, but I think my S would feel that it was too Conservative. My point is they're both fine schools with different social atmospheres.

collegelookin

Thanks for your responses

And since I'm assuming most of you on the Williams board prefer Williams to Davidson, if you'd like to explain why you like one rather than the other that might be helpful- I'm considering applying ED to one of them but they're very similar, it's hard to choose

echeaelnyx

apply to davidson, because I ED'd to Williams. Davidson is my 2nd choice. Lol.

ncram65

Collegelookin,

While I'm not one to completely dismiss college confidential as a source of information about schools, I would be careful about relying on anecdotal assertions, like my "son's friend" told me something.