Accepted to Both Amherst and Williams: Where should I go?

haon
Sat, 02 Apr 2005 20:04:28 +0000

I would recommend Williams–

Reputation-wise the two schools are identical. Your chance of getting into grad/law/business school won’t be affected by whether you go to Amherst or Williams. Your nextdoor neighbor, grocer, etc won’t have heard of either school, but potential employers and grad schools will be incredibly impressed by either.

Students seem very happy and friendly at both schools. My personal experience was that students were both friendlier and happier at Williams, but even if that’s the case, I doubt it’s really a significant difference.

Both schools have good communities. My experience was that the Williams community seemed a bit more coherent and vibrant, but once again–that’s totally subjective. You’ll have tons of intellectual discussions at both colleges, and with the high quality of academics each offer you’ll definitely “feel like a scholar.”

Basically, you should visit both schools (preferably doing overnight visits at each), and see which one you “feel” best at. They are far more similar than they are different (especially academically). You’ll probably find upon visiting that one is better for you. Williams was right for me and I think that it’s about as good as any school could be. Don’t take my word for it, though–visit and decide for yourself.