Amherst and Williams College

writingpumpkin03
Tue, 14 May 2019 09:40:03 +0000

@duhherro Another Williams prefrosh here! Among top LACs, Williams actually has some of the best CS other than Harvey Mudd and Swarthmore. This is partially due to the renowned math department. Amherst may have the benefit of UMass classes, which many don’t take anyway, but it’s strengths lie in the humanities and social sciences—Williams, on the other hand, is a more STEM-focused LAC.

When I visited, I was able to talk with a CS professor. I’d heard how popular the major had become, so I was worried about being able to register for intro classes. He reassured me that they prioritize freshmen for intro classes and that it’s exceedingly rare for a frosh to be locked out of an intro class. Additionally, once a frosh does take an intro class, they are subsequently given top priority for higher level classes. Basically, he advised me to sign up for intro CS during the first semester of freshman year to snag a spot.