@TennisParent Brown reinstated its men’s T&F team shortly after it was cut. The Brown’s women’s team was never cut. Dartmouth never cut its men’s or women’s T&F teams.
While different and commendable in many ways, I disagree that the top 5 LAC experience is “a better overall experience.” It fully depends on what the student wants out of an education. For example, a LAC would never have allowed me to experiment among top departments which led to a very different career path than I anticipated. They just lack the breadth and depth. On the other hand, the small size has its own positive attributes which I am envious of.
As for attention from professors, that really depends on a student initiatives not whether it’s a LAC or a research university… I have long last relationships with several professors that later won Nobel prizes. If you are curious and engage, the reaction is always positive.
So I recommend to high school students to decide whether they want small or large, urban or rural, to make the initial cut. And I always caution that you’ll love whichever school you go to as you will be surrounded by bright peers and an incredible experience so don’t worry about it too much. There is no way to decide a priori which is the better school.
As to endowment per student, that’s not relevant to the student experience. It ,any affect financial aid and admissions. Same with spending per student. That’s primarily an accounting exercise and is very subjectively presented. What is true is that the top research university’s promote professors based on published research more than the LACs, which is a positive and potentially a negative., depending on the student and their initiative.
Your daughter made a great selection. Williams is a wonderful school and its location makes the student experience very intimate. Their distance team is also top notch. As a Californian, she will have to adjust to the winters but she will undoubtedly love it. I don’t know how they train in the winters as both Williams and Amherst’s indoor facilities seem rather primitive but their results speak for themselves.
Everyone I know that went there had an amazing experience and are really smart. I think there is like Dartmouth a strong self selection since it is small and rural which leads to such high satisfaction rates.
Congrats again!
The OPs D has made a thoughtful decision she is very happy with. It is not productive to discuss the benefits of other options now that the decision has been made. Let’s wish the OP’s D all the best at Williams!
A belated congrats @MrsJayBird ! Your D will love Williams.
FWIW, my older son also was on the board at 2 HYPs, but decided to commit ED to Williams and he has loved it. And my younger son just committed Williams over a couple of urban Ivies. It really does come down to what your son or daughter is looking for in a school. My younger son preferred a small rural setting vs. a large urban setting.
I agree that endowment per student is a worthwhile metric to track, although it should not be a major factor. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Pomona, for example, have higher endowment per student than say Penn, Columbia, or Cornell (in part because they have large graduate student enrollments). The point being that there are several LACs have significant resources including low student-to-faculty ratios that make for an excellent education and college experience similar to an Ivy.