Williams College vs. Stanford University

College Search & Lists
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One thing to throw out: acknowledging that you’ve been to Williamstown and thought it quaint, are you confident that the location will work for you? Stanford is in the Bay Area and in the middle of or close to everything. Williamstown is the opposite of that. Will you have a car? I personally would not attend a remotely located school (of any size, but especially small) without access to a car.

Overall, is your background such that you can confidently assess how you’ll live with being in extreme and isolated NW Mass.? That would be my one hesitation with W; Stanford is a safer choice on that score.

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I understand why this is a tough choice. Both are great schools.

One warning: I have a degree from Stanford in a math-heavy subject, which might make me a bit biased. However, even with this I would be leaning towards Williams College. Here is how I see it.

I did like the quarter system at Stanford. Classes go fast. The end of the quarter comes up quickly. Then you get a new set of classes next quarter. I am assuming by “non-traditional” you mean a little bit more mature, which to me fits well with the quarter system and the associated need to keep ahead in your work.

The math courses at Stanford are not easy in my experience.

In terms of the name recognition, I agree that if you walk into a bar somewhere in the middle of America Stanford has a much stronger name recognition. However, you are in a field where graduate school looks very likely. For applying to graduate schools, I think that both are excellent and both are very highly regarded. Graduate school admissions, including at Stanford, will know how strong Williams is.

I have lived in California, I have lived in Massachusetts, I have lived in Montreal. I think that you will get used to the cold of western Massachusetts. While I do see the advantage of Stanford weather, I think that this really doesn’t matter one way or the other.

“Will have to work during the school year” seems unfortunate to me. Either school would require quite a strong focus on academics. To me “I will end up paying close to nothing to attend which allows me to take the time/energy I need to focus on my studies” looks big. How many hours you would need to work to attend Stanford may matter, but given the cost of education it is hard to see how you could earn enough money to matter without working more hours than I would have been comfortable working while still being a full time student at Stanford.

“Allowing me to study abroad” to me looks good also.

“Has been my dream school” and cost IMHO seem like the biggest issues when deciding between two somewhat different but both exceptional options.

But I do not think that you can go wrong either way, as long as you would not end up with debt to attend Stanford.

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It wasn’t that long ago when I was the only person in a lengthy thread involving Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Brown and Princeton who thought a 21 y/o freshman OP was nontraditional. So, I discount that factor entirely.

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How do the two schools compare in the practical measures of education quality like class size, access to professors, undergraduate research opportunities, etc.? My guess is Williams might win here. I’ve always thought that by these measures small elite LACs like Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, etc. offered a better undergraduate education than larger, more prestigious schools like the Ivys, or a Stanford.

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Based on survey responses pertaining to classroom experience, both Stanford and Williams appear in this brief list of just 28 schools:

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=great-classroom-experience

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Can’t wait to see what comes of this post.

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Could pay for a car with a single semester’s worth of price difference…

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The mention of SAD gives me pause here. OP, have you ever lived in a climate similar to Williamstown’s? Spent a winter in the gloom and snow? How bad was your SAD? Easy to control with medication? Or could it seriously derail your time at college?

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Not to Doxx myself—although to those who know me this post already screams out who I am lol—I am from the south originally but live in the midwest now. I can deal with midwest/northeastern weather but am just generally happier when it’s sunny out. Not that big of a deal, and like others have said I would get used to the weather in Mass.

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So, if not a big deal, sounds like Williams all the way! :slight_smile:

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In my neck of the woods (Boston area) Williams has the same prestige as Stanford, and its reputation academically as the top “little Ivy” is top notch. I would consider the fact that the focus is on undergrads in a small, high end liberal arts college versus a large university like Stanford. You could do grad work at Stanford.

I happen to love the Williamstown area. I visit the Clark Museum there, as well as MassMOCA and have often stayed in the area. I remember a morning having coffee in the small downtown and loving the vibe. But that’s me.

If Willliams is free I would go for it!

ps check out who teaches classes- chances are grad students do some of the teaching at Stanford, especially sections; you may have more contact with professors at Williams. I am speculating but for me, that would be something to look into.

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If you might be interested in a national ranking that includes Stanford and Williams, this one from WalletHub places both in the 99th percentile:

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I’ll channel my wife here with my final thoughts. Once you are at a certain level university, the material covered and amount you will learn at one school over another is negligible (controlling for school size and focus on undergrad programs). Physics II at a top five school will not be any better than at a top 20 school. In addition to fit, students should look at 1. where they want to be geographically, 2. what industry or organization they want to enter, and 3. the size and strength of the alumni network. If you want to work in Silicon Valley, shoot for Stanford, UC Berkeley, or another strong school in the Cal system. If you want to work for GM, go to UofM or Kettering (yes, Kettering).

This, of course, may apply less to someone who plans to pursue a PhD or JD, but even in academia some schools are feeders into specific programs.

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There is no world where spending $120,000 on Stanford is worth more than almost no cost at Williams. Williams IS very well known. You aren’t going to get a better education at Stanford than at Williams. There is a reason why it’s incredibly well regarded and respected.

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Please let us know what you decide.

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With respect to costs, Forbes recognized Williams as a good value even at full price:

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Exactly. I’m not you, but my pick would be Stanford. $120K for Stanford is a deal in my book. Plus, the weather is fabulous.

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Just reducing it to math, $120,000 in 25 years at 5% represents over $400,000. If you were much much older, having a larger more diverse student population and living in the Bay area may have been worth it, but if you can still relate to 18-22 year olds, and you like the rustic environment, seems Williams all the way.

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OP is apparently a junior level transfer student, so $30k per year would be $60k for two remaining years.

However, it looks like the higher cost of Stanford puts it close to the financial limit for the OP.

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I decided to commit to Williams!

The factors in my decision boiled down to:

  • Cost
  • Social/locale fit
  • Freedom to explore academically without pressure to graduate in a certain amount of time–I wanted to feel a connection to the school I attend and not feel rushed to get out
  • Similar post-graduate outcomes
  • Academic fit (I am a stereotypical liberal arts person)

Although turning down Stanford hurts a bit, I believe truly this was the right decision for me personally. To those in the future who have similar decisions make the right one for you! Thank you all for your wonderful help! Hopefully, Stanford will be there for grad school :smiley:

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