Congratulations!
I don’t know what it is about Williams and Yale, but there is a lot of overlap between the two in applications and admissions! A few people my son knows at Williams were deferred from Yale early action, then rejected, and now at Williams. Some students do pick Williams above Yale. Most people in your shoes will pick Yale, if only to avoid telling people where you go to college and having them ask, “Is that William and Mary? Roger Williams?” The Yale name is more well-known, for sure. Choosing Williams above Yale means really believing that a small college environment will be where you will thrive and grow the most. If you are confident of that, then Williams is a wonderful choice.
Here are some considerations:
Excellence of faculty and learning experience: This will not differentiate the two. Both are among the nation’s finest.
Ability of peers, plus intellectual conversations in class, dorms and dining halls: Again, both colleges will provide an immersive experience in “the life of the mind.”
After college: Most graduate schools and many employers (including Wall Street and Silicon Valley type employers) will be equally impressed by both colleges. But there will be employers, colleagues, and clients who will have heard of Yale but not of Williams.
Class size and courses: Students will experience more small classes at Williams right from freshman year. However, the course catalogs will be less extensive than at Yale.
Research and Professor Access: Yale will have more cutting-edge research, and students with a highly specific research interest may be more likely to find a professor who shares it. But at Williams, the professors will have undergrads as their research assistants, instead of graduate students. Professors at Williams are expected to be excellent teachers, not just excellent researchers/ writers. And they are very accessible- they know each student’s name and may join them for meals and events on campus. I bet you can develop similarly close relationships with the amazing professors at Yale— but you may have to take more initiative to make it happen.
Community size: If you like to meet a lot of new people and be able to reinvent yourself periodically, the larger Yale may give you more flexibility. If you want to know a reasonably high percentage of people in your class by the end of four years, and be part of a tight-knit, nurturing community, which leads to loyal alumni with a strong network, then Williams may appeal.
Clubs: I think you are correct in the pros and cons of each. Yes, Yale may have more options because it has more students. Yes, Williams is a terrific place to try out a lot of different things, and it is not hard to join almost any activity. And it is really easy to rise to a leadership position; for example, some freshmen have already become section editors of the main newspaper, and it is only the middle of their first year! It also is pretty easy to start a new club and get funding approved for it.
Traditions: You named some awesome ones at Yale. Williams has enjoyable traditions, too. Here are two favorites. On Mountain Day, the president cancels classes unexpectedly (sort of: everyone knows it will be on a Friday in October), the bells ring to indicate it is Mountain Day, and students spend the day hiking up a local mountain and, once at the top, listening to a cappella groups and enjoying donuts and cider. For All-Night Trivia, form your own team and compete in an all-night trivia contest; there also are alumni teams that compete in it from all across the United States and even outside the country (there was a Canadian team this January).
It sounds like you did your research and know a lot about each college. But here are some of the most distinguishing features of Williams:
- The tutorial system. Two students take a class with the professor. Each week, one student prepares a paper and the other reads the paper and prepares a critique. Very intense, but amazing.
- The freshman entry- You will live in an “entry” with about 39 other freshmen and 3-4 Junior Advisors (who are like big brothers/ sisters and do not have any disciplinary role; they are unpaid and chosen by their peers, not the college). Your entrymates are a built-in friend group when you first arrive. And each entry is designed as a diverse microcosm of the college community, so you will really experience the diversity of Williams. (But this is less of a differentiator from Yale than from other universities, because of Yale’s House system, which also creates a community.)
- The freshman orientation program- Start the year with two weeks before classes start just to make friends and get used to being away from home. Do a bunch of activities with your entry mates. Read a book and debrief it with a professor and a group of students. Sign up for an Ephventure of your choice with another group of students, and spend intensive time getting to know those people as you go on adventures together.
- Winter Study- a month every year in which to study one subject pass-fail, possibly going to another nation in a travel class or doing an internship in a potential career field. There will be lots of free time to socialize, enjoy winter sports, and be active in your clubs and activities.
The happiest students at Williams will enjoy being in the mountains, and being on a tight-knit campus where most of the action (student performances, guest speakers, club and sport activities, special events and activities, etc.) takes place on campus as opposed to off-campus. If you crave more off-campus action, you may prefer all the opportunities that New Haven may offer. In addition, New Haven is close enough to New York City for easy day trips on a weekend.
Good luck! It probably will come down to your feelings about fame, size, and location. Both colleges are amazing, so you really cannot make a “bad” decision. Either way, you can expect a fantastic four years. Enjoy!