<p>I cannot seem to get a sense of the differences between these too. I’ve heard that Williams is more of a jock school, and while I know that both are great academically, I really want to know the different types of students they attract. A fun-loving, relaxed student body is very important to me, as is a safe and pretty surrounding area. If anyone has any advice or knows about links to videos/tours of these schools, I would really appreciate it!</p>
<p>I think they are quite similar in many ways, certainly both are pretty and safe campuses and in similarly pretty and safe areas. There is an appreciation of athletics at both schools, but they are Division 3 and both very intellectual places, so it's not like the athletic culture at a Big 10 or Pac 10 school. It's on a much smaller scale in every way. I think the student bodies are probably quite similar too. Apart from athletics, there is a very active arts scene at Williams, and a conscious focus on internationalism and diversity at Amherst. Williams is a bit more remote, Amherst is part of the 5 college consortium so is in more of a college hub. On the other hand Williams has a bit bigger student body.</p>
<p>I think you really need to visit to get a feel for the differences because they are pretty subtle. I think of them as two sides of a coin really. In fact, when you visit it almost seems more like a conspiracy than a rivalry. They both have the same school color (purple), and the campus maps you'll get at the admissions office are both of an identical charming folk-art, pastel design. Must have hired the same artist to do the renderings. It's quite bizarre really how connected they seem... even this many years after the college founders parted ways in the 19th century.</p>
<p>I think maybe a person's area of academic interest might be more a deciding factor than anything else. They are both highly regarded in just about every area, but they do have their different concentrations of student interest, or at least the appearance of it.</p>
<p>williams is more isolated. amherst is near four other schools and a small town.</p>
<p>williams is probably more math/science oriented and amherst definitely caters more to the humanities. (that's not to say either is weak in any area, though)</p>
<p>williams has some core requirements and amherst has the open curriculum (the only requirement is that you take a first-year seminar. you get to choose among about 15 different seminars, ranging from 'Science and Religion' to 'From Martin Luther King to Barack Obama' to 'Pariscape')</p>
<p>amherst is definitely more diverse (and therefore less jock-ish) than williams. there's a bit of a thriving alternative culture here. it's not purely WASPy new england types.</p>
<p>williams is on the 4-1-4 schedule (4 classes, 1 class, then 4 classes again) and amherst is on the semester schedule, with an unusually long interterm between semesters in which students can come back to campus and take a class or get internships/jobs at home (or do absolutely nothing, which is a popular option).</p>
<p>amherst has MUCH nicer dorms, but at williams you can get a single as a first-year.</p>
<p>you should definitely visit both. i think it's hard to visit williams and walk away without a strong opinion of it haha. people really either love it or hate it. and amherst is just amazing :)</p>
<p>Williamston and its surroundings are more rural than the Amherst, MA area, which has a more exburban kind of feel to it. I think the Williamstown area is prettier than the Amherst, MA area. </p>
<p>Amherst is closer to interstate highways and airports and thus a little easier to get to and from than Williams.</p>
<p>I had an opportunity to spend some time at Amherst, Williams and Swarthmore this past summer. Being from the midwest, I also spent time at some larger universities here. Based on what I was able to gather from my visits I came up with a midwest/lac comparison.</p>
<p>Swarthmore definately had more of a University of Chicago feel to me....both with campus layout (only much smaller for Swarth) and student personality. Both schools have a relative close proximity to a large city. I got the sense that at both schools, students worked extremely hard at their studies...to the point of sacrificing fun.</p>
<p>Amherst seemed more like Northwestern to me. Students worked very hard but definately had time built in their schedules for fun. Walking around both campuses, students seemed genuinely friendly and happy to be there (I also got this same feeling when I visited the campus at Bowdoin College). The main difference between these two schools is the lack of having a large city in close proximity to Amherst (Northwestern has Chicago just 12 miles to the south). But everything else seemed very similar.</p>
<p>I found Williams to be very similar to Washington U in St. Louis. There was just an intangible feeling I had that seemed to link these two groups of students together. At both schools, students seemed to be always talking class work or debating life's many twists and turns (but in a more laid-back way, unlike swarthmore/Chicago where it seemed more life and death). Students at both schools seemed happy to be where they were.</p>
<p>Hope these comparisons help a bit!</p>
<p>While I agree that Northwestern and Amherst are similar in some ways, I think the differences are more stark. Northwestern is very much a university, not a college, with all the good and bad that implies. Socially, Northwestern is 40% greek, where Amherst has banned frats from campus, and students at Northwestern seem more pre-professionally oriented. They're both very good schools, but the differences are important. I applied to both, but on visiting Northwestern I knew almost instantly that it was not the place for me.</p>
<p>It is up to you bud.</p>
<p>There is nothing similar between Northwestern and Amherst except that they are both colleges with cold winters. The size alone makes them apples and oranges. Swat has more intense, weirder students. Williams is in the middle of nowhere. Amherst has smart kids, with an ability to have fun, play sports and not take themselves too seriously. But make no mistake, Amherst students are there to learn as well as to party.</p>
<p>When I made the Amherst/Northwestern comparison I was going on "feel" of the campus and student body. I know that each school is different and comparing a smaller liberal arts college to a larger university is like comparing apples and oranges....but it was the feel that each school had that made that match for me. I spent 2 days at Northwestern last spring and a day and a half at Amherst during the summer. I had the opportunity to check out just about all aspects of each place. I guess the people and the experiences that I encountered at each place were similar in sort of an intangible way.</p>
<p>GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WILLIAMSSS!!!
u cant get a better mascot than the purple cow =]</p>
<p>Williams has a preppy, new england feel, while Amherst has an urban vibe (and more diversity, as someone mentioned.) Also, 60% of students are varsity athletes at Williams as opposed to 30% at Amherst.
Both are great, and I'm sure you'd fit in at either. But there are significant (though subtle) differences in their atmospheres.</p>
<p>Also the town of amherst is known for its safety and friendly population.</p>