<p>Which one you would go? Flip coin is not working for me. :-(</p>
<p>Amherst!!!</p>
<p>You can't go wrong (they'll kick me off the Williams board for saying that, though -- I'm an Eph). </p>
<p>Can you visit and do overnights? That's what made my mind up last fall between two schools that often have cross admits. The other one wasn't Amherst (but I did visit Amherst and it didn't feel right for me -- maybe it will for you). </p>
<p>One thing that helped me was thinking about why I felt so drawn to College A and College B. I isolated the things they had in common that were appealing to me. Then I looked for the other things that I wanted or valued that were at one school but not the other. At that point, Williams won easily for me. You may be that way too or maybe Amherst is the better fit for you, once you look beyond their shared strengths.</p>
<p>Congratulations on having such terrific choices. </p>
<p>(P.S. Come to Williams!)</p>
<p>Williams!!!</p>
<p>They're closer to Boston and also part of the Five College consortium. But hey, you can't go wrong with either.</p>
<p>I made the decision last year and went with Amherst. It was a very difficult decision at the time, as I loved both schools very much. Have you visited them?</p>
<p>Amherst. Five College consortium.</p>
<p>Amherst has the "A" for Awesome!</p>
<p>Lol im facing the same dilemma, any other reasons for choosing either? Apart from Ephelia and the 'A'? :P</p>
<p>I visited both several times with my child this past fall...both are great schools...while many may find Amherst in a more central location I found that it seems very "stuck in" the middle of a bunch of other schools...from one direction a string of strip malls and from the other UMass and a number of bars...did not feel very coherent to us...also a little more snooty for lack of a more technical term...the introductory sessions were sort of don't bother applying and there are many other good schools so don't judge yourself by where you are accepted...I can sort of understand that given the # of apps they get except that some of the students in the audiance might actually be the ones they want...my child is a member of the Williams Class of 2011 and we could not be happier...as I said both are as good as it gets but I think the remoteness of Williams is actually a benefit...plenty of time for big city life in grad school or the working world...</p>
<p>Hadley is a gross town, but it's lovely in the Spring/Fall/Summer with the farmer's markets. There is a Whole Foods, though, and it's just a few miles to Northampton, which is very lively and fun. Amherst is nothing like Hadley, and the town itself is very lovely and "mom and pop".</p>
<p>Both are terrific schools. Visit them!</p>
<p>wow you have to odecide between amherst and williams..lucky.</p>
<p>Amherst also has, from my experience, a more diverse student body both in terms of the % of urm and socially. Williams is renowned for its jockish fraternity-type students while Amherst, in general, attracts a wider range of students.</p>
<p>What percentage of cross-admits choose Amherst over Williams (or the other way around, doesn't matter)?</p>
<p>same dilemma here...im from a tiny town in the middle of nowhere....so im leaning more towards amherst because i think being stuck in the middle of the country again will kill me. but i can't decide!</p>
<p>AMHERST</p>
<p>I visited! :D Ok, so I didn't go to Williams, but the partying/drinking reputation (heard from a first-hand fellow college-visiter) scared me away. Amherst is pretty and the people are nice, if a leeeeeeetle preppy.</p>
<p>As suggested by OP, you might consider visiting both campuses (and surroundings) again to evaluate the similarities/differences. It's difficult to appreciate everything in one visit. </p>
<p>With so many things to do on-campus at AC, you may never have time to go beyond Amherst downtown (e.g., Judie's, Black Sheep, Antonio's) and Hadley (Hampshire Mall) during the week...then again, you might be surprised by the number of off-campus options* if you opt to take electives at UMass, Smith, MHC, Hampshire:</p>
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<p>Northampton (indie movies at Pleasant St Theatre, boutiques @ Thornes Marketplace, Green St Cafe, Haymarket Bookstore Cafe, etc.), South Amherst (fresh cider & donuts from Atkins Farm), South Hadley (Coffee from Thirsty Mind cafe and sandwiches from Tailgate Cafe at The Village Commons)</p>
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<p>*Above very accessible by car or PVTA (free buses betw five colleges that run 'til late).</p>
<p>If you're a cheap-eats foodie like me, search on Chowhound.com and compare the results betw "Williamstown" and "Amherst".</p>
<p>As an Eph, no doubt you will have excellent on-campus options. And you can drive to nearby North Adams and hit MASS MoCA (amazing concerts). </p>
<p>Besides, you can drive from Williamstown to Boston on the 'Pike in only 3 hours', so who cares? ;-)</p>
<p>are there any hospitals or medicial supply stores in amherst</p>
<p>The nearest hospital, Cooley-Dickinson, is located in Northampton not far from the Smith campus. I don't know about medical supply stores, but there is a pharmacy within easy walking distance in downtown Amherst and others that are the malls nearby that are served by the free bus system.</p>
<p>First, I would not say that Williams is dominated by jockish/fraternity type students. Neither I nor any of my college friends would remotely fall under that description, and one of the reasons I applied to Williams in the first place was the lack of any fraternities. There are plenty of jocks, but there are no more football players, hockey players, etc. (the hard core jocks) than there are at Amherst -- less in fact, on a proportional basis. Overall, I'd say on the average that Williams has a more sporty / outdoorsy / earthy culture than Amherst, but that hardly qualifies as "jock-y." </p>
<p>Do a search on threads with Williams and Amherst in the title -- plenty of long discussions on this topic over the last six months or so. I think almost everyone on those discussions agrees that the two schools are so similar (perhaps no two more similar schools anywhere) that the best approach is to stay over at both campuses, meet as many prospectives / students as possible, and go with your gut as to where you best fit in. By far the most important aspect of the college (and alumni) experience is your peers in any event. But, there are certain real substantive differences (size of student body / faculty, setting, specific areas of academic prominence, different types of winter terms, tutorials, core requirements, etc.) that might be tie-breakers if you can't decide after visiting both.</p>