Bowdoin, Middlebury, Williams

College Search & Selection
1

<p>These are my top three schools that I am absolutely in love with. Initially, I really liked Dartmouth, but so many people in my family (my sister, Dad, uncle, and two aunts, as well as my grandfather who was a professor there) have gone there that I felt as though I wanted to really do something on my own that would really be my school, if that makes sense. Anyhow, I was hoping for some comparisons of these schools regarding:
-Campuses/overall atmosphere
-Academic rigor and quality
-Housing
-Social scene
And any other comments you may have on the "feel" you get from these colleges! Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Also, my academic/personal profile:
-White female, graduating in 2012
-From outside of Boston
-GPA: 4.69
-PLAN to ACT: 30
-Extracurriculars: Tennis, volleyball, part of a volunteer ski group with disabled kids, NHS, and peer tutor
If you have any idea of my chances of getting in that would be great!</p>

<p>I'm also looking to possibly play tennis in college, so I'd love some perspective on that!</p>

2

<p>The three schools are very, very similar in many ways (I’d say that other than Amherst, the schools that are most similar to Williams are probably Middlebury, Bowdoin and Dartmouth, in some order). </p>

<p>First, all three have strong tennis programs, but Williams has won three straight D-III national titles, and five of the past ten. They have a really great young coach and play with tons of spirit. This could be a great thing, or maybe not, depending on how good you are and how important meaningful varsity playing time is – the team would be a pretty solid D-I program, so you have to be a very strong player to make the top six (if you aren’t ranked in the top 200-250 tennis players nationally in your year, it is unlikely you’d play much for Williams). Contact the coach to get a better sense of how likely your chances are to contribute.</p>

<p>If you liked Dartmouth, I think you’d really like all three of these schools, as in many ways they are smaller versions of Dartmouth. Bowdoin is the smallest, Midd the largest, Williams in the middle. They all have quirky calendars, e.g. Midd with Feb admits, Williams with Winter Study. </p>

<p>Academic rigor and quality is similar at all three, Williams has a slight edge in prestige / is the most difficult to gain admission to, but the difference is really marginal. Bowdoin has the most going on in its immediate surroundings, Midd and Williams are both a bit more isolated, but both are easy day trips to several large cities. Midd has the most international students and the biggest emphasis on international and language studies. Williams is significantly more diverse otherwise than either Bowdoin or Middlebury, especially racially, but in some other ways as well. All three have very sporty / outdoorsy student bodies, and top-notch athletics programs. I know Williams and Midd, and I think Bowdoin as well, have ski slopes practically on campus. I doubt the social scenes are dramatically different at any of the three. Your academic interests may be determinative. Middlebury excels in languages, international relations, environmental studies, Williams in art history, math and sciences, political science and economics, Bowdoin in government, history, english, although all of them are really strong across the board. </p>

<p>I’d say apply to all and if you get into more than one, do overnights and go to whichever feels right to you, you really can’t go wrong.</p>

3

<p>All good schools. You might want to add in a safety school You have great stats, but being a white female doesn’t help with admissions. D’s BFF with 2300+SAT and close to a 5.0 GPA got WL’d at Williams. You can also talk to the tennis coaches for possibly athletic “tip.”</p>

4

<p>where does your GPA put you within the context of your school? (even if your school doesn’ rank, you should be able to get a sense). How good of an athlete are you? How rigorous was your schedule? </p>

<p>You are coming one from one of the most competitive demographics (white female from Boston area). If your GPA and athletic ability do not put you in the top rank of your school, then I have to be honest and say you’d really better not fall too much in love with these schools, or reconsider Dartmouth if you really love this type of school, and apply ED there to take advantage of the legacy connection.</p>

<p>I applaud you in wanting to branch out on your own. It just depends on how badly you want the top tier NESCAC schools and how competitive you are in your HS class rank and whether you can be a recruited athlete…</p>

<p>similar stories on kids with those top stats getting waitlisted or rejected…</p>

5

<p>You’re not exactly fomenting rebellion by picking those 3 schools. You could hardly pick 3 more similar to Dartmouth than Middlebury, Bowdoin, and Williams. And I agree with others, a white female tennis player from Boston with an ACT 30 is up against stiff competition in the NESCAC “class crafting” contest.</p>

<p>Have you considered looking outside New England? That would at least give you a little geographic diversity advantage. There are many excellent LACs throughout the rest of the country.</p>

6

<p>Why not look at Wellesley?</p>

7

<p>I’ll do my best to help you out! I visited Williams a few times and met with the athletic staff, so I can give you an idea of the feel of the campus. Overall, Williams is absolutely stunning, with a beautiful location in the mountains. Williamstown is essentially the same thing as the college, so it’s definitely a small-town, village atmosphere, and the impression that I got was that the students were slightly preppy (but hey, this is New England). However, everyone was very friendly and all of the students I know seemed happy, friendly, and really smart. Williams also has a very outdoorsy campus and the impression that I got was that the majority of people were very active. </p>

<p>Housing at Williams is unique because of the entry (JA) systems. Freshmen live in an “entry” with a junior JA and about 15 other freshmen (I think; I’m sure Ephman or someone with more experience can elaborate). From what I’ve heard, these are rather hit-or-miss, but the majority of the people I met and talked with liked their entries and talked about how it created a core feeling of community and support. The freshmen dorms I saw were pretty average, but the upperclassmen dorms, especially the rowhouses (old frat houses) were really, really nice for a college dorm.</p>

<p>I hope that helped! I did visit Bowdoin but I didn’t end up applying there, and I don’t remember much about it. I didn’t end up visiting Middlebury, so I can’t give any advice there. Other users have warned you - correctly - that Williams is very, very hard to get into, but you’re only an incoming junior, so I think you’ve got plenty of time. Why not give it a shot?</p>

8

<p>Rankings are only done by top 5%, top 20%, and top 50% until senior year obviously when valedictorian is chosen. I am currently in the top 5%. I made the varsity tennis team as a freshman and my school is ranked in the top 300 in the nation.</p>

9

<p>Have you taken SAT II’s? At Middlebury (and maybe Bowdoin) you can submit 3 SAT II scores instead of the ACT/SAT. Something to consider. I would be a little concerned as well about the 30 on the ACT. You might want to check out Colby and Hamilton so you have some slightly easier options. The Dartmouth ED idea is probably a good one----it might be a shame not to take advantage of your legacy status. Good luck!</p>

10

<p>Are you interested in Wellesley? It might be easier to get into, then you’ll have more options if you do RD incase all fails.</p>

11

<p>Founding your own legacy may be too ambitious for standardized testing like yours.</p>

<p>Apply ED to Dartmouth. If that doesn’t work out, then consider the NESCAC colleges.</p>

<p>Otherwise, you might end up at a school far below your expectations.</p>

12

<p>Might look at Holy Cross and Colgate.</p>