<p>I'm currently a junior, who has been researching about colleges since last October. Through discussions with my college counselors, parents, and peers, I've come to believe that Brown University and Williams College are two good matches for me, in the sense that it's very possible I can get admitted by both colleges, but also that both colleges match my personality/character. What are the different aspects of Brown University and/or Williams College that you fellow CC'ers like or dislike? Secondly, what are the strongest programs at each university?</p>
<p>Just a quick comment about one huge difference: location. Williams is 3 hrs from Boston, 1 hr from Albany (wow). It's in a beautiful but very rural setting in a tiny town. Brown is in up-and-coming Providence, which though 1 hr from Boston and 3.5 hrs from NYC, has a lot to offer on its own terms: lots of good restaurants, shopping, and other stuff to do; interaction with the artsy RISD students right next door; an "urban"-type environment and yet also a distinctive "college town" New Englandy feel to it on College Hill where Brown is located.</p>
<p>I have heard things about both schools that lead me to think that the two are very different. Williams students have a reputation for being very athletic and somewhat preppy, and students and Brown are viewed as being artsy and quirky.</p>
<p>Remember Williams dropped the Greek system and Brown has one....</p>
<p>Thanks for the input thus far.</p>
<p>Ditto the above comments.</p>
<p>Both: intellecutal, fun loving, beautiful, friendly places, good music & threatre at both.</p>
<p>Brown: Setting more urban (though Providence is not a metropolis.) Lots to do in area, more cultural outlets, 4 other local universities, etc. 6000 kids at Brown.</p>
<p>Williams: rural setting, nature & skiing nearby, sporty student body, preppy, 1200 kids.</p>
<p>Not sure about curriculum but I don't believe Williams is as liberal as Brown as to no core requirements and anything pass/fail...</p>
<p>Having friends from both schools, I get the impression that life at Brown is more laid back while it is more intense at Williams. My friend from Williams told me that students there are 'driven to be the best in everything.' I don't get the same intense vibe from Brown students, who seems more relaxed when talking about their school. Admittedly, I only know one recent Williams alum and one Brown alum/one current student so this may just be pure speculation/selection bias.</p>
<p>I agree, Brown is very laid back & NOT competitive, though people <em>can</em> be intense in the sense of passionate about their interests. Brown kids are balanced, not perfectionists. Many are incredibly bright-- but most would be willing to get an A- instead of an A in order to be able to do a play, be on a team, or just have fun. </p>
<p>I don't know about this aspect of Williams...</p>
<p>SBmom, I take it that you, yourself, are a Brown graduate?</p>
<p>Williams has 2000 students (not 1200).</p>
<p>Thanks for the info on the Greek systems, Dke. I had not known that, but I still think that Brown students are seen as being more quirky, and Williams students are viewed as athletes.</p>
<p>I think I'm somewhat of a mixture of both types of student - quirky and athletic; probably the reason why I've come to develop a strong liking for both institutions.</p>
<p>Well, how come nobody comment on the most obvious difference--one is LAC and another one is a research institution?</p>
<p>By the way, Williamstown is a small town. The downtown strip is tiny. If you get accepted, make sure you visit there to know what I mean. You can be bored to death. :)</p>
<p>I'll be visiting both Williams and Brown this upcoming summer. Many alumni from my school come back from Brown and Williams and have discussed their experiences. From what I've heard, it seems like I'm not the type of person who would be bored at either Williams or Brown.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of your input; it's been more than I expected. :)</p>
<p>Mediterranean, My son was interested in both Brown and Williams. Im sure he could have been happy at either. I would describe him as artistic and active (in an outdoorsy kind of way). Quirky definitely fits. The major differences as I see them are: size and location. Brown is three times the size of Williams not including Browns graduate and professional programs. Williams is an LAC, which by definition is quite different in ambience from an Ivy League university. Providence is an urban environment that is undergoing a redevelopment phase. Crime is still an issue, though. Williamstown is a village in a rural mountain valley. The weather is severe. Although the percentage of non-white students is fairly similar, Providence offers a lot more diversity than the Berkshires.</p>
<p>Brown has absolutely no core or distribution requirements. If you want to take nothing but biology you can do that (not recommended, though). Williams has a loose set of distribution requirements: you must take three courses from each of three general areas. This assures that the math/science kids take some English/arts and vice versa, but its not particularly restrictive. </p>
<p>They are both wonderful schools with enthusiastic, smart kids, great academics and an energetic, passionate faculty. Visit and see which feels best. See the Williams board for more details on what makes Williams tick.</p>
<p>Momrath, does your son go to Williams or to Brown?</p>
<p>My son goes to Williams. (I guess I did a good job of being impartial if you couldn't tell!)</p>
<p>Bear with me, as these are memories from last year's visit to both campuses, but they are sentiments that stuck with me-- some more relevant than others.
Williams struck me has having a little more of a "family" feel to it-- closer attention paid to orienting the freshmen and establishing a close relationship with the others in your "entry" (the way the dorms were set up, there were about 6 or 8 (I forget) rooms off a central stairway with one entrance-- hence the name), occasional "fun" (my term) days when classes are suspended in lieu of a series of entertaining activities or events, a very active outing (outing as in outdoors..) club (hiking, camping, skiing, etc) virtually right outside your door... I didn't find the students to be as "preppy" as people imply-- Amherst is definitely preppier-- and there is an intense sports rivalry between the 2 schools (Williams and Amherst) -- so lots of school spirit. The winter study is a fun idea-- essentially you can take a fun course, do an independent study or go play for the month of January. It does offer a nice break for the students. The downsides-- It is quite remote-- while that certainly fosters the closer relationsip with the students, you probably should have a tolerance for cows, should you venture off campus very far..... There is a cute little town area-- about a block or 2 long... and a great art museum, but not a lot else other than the coffee shop options around campus. I believe the student center is currenly being renovated.. and is temporarily housed elsewhere. Each president, upon his/her departure, selects a building to be "named" in their honor. Again adds to the "homey" feel. Other challenge-- Williamstown is a bit remote-- not super easy to get to, thogh the school does run shuttles to the closest metro airports (Boston, Albany, etc). The road that runs from Williams to the main highway (I-90) that you'd take on your many trips to cheer Williams on at Amherst is a windy mountainous road, that was nervewracking as we drove it in the snow in the dark... not sure what that would be like is a carful of college kids in the wee hours....
Brown- quite a different setting than Williams- urban setting,. While the Williams campus is not devoid of streets and cars, it is quite a different feel from Providence. Up on the hill, there are lots of cars busily trying to find parking spots on the roads that cris-cross campus. Lots of green space and lawns, but it is an urban campus. Being almost 3x as big as Williams, it has a different feel. Definitely lots of neat stuff to do, both on and off campus (like the waterfire event on the river,and lots of cute hangouts near campus). If I recall, they put freshmen in 30-60 student "units", or groups, to help them establish a network. The dorms have reputations (ie the party dorm, the computer geek dorm, etc...and these are my terms)and you can later select dorms accordingly. Williams has distribution requirements and I believe a basic PE requirement-- Brown has none. If you like structure, Brown wouldn't be your first choice. Both seem pretty liberal, Brown seems more eclectic.
Hope this helps, for starters, and anyone, feel free to correct any glaring errors I hae made.</p>
<p>By 3x as big, jym626 was referring to the population (I guess). As I recalled, Brown's campus is actually pretty small areawise. I think Williams' campus is considerably bigger.</p>