Colby vs. Wesleyan vs. Williams vs. Bowdoin vs. Middlebury vs. Swarthmore vs. Wesleyan

College Search & Selection
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Hi,

I’m interested in all of the aforementioned colleges, but I’ve only visited Colby. I really liked Colby, and the stereotype of it as a preppy New England school was broken for me, which was a plus. I’ve heard that Williams and Middlebury very preppy and jocky, so I was wondering how they compare to Colby. I’m also interested in Swarthmore, but my friend who attends told me that the humanities there are suprisingly weak in comparison to the sciences there. As for Bowdoin, I also heard that it’s preppy and jocky, although I like their classes and whatnot. I am also interested in Wesleyan because it seems to have a good range of diverse students and really creative people (especially looking at their alumni), but I’m worried about the frats and drugs there. And additionally, I’m interested in Vassar because I heard it’s good for humanities, though they will probably be giving me very little financial aid according to the net price calculator.
I would also like to hear some of your opinions and experiences of the other schools I mentioned in comparison to Colby or even of Colby itself. I’m interested in classics, sociology, anthropology, art history, and English and would like to see how strong they are at these colleges. Basically, I would like a more clear picture of these colleges. Thanks so much!

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Colby - The only NESCAC college to pick up and move its entire campus in the twentieth century.
Williams - Probably the best art history department of the bunch.
Wesleyan - Fraternities have to be co-ed in order to have a house and without a house they’re almost invisible. Similarly with drugs; other than pot, you have to look pretty hard in order to find them.
Middlebury -Try finding a picture of it with snow on the ground.
Bowdoin - Don’t know much about it.
Vassar - The only college on your list with no sports ethos whatsoever.
Swarthmore - Oddly arranged campus; all academic buildings are shoved into one end, dormitories at the other with an enormous panoramic view of one building (Parrish Hall) in the middle.

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For anthropology, look first to colleges at which anthropology and sociology maintain distinct departments. Look as well for offerings across the anthropological subfields of archaeology and cultural and social, linguistic and biological anthropology. If you are interested in archaeology specifically, the availability of a geoarchaeology major may be a good sign.

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Regarding relative strength in English, “The 25 Most Literary Colleges in America” (Flavowire) discusses the excellent programs at Wesleyan and Williams. I concur that Williams would be superb for art history. For the spectrum of your interests, Hamilton should also be considered.

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Regarding Wesleyan vs. Wesleyan:

I think they are pretty similar

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These are all excellent academically, obviously. Swat is reputed to be the most rigorous/intellectual, but really, they’ll all feature plenty of small classes, prof interaction and opportunities for discussion.

I can chip in the following about Bowdoin:

  • The campus is small and flat, but pretty nice
  • There is an Arctic museum on campus.

I suggest looking at these through some common fit lenses:

Environment: Suburban or rural, mild weather differences, the ability to get around, closeness to an airport, etc.

Academics: Check to see if the majors you’re most interested in are offered. If multiple schools have them, dig deeper into course catalogs. Also check graduation requirements, read up on research and internship opportunities if applicable, and check the academic calendars (semesters/quarters/trimesters). If you might be interested, check out study abroad opportunities.

Social vibe: Read up on the party/Greek scene, sports scene, clubs, things to do around or off campus, etc.

Housing/Food: Do not underestimate the importance of being comfy in your “home” and having good food to eat.

These are all very good LACs. Read as much about them as you can in order to figure out which among them fit(s) you the best. And if you are considering ED, make sure you visit first. If not, you can wait to visit the ones that admit you, in order to help make the enrollment decision.

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Wonderful list of schools! You can’t go wrong here.
I know Williams and Vassar best, because I went to Williams and my spouse went to Vassar.
Vassar has the prettier buildings- I think it it’s the prettiest campus I have ever seen (maybe tied with Princeton), and Williams has the more beautiful area (mountains).
Williams leans liberal but Vassar epitomizes the word!
I am extremely non-athletic and a middle class public high school graduate. I was very happy and comfortable at Williams. Every school has a mix of people. You will find friends. Williams is great because your freshman entry mixes you with 19 other students from all walks of life. Everyone is friendly at Williams, and there are not pronounced divisions among students or “types.”
I majored in English and the department was great. English is strong at Vassar too. Williams probably has the best-regarded art history department of the liberal arts colleges.

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I think most of the NESCAC schools are a little preppy and Colby is amongst the preppiest of them. If you find Colby to your liking based on your visit and don’t think it is too preppy for you, then you’ll be fine at the others - Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, etc.

Swarthmore is pretty strong across the board. Although, yes, Swarthmore is strong in the sciences, I’ve never heard them being weak in the humanities. Never.

Frats don’t rule the social scene at Wesleyan and you’ll find drugs everywhere - if you want them - but its very easy to avoid as well. Don’t let those concerns stop you.

Are you a senior? Can you visit the other schools? You really should try to. Where are your safeties and matches? All these schools are extremely selective.

" I’m interested in classics, sociology, anthropology, art history, and English and would like to see how strong they are at these colleges. " Are you female? If so, take a look at Bryn Mawr. Gorgeous school, very strong in Classics and Art History especially as well as the other subjects you’ve listed. If male, consider Haverford. It has a bi-college consortium with Bryn Mawr and both schools are in the Quaker consortium with Swarthmore and UPenn. Neither has greek life and neither is preppy, with a good variety of students on campus.

I would also recommend looking at Bates.

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You can find drugs or avoid drugs at any college, but Wesleysn does have a reputation, dating back to the 70’s or even earlier, of having a more pronounced drug culture than other schools. The school has always been known for personal autonomy and experimentation, while trying not to over regulate. This is different than at other schools. I do believe the administration , after the drug arrests and overdose incident that happened a couple hrs ago is trying to rein it in. But they do admit that drugs have been more prevalent then they are on other campuses.

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Middlebury has a fantastic Art History program topped only by Williams. Because they have so many campuses abroad, the art history programs are connected to them and made stronger as a result.

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If part of your curiosity is art and art history I’m particularly impressed with Williams, Wesleyan, and Swarthmore, followed closely by Bowdoin. All great schools and all provide excellent faculty, facilities, and opportunities. I know many who are, or have been, affiliated with the programs at these schools and would not hesitate recommending a student to any of them.

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I just want to point out that Haverford has been coed since the 70’s.

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@millie210 Yes, Haverford is definitely coed. My point being that Bryn Mawr is great for Art History but you can’t attend it if you are male. I should have worded that more clearly. Of course if you are female, you can go to Haverford and major in Art History at Bryn Mawr, but BM is easier to get into and gives merit aid.

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If possible do an overnight at as many of the schools if possible. There is no better way of distinguishing among these schools than living there, talking to students and going to a class or two prior to making any decisions. You can’t go wrong with any of the choices, but also be aware that it is very difficult to gain entry so the benefit of visiting and making up your mind early is that you can apply ED which would give your odds of admission a substantial boost

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Thanks for all your responses! Yes, I am female, but I am not applying to any women’s colleges. I already compiled my list of safeties. Unfortunately, I am on the west coast, so I have few opportunities to visit those colleges until acceptances come out. Could you tell me more about which colleges would have intellectual conversations outside of class? And how does Williams compare to Colby in terms of campus size, people, strength of departments, etc? I did some of my own research, but the websites are pretty biased and generic across the board.

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Among the schools on your list, my son liked Wesleyan and Williams. He ended up at Williams and majored in art history and art studio. For various reasons he didn’t look at Middlebury or Colby. He liked at Swarthmore, but didn’t feel it was up to Williams’ level in art. Other favorites on his list were Keyon and Hamilton. Also Skidmore and Conn College for a little less selective choices with strong art departments.

Colby is a wonderful college on many levels, but I would give Williams the edge for art history both in reputation and in the size of the department (in the number of professors, students and course offerings). Williams has three world-class museums on or near campus and a reputation for placing its graduates in prestigious museums throughout the country. Colby also offers access to an on campus museum, though not on the same level as the Clark and MassMoCA. Williams (and the surrounding Berkshires community) has a vibrant arts scene, not just visual arts but also performing arts such as music and theater.

I’m sure you’d get an excellent education at either one. Both are known for overall academic excellence, dedicated and accessible faculty and smart engaged student body.

I think there’s a lot of cultural overlap between Williams and Colby. I wouldn’t characterize Williams as " preppy and jocky" but for sure many students are active in sports and outdoorsy activities. I’ve never visited Colby so I can’t comment on the physical environment. Williamstown is really a mountain village – a quaint small (tiny!) town surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery.

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By entering intellectual capability, though not necessarily intellectual inclination, some of your particularly strong choices may appear in this article:

http://www.businessinsider.com/smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9/#50-macalester-college-1

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Colby vs. Wesleyan vs. Williams vs. Bowdoin vs. Middlebury vs. Swarthmore vs. Wesleyan

Here’s what I learned from 2 tours of each:

Colby: great community, great blueberry ice cream, great food. Lots of research opps, J-term in the Caribbean, Nice orientation session for frehmen, but COLD and way North.

Wesleyan: set a cut-off for each HS, and accepts all kids above that cut-off. Worth looking at for match school if you have good GPA and SAT/ACT scores.

Williams: most selective; focus on tutorials, good research opps, COLD, and few opportunities off campus

Bowdoin: great food, great academics, good reputation as the best LAC in Maine among the 3 (Colby, Bates, Bowdoin). A focus on being in Maine and the environment

Middlebury: great liberal arts, great languages, beautiful white buildings. Picturesque in summer, but FRIGID in winter. Great for skiiers.

Swarthmore: unimpressive campus, but great opportunity to take classes at PENN

Pomona: nice community, focus on diversity, great academics, great food, lots going on on campus, can’t beat the sunshine.
For my daughter it came down to Pomona, Middlebury and Williams, and the Sagehens won out for an early app.

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Did they actually SAY that on the Wesleyan tour?

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Never heard that about Wesleyan and, unless it is some new policy, it doesn’t hold true based on Naviance from my kids’ school.

I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but saying Swarthmore’s campus is unimpressive is definitely not the impression I had on my visits.

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