<p>Dartmouth.</p>
<p>I had this same dilemma this year choosing between Dartmouth, Amherst, and Williams, and I ended up choosing Dartmouth. The difference is that I was being recruited by their football programs, and that did play a big role in my decision. Dartmouth has a D-1 program vs. the D-3 programs at Williams and Amherst. Dartmouth’s coaching philosophy sealed the deal for me-they were all about creating good people and not just mountains of muscle. </p>
<p>From a non-athlete’s perspective I still think it would have been an easy decision. I met really great people at all three schools, but I just couldn’t feel Williams. Anyone who has been there knows that the place is REALLY small. There is one traffic light in the whole town-I just couldn’t get used to that. There was a lot of homogenity to, and the very few other blacks who were there told me that the lack of diversity was an issue. They even tried to encourage me and a couple of other recruits to attend in order to rectify that lack of diversity. Both Amherst and Dartmouth seemed to be more diverse. Hanover is also a very small town, but it has a different feel to it. Its more vibrant, there just seems to be much more to do. In williamstown I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, but in Hanover(despite the fact that it has only 2000 more people than does Williamstown) I felt no such thing. Part of it may be the quality of life aspect. Hanover was ranked by CNN and Money as the second best place to live in America. </p>
<p>[Best</a> Places to Live: Top 100 - Hanover, N.H. (2) - Money Magazine](<a href=“http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0707/gallery.BPTL_top_100.moneymag/2.html]Best”>Best Places to Live: Top 100 - Hanover, N.H. (2) - Money Magazine)</p>
<p>And I feel that this ranking was pretty accurate. I could feel the difference between the two places-Hanover just seemed like a better place to be. I probably would have chosen Amherst over Williams as well since that town is also more vibrant. Trust me, if small size worries you, you might have some issues at Williams. There seems to be more diversity at Dartmouth to.
Dartmouth also has the Ivy League pedigree, another thing that compelled me to pick it over Amherst and Williams. Amherst and Williams are not slouches-an examination of college stats and rankings will show you that they hold their own against Dartmouth and the other Ivies. But Dartmouth is still an Ivy League school. There is just something about that status that is attractive, both to myself and to everyone I talk to. Tell them I’m going to Williams? “That’s a good school, congrats!”. Half of them don’t even know it. Dartmouth? “Wow, dude, that’s frikkin awesome!” EVERYONE seems to know the school’s reputation.
I don’t know if its justified or not, but there is a difference between an Ivy pedigree and a Little Ivy pedigree. That prestige, I’m sure, has some influence in the workplace as well when it comes to getting your foot in the door. People know it, and they seem to respect it more. That’s not to say that you won’t do very well at a Little Ivy, but if you’re looking to work right after college I think that Dartmouth will give you an edge. Again, I’m not saying that this is fair nor am I trying to insult Little Ivies and their students-this is just what I’ve observed.</p>
<p>Bottomline is this: If you’re really into outdoor activity, I think Williams has the edge. That’s the only reason I’d pick Williams over Dartmouth. You’ll have more to do outside there. In all of the other categories you mentioned as fields of interest(music/theater and publications/radio) I feel like you’ll have just as many opportunities at Dartmouth without having to deal with the small size and apparent lack of diversity. The place is more vibrant and you get an Ivy League pedigree.</p>
<p>And don’t worry about the frat scene either. Part of the reason I chose Dartmouth was because I was told by the football coaches that they discourage drinking-nearly half of that team doesn’t even touch alcohol. This appeals to me as I, like you, don’t drink. Ever.</p>
<p>I thought that this fact would make me a huge anomaly at any D-1 school(especially as an athlete), but not at Dartmouth. This was the ONLY coaching staff I ran into that spoke this way about encouraging sobriety.
Remember that these are the young, testosterone filled 18-22 year old football players that you’d expect to be big on the party/drinking scene…and yet nearly half of them avoid it without any peer pressure or anything like that. If they can do it despite all of the stereotypes associated with young athletes and alcohol, then you can. That alone shows that there is no stigma associated with sobriety at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>^ agree with the feel that you describe between the 3. However, disagree that Williams has more outdoor activities than Dartmouth. Given that the Appalachian trail and Ct. river run through the Dartmouth’s campus; the accessability to great ski slopes in Vt. and NH; horse riding; trails and cabins; cross country trails; fishing; etc., all on property owned by Dartmouth, I don’t think Williams competes. Dartmouth is the largest private property owner in NH, and much of it is made available to students for activities. All of this adds to Dartmouth and Hanover being more vibrant than Williamstown. Incidentally, you also describe some of the same reasons why S picked Dartmouth as his place to play football- the Money Magazine article, etc., were all cited by him as his reason to choose Dartmouth. Congratulations- the more you learn about what Dartmouth offers, the better it is and confidence you gain in your decision.</p>
<p>^I didn’t know a lot of that actually, so I’ll stand corrected-I think Dartmouth does actually have an edge on Williams in the outdoors as well.
It is still just my opinion, but I can’t see any reason to pick Williams over Dartmouth given the choice.</p>
<p>I heard that Williams is better if you want to go to graduate school . . . is this true?</p>
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<p>Don’t kid yourself. I’ve met plenty of people who have never heard of Dartmouth or don’t know it’s in the Ivy League. However, most likely, any grad school or job you apply to will know that Dartmouth and Williams are both top 15 schools in the country.</p>
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<p>I don’t know if I would say it’s better but the personality of Williams is different as approximately double the number pursue a PhD among Williams grads (14%) than Dartmouth grads (7%), which definitely is consistent with the more pre-professional vibe among the students.</p>
<p>I was rejected by Dartmouth and accepted to Williams, and I think both schools are fantastic.
The choice comes down to fit: neither will proide you the better education, they’re just too similar academically.</p>
<p>Visit both, get the feel of both, and then decide.</p>
<p>About the whole reputation thing: I didn’t know what Dartmouth was until the end of freshman year, when a friend’s brother got in. All his senior friends were talking about it, and I had to ask: “What’s Dartmouth???”
Though, half the people I talk to about Williams say “Wait, Williams & Mary?”
■■■. :)</p>
<p>Williams does have the edge on outdoor activities, though it probably won’t be a huge factor. It has 3 mountain ranges around it and all the local skiing etc. At Dartmouth, you just don’t find any mountains that you can really hike on the AT without going for a drive. That said, however, both regions are really beautiful and I don’t think that the distinction really is all that meaningful.</p>
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<p>There’s nothing within 15 min of Williams the way the Skiway is 15 min from Dartmouth. Also, there is much better skiing within 1 hr 15 min of Hanover than Williamstown. Not that your decision should at all be based on that.</p>
<p>Skiway is more like 20-25, and its nothing really special (but who am I kidding, I prefer nordic anyways). Williams definitely gets more snow.</p>
<p>How about in terms of getting attention from professors? My assumption – and it is just an assumption as of now – is that Williams students probably get a little more attention from the professors because the school is so small. I know that at Dmouth, TA’s are minimal and the professors teach, but would it still offer the same amount of attention as Williams?</p>
<p>I’d say they are about the same in this regard. Both function as undergraduate driven schools. Dartmouth also has almost twice the number of professors as williams.</p>
<p>Jiminy Peak is a way better alpine ski hill than the Dartmouth Ski Way, steeper, longer. The Skiway has one of the worst race hills of all college ski race hills. Ask any ski racer.</p>
<p>^remember, Dartmouth is on the Vermont border. A lot of students go to hills in VT. ex., Okemo</p>
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<p>I meant Dartmouth’s proximity to Killington, Sugarbush, Stowe, Okemo. Williams doesn’t have any equivalent to that.</p>
<p>Williams is also on the Vermont Border, and you can go north on route 7 (north south in the NE is way faster than east west) or up route 100, and get to Stowe, Killington, Okemo (who would want to go there though–it sucks), Suicide Six, Sugarbush in totally reasonable time—And, Jiminy Peak is much better hill than the Skiway. I don’t buy the Hanover is closer to better skiing, and I’ve driven those routes to a ton of eastern ski resorts—though I do agree maine and attitash are closer to hanover in a meaningful sense, if you want to ski there, but the vermont resorts are aperfectly reasonable distance/drive from williamstown
Between the two schools, probably the most important thing is the difference in the “feel”, ie the vibe, but make sure you are with like-kind when you walk around the school, eg, if you are an athlete hang out with teammembers–find out what they do for “fun” and join in. The tutorials are a big deal at Williams–really small classes with amazing profs who are not also teaching grad students, no snobbishness toward undergrads who just aren’t as serious as the grad students perhaps in the prof’s eyes</p>
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That’s probably a much more meaningful difference if you’re looking at Harvard/Yale (I have friends there who can’t believe I’ve never had a lecture with a TA). With Dartmouth, I think Williams is virtually on par as far as undergrad education goes. Dartmouth is very explicitly undergrad-focused, and it shows, especially in the classroom and in terms of research opportunities.</p>
<p>But again, yes, visiting is usually the best way to size up which college is the best fit for you.</p>
<p>No serious skier would spend much time at the Dartmouth ski way or Jiminy Peak. Both are fine for beginers or low intermediates, or to kill a couple of hours on a beautiful day, but not for much else.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is much closer to quality skiing (Stowe, principally) than Williams. I’ve made the drive to Stowe up Rte 7 from NW Mass many times and it’s brutal (Maybe 3.5 hours?) You really can’t do a Williamstown/Stowe daytrip. That’s easily done from Hanover.</p>
<p>Also, Killington is less than an hour away from Hanover. Maybe 2 hours from Williamstown.</p>
<p>OK the NE has a few good schools, but skiing generally sucks. If that’s the main criterion for school selection, may I suggest CU-Boulder or UBC.</p>
<p>Although Williams campus struck me as that of a really nice prep school, it is distinguished from other micro-schools by having a really fabulous amount of money in its endowment. I think you’re safe making the decision solely on personal comfort issues.</p>
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<p>Killington, Sugarbush, Stowe are at least twice as far from Williams than they are from Dartmouth. I don’t see how there even could be a debate.</p>