These are my top two dream schools, but I can’t see much of a difference between them, although I have observed a couple. Are there any more notable differences?
<p>Size, atmosphere, location, educational philosophy, ect?</p>
<p>Williams and Amherst have a lot of overlap in applicants and have many similarities in feel and character. </p>
<p>Both offer rigorous high level academics with small classes and accessible teaching professors. Both have excellent academics across the board in humanities, social science and math/science. Both have active athletics programs and tight knit campus communities. Both are liberal, but not too far left. Neither has fraternities. Both attract smart, articulate, multifaceted, active students, and both have high retension rates and for the most part happy, friendly kids. Both are very selective!</p>
<p>Amherst somewhat smaller (1500 vs 2000) but is located in a lively small town and is part of a five college consortium which adds breadth to its social and course offerings. Williams is located in an insular mountain village.</p>
<p>Williams has a more opportunities in and exposure to the arts -- fine arts/museums as well as performance arts like theater, dance and music. </p>
<p>Amherst has no distribution requirements or core curriculum. You can take whatever you want. Williams has loose distribution requirements: you must take three courses from three general categories, arts/language, math/science and social studies.</p>
<p>Other points of differentiation at Williams are the first year entry system in the residence halls, the tutorial program and Winter study.</p>
<p>Great summary by momrath above.
If you can, spend a night at each school. You may pick up on other differences too.</p>
<p>There are some sizeable differences in the student body. Some 16% of Amherst's student body are Pell Grant recipients, with family incomes generally speaking below $40k/year. At Williams, it is under 10%. Substantially higher percentages of Amherst's student body receive need-based aid (Williams will meet all need - if you get in.)</p>
<p>Williams itself has more opportunities in the arts than Amherst alone. But Amherst students have access to the 5-College Consortium for the performing arts, which, taken together, are much richer than Williams. Both have excellent faculties - in virtually everything! Williams is weaker in foreign languages, and in Romance Languages in particular wouldn't rank in the top 50. But art history at Williams is unparalleled anywhere! Other top programs there include mathematics and astrophysics. Amherst is best known for its law, jurisprudence, and social thought program, and is famous for English (though I think that is historical, and I can't imagine anyone could argue that the Williams program is weaker.)</p>
<p>There are far, far more similarities than differences. Both the faculties and the student bodies are for the most part interchangeable, even if there are differences (though not overwhelming ones) in campus culture. Someone who is happy at one would likely be happy at the other.</p>
<p>Go visit.</p>
<p>They are very similar.
Both top LACs, small rural, New England towns, very selective, small schools, very-qualified students & profs
Amherst has an open curriculum (no required classes), while Williams has core requirements similar to most other top LACs.
Williams offers Oxford-style tutorials, which is a class w/ 1 other student & a prof, that you take for a semester.
I would say Williams has a somewhat better reputation, as well as more name recognition.</p>
<p>Although if you're talking about name recognition, many people will not have heard of even one liberal arts college. However, I agree that Williams is a bit more known. Also, there is a bit more athletics and athletes on campus, because of the better athletic programs and heavy participation in intramural sports.</p>
<p>Amherst is more intellectual. Williams is more a party school. Great art history at Williams. More mainstream type kids at Williams, too. More well rounded, more athletes.</p>
<p>there's so many similarities and some differences, but the best way for you to figure it out is go visit. make sure its when school is in session, and stay over if you can.</p>
<p>They are basically the same school except that Amherst is closer to civilization whereas Williams is in an isolated frozen tundra (ok,ok so I exaggerate a little).</p>
<p>The best way to choose is based on football scores and mascots. Amherst beat Williams last year. William's mascot is a purple cow! Yea, a purple cow! That's almost as bad as U. of Delaware's blue hen. Also, Amherst is at the beginning of the alphabet and Williams is towards the end.</p>
<p>Some corrections:</p>
<p>"Williams has core requirements"
Williams has distributions requirements, but no "core" courses. You can choose among 100's of courses to fulfill a general category requirement. For example, for the art/language requirement you can take any three courses from several departments including English, Art History, Art, Foreign Language. </p>
<p>"Amherst is more intellectual. Williams is more a party school."
No way, both have lively, social kids, but there is no shortage of intellectual energy at either. </p>
<p>"Williams is in an isolated frozen tundra"
Actually we like to think of it as the gulag.</p>
<p>ummm... I don't think its quite a tundra.. From what I understand, the high temperatures have been in the mid 90's for about a week now.</p>
<p>And why does everyone think Williams is so isolated. Yeesh. It's closer to NYC than Amherst, and less than 1 hour from Albany. </p>
<p>Albany isn't New York, but it does have a kick-ass mall and sweet night clubs.</p>
<p>actually if youre going to base it on football scores, williams leads the alltime series in the "biggest little game in america", by a count of 66-47-5. not to mention amherst's mascot is a "lord jeff". what is a lord jeff anyways?</p>
<p>
[quote]
what is a lord jeff anyways?
[/quote]
Possibly it is Lord Geoffrey, as in the giraff at Toys R Us in which case you have to choose between a giraff and a cow. Maybe it is time to apply to Swat? I think their mascot is a flying insect.</p>
<p>well there's always tuffs, still in the NESCAC, home of the JUMBOS. Elephants are much more intimidating.</p>
<p>tufts, spelling error.</p>
<p>Based on the highly reliable mascot analysis, Amherst and Williams are the same because they are both equally inferior to Tufts.</p>
<p>purple cows don't get enough points?</p>
<p>suze, my experiences do not allow me to agree with you. Williams students are very smart and can be intellectual, yet at Amherst seemed to surround its social life around partying and drinking.</p>
<p>Size: Though 400 students is not much in the context of other schools, it is obvious difference when you walk around campus of these two. I think 1600 is too stifling and 2000 is more comfortable. Also, many of Williams' departments are significantly larger than their counterparts at Amherst. Having four professors in a department limits what Amherst can offer to students, sometimes so severely that it is difficult to get a good base of the subject for graduate study.</p>
<p>Food: Amherst has one dining hall that serves only bland, discolored, discolored food, with few options. Williams has five dining halls, each serves healthy fresh and yummy food.</p>
<p>Socially: You have to judge yourself on your own terms, as second-hand information is tainted, and may mislead you to think that either Amherst or Williams is something that it is not. Though I must say that I find there to be a difference in atmosphere.</p>
<p>Academic Oppurtunities: Williams is by far superior in math, science, art history; Amherst, romance languages. Williams' student body is more well-rounded, while at Amherst, you will find a portionately large amount of english, history, political science, and (enter name here) studies majors. Williams has its tutorials, and Amherst does not. Amherst is a part of a five college consortium, yet I think UMass-Amherst is the only close campus; the others are 30-50 minute bus rides away.</p>
<p>I suggest you sit on classes at both schools so you can see the difference in the type of education expected at each school. According to some, work load is heavier at Williams, and grade inflation is rampant at Amherst. I don't think Amherst is as academically-minded as Williams is. ************** reports "students don't choose Amherst for its academics."</p>
<p>Campus: Aesthetically, I prefer Williams' campus, and besides, it is organized and has a very comfortable campus, not lie Amherst's hilly, drab campus that has red-brick buildings plopped down anywhere without reason.</p>
<p>Nearby towns: Amherst has a lot of little stores right outside of campus, while Williams has Spring Street and North Adams. You can get everything you'd ever need in both towns; at Amherst, there are more big chain stores.</p>
<p>Administration: At Amherst's admitted student program the dean of admissions talked to us and explained how exactly Amherst is "complacent"; at Williams', President Schapiro explained to us how Williams sees that it is a good school, and always pushes foward to improve. He continued by pointing out the reconstruction of the student center and the library (which should start in 2007), the expansion of the faculty and the tutorial program, etc.</p>
<p>Like many others, I looked hard at both but ended up at Dartmouth. I liked Williams feel and Amherst's location. In the end, I found Amherst somehow cold (though obviously a great school I didnt find that soft touch I felt at both Dartmouth and Williams) and Williams too jocky and isolated (though I'm going to Dartmouth, which is by no means metropolitan). </p>
<p>Between these two, its as tough as it gets: Go to Dartmouth and you wont feel like you chose the wrong one.:)</p>