Duke v. Williams

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, I was all excited to go to Duke next year--bought the class t-shirt, started picking a focus, etc etc--and then I got off the waitlist at Williams last Friday.</p>

<p>Now, I reaaally don't know. It'd help if I knew more what I wanted, because both schools are INCREDIBLY different, but I definitely like different things about each.</p>

<p>A few facts--I've lived in MA all my life, gone to a small little-diversity public school that I felt pretty sheltered at... I'm interested in pre-law/pre-business (my first choice school was Wharton-->waitlisted), would like a good Mock Trial/MUN program, and hope to major in economics and public policy/political economy, probably.</p>

<p>Duke--</p>

<p>Pros: GORGEOUS campus, ideal class size, major research university, good athletic spirit, FOCUS program, areas of my potential majors look great, would be a good change from my environment now, felt very diverse, tennis year round (whoot!), I was one of the Up-Close kids at Duke, which was both flattering and made me feel like Duke appreciated what I could bring to the community more</p>

<p>Cons: Weather (I actually prefer it cold), not into the frat/drinking scene, I'm definitely not the sorority type, am a little worried about fitting in socially with the Duke student body, (as trivial as it is) I've got horrible allergies which wouldn't make spring at Duke particularly fun</p>

<p>Williams--</p>

<p>Pros: Amazing LAC with an outstanding reputation, small classes and huge focus on the students, perfect (physical) climate, very highly regarded (and traditionally much, much harder to get into in my area, where a large proportion of people end up at small LACs--particularly NESCACs), very intimate feel, D3 sports mean I could try to walk on for field hockey (and if there's JV/club tennis, I'll definitely be doing that), in general I feel like I have more in common with the average Williams student than the average Dukie</p>

<p>Cons: Very small--particularly after coming from a HS of only about 500 kids, the campus is not nearly as lovable in my mind as Duke's, feels a bit isolated, might be a bit too close to home (even if that's what makes it feel more comfortable), not sure if the clubs/activities I'm hoping to join are as strong (or even exist) at Williams</p>

<p>In general, though, my main question is really what the difference between a typical Williams student and a typical Duke student is. When I was at Duke, I was amongst other Up-Close kids (most of whom aren't even going to Duke) so it was hard to gage how much I had in common with actual Duke students. I'm visiting Williams on Wednesday to see what feel I get for the kids there, but I'm not sure what I can expect, really.</p>

<p>Plus, this ultimately comes down to the debate over a LAC education and the education at a major university. I can't tell which one's for me, or which one is "better."</p>

2

<p>I'd personally stick with Duke. You already decided to attend. You seem to like it. Why make the change? If you are concerned with name recognition, Duke WINS hands down. 99.99 percent of America has never heard of Williams. This does not mean it isn't a great school. It is a fantastic school and anyone who has an important position should know of it. However, it doesn't hurt to go to a nationally acclaimed school where almost every person has heard of it, even if it is not solely for academics!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Ahh, but what's tough is that as much as I like Duke, I am still worried about a lot of things about it. My initial decision to attend Duke was made easier by the fact that I got rejected from two of my top schools (Yale/Princeton) and waitlisted at the others (Penn/Dartmouth/Harvard). Williams was never really at the top of my list because of its size, but I feel like if I'd gotten in originally I would've picked that over Duke more easily--now, not so much.</p>

<p>And I'm not concerned with name recognition, actually--I kinda feel like everyone worth knowing in the eventual job world / graduate-school-admissions offices will have heard of Williams ;-) But, yeah, Duke's acclaim in the athletic world is pretty awesome--Coach K spoke at Up-Close, and I was definitely in awe of him a bit.</p>

4

<p>Visit Williams on Wednesday, and go with your gut.... From what you've said so far, I think Williams might be a better choice based on your comments about getting involved in field hockey, tennis, etc. It's the classic "big fish in a small pond versus smaller fish in a bigger pond" dilemma. Either way, you'll get a great education. Congratulations on achieving such fantastic admission results!</p>

5

<p>Thanks, and yeah, I just wish this were an easier choice.. I was also warned today that Williams is a very sports-oriented school and that if you aren't a varsity athlete you might have troubles, but I also found it a bit hard to believe that Williams could be more sports-oriented than Duke..</p>

6

<p>Visited Williams today! It was so nice, but also felt a bit small, which I'm worried about. Anyone who could share any of their personal thoughts of these schools would still be much-ly appreciated <3</p>

7

<p>go to Duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

8

<p>^^Says someone going to Amherst. I would go Williams.</p>

9

<p>hmm this is really tough, but I think I would go to Williams if i were you</p>

10

<p>You definitely seem like you like Duke better, but try this:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Make a list of of your top 5 criteria for selecting a college--rank them, 5 being the most important.</p></li>
<li><p>Start with your first criteria, and give one school a 1, and one school a 2--2 being best. i.e.: if your #5 criteria is academics, and you think Duke has better academics than Williams, give Duke a 2 and Williams a 1. Go through and continue to do this with all the other criteria.</p></li>
<li><p>Start with Duke. Multiply the rank you gave Duke, in say, academics (2), by the rank of importance you gave academics (5). 2x5 = 10. Go through each school and criteria.</p></li>
<li><p>Find the row sums for Duke and Williams. The one with the higher "rank" is the best one to you :)</p></li>
</ol>

11

<p>I usually recommend LACs for undergraduate study, and Williams is one of the best, but I also think undergraduates should leave home when they go to college. If you've led a "sheltered" life at a small school in Massachusetts up to now, well, Williams is just going to be more of the same. It will no doubt be harder for you to adapt to Duke than to Williams, but you'll learn more from the Duke experience.</p>

<p>If you were from Charlotte, I'd recommend Williams.</p>

12

<p>There's alot more to do at Duke as far as the town goes. IF you're from Mass., you know how BLEAK those Berkshire winters can be. Try something different!!</p>

13

<p>Thanks for the advice everyone--and I think I'm going with Williams. I liked the environment better and can see myself there more, which I think is what matters the most. Duke would be a challenge, but my high school has been a challenge already and I want to be in a place with more like-minded people. Duke's lookin' good for grad school, though. XD</p>

14

<p>Good choice. Allergies are an issue in the South.</p>

15

<p>Williams. D visited both, has classmates at both Duke and Williams. Unless you're a rabid basketball fan, you'll be better off at Williams. And "sheltered" isn't the right word for a campus with extensive intellectual, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity like Williams. Plus Duke seems to have a lot of students for whom it was not their first choice - ivy rejects, etc. For most kids at Williams, it was their #1. Congratulations on being accepted to the school that provides arguably the best overall undergraduate education in the country!</p>

16

<p>OP you can't go wrong either way. If you want more of the same, Williams hands down. But don't think that Duke lacks any of the intellectual firepower you are after. Duke has a rare blend of academics and nice down to earth peoplel. I don't know if this is relevant, but I would personally get angry if I went to a top school and everytime I told someone where I graduated they would say "oh..I've never heard of it". </p>

<p>SarahsDad- cheapshot about Duke and "ivy rejects". It wins most Cornell cross-admits and a good number from Penn/Dartmouth/Brown/Columbia. </p>

<p>That would be the same as me saying Pamona is filled with Stanford and Caltech rejects. Just asking for a little civility</p>

17

<p>SarahsDad:</p>

<p>S's best friend from high school was a double legacy at Yale. His first choice school was Yale. He was rejected from Yale. He plays squash. He's at Williams. ;)</p>

<p>Another friend applied to Penn and was rejected. He's at Williams. </p>

<p>Both these kids attended an "(ivy feeder)" New England prep school. The kids who matriculated to Williams from that particular school often use Williams as an " ivy back -up". For many of them, Williams was not their first choice.</p>

<p>PS. In the end it doesn't seem to matter. The kid that really wanted Yale, really likes Williams! :cool:</p>

18

<p>I definitely loved Duke--a whole lot. I just think I see myself more at Williams. And, yeah, it doesn't much bother me that people outside of the NE may not've heard of Williams, which is probably a good thing, lol.</p>

<p>And it's actually really nice to hear that someone set on Yale ended up really liking Williams--Yale was always my dream school and I was rejected as well, and I did think Williams had a similar feel to it, which I liked.</p>

19

<p>^ S also knows someone on the soccer team at Williams very well. He also loves it there.</p>

<p>(I wanted S to apply to Williams, but he thought it was too close to home. :rolleyes:)</p>

20

<p>"^^Says someone going to Amherst. I would go Williams."</p>

<p>So what?? Not all Amherst students and prospies buy into the rivalry. Some Amherst students may legitimately feel like Duke would be a better choice. No need to make a jab at the poor kid without knowing his reasoning.</p>

<p>I prefer Williams to Duke, but I'd be too proud to attend a school that originally waitlisted me. No, it's not a positive character trait, but that's how I am.</p>