<p>l have been accepted to both Cal and Williams, and l am torn between the two. l am an international student and l can't afford to visit both campuses. l have full rides to both schools, so money is not a deciding factor. l didn't think l would be fortunate enough to get into any of the two schools.</p>
<p>l intend to do a double major in Computer Science (CS) and Econ (or Physics). l hope to go to a top 10 CS grad school or business school. l also want to learn Mandarin Chinese. l am interested in debating, financial clubs, and quiz. l am not that much into sports.</p>
<p>l have received advice that ranges from "Dude, are you mad? UCB has the best CS department in the world; You should go there" to "Cal's CS classes will weed you out. At Cal, you will be just a number".</p>
<p>l am slightly leaning towards Williams because of the small class sizes and individualized attention.</p>
<p>Williams’ CSCI department seems to be quite small. Several of the advanced courses appear to be offered infrequently. <a href=“Williams College”>Williams College; lists “Not Offered Academic Year 2014 - 2015” for courses like CSCI 336T, 337T, 339, 373, and 434T. So your trade-off is the typical one: small (perhaps really small in Williams’ case) classes, but fewer advanced courses offered less frequently.</p>
<p>One other thing to note at Williams is that, for CSCI courses, the expected class size is the same as the maximum class size, so you may want to ask if students have trouble getting into CSCI classes. Not being able to take a class because it is full may be a much larger penalty at Williams, since it may not be offered again before you graduate. Berkeley has had to deal with surging CS enrollments also, but it appears that they just increase the class size and add TAs to accommodate more students (resulting in a 1,000 student CS 61A class).</p>
<p>For economics, Berkeley has a much more mathematical orientation. Even the less-math intermediate microeconomics course needs a year of calculus, while Williams’ course needs only first semester calculus. Berkeley also offers a more-math intermediate microeconomics course using multivariable calculus. If you like math, or are considering PhD study in economics, Berkeley’s economics courses may be better preparation.</p>
<p>I commented more on the Williams thread, but a few things. First, there is simply no comparison in terms of being able to get into classes at Cal vs. Williams. You can get into any CS class you want to take and are qualified to take at Williams, that will never be an issue. It’s just a totally different academic environment in that regard. True, the offerings (obviously) won’t be nearly as broad, but you will have a much easier time both getting into the classes you want, and getting individual attention from profs once in those classes. </p>
<p>Also, if you want a Phd in econ, math, CS, or physics, there is really no place that can top Williams – the placement in those areas is incredible. The math department at Williams is famously strong (just this year awarded as the top undergrad dep’t in the country, and several of its profs have been similarly lauded), and if you are on a pre-Phd track, you would take higher level math/physics/math-focused econ course in any event. You simply can’t go wrong picking Williams if you want to get a Phd, and if you look at recent graduates from the math/physics/CS programs, almost everyone who pursues a Phd ends up at the most prestigious programs. Econ features a lot more students going direclty into business, but for those who go the Phd route, the same thing applies. </p>