<p>Are Amherst, Williams and Middlebury considered prestigious? </p>
<p>I know it's not really the main thing to consider when looking for colleges, but my Mum has put a lot of money into my education and I really want her to be proud!</p>
<p>I'm an International (UK) wanting to go to an LAC - Dartmouth is my first choice but I'm not banking on it as I recognise that competition is fierce; can someone tell me about the three above^?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>This is just one set of rankings but they tend to be very similar at the top (which all you listed are):
Liberal</a> Arts Rankings - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report
Yes, they are prestigious (and hard to get into).</p>
<p>Williams and Amherst are as hard to get into as Dartmouth; Middlebury somewhat less so.</p>
<p>Ineed, In certain knowledgeable circles -- like academe, Wall Street and other key employers, US monied Eastcoast, graduate and professional schools -- those schools carry a lot of prestige. But once you get out of the Northeast, the typical man or woman on the street, your relatives, your peers, your parents' friends will never have heard of them.</p>
<p>We're an American family living overseas (Asia) and our son graduated from Williams. He received the best possible education and had a wonderful experience, but name recognition is low. He was awarded excellent internships, landed a great job in the field of his choice and was accepted into several prestigious graduate schools. Where it made a difference, name recognition was high.</p>
<p>So bottom line, choose one of these schools if you want a world-class education in an intimate setting. Don't choose it if international prestige is a factor. </p>
<p>[I'm a UMich alum and when I told people in Asia of my son's choice I often received pitying looks as if to say "too bad he couldn't get into Michigan," whereas actually Williams is far more selective.:)]</p>