<p>I visited Williams and loved it, but I haven't gotten to see Middlebury yet. A lot of people told me they're similar, would you say that's true? I was really drawn to Williams's inclusive feel and just the atmosphere there, sorry that's kind of vague, but do you think it has a similar atmosphere to Midd?</p>
<p>Also, is Midd colder? A lot?</p>
<p>For what it is worth, while my son will be starting at Williams in September (admitted ED). Middlebury would probably have been his next choice. He enjoyed his visit to Middlebury and the professors, coaches and students that he met.</p>
<p>Collegelookin, do not look at Middlebury. It will only confuse you and make your decision that much harder. Few schools in the country are more similar than the NESCAC schools. Sure Midd is a better school all arournd, but Williams is even more isolated. 
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<p>No, you won’t find Midd to be noticeably colder than Williams. You will however find the snow to be much better on the Snow bowl than any of the mountains around Williamstown ;)</p>
<p>i would definitely look at midd for an informed decision. though the two schools have a lot in common, and if you loved williams you’ll probably also love midd, it’s best to evaluate all options before reaching a decision.
as for your questions, i have never been to williams but have a close friend there, and whenever we talk about our schools we realize we have a lot in common, including the isolated little nice town setting and the cold weater.
but yeah, definitely visit midd. i’m sure you won’t regret it!</p>
<p>They are not as similar as you might think–visually they are very different and the town of Middlebury is considerably larger than Williamstown, though it may feel more isolated. I would not assume you will love Middlebury just because your loved Williams–there are all sorts of intangibles that make one school seem right while the other does not. Especially with small schools in small towns it is really important to get a first-hand feel for what they are like. (My children loved Williams, yet neither applied to Middlebury after visiting; one also loved Dartmouth upon visiting, the other disliked intensely–all subjective. Both liked Haverford, which many people on CC think is quite different from Williams…can’t tell from generalizations.)</p>
<p>The schools share many overlaps (along with Dartmouth, Bowdoin, and Amherst), so the similarities are enough to compel lots of kids to apply to both schools. The vibe at both schools is similar (very outdoorsy, sporty, outgoing students). The campuses are very different. Midd’s campus is more spread out, with large expanses of lawns and old New England mill-style buildings that are quite uniform in material, architecture, and color. Williams is more compact, with dense clusters of buildings and a hodgepodge of architectural styles. Both have nice views of mountains. Both have excellent athletic facilities.</p>
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Agreed, and this seems to make a strong impression on many prospective applicants, despite the two school’s obvious similarities in other respects. It’s actually not unusual to hear applicants state that they really loved the one campus, yet were turned off by the other.</p>
<p>I find the Middlebury campus to have more of a “planned” atmosphere, due to the relatively uniform architecture, the alignment of college buildings around large lawns, and the location of the campus on the outskirts of the town. More likely to meet “ivory tower” expectations.</p>
<p>The Williams campus, in contrast, seems comparatively “random”, due to the variety of architectural styles and the close proximity of town and college buildings, which are mixed up so thoroughly that it’s hard to define a campus boundary. Those desiring an “ivory tower” experience tend to be disappointed by the semis loudly crusing through the center of campus on State Route 2. </p>
<p>The town of Middlebury, though small, is the commercial and government center of Addison County. This is not as impressive as it may sound – except compared to Williamstown, which is even smaller and not the center of anything.</p>
<p>Both have nice views of mountains. At Williams, the mountains start right at the edge of town (= campus), so they are within walking distance. At Middlebury, it’s a short drive to the mountains. </p>
<p>Both campuses are isolated. Middlebury might be slightly less so because of its relative proximity to Burlington. Williams is accessible to Pittsfield and Troy, but these are less likely to be perceived as fun road-trip destinations.</p>
<p>While you’re at it, check out Hamilton.</p>
<p>^^ditto, great, underappreciated NESCAC college.</p>
<p>Plus, Midd has a slightly higher acceptance rate.</p>
<p>You have nothing to lose by considering Midd unless cost makes it prohibitive. We did, and my S did not like Midd and adored Williams which he attends. Now he says he had a false impression of Midd just because of the specific info session we attended. He has a much better impression of Midd and thinks it was silly not apply.</p>
<p>He would still have chosen Williams, but Midd would have been a wonderful experience too.</p>
<p>^ And my son had the same feeling about Williams and while he didn’t apply there and will attend Midd, he thinks it was perhaps slightly short sighted to not apply.</p>
<p>I am sure he will have a great experience at Midd, but Williams would have been worth a shot as well.</p>
<p>Aesthetics aside, the colleges are similar in the type of community experience they provide and scholar-athletes they attract - dedicated to both academics and athletics, high stats, isolated, small, pristine, engaging type of campuses. Visit both, mingle with the students and faculty, the decision should be more clear cut.</p>
<p>Well Modadunn, what a wonderfully symmetrical pair of posts. I am sure all is as it should be. Although nice for the boys to get off their positions a little. I love both schools.</p>
<p>Williams has the slight edge for me in being an hour and half closer, but that has nothing to do with Midd’s merits. I felt so uplifted on its campus. (By that I mean Midd.)</p>
<p>The Williams 4 hour away distance makes it possible to go there an back comfortably in a day, which has been lovely. I’m not sure we could manage 5 1/2 hours each way plus whatever we did up there.</p>
<p>I didn’t think that way before he went off, but it does make a bit of difference in the lifestyle of the four years.</p>
<p>My D attended Barnard, which is only 2 hours from us, and we took her out to lunch many times when she was stressed and went home.</p>