<p>Hi! I'm a high school senior who was accepted ED to Williams College, I'm so excited! I'm strongly considering majoring in chemistry because i either want to go premed or do something with research. Any advice? Although I love the class i'm worried it's going to be a difficult major.</p>
<p>At what point does Williams require you to select a major? You should have at least several semesters to take some chemistry classes and get a feel for the department and faculty before committing.</p>
<p>not until the end of sophomore year, but if i don’t major in chem i’m considering majoring in bio, and for both majors it’s strongly recommended that you begin classes for the major asap.</p>
<p>I’m also an ED Williams student looking to major in chem! Or some other science. Or econ. Or psych. Good thing I applied to a liberal arts school.</p>
<p>I’m going to give my two cents, but keep in mind that this is really nothing but hearsay.</p>
<p>The chemistry department at Williams is like a pistachio: small, hardy, and tough to get into, but delicious and tight-knit once inside. That didn’t really work, but you get the idea. Williams is best utilized if you go into exactly what you want to do, and do exactly what you want. Take some classes, shop around, see what subject interests you AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL. I’ve heard too many stories of people taking a ton of courses in their prospective major in their first semester and despising every one. Additionally, if you’re trying to decide between chem and bio, it’s worth noting that chemistry is the smaller department. While that might not seem like a big deal, it really is; for me, it’s a negative, although others might say that it’s good. Pros/Cons pretty much boil down to two things: smaller department = less resources, but more attention. At Williams, it shouldn’t be a big issue since every department will have a lot of resources and a lot of attention to give, but there could be some small difference. It all just goes back to one thing: shop around! The shopping at Williams may not be great, but hey, we’ve got some good classes.</p>
<p>Best part: if you can’t decide, major in Biochem.</p>
<p>^^There’s no biochem major at Williams, FYI (only a concentration). Plus, in my opinion, there are more resources for students in the chem department than bio, despite the size discrepancy. The summer research opportunities are more plentiful and tend to be more significant experiences. Bio is more popular for other reasons, e.g. it is slightly more convenient for premeds, grading curves are more favorable, it offers a little more variety, etc. </p>