My guess is that you’d get a research position at any of these three if you sought one out. That’s the point - they’ll help you get where you want to go and do what you want to do.
Can you visit Colby too?
Thanks for the input. I agree that there are a lot of research/internship opportunities at W and A, though a lot of other students would be trying to get them as well. Colby’s financial aid is good, but not as good as W and A. Actually, I made a mistake reading them initially and the financial aid for W and A are both very similar with around $2,200-50 work study and $1000 student/parent responsibility. Colby is asking about a $1200 more, though that may not be an issue compared to distance from home. Again, I know that I am very lucky to be writing these numbers and thankfully it won’t be a problem for me or my parents to help pay off this much,
At the moment, I guess I’m indifferent about distribution requirements. They could help add structure to the courses taken, but an open curriculum gives more opportunity to explore… So that probably won’t be a deciding factor. I’m not 100% sure of my major yet, though I’m leaning towards neuroscience which Colby does have. If I remember correctly, students at both W and A emphasized that nobody will ask about SAT scores or be competitive as well.
I will not be able to visit for the admitted students day at Colby or Amherst. Both were offering funding, but my parent’s schedules don’t work out to be able to drive me. There is the option for me to go by myself, but that would probably be stressful for me because I haven’t done anything like that by myself.
I’m not sure if this thread is too long and I hope that I’m not throwing my problems at you. I still appreciate the help.
It is called fly in because the colleges pay your plane ticket. Your parents don’t have to drive. Make sure the college knows you’re coming on
your own and you’ll need someone o pick out up ornou won’t be able to come. Your parents can drop you off at the airport. Enjoy the flight. Discover the campus. Try attending a class or two.
Especially since you visited Williams w so ou should be able to compare to Amherst.
@snowleopard2022 , you do not have to visit on accepted students day, not at all. You can visit on any day. My child certainly preferred non-special days, because everything was just normal. She did a paid fly-in and was basically escorted door to door. They make it easy for you. It’s time for you to spread your wings and seize opportunities.
I urge you to contact admissions and explain that you want to come on whatever day works for you. They will probably bend over backwards to have you hosted around campus by a student, meet a prof, and do a class sit-in. They want you!
ETA: Colby might match the FA offers from the other two, and you are in a good position to negotiate. Bear in mind that you are a little more likely to be a somewhat-bigger fish in a small pond at Colby. That’s a good thing, for most people. You should think if that is going to be okay with you. You will have great opportunities at all three.
OP you are facing an amazing choice! Our son, also Questbridge, was waitlisted at Amherst and denied at Williams 
You will have fantastic opportunities at either and can’t go wrong either way. You will have no loans in your aid package and the internships and funded opportunities are there for the taking.
I echo what others have said above: if humanly possible – go to accepted students days!
I can’t speak to Colby since I don’t know it firsthand but it would also be great, especially with the Pres Scholars perk.
Please come back and let us know what you decide.
I think you said you already visited the colleges with your parents within the past month?
Post 51:
If you have visited, you do not need to attend admitted students’ days, unless you want to meet potential future classmates or feel you need new info that only a second visit could provide.
Good luck. You have an exciting choice, and a wonderful four years ahead of you, regardless of what you decide.
I have 6 kids who are either in college or have graduated and if there’s one thing I’ve learned it is GO TO ACCEPTED STUDENTS DAYS. Seriously, you can’t make an informed decision without going. My D3 thought she wanted to go to Grinnell until ASD at Kenyon. My S2 thought he wanted to go to CalTech until ASD at Wesleyan. My D1 thought she wanted to go to Dartmouth until ASD at Williams. And this is after visiting all the campuses during junior year. Don’t even get me started on how much of a difference visiting makes. Here are two examples of threads about it:
But the OP appears to have visited the colleges this month!
If the expense and travel is difficult for his family, and the OP does not want to travel alone (which is totally understandable) to take advantage of a paid visit, then a second visit within four weeks of the first visit seems redundant. Nothing will have changed.
Oh sorry - missed that OP had already visited both. If possible, attend accepted students’ days, and if it’s not possible, do some more research. Our son went to a diversity weekend at Amherst and found it easy to navigate, with students picked up and dropped off at train station. Travel was paid for.
Between Amherst and Williams the differences will not be so much in academic caliber or financial generosity (as they are peers) but in setting and to a lesser degree vibe. There are many great threads on this topic, and again, you can’t go wrong.
I don’t mean to dismiss Colby - I just don’t have firsthand knowledge of it.
I hope you will keep us posted.
@YaleMomOf7 , I don’t think ASD’s are that great, tbh. My daughter’s best vist to a college after acceptance was wehn she called up and arranged a custom day visit, on a normal day. They assigned a host, she sat in on two classes, had lunch, was invited to a meet a club leader for a club of interest, etc… Accepted students days are when they pull out the bells and whistles, and a stduent doesn’t necessarily see a campus in its natural state. One of the ASD’s my daughter did attend was her least favorite campus visit. It didn’t seem like a normal day.
@snowleopard2022, please keep us posted on what you decide.
@mom2jgd Will do… the decision is definitely nerve-wracking, considering all of the ways that it would affect me and everything that I’m not aware of on top of that. I just hope that it doesn’t come down to just pick and choose at the last moment… but I’m trying to get as much info as possible so that doesn’t happen.
I’ll also try not to let the admitted students day give me a skewed perception of my choices if that’s what they try to do to undecided students. The overall environments of both colleges aren’t polar opposites (like NYC and middle of nowhere) so that’s not helping me lean towards one or another.
any news @snowleopard2022 ?
This thread is hilarious. I don’t know which was funnier to read, the OP’s post casually mentioning Williams and Amherst, or everyone else’s reactions afterwards.
@snowleopard2022, I have two kids who suffer from anxiety too. One is at a small LAC (less than 1,000 students total) and the other is at a giant public university (28,000 undergrads). The small LAC has been terrific for my oldest – she chose a “substance free” dorm and found that she had a lot in common with the other girls on her hall, because they were all homebodies who dislike drunken parties and would rather spend Saturday evenings just hanging out with each other. Meanwhile, the huge state school has been great for my youngest, who chose a themed residential hall and is similarly surrounded by like-minded students and has found lots of friends. The fact that there are thousands of other students there too isn’t a problem.
The moral is: if you’re shy or anxious, the important thing isn’t to choose a small or a large school; it’s finding a community of like-minded people that you can easily find friends among. What are your interests? Is there a themed residential hall that appeals to you at any of these schools? Are there clubs that focus on your interests?
Finally, you should try to banish the fear that college will be just like high school. I can pretty much guarantee that college is not going to be anything like high school for you. I firmly believe that you will really blossom in college and you will find your “voice.”
I still haven’t decided yet, hopefully I can make up my mind in the next few days. I’ll consider some of those questions too. I did visit both again and got to know a lot about Williams. I feel like I should probably still consider SBU because staying away from home for a few days was very uncomfortable, even with my parents nearby, The problem with SBU is probably that I won’t be able to make opportunities for myself and compete with a lot of others. it was also pretty bad that people’s attitudes towards me were definitely like high school. They didn’t have that bias of knowing me before, but I was mostly alone. I just don’t get it.
@snowleopard2022 - You should probably assume that if you go somewhat far away, that your first semester will be a difficult adjustment. Yes, it will be uncomfortable, and yes, it will take a while to find your group of friends. This is especially true if you are the type of kid who has felt alone in high school. But if you focus on taking interesting classes, doing well in them and making an effort to get involved in a number of activities, it seems likely that you will be glad you took the leap and will value the academic opportunities you were given. It takes time to adjust, but you can make it work. Good luck with the final decision.
@snowleopard2022 Yes, it’s scary doing something new and different. As @elena13 said, it will be an adjustment. But take the advice above and from @dustypig, which is to look for clubs and other activities, and become involved in them. There will be other students at meetings who share your interests, and they may be just as shy as you are! As for being “uncomfortable” about being away, I think that’s just part of the process of doing anything new.
Here’s my story: all through senior year, I dreamed and talked about going away for college. I couldn’t wait to leave! Well, the first week away, I called home every night because I missed my mom so much! =)) Of course, the homesickness went away, and I made friends. Guess what – you will too, no matter where you go, whether Amherst or Williams. But please, don’t choose SBU just because it’s closer to home.
Good luck on your final decision.
If you didn’t feel that you “clicked” at Williams, maybe Amherst is the safer bet. Incrementally closer to home, and less isolated. You’d have the whole 5-college consortium within which to find your tribe. I agree that I hope you can find a way to give going away to college a chance.
Also, lots and lots of kids will be coming from far away too, some folks the Midwest, some from the south some from California, some from abroad, and all will be adjusting. All in the same boat. The college knows that:: Either Amherst or Williams will have activities planned so that you learn to know each other, the campus, your professors, the area. You’ll soon feel part of a group of peers - that’s what ‘close knit community’ is about. The rest few are designed to help you find your people and feel comfortable on campus.
Amherst doesn’t weed out med school applicants. Every applicant gets a committee letter if they have taken all the required courses and met the deadlines for paperwork. Even with a low GPA or MCAT score. Science classes are hard, my D felt. She had “AP-all of them” in HS and still found the intro courses difficult. But amazing instruction and support. Med school advising begins at the start of the first year and stays with the student throughout.
Amherst has funding for research, unpaid internships, on-campus research during the year (paid).
First year’s start with a full week of orientation including 2-3 days of an outdoor experience (canoeing hiking etc) or in the community or on campus - you choose. Then when everyone is back, small groups go through orientation together and also have the first year seminar (class) together.
There is excellent support for students with anxiety and other issues. Help with housing, on campus counseling center, they appear to me to be very supportive if a student needs a semester off or whatever.
It does not feel like HS to my D, at all, totally the opposite. Amherst (and Williams, I’m sure) kids are from all over the country, and the world, and are very different and bring very different experiences and backgrounds. My D loves that.
Neuroscience is very strong at Amherst, I believe they had the first program in the country. The new science center is opening this fall.