<p>OK, people, I have heard many things about Williams and how it is one of the top Liberal Arts colleges in the US, but I come from Bulgaria, and I am a bit disinformed as to its reputation in America. Most rankings offer separate lists of colleges and universities, so I was just wondering where does Williams stand in relation to the Ivies, for example, or to Stanford/ MIT/Berkeley. If someone could enlighten me as to the value of a Williams education and make a comparison in its reputation with other elite schools, I will be grateful.</p>
<p>I don’t really know of any list that combines the two seeing they are quite different but you can look at the Feeder School rankings. It’s a ranking based on how many percentage of the graduates from the undergraduate colleges enter the top law, business, med schools. Of course, there are many “holes” in the rankings but I think it <em>might</em> give you a better sense of how Williams College is a great school. </p>
<p>But, don’t base all your judgment on the rankings.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf[/url]”>http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf</a>
Williams is ranked 5th after Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford and sends around 9% to the top law/med/business schools</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s kind of what I would expect.</p>
<p>I thought that in terms of getting in grad school, it would be something like:</p>
<p>HYPSMC</p>
<p>then </p>
<p>Williams
and possibly Amherst/Swarthmore</p>
<p>or those schools tied with a couple others (univ of penn, duke?)</p>
<p>I have also heard that it is not really well-known in the US and that many employers are not informed as to its great education. Therefore, I was wondering if this has changed in a way. Has the USN&WR rankings altered the status quo? I am asking because there are very few people in my school who have actually heard of this college. Most of them say it’s excellent, but I don’t know whether or not if I graduate from here, I will be able to lead a successful life having a degree, which though perfect in terms of academic standing, does not bear value in the eyes of those for whom I work or to whom I apply for graduate admission. Thanks for the feeder rankings by the way - really helpful.</p>
<p>Just because it’s not very “popular” in high school doesn’t mean employers are ignorant of the college and its prestige. It’s pretty well-known in United States, but I would say it’s “well-known” to a certain type of crowd. If you are looking for employers who don’t require a lot of high education, they probably won’t. And you’re welcome 
But, to be perfectly honest…I think every one should aim for a professional degree rather than stopping at undergraduate, especially liberal arts colleges. Personally, I find LAC’s more of a stepping stone to a good graduate school—a great stepping stone. If you think you are going to enter a job after undergrad, then I would say look for colleges that offer professional degrees (as in most of national universities) rather than a liberal arts education at a liberal arts college like Williams.</p>
<p>Ranked #4 (before Harvard) in Forbes: [America’s</a> Best Colleges - Forbes.com](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/best-colleges-ratings-opinions-ranking-2009_land.html]America’s”>America's Best Colleges)</p>
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<p>or, rather than Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth or any other place where the vast majority of seniors graduate with liberal arts degrees?</p>
<p>Liberal arts colleges can only provide you with Bachelor of Arts while universities mostly have other areas of study where you can get Bachelor of Science; doesn’t really matter what degree majority of seniors receive since they shouldn’t shape what you go for. What matters is the fact that you CAN get a B.S. For example, if you are going to do engineering and if you attend Williams, you have to attend an engineering school after three years of Williams to receive both B.A. and B.S.</p>
<p>I found this, you might like it:
[Artes</a> Liberales at Williams College](<a href=“http://www.williams.edu/home/focus/artes_liberales/]Artes”>http://www.williams.edu/home/focus/artes_liberales/)</p>
<p>It’s about Liberal Arts education.</p>
<p>If you are going to do engineering, don’t go to a LAC. There are too many required engineering courses that will not be available.</p>
<p>I saw that you got accepted ED. did you really not know what you were applying for when you did this???</p>
<p>:) Well, I did know that it was #1 in the USN&WR Liberal Arts Colleges. I knew (or thought I knew) that Liberal Arts is considered prestigious in the US. This is part of the reason why I applied and now that I am doing a little bit of more profound research on this school, I start to think that it was an excellent choice.</p>
<p>Comparing Williams & Harvard - etc. is comparing apples and oranges. The value of a liberal arts education is not in terms of a professional degree, but in terms of intellectual acuity. A liberal arts education teaches you to think and think critically and is therefore a great stepping stone to a later degree, and like it has already been said, if you’re going for pure prestige and job pedigree, then in no circumstance should you stop w.out a graduate degree. Williams and other small 4 yr liberal arts colleges are arguably the best way to begin down this path. </p>
<p>As far as international standing-no school can compete with “HYPSMC” in terms of international presence and reputation. In the United States, regardless of USN&WR rankings, Williams is top-tier. It’s called one of the little ivies because while the Ivies are the gold standard for a university education-Williams is that for a 4 yr. liberal arts college. It’s up to you to decide which suits you best.</p>
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<p>Agreed. Engineering isn’t exactly a “choice” on a menu you pick after a period of experimentation; most people decide during high school. So, this idea that you’re giving up an “option” by attending an LAC is kind of a false dichotomy. Williams isn’t competing with Penn or Columbia’s SEAS or with Cornell’s Engineering School – most of which are incredibly difficult to switch between even within the same university – it’s competing with the arts and science (CAS) branches of some of the most reknowned universities in the country</p>
<p>Williams may very well offer the finest undergraduate education in the U.S. Among people who know higher education, it’s reputation is as high as it can be. But in the U.S., the public’s awareness of colleges and universities is generally in proportion to the prominence of their football teams. Some of the best-known universities in the country are not particularly excellent academically, but invest bizarre amounts of resources into attracting top athletes to provide public entertainment and raise the profile of the university. Strange but true.</p>
<p>Theodossius the Bulgarian:</p>
<p>Thank you for inquiring about Williams College.</p>
<p>Now where do you stand with regards to what you want in an education and particularly as you are enquiring within the United States for placement within its borders and its opportunities? </p>
<p>We at Williams are a very close knit school who pride ourselves in a reputation without equal. Who are you, such that you enquire about us, when we do not know about you and your interests regarding studies abroad?</p>
<p>The United States has many schools, many of which confound foreigners as to Colleges and Universities. Very understandable. But who are you and what do seek in an education much less a placement for an education within our shores?</p>
<p>Are you randomly seeking admission to the States for an academic placement based on scoring alone? </p>
<p>You have not provided enough information to substantiate a claim.</p>
<p>^^^ HorseRadish - you raise wordiness to heretofore unparalleled preternaturally precipitous heights :</p>
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<p>Is this another way of saying “What are you looking for in a college, Theodossius?”</p>
<p>i think you can go for an engineering degree in grad school if you major in physics at williams. but it will depend what engineering course you intended to eg for chemical you could major chemistry and for computer you could major comp. science. i still think, however, physics is needed…dual major? ges that would be crazy load…</p>