<p>JohnAdams:</p>
<p>I like them both, but for different reasons. But I’m not the OP, who only asked about premed. But if that is the ONLY criteria, the OP could attend the local Cal State. Without other information, my preferences don’t much matter and may or may not be relevant to the OP.</p>
<p>OTOH, comparing Major Research Unis with LACs like Williams is a non sequituir. They both offer wonderful educations and perhaps that is what you mean by “evenly matched”, (altho I would dispute PR’s rankings of Cal and Stanford being undergrad-focused, since they are not). However, the collegiate experience is anything but even – one is not necessarily better – but it will be significantly different. Heck, it could be just sitting in the stands on Saturday afternoon watching D1 football. It could be the high level of drinking which is endemic to rural NE LACs. Or, if the OP is a person of color, s/he might want to consider that aspect as well.</p>
<p>Personally, I cannot see someone who would thrive at a rural LAC would equally thrive at a major Uni. (But that’s just me.)</p>
<p>btw: your post #12 made as little sense to me as the first. “Evenly matched” in what? How? Since the OP was also accepted at Amherst, Swat and Middlebury, would you consider those “evenly matched” as well?</p>