UChicago or Williams?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I was accepted EA to Chicago and I also just found out I am in at Williams as well. These are my top two choices and I need some help in deciding between them. Here is a little background:</p>

<p>I am a recruited athlete at both schools. I was able to visit UChicago over the past fall break but I will probably not be able to visit Williams. I really love the city of Chicago and the campus of U of C. My best friend is going to U of C. I really felt good at Chicago. But I do not probably fit into their normal student profile. Instead of being the hardcore student, I was more of the ditch class with friends and pull out As on the test thus end up with an A in the class. I am fine with studying and homework at a moderate level but I will prolly not be able to cope to with hours upon hours at U of C. If it as rigorous as everyone makes it out to be than I will prolly have a hard and stressful time at Chicago, which I expect with being in college but not to the drastic point that a Chicago student feels. But I love the intellectual feel of the school and the life of the mind. The bad part of Chicago is also that their financial aid package has me and my family paying 23k while Williams has us at around 10k. </p>

<p>I really love Williams’s location along with their strong athletic programs. I feel that I would do really well at Williams both athletically and academically but I fear how small the school is. My high school has 1,000 more students than Williams. Does Williams sometimes feel too small?</p>

<p>How is life at a LAC different than a University? </p>

<p>My major would be Poly Sci and both schools, how do the schools match up in regard to their Poly Sci program?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>Also, I want to go to law school after.. which would help me get into a top law school?</p>

3

<p>Mach, congratulations on two fine acceptances. Academically you can't go wrong. If you are seriously considering Williams you need to visit. The environment is diametrically opposed to Chicago both physically and culturally. You will either say, This is the place! or Get me out of here! Either way, you will know.</p>

<p>Williams and Williamstown and the Berkshires were not too small for my son. He'd only lived in big, big cities all his life before Williams and will most likely continue do so post-Williams. He saw his four years spent in the mountains in an insular, dynamic community as a privilege. You do, however, have to want to be there and it helps to like to do something involving snow.</p>

<p>Chicago is a "cozy" kind of university and also has a strong sense of community, so comparisons between a small LAC and a mega-university, like Michigan for example, wouldn't be valid. I can say, however, that my son really did get to know many professors who came through for him again and again in recommendations for internships, jobs, and, now, graduate school. The Williams network continues to give back.</p>

<p>Williams poly sci is stong, but then so is Chicago's. I'd guess that there is somewhat of a different political slant. Both are liberal but Chicago is very liberal, Williams more tolerant. Chicago's core curriculum is another big difference: it's either a big positive or a big negative.</p>

<p>Williams is plenty intellectual and academics can be as stressful as the next place though in general the attitude is cavalier. I am forever endeared to CC poster Cangel who said Williams students were like ducks, paddling furiously under the surface but gliding along effortlessly on top. Students do get a lot of support and encouragement and stress busters tend to be do something active: run, dance, ski, play a goofy game of broomball.</p>

<p>To me (and mind, I am a parent) the most important asset of my son's Williams experience are the lifelong friends he made. These are wonderful kids -- smart, funny, talented, interesting and interested in everything. And infinitely ready to take on the world. </p>

<p>EDIT: For law school admissions, it's a toss. Williams does well in getting its graduates in to top programs, but in any case individual grades, recommendations, internships and scores are what make the difference, and the choice of school does impact all of these.</p>

<p>Try to visit.</p>

4

<p>I agree with Momrath's post (@3) & just wanted to add another consideration. Do you have a preference for a semester (Williams) or quarter system (Chicago).</p>

<p>I noticed that you seem to be from San Diego. You probably know students attending a Univ of Calif. campus, who would be on a quarter system. Stanford is also on a quarter system.</p>

<p>You might also check for blog posts by Juliana Stone at DailyBreeze.com, the online edition of a South Bay newspaper. She's a current frosh at Williams who attended a school in Palos Verdes. You could contact her to get a perspective about Williams from a Californian.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the great post, momrath. You addressed a lot of things that are effecting my deceision. I guess I just feel like Williams is almost the perfect school for me but I have always been told to look at the larger university's that the now the whole LAC idea is new and different for me.</p>

6

<p>I just gave her an email. Thank you. I cant wait to read the rests of her blog entries. I really dislike the stress that the quarter system places upon the student body and I would much rather have the semester time schedule. But is it really a big thing?</p>

7

<p>
[quote]
EDIT: For law school admissions, it's a toss.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I'm inclined to disagree. Per capita, Williams is as competitive as HYPS when it comes to admission to Harvard and Yale Law Schools.</p>

<p>The intellectual atmosphere at Williams is going to be rigorous and challenging, especially since you'll be balancing both academic and athletic commitments, but it is certainly the more laid-back of the two schools.</p>

<p>If you can, you really should visit. It would give you a better "feel" of the campus and the surrounding environment.</p>

8

<p>kwu is correct, thanks to some great posts by Cue7 in the Chicago forum, Chicago lacks in law school admissions in comparison to its peers. I am going to try my best to visit before may1st. I really think that is the only way, to decide.</p>

9

<p>I've heard Williams is the most athletic prestigious LAC, so go there.</p>

10

<p>if u want to do sports in a serious manner, it should be Williams between the two...but think hard about how much you would enjoy the ruralness of tiny Williamstown which could probably be classified as a village in size.</p>

11

<p>My son was recruited by both schools. I believe Williams offers the best opportunity for a student athlete of almost any school. My son did feel that Williamstown would have felt pretty small after a couple of years, though. In his sport, both coaches and both programs were very impressive. Chicago didn't have as good of a surrounding area for training. He wound up at a different school ED.
I wouldn't worry a bit about law school acceptances out of either school. That's just silly.</p>

12

<p>You should really try to visit if you can. </p>

<p>But I think Williams is a great place and would be my choice between the two. The financial aid package would make it even more attractive. </p>

<p>As far as the size of small LACs, I don't think they are too small. I often hear people compare the size to LACs to their high schools, but one critical difference is that in high schools people largely stick to their own class-- freshmen and juniors rarely befriend one another. At LACs, the size and intimacy means more mixing among the classes--certainly ore mixing than in high schools and probably a bit more than at larger universities. It is not uncommon to have many, many friends from the two classes above you as well as the two classes below. That make the institution feel much larger. There's a 25% turnover each year.</p>

13

<p>I agree with all of those who posted above that you should probably not commit to Williams without visiting. I lived in western MA for many years, and I love the geography there, but Williams always seemed awfully remote and far away from things. On the other hand, a good friend of my son is there now and likes it, despite the remoteness and the very tiny size of the town. Interestingly, his final two choices were also between UChicago and Williams, and the paltry financial aid at Chicago was the deciding factor.</p>

<p>According to the student I mentioned above, one of the best things about Williams is the many opportunities to go abroad; it seems they are very supportive of exchange programs. If I am not mistaken, he said that very few students actually spend four years on campus. Is it possible for athletes to get away for a semester?</p>

<p>Another thing to keep in mind: there is a long winter break, but freshman are required to spend most of it on campus. There are a lot of interesting mini-courses to choose from. Attendance at the winter session is optional after freshman year, I believe.</p>

14

<p>

Law school admission is based almost entirely on GPA and LSAT scores. You should be able to get into exactly the same law schools from Chicago as from Williams -- assuming you are willing to work hard enough at Chicago to earn a good GPA.</p>

15

<p>I would go for Williams, I think you'll have an easier time maintaining a high GPA if law school is your goal, and I think you'll overall be happier if you aren't a hardcore student.</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
freshmen and juniors rarely befriend one another.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>not like that at my school, in fact last 2 girlfriends were freshmen when i was a junior.</p>

17

<p>To IBclass06, it is entirely based on GPA and LSAT scores but it is so difficult to attain a high GPA at Chicago that it severely limits the chances of being admitted to top law school programs. </p>

<p>I am gonna try my best to visit before May 1st, because I think that will help me decide.</p>

18

<p>I'm afraid I must object:</p>

<p>regardless of how pervasive grade deflation is at UChicago, as long as one earns a GPA well above the average, that person would be competitive for admission to the top law schools.</p>

19

<p>Well of course. Haha if a person gets a 3.8 anywhere they will be competitive for admissions at top law schools but the point is that getting a 3.8 at Chicago is almost suicidal. </p>

<p>Going to Chicago and attaining a high GPA will of course help you get into a top law school but no one can deny that getting a high GPA at Chicago is tremendously harder than at a school such as Brown.</p>

20

<p>I would choose Williams. the culture at williams is student-athlete friendly... I get the idea that at Chicago, it is tolerated at best and probably quietly derided.</p>

<p>Oh, and if you think Williams will be less intense academically, think again.</p>