<p>Williams is absolutely as strong as Penn, if not stronger, when it comes to elite consulting/banking. Williams is a very reputable degree and no person who will actually impact your life will discount it. Go to Williams IMO.</p>
<p>There is no such thing as separate recruiting for Wharton and CAS at the undergraduate level. You are probably thinking about Wharton MBAs.</p>
<p>I assure you I am more familiar with this than you, as I have several CAS friends who landed positions in i-banking, consulting, what have you through the very same Penn recruiting system.</p>
<p>I've already told you this, but go to Williams. You will receive much more individual attention and a better overall education. Your job prospects will be excellent. The Williams network is strong, and the undergraduate education is excellent. The teachers will actually know who you are. If this is where you feel more comfortable, your parents should accept that.</p>
<p>Williams College is the Bastar* child of Harvard and should have never made it past its second trimester.</p>
<p>I've been to elite liberal arts colleges, Caligula's rome could not have been more depraved</p>
<p>The undergraduate opportunities at Penn are no less excellent. My professors know me by name and have taken me out to dinner at swanky Philly restaurants--the only difference being you have to go out and seek them.</p>
<p>Which is how real life works anyway. May as well get used to it now ;)</p>
<p>In most Analyst classes theres 8X Whartonites than Arts and Sciences...though that might be a result of the fact that everyone at Wharton wants to do IB much more so than Arts and Sciences</p>
<p>ok, again, I disagree with Slipper, who conveniently puts down other ivies besides the one he attended. From collegeboard, UPenn: 1330-1510, Williams 1320-1520. Penn has more in the top 10 percent, and has a lower acceptance. So, they seem pretty identical in terms of their students. However, Penn is a MUCH larger school. Penn has a much higher yield, and I am sure if it was the size of Williams, it would even have stronger credentials. Penn's yield is only surpassed by HYP and Stanford. In terms of recruitment, Penn wins hands down. There are many firms that simply do not visit Williams because it is such a small school located in a rather remote place. I agree that you will get more individualized attention at Williams. However, you will have MORE curriculum options and a wider variety of courses to choose from at Penn. At Williams, you will have less courses to choose from because it is a small school with rather small departments and less research going on in general. Either way, you are choosing a great school. I would however caution you to consider the distinction between Williams' rather desolate location and Penn's urban location. Also, pay attention to the size of the respective schools. In addition, I feel like Penn is a more social place and has more social opportunities given its close distance to an urban place whereas life at Williams may revolve more around frat life. Good luck !</p>
<p>First of all, williams doesn't have greek life. But anywho, I do agree with the points you are making columbiahopeful, however, those are the exact reasons why I WANT to go to williams, smaller classes, isloated atmosphere, etc. The thing is, I am trying to decide if the recruiting at penn is worth it.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the replies, they have been extremely helpful. I apologize to those who I have PM'ed if this seems like I don't believe them. I am just looking for some more opinions.</p>
<p>Columbia is totally off base. She thinks that Penn is above places like Brown, Duke, and Williams, which I find to be ridiculous. I personally have been astounded by the success of Williams grads. Williams gets the same recruiters to visit its campus and its a much more intimate academic environment. Its easily the best LAC (alog with Dartmouth) at placing its grads into finance and consulting. Choosing Penn over Williams because of recruiting doesn't make sense to me personally.</p>
<p>I know that this is a very unpopular opinion on CC, but life is not an equation. You can't "prove" which has better recruitment opportunities; they are both excellent. Therefore, this is the wrong question to ask. As hard as this is to believe, you are your most important asset. Among a field of equals (Williams, Penn + others) you should choose the school that will develop your confidence, abilities and joy the most. </p>
<p>All you getting now is partisans arguing about their schools. The Williams people choose Williams, the Penn people Penn.</p>
<p>I don't want to make a recommendation. However, I will say that my son felt utterly confident when he chose Williams over U. Chicago and Brown although a lot of people did not understand his choice. However, you are not he. You have to have the courage to choose, whatever your choice is. One of the wonderful/horrible things about life is that it must be lived, not thought.</p>
<p>Columbiahopeful, Keep in mind we are talking about Penn CAS and not Wharton</p>
<p>I mean, there must be some advantage for Wharton kids in terms of recruitment - its reflected in both numbers and the fact that admissions standards for Wharton are higher (by a bit).</p>
<p>so my mind is/has been made on williams for a while, but here's something I'd like to ask. If two kids, lets say Upenn and Williams, both make it to the first round interview, both perform equally well, who makes the cut? People I am talking to are telling me that if I even get to the interview point, they will pick the "better known" school. </p>
<p>To what extent is this true? I just want to know what people think even though I have already made my made and am willing to make the sacrifice.</p>
<p>Penn CAS kids have the same recruiting opportunities as Wharton undergraduates (there is more for MBAs but that should come as no surprise). No more, no less. It is all the same system for undergraduates.</p>
<p>Whereas, say 3/4 of all Wharton kids would be interested in these jobs (by their already self-selected nature, being in a b-school and all), among CAS it would be predominantly econ majors (what's that, like 10% of CAS? with 99 majors, having 10% would still be hudge). Even among those econ majors, some might be more interested in grad school or the World Bank than consulting...</p>
<p>It is clear that Penn econ majors fare very well.</p>
<p>That being said, GO TO WILLIAMS! If you will be happier at Williams, then by all means, go! I love Penn but I know it's not for everybody--it can be rather brutal and is not going to be as supportive/nurturing an environment at Williams. Some people thrive in this kind of environment. I'm one of them. But you are not me, and so you should go to Williams.</p>
<p>Jimmy, Jeez Louise, Are you actually stressing over the hypothetical outcome of a hypothetical situation that may or may not take place five years in the future? :) Trust us, Williams kids get jobs, good jobs, high paying jobs. They get promoted to top positions and go on to hire other Williams kids. They end up healthy, wealthy and wise. Same with Penn grads.</p>
<p>On the other hand a degree from either school is not a passport to a corner office. Drive, hardwork, insanely long hours, a facility for analysis and a propensity for risk all play a part in success in the financial field.</p>
<p>Hiring, under any circumstances, not just finance, is based more on gut feeling than than on alma mater. If two candidates are both equally qualified the decision goes to the one the person doing the hiring likes better. </p>
<p>Self-confidence and poise have a lot to do with the perception of ability. If a degree from Wharton would give you more self esteem than a degree from Williams, it may be the better decision for you.</p>
<p>Life is not a game of duplicate bridge. You'll never never get anyone to make this decision for you, but if you are risk adverse and Williams equals risk for you then you'll most likely take the path of least resistence even though it's counterintuitive to your gut feeling.</p>
<p>Let me weigh in here. The fact that you are so concerned with Penn and Williams' prestige leads me to believe that you are not so comfortable with Williams. If that is something that is going to bother you, then Williams may not be for you. Go to Williams if you are looking for a high quality education. If you want people to say OMG Williams, you likely will not get that from the majority of people. Trust me, if you go into Williams looking for prestige, you may regret your choice down the road. From the sound of things, I think you are personally better off with Penn. Perhaps, that may be because it carries more name recognition and is an ivy. I really have no idea. However, it certainly does not hurt that Penn is a nationally acclaimed school that draws over 20,000 applicants a year.</p>
<p>And those who I know at Williams are kids that could care less about its ranking or its prestige. They know they go to a great school and they honestly do not care what a random person thinks. If you are this kind of person, go to Willaims! If you really are looking for more name recognition, I think Penn is the way to go and it is certainly easy for Slipper to say don't worry about that, when he graduated from Dartmouth (a school similar to Williams, but an ivy nonetheless that has incredible recruitment).</p>
<p>I go to Penn and even I say GO TO WILLIAMS</p>
<p>Not because I think Williams is a better school (I will say it is easier to get a top-notch liberal arts education than it is at Penn where you must make more effort to get to the profs), but because YOU WILL BE HAPPIER THERE</p>
<p>lol. thanks so much everyone. my mind is made on williams, pretty much has been, just having some jitters. im done now, lol.</p>
<p>My uncle and also a friend of my family both recruit at well known firms in the business world and one says his company actually prefers the top few LAC's (williams included) to most ivy league schools while the other says that no distinction is made between them. I personally was in a similar situation and ended up choosing Penn, but only because thats the school where I felt I fit in better, not because of prestige or job opportunities.</p>
<p>Ditto to Columbia, JohnnyK</p>