<p>They are both top 1,2 LACs, they are both in MA, they are both in small-ish college towns. The size of the student body seems to be similar as well!</p>
<p>So what is the major difference between these two schools?</p>
<p>Amherst has a five-college consortium.</p>
<p>Williams is not #2.</p>
<p>Swarthmore, Amherst and Williams are all of similar caliber (who are we kidding with 1 vs. 2?). A primary difference between A and W is a greater athletic emphasis/dominance in W's culture and an open curriculum at A (S, on the other hand, is more academically rigorous). Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Williams is 25% bigger than Amherst. Their sizes may be similar when comparing them to mid-sized universities, but among LACs, a difference of 400students is not insignificant.</p>
<p>Williams is more isolated but it has a tighter community -- no theme houses, entry system, etc.</p>
<p>Amherst has a highest proportion of athletes because their student populations is smaller, so the athlete label Williams is tagged with is not accurate.</p>
<p>From the US Dept. of Education statistics, Academic Year 2006-07. Unduplicated members of varsity sports teams on the first day of each team's season. Multi-sport athletes only count for their first sport. Doesn't include JV teams or club sports.</p>
<p>Male Athletes as % of Male students
38% Amherst
39% Williams</p>
<p>Female Athletes as % of Female students
27% Amherst
32% Williams</p>
<p>Total Athletes as % of ALL students
33% Amherst
35% Williams</p>
<p>The difference in size is narrowing a bit as Amherst grows. According to their 2007-08 Common Data Set filings, fall undergraduate enrollments for the two schools:</p>
<p>1683 Amherst
1997 Williams</p>
<p>The schools are ranked #1 and #3 in the Directors Cup Standings for athletic programs (Williams #1) which implies both schools place an equal emphasis on having a strong athletic department--the above statistics suggest the same.</p>
<p>misto, i live in Jakarta and I'm the parent of a recent Williams graduate.</p>
<p>From here in Southeast Asia the two schools seem indistinguishable. In fact, I'd say that about 80% of their characteristics overlap. </p>
<p>The differences are, to me, primarily environmental.</p>
<p>Amherst, the town, is a lively New England community. I don't know the population but there are several colleges (the 5 college consortium) and a lot of social interaction. It's not Manhattan -- or even Bangkok -- but it's civilization.</p>
<p>Williamstown is a pristine mountain village. You get everything you need -- movies, restaurants, services -- but selection in limited. This makes Williams, the college, insular and inward looking. </p>
<p>For the students at Williams this insularness isn't a bad thing. It's part of what makes Williams Williams. You either love it or hate it. Obviously, a lot of Williams kids love it, thrive on it.</p>
<p>Both schools are academically excellent and to parse the differences would be counterproductive. I would say that Williams is a lot stronger in the arts -- studio art, art history, theater, music, dance, which is what swayed my son's decision toward Williams.</p>
<p>Are you a Thai national or an expat? Either way, these schools like Williams and Amherst do value your international experience. </p>
<p>Good luck and let us know how you do.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You either love it or hate it.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Speaking as someone who lived in Williamstown for five years, year-round for most of those, I think it's accurate to say that it is common to both love the remoteness and hate it.</p>
<p>When I look back on my experience at Williams College, I can only really think of two significant negatives offsetting some very strong positives. The biggest negative is the isolation from civilization and the difficulty in getting an occasional breath of non-Williams air.</p>
<p>I think this is probably the most significant difference between Williams and Amherst. Amherst is located in the shadow of a large, mediocre state univeristy which dominates the town. This has its own set of pluses and minuses.</p>
<p>(S, on the other hand, is more academically rigorous). </p>
<p>Maybe in some alternate universe I quess. Amherst and Williams are spectacular schools. Apply to both and if you are lucky enough to then face a which one choice worry about it then. They are imo starting to take a slightly different kind of student. Both schools have great athletic programs but not to the detriment of academics. The same type of student that would pick S instead of Williams or Amherst would pick UPenn over Harvard or Yale.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The same type of student that would pick S instead of Williams or Amherst would pick UPenn over Harvard or Yale.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Huh? UPenn has never been a top cross-acceptance school with any of the top LACs.</p>
<p>The top 5 cross-admit schools for Swarthmore (alphabetical):</p>
<p>Brown
Harvard
Princeton
Stanford
Yale</p>
<p>The top 5 cross-admit schools for Amherst (alphabetical):</p>
<p>Brown
Harvard
Princeton
Williams
Yale</p>
<p>The top 5 cross-admit schools for Williams (alphabetical):</p>
<p>Amherst
Dartmouth
Harvard
Middlebury
Yale</p>
<p>Thanks for all your replies! Yeah, I will probably have to get into these really wonderful colleges to start thinking about making a decision anyways..</p>
<p>@momrath: Are you a Thai national or an expat? Either way, these schools like Williams and Amherst do value your international experience. </p>
<p>I'm an expat, but i lived in bkk for over 7 years.. i'd say bkk is my home, since i lived so long here.</p>
<p>Oh one more question: which school is better known (or has better faculty + connections) for English major and Theatre Arts major?</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm an expat, but i lived in bkk for over 7 years.. i'd say bkk is my home, since i lived so long here.
[/quote]
Let me ask the question another way. Are you an American citizen? If yes, you get a double benefit -- international experience without international admissions status.</p>
<p>
[quote]
which school is better known (or has better faculty + connections) for English major and Theatre Arts major?
[/quote]
Both are world class for English. I'd give Williams the edge for theater. It's a small department, but well funded, and there are many performance opportunities even for non-majors.</p>
<p>Amherst does not live in the shadow of UMass...UMass is located on the outskirts of the opposite side of town, we barely notice its existence unless we want something from it (though it does bring amazing food and great festivals to the town).</p>
<p>hmm somehow im leaning more towards Amherst after reading.. </p>
<p>@momrath: im not an american citizen... so technically im an intl student with a intl experience.. haha. </p>
<p>soo which colleges are included in the 5 consortium ?</p>
<p>Well, the consortium's made out of Hampshire, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst and U Mass Amherst. Smith and Mount Holyoke are two of the remaining Seven Sisters(top-notch womens colleges with a long-standing tradition). Hampshire is more of an experimental college, more of rich kids with a hippie bent. You can take courses at any one of them which counts for credit(there's a free bus which goes to each of them).</p>
<p>icantfindaname: actually, picking Swarthmore over W/A is more akin to choosing Stanford or MIT over Harvard. All are wonderful schools, S is just a bit more distinctive in its academic/intellectual rigor (e.g. more per capita nobel laureates than the "competition", perhaps fewer per capita bond traders).</p>