<p>Based on watching my son there for going on 4 years, meeting his friends, etc., I'ld say the biggest difference, alluded to en passant earlier in the string, is that Williams undergrads tend to be very energetic and directed. Both career and extra-. Whether it's to Wall Street, Yale Law School, Cal Tech or Princeton physics grad school, Williams kids maintain direction. The tutorials reinforce this, btw. And all extracurriculars are heavily energized--varsity sports, yes, but UFO, singing groups, arts and drama, community service, all of it. Just walking around W'town and the campus gives you a significantly different vibe from the students. And you can really see it in what happens to the grads--in a WSJ listing a few years back enumerating the % of grads who went to top 5 law, medical, business, schools, W fared over twice as well as all other LAC, and essentially as well as HYPS (once you factor in varsity athletes). The trade-off is that there's somewhat less deep exploration of totally new fields, or new ways of knowing or activing, than at, say H/S/A. And less unexamined leftism then some others, too (some actually smart conservatives among the students.)</p>
<p>So, if you have a pretty good idea of what you want to study, and do, it's sublime. Deep in all 3 divisions, far and away the lowest S:F ratio, tutorials. The kids have a ball. And the Berkshires are a true bonus. If you're smart and engaged, but want to hang out and grow a bit, at a slightly lower pace, then some other fine small places might be as appealing.</p>