<p>Right, fireflyscout, Texans know UT and A&M. They might also be able to tell you we have Rice and Trinity. Those with at least community college education might even say Austin College and Southwestern. Of course, Williams College, crickets would chirp before you'd get an admiring gaze. But I know how good Williams College is, hello12, so no worries. Congratulations! Williams was my second choice after MIT, btw, then it was Rice. I loved Williams when I went.</p>
<p>williams is well-known . . it's ranked 1 in LACS!! It wasn't for me though.. not really quite sure why. . I was more into Swat and Amherst.</p>
<p>WIlliams is great........but for name recognition I'd have to say it isn't Williams, Amherst or Swarthmore; </p>
<p>it's Wellesley</p>
<p>Williams-great school but more people probably recognize Colgate or Holy Cross due to Division 1 sports programs just as Northwestern is better known than UChicago.</p>
<p>Williams has a terrific Physics department, and Math, along with the others that have been mentioned. And as has been said above, the people who need to know (as far as graduates are concerned) definitely know Williams.</p>
<p>In socal(at least where I live) the out of state LACs are just starting to become known, particulary Swarthmore and Amherst, but other ones like Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, still are rather unknown.</p>
<p>People who know Williams highly respect it. These include other educators, adcoms from graduate schools (including law, medicine and business), anyone whos knowledgeable about selective colleges and most people in the Northeast. As Mattmom says it has a kind of reverse snobbery. Those who know, know. Those who dont, arent important. That said, I would say if widespread prestige and big-name recognition is important to you, then dont consider Williams. I cant tell you how many times when telling strangers (even educated, successful people) where our son goes to school we get the blank stare and the sympathetic look, meaning too bad he couldnt have got into a good school. Doesnt bother us because we KNOW what a wonderful education Williams offers.</p>