<p>shakespeare's famous line has been used and abused over and over, and yet, I ask you again: what's in a name?
would harvard by any other name sound as imposing? it's like there's something magical about the name itself, the fascinates people to the point to which many are unwilling to accept that any other place is worht getting into. I mean, I've spoken to harvard alum and current students who say the academics at the undergrad level are over-rated, and not much different from the top liberal arts colleges...sometimes, the lac's have it better because students get the chance to work with professors and really get to know them, whereas at the ivies, its a rarity for undergrads to do reasearch with big name professors; plus smaller lac's like williams make significantly less use of TAs than the ivies. Most of harvard's academic reputation stems from their graduate schools, and the rest from some famous alum, and sheer wealth and age.
I'm ecstatic at being accepted to williams (in case you're wondering, i thoroughly researched and visited most of the ivies, including harvard, and still chose williams), but everyone thinks i'm a freak for not applying to harvard. Is it just because I'm in Bangladesh, and people know very little about US colleges, or do some of you US students get it too?</p>
<p>from the williams09 LJ: <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/community/williams09/6018.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.livejournal.com/community/williams09/6018.html</a></p>
<p>I completely understand. My h.s. counselor practically insisted that I apply to Harvard and was shocked that I wasn't even thinking about it. I fell in love with Williams, and although I thoroughly researched all of the Ivies I just wasn't impressed (however, I do think they are very good for grad school).</p>
<p>Btw, i think there's something to be said for being accepted to the #1 Liberal Arts College in the nation (if, of course, you put any import in these yearly rankings ).</p>
<p>Three words: Awesome. Financial. Aid. I just received my (tentative) package, and I am literally floored. Amazing.</p>
<p>PS: My counselor too was like "***?" when I told him about Williams; he suggested I add more Ivies. Yea right. Willy is where it's at.</p>
<p>meateater, it'll be great having more people like you keeping it real at williams!</p>
<p>i know...i finally got my official finaid letter yesterday; it was this single envelope double wrapped in this huge plastic packet with locks on all sides, and i had to sign in 5 places to take it from the delivery guy. i was wondering whether they sent the letter or a check for the year...but it seriously rocks. as far as i know, williams has by far the best aid for international students!
meateater: i was going to apply RD to pton until i visited the campus; aside from the fact that i look terrible in orange, i hated the fact that it was like hundreds of little orange bubbles floating around in one big orange bubble...look forward to meeting you on campus
nonsequitured: the ivies are totally overrated for undergrad; and i don't really go in much for rankings (too many variables and value judgment), but i still love telling people that williams is no.1! i believe it, but you know ppl..."where is williams?"..."MA. you know, the school that's been at the top of college rankings for the last 3 years?"..."Oh. Ohhhhhhhhh! of course, of course. congratulations! wait though...i thought harvard was the best?" GRRR...what do they know right?</p>
<p>btw, sixsixty, thanks for that link...the rest of you guys should go check it out, it's a fun read :)</p>
<p>you guys are bashing on pton a lot, and I feel I should stand up for my hometown's college...but then again most of what you're saying is true. One thing, though- meateater I doubt williams would have given you a much different situation on a sunday night..besides pton is really heavy on beer-binging at least on the usual college party nights, thurs/sat. </p>
<p>on williams and other top lac's vs the ivies-
I was asking one of the professors I had at pton to write me a college rec, and we started talking about the whole process and what his thoughts on it were. He felt very strongly that if you want the best undergrad education, you go to one of the top lac's, because really what the ivies are good for is graduate school. it is true that because pton has the smallest grad school of the ivies, it focuses more on undergrads...however, he's seen such mindboggling homogeneity and in-the-box thinking in his students that there's no question for him of what's the better school, williams or pton.<br>
what he saw too is hand-holdingthat the hardest part of pton is getting in, and that you have to screw up reeallly badly to not graduate..and that no matter what they say at the other of the Big Three, it's basically the same at those too. by and large you have kids groomed for the ivies with private SAT prep tutors and mission trips to Paraguay and parental connections just to get a "name"...even though an ivy grad school on your résumé is always more impressive than ivy undergrad, and the admissions there is far more meritocratic, looking at what you actually did in college.</p>
<p>anyway this is the guy I'm going to be listening to when I choose in april :)</p>
<p>another thingthere's a professor who directs the program at princeton that lets hs students take classes there, and I was talking to him too- he had been a department chair at Hunter College High in nyc, a school for the gifted whose graduates are in the top 0.5% of all nyc hs graduates- in his last year there, 2000, something like 43 seniors applied early to harvard, and 26 got in. He kept in contact with many students after he left, including all those who went to harvard, and he said that NONE of the people who had gone to harvard liked it. They stayed there because it was "harvard", but they had huge classes and little to no contact with their professors...he had almost the same advice concerning williams vs. the ivies as ^, his only non-positive comment on willy being that he passed cow after cow on his drives there. then again, that's not that bad- I drove up and the cows looked happy, so it was nice.</p>
<p>I know this question is probably retarded, but what is "pton"</p>
<p>lol my bad it's princeton</p>
<p>oh! thanks for the clarification. I would never have guesed that! lol</p>
<p>my cousin was in the class of 1986, and he says cow tipping was huge when he was at williams...after every big party, there was always a bunch of crazy senior guys who would drive out to the nearby fields, dead drunk, and push over the sleeping cows just for the heck of it</p>