<p>Why shall one choose Williams over X College or University?
How is it like being an Eph?
What sets the Williams' experience apart?</p>
<p>If you search for Momrath's posts in this forum, you'll find some very helpful, insightful posts that should help answer your questions.</p>
<p>The Williams admissions page has a nice page on some academic points that set Williams apart:</p>
<p>In addition, I'd say no college has a better balance of academics (top ranked liberal arts college, tons of presitgious fellowships to undergrads, great faculty and smallest faculty-student ratio among its immediate peers), athletics (top athletic program in Division III), and arts (incredible theater and studio art facilities, best art history undergrad in country, three world-class museums on or near campus, huge variety of musical groups on campus and strong music/theater/dance program). There are certainly schools that are more purely intellectual, more immersed in the arts, or more focused on athletics, but in my view none that are so well-rounded in terms of the institutional emphasis and the students they attract. </p>
<p>A few other random things that sets Williams apart: incredible sense of community both during college and among alumni, mountain day, purple cow (what mascot is cooler?), and the spectacular setting / opportunities to enjoy nature adjacent to campus (Hopkins forest, great hikes, running trails, etc.), and winter study. </p>
<p>Which is not to say it is for everyone ... many would prefer a more urban setting, or a more activist / outwardly intellectual student body, or a less athletic / outdoorsy vibe ... it's really far more about what attracts you personally to a school, than to any "objective" criteria about what sets that school apart from its peers.</p>