Willams or Davidson?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Williams College
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<p>I really disagree with that. My S’s close friends, just randomly selected from their frosh entry include two English majors, a playwright, a environmentalist, a premed who is doing the Mt. Sinai program so she could major in Chinese, a Classics major. None of them did college with a “preprofessional” bent, and not too many of them know what they’re doing next year, though Teach for America is popular.</p>

<p>johnwesley: I am totally behind your celebration of all things Wesleyan – a delightful and wonderful school. However, no need to paint Williams with too broad a brush. It is a LAC and works like one. It is NOT preprofessional in its day to day doings. For one thing, the distribution requirements do demand that everyone dabble in a lot of things. And the courses themselves tend to be very multi-disciplinary. I call the “college Montessori” as opposed to the very academic bent my D met with at Barnard.</p>

<p>And speaking of that, quite a few of her friends were transfers from Wes to Barnard. I also know quite a few folk who transferred from Barnard to Wes. I would not think of using these facts to positively or negatively paint either school.</p>

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<p>I’m turning down Williams to attend Davidson this year. I felt i could get the same education at both schools and was just much happier with Davidson’s campus and location. I am from the south though so I am biased towards warmer weather.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all of the responses, everyone! Any other thoughts?</p>

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<p>As someone who went to both graduate and medical school after graduating Williams, I would say that Davidson isn’t really in the same academic league.<br>
When on the interview trail, you just don’t meet other people from Davidson, it’s much more Swat/Amherst/Midd/Ivies/Stanford/etc. You might theoretically be able to get the same education at both places, but I’d have a very hard time believing that your classmates would be of the same caliber.</p>

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<p>I don’t agree with the above post. The students I’ve known at Davidson absolutely were of the same caliber as Williams students, and this comes from a Williams parent.</p>

<p>Davidson attracts some of the best students because unlike Williams, it awards full merit scholarships.</p>

<p>My BFF’s Brown admitted son chose Davidson for that reason, and so did another friend’s Columbia accepted daughter. Both felt their Davidson education amazing, and both have fared well in the world since graduation.</p>

<p>The main difference, besides weather, that I can see is that Davidson has a religious affiliation. That would be a deal-breaker for my Williams son and would have been for my Barnard educated daughter, too.</p>

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<p>I’m a Williams alum and a parent of a current Williams student. We live in NC, so we know a number of students who’ve attended or currently attend Davidson. And we know the shock of a Williamstown winter after a lifetime in the South.</p>

<p>I’ve chimed in on Williams v. Davidson threads in years past, and so as not to repeat myself too much, here is one such older thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/williams-college/796284-williams-vs-davidson.html?highlight=davidson[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/williams-college/796284-williams-vs-davidson.html?highlight=davidson&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Davidson is definitely in the same academic league as Williams, but I do think that, with the exception of the students attracted by merit scholarships, the credentials of the students who end up attending are slightly lower than those of Williams students. Davidson is an excellent school and offers a comparable education to what Williams offers. I’m not sure that the slight differences matter on a day-to-day basis. I would have been very happy if my son had wanted to attend Davidson.</p>

<p>As for the cold weather, my son wanted to experience something new, and he has. Students actually don’t have to be on campus for Winter Study after freshman year. Winter Study is required all four years, but students can take a Winter Study course (or even design their own) that allows them to spend the month somewhere warmer.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all of the responses. :)</p>

<p>I visited Williams for the Previews event the past two days, and below are some of my thoughts and concerns. Again, any input is appreciated.</p>

<p>After visiting, weather doesn’t really seem to be a huge issue for me. I can deal with it, just like the rest of the Williams students.</p>

<p>I am a little concerned over how much there is to do on campus. It seems like there’s always a party on the weekend and some art events (theater, concert, etc.). I guess it’s important to note that I am in no way artsy. I was not gifted with any art talent really, and I have trouble appreciating a lot of art just because I can’t understand it or get the same feelings others get over it. Has any graduate or current student found that there is really not enough to do/life gets boring?</p>

<p>The classrooms were a little suprising to me. I attended a decent amount of classes, and every professor used a chalkboard and the seats were small with a little desk for a notebook. Plus, only a few students used computers to take notes. At my high school, there’s a lot of technology, everyone uses computers during class, etc. I’m not really sure how I feel about this…</p>

<p>The food was pretty good to very good, but it didn’t seem like there was much variety.</p>

<p>I didn’t learn much about undergraduate research, so if anyone has any information on research, that would be great.</p>

<p>The students work hard. I definitely got that sense that there is a lot of work to be done constantly. I’m worried I won’t be able to have fun as well.</p>

<p>All in all, the students were very friendly. Also, I felt like I fit in. There’s a few things, mostly mentioned above, that make me wonder if Williams is the right college. I didn’t really mention what I liked, such as the entry system, single dorm rooms, great professors, and much more.</p>

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<p>Relatively recent grad here (class of 2008). Some thoughts.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I honestly feel that it would require an almost willful effort to make life boring at Williams. Even if the arts are not your thing, there’s plenty to do at Williams. Aside from the multiple student organizations, there are opportunities in sports (both varsity or intramural), movie screenings, speaker events, and of course, your good old fashioned dorm parties and bars. Seek and you shall find. Rarely will you be at a loss to find something interesting to do if you put any effort toward it.</p></li>
<li><p>Classrooms at Williams vary quite a bit. In Griffin, for instance, the classrooms are set up amphitheater style, and the tables stretch across each row, so there’s much more room to spread out your things. But in the math building, yeah, you might be facing small desks. Not sure why you’re surprised by the use of chalkboards. Also, while I’m sure policies vary according to the individual professor, I think whether to use a computer or not in class is largely something up to the student. That said, as someone who uses his computer every day to take notes (currently in law school), I’ve come to appreciate those classes that have a ban on laptops. Writing by hand forces you to pay attention and engage with the material. </p></li>
<li><p>Research opportunities abound at Williams. Given the close contact between professors and students at Williams, you really need only stop by a professor’s office and ask. Most will be more than happy to help you develop an independent research project, tack you on to something they’re working on, or direct you toward another professor whose research interests overlap with yours.</p></li>
<li><p>Williams is a work hard, play hard place. Don’t be surprised that students are occupied with their academics. But the students are hardly shut-ins either. Very rarely will you find people toiling away in the library at 9 PM on a Saturday.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>Thanks everyone for all of your opinions and help! After visiting Davidson again, I have chosen to attend Williams!!! (To my surprise,) I felt like Williams was a better fit for me. For what it’s worth, I’d be happy to PM my thoughts to any other prospective student who is also trying to choose.</p>

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<p>Congratulations TooMuchAtOnce.</p>

<p>Welcome to the Williams family!!!</p>