85 is a large number (two full entries of freshmen), and assuming this entering class is at 550, they may gradually increase the incoming class over the next two years to maintain the 2,200 general student population
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Ds was waitlisted. It was one of his top choices but at the same time he recognized the slim chances of getting in particularly given the sky-rocket increase in apps. The website says to commit to a school if you accept the WL offer. Wondering how that would work in the rare event a student is admitted. Also the FA component is a factor and the college says decision could be as late as mid-June.
Hey there. New here. Looking for any help with a WL. Daughter WLâed RD. College counselor saying to do nothing but submit paragraph but not giving much guidance. How much is too much to submit? What do people do for WL? He wonât give us any indication and she is lost. Are other reccs helpful? One teacher and an administrator who knows her have offered to write a recc, but CC has said not to. Sheâs at an independent school in nyc, school doesnât âofficiallyâ rank students but CC told her she is top 10% of class with straight As for 4 years. 1490 SAT, 770 and 790 French and Math 2. Great EC, leadership positions, athlete, volunteers/tutors.
It is a tough call as to whether to submit more recs, there are stories of students who were very persistent and some how got off the WL, but those are the exception. If there were some new development that might be meaningful, could see writing a personal letter to explain why the student feels so strongly about going.
Many people here know Williams extremely well so I would like to ask for your opinion on choosing between Williams and Amherst. If you have to choose between these two for pre-med or pre-law, which school would you choose and what would be your rationale? Honestly I feel both are superb but DS got in both so we need to make a decision!
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Both are excellent for both pre med and pre law, one thing to consider is that in economics, the sciences and math, Williams has larger departments in terms of faculty headcount (she should review the faculty profiles for these departments on the websites as well as the course offerings).
Amherst and Williams tend to place closely to each other in many rankings, as in the one below, in which they are barely separated:
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Could someone confirm the acceptance rate numbers? Iâve heard itâs around 8% this year?
You canât be certain of the acceptance rate until they release the numbers.
Congratulations! D18 has loved her experience at Amherst and we are thrilled to have D21 attend Williams in the fall.
Your son has excellent choices and I donât believe he can go wrong. One thing to note is that Amherst is part of the Five College Consortium which includes UMass at Amherst. I believe UMass has a premed program which may open up additional opportunities for courses, along with the other fine schools in the consortium.
I wish you all the best. 
It may be hard to see silver linings now, but if he gets into UMass Amherst he will be in a very enviable position: able to choose from a plethora of majors at a major university, while also having the opportunity to take classes at top-quality, small-classroom LACs â Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Hampshire. That would comprise one heck of a great education and probably be a total blast for him.
Thanks for the input, I agree. He also got into Wesleyan, so heâs got a tough choice to make.
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Official confirmation that it was much tougher to be accepted this year: College acceptance rate lowers to 8 percent for Class of 2025 â The Williams Record
Increased applications + roughly 130 gap students from 2024 = the perfect storm. The college only accepted 1,000 students, down from 1250 last year and around 1200 the prior year IIRC. Even so, I do think there will be some WL movement, but it may be later than last year.
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Wow!!! I would be curious what Amherstâs is, though they usually arenât super public about their acceptance rate. Colbyâs rate also dropped to 8% this year⊠What an insane yearâŠ
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The storm twisted and the seas churned. Only a few made it through the abyss, but the sun rises in every oneâs heart at their future college. I got this, itâs fineeeee.
Thank you for your college advisor/ trusted adult advice this application season. 
Really continues to help me see that its a matter of chance with college applications, but I still have the choice to try my best wherever I go
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Your sweet post made my day, thank you! With you great attitude and gifted way with words, I have no doubt that you will soar wherever you land.
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Congrats! I consider Wes one of the best colleges in the country, and Iâm not alone. He now has a choice between one of the very best LACs, and a university w/ LAC benefits. Good luck!
Amherst also reported 8% 
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FWIW, my older son decided between Williams and Amherst. He was leaning towards Amherst because he had visited its campus several times, but I offered him the chance to see Williams too. He stayed overnight at both schools (pre-Covid), and decided on Williams. Both are great schools, but I think he decided on Williams based on its slightly bigger size and its relative independence (not in a consortium). He loves it and convinced his brother to come to Williams over a couple of Ivies.
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8%!!!