Just following up for the record, since this was a small part of this discussion:
Registration re-opened yesterday for students dropped from courses. S now has four courses about which he is excited, all of which are small discussion-oriented classes. Not one large lecture as a first semester freshman.
Another advantage of Williams: 60% of students get a single freshman year. It also seems like many people have gotten the type of housing (double or single, Frosh Quad or Mission Park) they requested.