It is far past the May 1st deadline, but for special reasons, I may still have the opportunity to make a decision. This decision has been incredibly difficult for me and I still can’t come to a choice. There are wonderful things about both schools that I love and there are particular things I dislike. I did have the chance to visit both schools and I couldn’t make a decision based on my visit, because I liked both of them a lot.
I wanted a suburban environment for college but Penn is urban and Williams is very rural, so I do not have a particular preference. Williams really is quite small (a little too small), while Penn is 10 times Williams’ size. I am undecided with my major, and I definitely want to have the chance to explore a lot in college. I’m interested in everything from international relations to architecture to physics.
I like how the classes at Williams are generally much smaller, so the teacher-student interactions are much more intimate. To my understanding, Williams students are very successful with going into top grad schools— does anyone know what this is like at Penn? I do plan on going to grad school, but perhaps after one or two years of working. Would I be able to get more real life experiences at Penn? Because the environment at Williams is so nurturing, I am afraid that once I leave, I may not be as prepared for working in the real world as I might be at Penn. From what I’ve heard, the environment at Penn can be quite pre-professional at times, which is not something I particularly like. But I do feel that at Penn, I would have more opportunities to interact with the real world, given its location in a city.
@overtures, Williams and Penn seem so diametrically opposite in so many ways that it’s hard to imagine that you wouldn’t prefer one over the other. Don’t overthink the decision. Both are terrific schools. Which makes you happier?
All of the positives you mention about Williams are accurate – and then some: small classes, engaged and accessible professors, high name recognition among graduate and professional schools. friendly confident students.
As noted by @marvin100, Williams is not a touchy-feely place. Williams students are as driven as Penn students though they may manifest their ambitions in different ways. They certainly take advantage of everything a liberal arts environment has to offer, but at the same time they benefit from Williams’ helping hand into the real world in the form of internships, alumni networks, career and graduate school advising. Professors are nurturing, not in the sense of hand-holding, but in that they are there solely to teach undergraduates, that they know their students personally and provide with advice and recommendations for years to come.
College is not the real world even at Penn. It’s a time for learning and experimenting within an intellectual bubble that you seldom find in the world of work. You will have plenty of interaction opportunities during your summer jobs and internships and the 40+ years that follow. Don’t be in such a hurry to deny yourself the wonder that is a liberal arts education.
I would add a note on architecture. Penn offers an architecture major, with classes taught in conjunction with its graduate program. Williams does not offer an architecture major, though it regularly offers two semesters of architectural drawing taught by a practicing architect. The art history side of architecture is expansive and excellent. Williams has a very good track record for getting its students into top Master of Architecture programs, and the career counseling in that area is quite good.
In general double, or even triple, majoring at Williams is doable. They make it easy to explore a wide range of disciplines.
I just visited Williams yesterday as I had to decide between Williams and Vanderbilt. From what you described, I think it might be the better choice for you. You mentioned wanting to study “lots of things from IR to architecture to physics.” Williams has wonderful departments for all three areas to my knowledge, and actually MANDATES that you explore a variety of academic areas and that you are not confined to just one field.
This said, Penn is equally wonderful in many other ways. I understand why you are struggling with the decision even though they are so different – it’s comparable to my own situation, and it makes you feel like you somehow want to attend both during the course of your undergraduate degree. The simple fact is that you will always live with a sense of “what if I had gone to ______ instead,” and so just know that you have to make a decision that will always give you somewhat of a sense of what if.
Congratulations on having such a wonderful decision to make, and know that you cannot really make a bad decision here. Flip a coin, see the result, and if you are happy with it or saddened by it, you’ll know which school your heart wants you to attend. Good luck!
If you want a liberal arts college experience, then Williams will give you all that and more. But it’s also important to ask yourself what sort of lifestyle you want. If the vibrant night life offerings of a city like Philly are more your thing, then it will not be as comfortable at Williams where most people are around the snack bar, student union (Paresky), or in the dorms to hang out since the options “downtown” are very humble (read: a few restaurants, a cafe, and an indie movie theater).
Alternatively, if the peaceful, bucolic way of life in Williamstown calls to you (among the gorgeous autumn colors, trails, and a vibrant outdoor club), then heaven awaits.
Both places can offer excellent academic experiences. Penn has a consortium, whereas you’ll likely take all your classes at Williams if you decide to attend. The sports scene is not as involved at Williams (though, naturally, you’ll likely support your sporty friends) and Greek life is non-existent since the movement to dissolve them many decades ago. Williams has an IR concentration (similar to a minor), physics department, but for architecture (if you wanted it as your major) is a combination “practice” track within the Department of Art History that combines offerings from Studio Art and Art History.
If you want prestige, obviously Penn is more familiar to most people. Williams folks often say that those who do know the Williams name are the ones that in the end matter (however pretentious that sounds, I feel similarly–while folks back home don’t always know what Williams is, those who do know of it typically respect it).
Williams is very rural, but folks usually keep busy with their studies and extracurriculars. If you get tired of the idyllic setting, there are campus shuttles that leave a few times a month (that also increases in frequency around reading and vacation periods) to New York & Boston, as well as the Albany Airport.
@8bagels not quite. penn has many graduate schools with world class research and faculty that are pioneers in their fields. No one is saying Penn has Harvard level prestige and name recognition, but it is definitely more well known than Williams in all majors cities around the world amongst very-well educated circles just by virtue of the size and reach of its alumni network and the reach of its research output.
That said , for someone who wants a more intimate lib arts experience, choosing Williams over Penn is perfectly reasonable.
This has not been my experience. As a Williams alum in Asia (and in various parts of the US previously), I’ve found the “very-well [sic] educated circles” are impressed by Wharton but generally hold Williams above Penn.