<p>It looks like it's down to these two for me...financial aid and everything worked out, and now I just need to choose one. Opinions regarding academics, social life, the kids on campus, weather, etc. would be very appreciated!</p>
<p>(P.S. posted this exact thread on Bowdoin for a variety of answers, so if you answer one or the other I'd be forever in your debt!)</p>
<p>Bowdoin has a more vibrant college town, closer to Boston (and Portland, ME) and very sporty and uniformly friendly. Weather is somewhat better at coastal Bowdoin, On the other hand Williams is the top LAC in the country, and very rigorous academically. Williams combines serious academics, theater, and hard core sports with a tiny college town. If your course of interest is stronger at one or the other, take that into consideration also.</p>
<p>Williams is larger which turns out to be a factor in numbers of prods per department. It was significant in the departments S chose. Check out on-line catalogs.</p>
<p>Thank you guys! I feel like Bowdoin might be a better fit for my personality, but I’d probably be happy at either. The main thing that’s pulling me towards Williams is the quality of job placement/research opportunities/grad school options provided by Williams. It’s just gonna be tough to turn down the top college in the country haha…but does anyone have any experience with Williams’ post-graduation possibilities?</p>
<p>Williams’s opportunities post-grad are not so substantially greater than what you’d receive at Bowdoin to justify choosing it on that basis alone, particularly if you feel a better fit at Bowdoin. Williams is wonderful and my post isn’t meant to denigrate it in any way or to suggest that the numbers are in Bowdoin’s favor. But the difference is very small. My friends and I all went to top graduate programs. Your relationships with professors, your curiosity and willingness to learn and grow in college - these will all determine the likelihood of your post-graduate success far more than which of these two schools very similar schools you chose. Best of luck, they’re both wonderful choices.</p>
<p>I agree with the last post. If Bowdoin feels like a better fit, you’ll do better there which would easily cancel out any small differences in job placement.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much! It’s definitely going to be a tough decision, but your advice has definitely put things in perspective a bit (: I appreciate it!</p>
<p>Sounds like you fell in love with Bowdoin. The difference in quality between the two schools is so insignificant that fit should trump anything else. Go with Bowdoin and enjoy the Maine coast!</p>
<p>Go to admitted students days at both, if you can. The data suggests that within minutes your gut will know–and the mind merely makes the reasons to justify the gut’s decision (really, that’s the research). So you will know viscerally-- trust it.</p>
<p>You can’t go wrong no matter which choice you make.</p>