<p>There are many great schools. There are LAC’s and Universities. There are schools within great metropolitan communities and schools in far away places. Much of the posturing merely augments the arms of distraction. Schools often cite specific qualities within their walls. They quote benefits and features that will overwhelm your senses and with specific factors of why you need to choose one over another which merely confirms the need to take personal ownership as a member of that particular academic community in making a decision. In reality, you can only take in some of the benefits at any given time. You cannot have all of it. You have to balance academics with your person. You need to look at what you are all about, as an individual human being, and that is not easy. It certainly was not for me, had it not been for my father, and it would have been a lot more stressful, finding a proper fit, without him.</p>
<p>Besides being accepted to both, plus an assortment of other tier one schools, prompted me immediately to send a deposit to Williams. The reason for my immediate response was that all my applications were modeled after this college and my love for it. The rest were merely suitors.</p>
<p>One is often told that you need to apply to divergent tier schools to ensure success. This depends upon who you are and the personality you express. Some prefer the satisfaction of inner confidence, others the cache of wearing what others perceive to be in good taste. </p>
<p>It appears to me that admissions departments do not discriminate against qualified applicants with regards qualifications, as they are more inclined to build out what they perceive to be a balanced class of students, whom they believe will fit their mission and purpose, and thus the anxiety factor.</p>
<p>Well, the fingernail biting and the torment of having to wait for those dreadful letters and wondering what to do to make that pertinent impression, is not an easy passage. </p>
<p>I was grateful that I was accepted to Williams, for there was a perfect fit. I knew this some time ago, long before admissions understood this. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Princeton is a great school, as are other great Universities. Had Williams not accepted me, certainly Princeton would have been given some consideration.</p>
<p>I am Williams. It is primarily an undergraduate institution dedicated to the ideals of an Liberal Arts education. It has tradition and history. It is a community within a forest. For those who are unhappy, cite its isolation. For most of us, this is an ideal environment. As I wanted a 4-1-4 academic program with tutorials, and not a trimester system like Princeton and Dartmouth, my acceptance fulfilled the promise. Plus, I wanted to go skiing, and that was a benefit.</p>
<p>If prestige hangs you up, then by all means attend Princeton, provided you are accepted. I for one, did not care about the cache factor, in that our family and in our nation, when education is a discerning topic of discussion at our table, one understands the appreciation that a Williams College degree confers upon those accepted.</p>
<p>Let us put it this way: if you plan on only attending a school for four years, and public prestige is an important factor, then by all means GO CACHE, for everyone will look askance and wonder how in the hell you came into their presence, but if you plan on pursuing post graduate studies, then either school will fit your imagination, aside from the factors weighing in favor of LAC’s in terms of personal reward, fellowship and scholarship.</p>
