<p>The campus is huge and hilly. I got a little confused and tired while I was there, but I know I'll get used to it eventually. I guess that is how the students stay in such good shape (besides sports)!</p>
<p>If you're looking to play softball at Williams College, be sure to ask very hard questions of the currnent players and see if you'll be able to accept the "indentured servant" mentality that the coach imposes.
It's a DIII program run with a D1 mentality, and the coach has excellent credentials, but....will that continue? Doubtful.
She got lucky for 2 years with players who were recruited by the previous coach that "made" the program.
The quality level of softball play has increased everywhere in DIII over the last few years, and Williams SB has not kept up.
Academically, Williams is second to none, but be prepared to work harder than you ever have in your life, SB notwithstanding.</p>
<p>My son and daughter both visited Pomona and Williams, amongst many other.
They are both awesome colleges that will provide the best education you can find for ~$48K per year. Worth it?...
In the long run, yes.
Warm CA vs seasonal Berkshires?
Something to be said about the seasons, if you've never experienced them.</p>
<p>i'm very interested in this comparison as well..though this thread is pretty old.</p>
<p>more opinions?</p>
<p>clippie, I responded to your other thread on the Search board, but just to give you some specific comparison between Williams and Pomona. My son graduated from Williams in 07. Several of his close friends chose Pomona. There's a lot of overlap in character -- active, multifaceted, smart happy kids. </p>
<p>Some major points of differentiation: Pomona is part of a consortium which makes it seem "bigger" than a free standing liberal arts college. Williams is more insular and consequently offers a tightly knit self-sustaining community.</p>
<p>Southern California and the Berkshires are two extremes in weather. Pomona has Los Angeles nearby. Williams has mountains and cows. </p>
<p>Academically they are very close, especially in humanities and social sciences. I'd give Williams the edge in the arts and in sciences but Pomona is also very good. </p>
<p>Both have aggressive placement services for career counseling and for help in getting into professional schools (law, medicine, business, architecture) or general PhD programs. Both have excellent track records.</p>
<p>Pomona has higher name recognition on the West Coast; Williams on the East.</p>
<p>I'm a Pomona grad, son is at Williams, and daughter is at Amherst, so I guess I should chip (chirp?) in.</p>
<p>Interesteddad and momrath have summarized the comparison of Williams v. Pomona very well. I'd add a couple of small points. </p>
<p>Pomona alumni probably have better connections to SoCal movie industry, while Williams is better connected to the East Coast art scene. </p>
<p>I'd consider the science departments equal, especially after factoring in opportunities to take courses at HMC and the Joint science dept of CMC/Scripps/Pitzer.</p>
<p>Taking other courses at the other Claremont colleges is a substantial advantage over Williams. All are within walking distance, a walk/bike/skateboard commute. This is easier than the Amherst/MHC/Smith/Hampshire/UMass 5 college consortium commute by bus or car (except for Amherst/UMass). Classes elsewhere broadens the course offerings and eases scheduling conflicts. </p>
<p>Sports are different. For spectators, Williams vs. Amherst is a real scene. Pomona vs Oxy is not. If you play squash you should prefer Williams; year round road cyclists and surfers should prefer Pomona. </p>
<p>Ask yourself about weather, suburban SoCal vs Berkshire village, and spectator sports.</p>
<p>klee: Wow! A kid at Williams and Amherst. Mortal enemies? Of course, I'm only joking. Your family is indeed well represented at LAC's. Is there another to go to Swat? (Joking again.)</p>
<p>mythmom, thanks. The kids do exchange insulting T-shirts at Christmas. My wife is also a Pomona grad, and we both went to grad school in New Haven. With that perspective we remain big fans of the LAC education and experience for the majority of college age kids. On the other hand, if at age 17 1/2 you already know you want to pursue ancient Mayan languages, then the LAC may not be for you. </p>
<p>Couple other things. Pomona seems to do better with Fulbrights, summarized at post #1 and #113 in thread below;</p>
<p>Difference in the enrolled student SAT scores: </p>
<p>arakel10 - Is Williams softball more demanding than similar programs at other NESCACs? What do you mean by 'indentured servant"?</p>
<p>Apples, oranges. Both schools have an excellent educational base. Williams will have better (IMHO) athletics. Pomona is very urban, Williams is very rural. Doesn’t make one better than the other, just very different.</p>