Williams vs. Amherst in Science

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've seen similar posts but I still have questions. . I can't really decide which one I like better, even with research. Both are small, have stellar financial aid, high prestiege and beautiful campuses.</p>

<p>I'm leaning more towards Amherst, because it's less isolated, with the 5 college system and it seems like a better college town. </p>

<p>but I keep considering Williams because, while Amherst seems strong in science (Im looking at Biology and chemistry specifically, and I'm considering Podiatry or M.S. in a forensic science) they seem stronger. They also appear to have better facilities and better research opprotunities.</p>

<p>Who would you say has better facilities and better research opprotunities.</p>

<p>Or are they virtualy tied... Or should I rule out the two in favor of an in state research univeristy (Im from california so it would be a UC)</p>

2

<p>Williams has considerably more math and science majors than Amherst, so there might be a slight disparity in terms of research opportunities. I think I remember hearing on the Williams tour that they had the most NSF research grants of all liberal arts schools. In the end though, the difference is really negligible. Both offer top notch science facilities for LACs and will give you an opportunity to conduct research. </p>

<p>The decision between Williams/Amherst and a UC is really more of a personal one. Berkley/UCLA might have better research facilities and more cutting edge stuff going on, but it would also be a lot harder to get a spot as an undergrad. You are going to get a considerably different feel on campus.</p>

3

<p>

Actually, that distinction belongs to Wesleyan, even after controlling for size:
<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/sciences/sciencefacts.html[/url]”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/sciences/sciencefacts.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>If you are looking at smaller colleges like Williams and Amherst, particularly for Biology and Chemistry, and are also considering California colleges, you must include:</p>

<p>Pomona
Caltech
Harvey Mudd</p>

5

<p>

The [Merrill</a> Science Center](<a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/science_center]Merrill”>https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/science_center) at Amherst dates back to the 1960s, and is “nearing the end of its useful life.” A plan to replace it is underway, but the new facility is not expected to be fully completed until 2016. The Morley Science Center at Williams is relatively new; it opened in 2000.</p>

<p>In general, the science and math depts at Williams tend to be noticeably larger, in terms of both faculty and majors, than those at Amherst. This in part reflects the slightly larger size of Williams, but also the lower percentage of science/math majors at Amherst. </p>

<p>You can check Section J of the schools’ Common Data Sets to see the distribution of conferred degrees. The 2009-10 CDS for [url=<a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/glance/common_data_sets/2009]Amherst[/url”>https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/glance/common_data_sets/2009]Amherst[/url</a>] indicates that 17 % of degrees were in computer science, math, biological sciences, or physical sciences. The comparable figure for [url=<a href=“http://provost.williams.edu/files/2010/01/CDS2009_2010.pdf]Williams[/url”>http://provost.williams.edu/files/2010/01/CDS2009_2010.pdf]Williams[/url</a>] was 26.1 %. So for that year, the average Williams student was about 50% more likely to be a science/math major than the average Amherst student. </p>

<p>It seems fair to suggest that there is more institutional focus on science and math at Williams, including better facilities, more majors, and a greater number and diversity of science/math faculty. However, that doesn’t mean that Williams is automatically a better choice for a prospective science major, or that you can’t get a good science degree from Amherst. It’s just one factor that should be considered in the overall fit.</p>

6

<p>

One other factor of possible interest – though it’s admittedly somewhat intangible – is that Williams is one of relatively few top LACs run by a scientist. The current President of Williams, Adam Falk, is a physicist from Johns Hopkins.</p>