<p>Why do people drink as such a young age? I just hate idiots like this.</p>
<p>Foreign languages at Williams are below mediocre (they wouldn't be in the top 50), but it has by far the best music program (Swarthmore being particularly weak - not a top 50 school.) Amherst used to be very famous for its English program (lots of the great critics of the 20th century came out of there), but I doubt that still holds true today. Amherst, as part of the 5-college consortium, has certificate programs in public health, international relations, African Studies, Asian Studies, Middle Eastern, and Latin Americans, Buddhist Studies, Logic, and a range of others, with faculty and offerings far richer than the other two in these areas. Amherst participates in the 5-College Opera Consortium.</p>
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[quote]
Everyone “knows” that Williams has a reputation for athletics. But most people don't realize that this reputation is primarily sustained by female athletes. Williams is now a predominantly (52%) female school, and the women’s sports are, in general, more successful than the men’s.
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Just to reiterate this point, for the most recent (2005-2006) season, Williams men's teams were outscored by at least three other Division III schools (Middlebury; College of New Jersey; Cortland State) in the NACDA Cup standings. If NACDA only ranked men's sports, Williams would immediately lose its reputation as the top Division III jock school. In fact, Williams wouldn't even rank as the top school in NESCAC; Middlebury would take over that position.</p>
<p>Yet Williams maintained its #1 national ranking last year, because the women's teams easily outpointed every other school in the country. Williams is unique not because of its emphasis on athletics -- obviously Midd and other Division III schools promote athletics too -- but because of its emphasis on women's athletics.</p>
<p>So does Amherst still have a superior English department? Im confused haha. And which out of the 3 have the biggest social scene and strongest biology program?</p>
<p>which is best for political science</p>
<p>All three have wonderful political science programs (with basically interchangeable faculty.) However, Amherst also has its flagship program "Law, Jurisprudence, and Critical Social Thought", headed by its superstar Austin Sarat. </p>
<p>I imagine all three English departments are virtually interchangeable as well. Historically, Amherst was the best regarded, but I doubt that's the case anymore. </p>
<p>Amherst (because of the five colleges and its location and nearness to Northampton) has by far the liveliest social scene.</p>
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Amherst (because of the five colleges and its location and nearness to Northampton) has by far the liveliest social scene.
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Probably true. However, there is a perception that the 5-College social scene is affected by gender imbalance. The Five Colleges include three top LACs (Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, Smith), and the women enrolled at these schools outnumber the men by something like 6 to 1. This may be a plus or a minus, depending on your gender and sexual preference. </p>
<p>Swarthmore is located near an urban area with many other colleges and universities (Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Villanova, etc). There are undoubtedly many social opportunities for those that seek them.</p>
<p>Williams is by far the most isolated of the three schools, with relatively few opportunities to socialize outside of the college itself. On the other hand, the Williams community is noted for being close-knit. Williams supposedly has very high rates of alumni intermarriage (don't know how true this is).</p>
<p>I would agree that Poli Sci and Bio would be good at all three. I'd have to check on Amherst, but I'm pretty sure that Bio, Econ, and Poli Sci are the three most popular majors at both Swarthmore and Williams.</p>
<p>Swarthmore has always been known as a social science power house. It produces more poli sci PhDs, more Econ PhDs, and more social science PhDs per graduate than any other school in the country.</p>
<p>In addition to the Poli Sci major, Swarthmore has a Public Policy major (or minor) that draws from the Poli Sci, Engineering, and Economics departments. </p>
<p>As for social scene, Amherst is also dominated by the presence of a large, crappy state university in the same town. While the presence of UMass may by a plus for some, it's a HUGE negative for Massachusetts public school kids. Half of my daughter's senior class went to UMass-Amherst, so - to her - going to college in Amherst was definitely not a plum locale. I think that she would have more excited about going to college on Alcatraz Island.</p>
<p>I've been reading aboout Williams' maritime studies program, including the Williams-Mystic program. Do either Amherst or Swarthmore have an equivalent program?</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that Umass dominates our social scene...at all.</p>
<p>Nor would I call it "crappy".</p>
<p>"I've been reading aboout Williams' maritime studies program, including the Williams-Mystic program. Do either Amherst or Swarthmore have an equivalent program?"</p>
<p>Actually, Amherst is part of the 5-College Certificate Program in Coastal and Marine studies, though the core of the program is at Smith:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/marine/%5B/url%5D">http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/marine/</a></p>
<p>In addition, Amherst, Smith, and Mt. Holyoke students can participate in the Williams-Mystic Programt through the 12-college exchange.</p>
<p>"Why do people drink as such a young age? I just hate idiots like this."</p>
<p>It's college. These are some of the greatest minds in our country that you are calling idiots.</p>
<p>Speaking from personal experience, academics can be very stressful, and responsible drinking can be a great way to relax. Just because someone does it (responsibly is the key here) doesn't make them less of a human being. The legality of it is a discussion for another time and place. Some of the best conversations you'll ever have can be had while you're sitting with some of your best friends, glass of wine in hand, talking about the existential dillema or some cutting-edge economic theory. Maybe you're thinking of binge drinking with koolaide and everclear, hahaha... that's a different story though.</p>
<p>Something tells me that you will be in for a huge surprise at any college you attend.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I've been reading aboout Williams' maritime studies program, including the Williams-Mystic program. Do either Amherst or Swarthmore have an equivalent program?
[/quote]
Williams-Mystic is not restricted to Williams students (although Williams students may well have the best chances for admission). Many schools have been [represented[/url</a>] in this program, including Swarthmore. Apparently they take students from the 5 Colleges, since Mt. Holyoke and Smith are represented as well. Who knows, they might even accept Amherst students.</p>
<p>However, the other well-known off-campus program (or "programme") at Williams, with [url=<a href="http://www.williams.edu/dean/oxford/%5DExeter">http://www.williams.edu/dean/oxford/]Exeter</a> College, Oxford](<a href="http://www.williams.edu/williamsmystic/admissions/alumnispeak.html%5Drepresented%5B/url">http://www.williams.edu/williamsmystic/admissions/alumnispeak.html), is not open to students from other schools.</p>
<p>Has anyone here done this Oxford program? It certainly sounds very formidable and demanding (20 books and a 10 page essay a week?)</p>
<p>There are many, many Oxford study-abroad programs. In some ways, the Williams program involves less immersion into the Oxford experience than some of the others, since it tends to keep a group of Williams students together more than some of the other programs.</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, all of the top colleges send a number of students to various Oxford programs each year. Programs in English-speaking countries are the most popular -- especially the UK.</p>
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I wouldn't say that Umass dominates our social scene...at all.</p>
<p>Nor would I call it "crappy".
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</p>
<p>I find it impossible to believe that 19,000 undergrads don't dominate the social scene in Amherst, Massachusetts. Sorry, that just does't pass the sniff test. I know, for example, that the Univ. of Ga certainly dominates Athens.</p>
<p>As for crappy, I'm hard pressed to think of many flagship state universities worse than UMass. And none that have had the brother of a serial-killing mobster as president of the University, like UMass has.</p>
<p>It's also a little hypocritical to tout the advantages of a five college consortium and never mention the fifth "college" by name. It's like the 800 lb. gorilla in the room.</p>
<p>UMass has excellent programs in political economy, music composition, phage biology, middle eastern studies, radio astronomy. Moreover, it extends the range of the possible - 5-college programs in early music and ethnomusicology, which are impossible at Williams and Swarthmore, are made possible by the shared resources of the 5-colleges, including the graduate departments at UMass. And the area studies programs, which usually consist of 1 or 2 profs at Swarthmore or Williams, will have 8-9 in the Consortium.</p>
<p>The Williams in Oxford program has changed in the past two years so that it is a little more integrated into the Oxford scene. Still (and I am an Oxford grad), it is far from the best "study abroad" choice in Oxford if one wants to really experience what Oxford is all about. </p>
<p>"Has anyone here done this Oxford program? It certainly sounds very formidable and demanding (20 books and a 10 page essay a week?)"</p>
<p>When I was there, it was two 10-page essays a week. But....none of the essays are ever really finished - they are shared as part of a weekly tutorial, and are places to begin a conversation rather than to end one.</p>
<p>There are other big advantages to having UMass in the area. The presence of UMass, coupled with the fact that it is the county seat, makes Northampton a very culturally rich community. There are 9 bookstores (there are NO bookstores on the main street in Williamstown, and the only bookstore is the college bookstore, way off to the edge of the campus), three bicycle shops, a huge variety of restaurants, a knitting store, craft stores, art galleries, boutiques, folk clubs, jazz clubs, all supported by a five-college population. (The town of Amherst also has these, though to a lesser extent, but still much more than Swarthmore or Williamstown.) The large number of students also adds to the active religious and ethnic diversity of the area. There are food coops and housing coops and co-housing communities. Broadway shows and opera companies make the area a regular stop on their tour. Political activity is not confined to campuses. </p>
<p>I have been to both Williamstown (I'm an alum) and Swarthmore, and in terms of the richness of the community and cultural offerings to students, they aren't close to being comparable.</p>
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It's also a little hypocritical to tout the advantages of a five college consortium and never mention the fifth "college" by name. It's like the 800 lb. gorilla in the room.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>As a Massachusetts parent, the only way I would pay $40,000 a year for classes at UMass would be if Billy and Whitey Bulger sent their goons over to break my knees.</p>