<p>I've recently been accepted to all three schools, and I have no idea which to choose. I plan on majoring in the Classics (6 years of latin in HS) and Gov, and I'll probably be picking up a few languages in college as well. I'm an outdoorsy person, sort of athletic but not enough to play a sport (just intramurals). I definitely need somewhere with a vibrant social scene. Any feedback?</p>
<p>I am not speaking to the vibrant social scene or sports issues because there are Williams students who can speak with more authority. I will say that my son graduated as a Classics Major and the Classics faculty is brilliant and fun. He had a similar choice to yours and chose Williams and loved his school. Full disclosure: he doesn’t even play enough sports to be on an intramurals team. He did hike and play broom ball with his entry.</p>
<p>I’d rule out Bowdoin and focus on W and Brown. Research the classics & languages departments–they’re strong at both schools, but Brown will have more offerings, I suspect.</p>
<p>Williams has plenty of outdoors fun. Sunrise hikes, Mountain Day… all of the wonderful things WOC provides.</p>
<p>Both Brown and Williams are excellent schools and in either he could go as far as he wants in the classics and government. My D had both as finalists and chose W–she said she found both to have equally intelligent people but there was more intellectualism at Williams when she visited. That is her observation–I have no personal opinion here–other than he will have an first tier education.</p>
<p>Does he want to be in the middle of a small sized (but growing) city or a rural campus? To know that he should go to admitted student days at both colleges-- his gut will tell him, more than a chart of pluses and minuses can, where he feels at home. He should follow his gut. </p>
<p>He can’t go wrong, really.</p>
<p>I took a few intro level Classics classes at Williams and loved them. The professors were so friendly during office hours :). However, the department did seem a bit small. You would probably have more classes to choose from at Brown. As for government (political science), the department is among the largest at Williams and there are tons of electives to choose from.</p>
<p>Honestly, you can’t go wrong. Make your final choice based on fit because you’ll get a great education at either school.</p>
<p>Brown is the best</p>
<p>I <em>love</em> Brown and graduated from Williams, and there’s one big difference that should be addressed. At Brown, it’s very very easy for undisciplined students to fritter around with pass/fail and easy drops and either get a halfassed degree or take 6 years to graduate. It’s a GREAT school for self-disciplined students, in my opinion, but the school itself won’t really provide discipline/incentive to achieve if you don’t already have that. At Williams it’s very hard to sort of slack off and disappear–the school has strict requirements and profs will pay attention to your performance. PLUS there aren’t very many distractions to keep you from working. </p>
<p>I love both schools, but they’re really different.</p>
<p>Brown is the best + do not forget it is Ivy League.</p>
<p>Of the three, you can easily narrow it down to two: Brown and Williams.</p>
<p>You should choose a school which will give you the most research opportunities, one that will have the best undergraduate experience, and one that also has a vibrant social scene. Bowdoin fits two of those criteria, but sadly not the first.</p>
<p>Also, if you look at grad school placement and out of college employment, Williams and Brown do far and away better than Bowdoin with Williams just above Brown and Bowdoin way behind. That’s not to say that Bowdoin’s not a good school, but it’s not quite on the same level as the other two. At the end of the day, it’s really up to you.</p>
<p>I’m picking between Brown and Williams too. It’s so hard 
And it’s even harder because the preview days coincide.
But right now I’m leaning towards Williams for the reason marvin100 mentioned. If I slip into the cracks, I can barely pull myself out of them, so it’s important to have professors who get rid of all the hiding places.</p>
<p>If the best that can be said is that it is Ivy League, that is as weak an argument as one could offer. There are terrific reasons why Brown but Ivy league isn’t one of them. Prestige shouldn’t enter into a decision between these schools, besides Forbes ranked Williams number one over even Harvard-- of what that is worth (nothing…)</p>
<p>But you will know within an hour (some say the data shows decisions are made within a minute…) in your gut where you belong–follow that gut</p>
<p>flip345–out of curiosity, did you ever consider applying to Middlebury? I only ask because of your interest in languages.</p>
<p>Visit Williams! Sit in on classes and experience the entry! Williams in a unique experience best felt by visiting. I’m totally biased (2014 and love it!) but there are so many opportunities Williams presents:
Outdoors: WOC trips, WOOLF, Mountain Day, sunrise hikes, primal scream (when is that happening again?!?), amazing area
Athletics: everything from casual broom ball to intramurals to top-ranked Varsity teams. Athletics are definitely part of the culture, but I would never think to classify Williams as a “jock school”, more that the campus tends to be active and healthy
Academics: AMAZING! Professors are helpful, willing to meet, approachable. If you take a little initiative to reach out of search deeper you will be rewarded SO MUCH. If there is a department or class you are interested in, feel free to email the professor or sit in on a class at Previews
The entry: the cornerstone of first-year life at Williams and may be one of my favorite parts. Hard to describe the bond or dynamics of an entry but it makes the transition to Williams soooo much easier than at other schools</p>
<p>Also, to whoever said Williams has strict requirements, not particularly when compared to any school except maybe Brown. The divisional requirements (3 in each division by graduation, 2 writing intensive, 1 EDI) are interesting and frequently overlap (e.g. a Div 2 that is EDI and Writing intensive - three birds with one fascinating stone!). I have never felt pressured to take certain classes for fear of not staying on track for my major or div requirements. All it takes is minimal planning to be golden :)</p>
<p>Vivienne8: I meant “compared to Brown,” but I also meant in terms of drop/add and courseload. The distribution requirements are minor for sure.</p>
<p>Depends what your main priority is- Williams has a dedicated but small Classics department- the professors are exceptional but the offerings are slim. Given that you are outdoorsy, Williams would be a great fit in that regard (I’m a student here and the quintessential Williams student is incredibly into outdoor activities and that sort of thing). In terms of languages, I’m sure both colleges would be great- I would also bet Brown offers more languages (just has the capacity to do so)- I know our Arabic, Chinese, and French departments are particularly strong (just from experience through friends). Best of luck with your decision if you are still considering!</p>