<p>My daughter was offered a full ride at Rutgers Honors College between a largely academic scholarship and some athletic Div. I. Then this week she was so thrilled to receive what people on this site are calling an early-write to Williams. It seems like a dream college, from what we have read. We haven't visited as we wanted to see if she got in first. She is interested in math or science probably physics. She visited Rutgers in Jan. and surprisingly loved it (she's not into the football scene and didn't think she would like a large university.) We are going to visit Williams next week - unfortunately the college is on spring break but we have set up meetings with two professors (math - Prof. Adams and physics - Prof. Jones.) She would like to meet with the orchestra conductor and someone in her sport. Can anyone give any insight? Williams just seems like the perfect college. She is waiting to hear from Middlebury and Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale and Harvard (all reaches) but I can't imagine that any would be better than Williams. Any input so appreciated!</p>
<p>So long as she doesn’t mind a small town setting and an outdoorsy environment, sounds like a perfect fit. Obviously, the athletics are great, especially women’s athletics. For orchestra, there are great opportunities, including the Berkshire Symphony for intense involvement, and many student groups requiring more moderate involvement. As someone who is a triple threat in music, sports, and math/science, she sounds tailor made for Williams, in fact. </p>
<p>And her majors are some of Williams’ strong points. Williams has arguably the best undergrad math department, from a teaching perspective, in the country, with not one but TWO math profs who have been named the national college teacher of the year, plus the department features many other acclaimed teachers. In addition, the physics department is small but incredible, and the students go on to tremendous things (three Apker winners this decade, more than any other college or university). Plus, incoming President Falk is a renowned physicist. Some links of interest on math and physics at Williams:</p>
<p>[Williams</a> College :: News & Events - News](<a href=“Williams College”>Williams College)
[Recent</a> Graduates](<a href=“http://www.williams.edu/Physics/people/beyond.html]Recent”>http://www.williams.edu/Physics/people/beyond.html)
[Williams</a> Physics News](<a href=“http://www.williams.edu/Physics/news/index.html]Williams”>http://www.williams.edu/Physics/news/index.html)
[Baylor</a> University || Marketing & Communications || News](<a href=“http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=67452]Baylor”>http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=67452)
[Baylor</a> University || Marketing & Communications || News](<a href=“http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=4388]Baylor”>http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=4388)
[url=<a href=“http://math.williams.edu/alums/]Math/Stat[/url”>http://math.williams.edu/alums/]Math/Stat[/url</a>]</p>
<p>It sounds like you would be full pays at Williams. Is that a factor? If you don’t mind the cost I’d choose Williams between Rutgers and Williams. It sounds like she might have some other good choices, and I think any of the other schools she is waiting to hear from is as good a choice as Williams.</p>
<p>For your information, Prof. Adams was one of the individuals receiving the teacher of the year award.</p>
<p>Of course she would shine at Rutgers, but at Williams, she’d be in the nursery of chosen plants…For my kid, I’d pay the money if I thought she would benefit from the intense personal attention. And as a girl in physics, she’d probably get more attention and support in the smaller environment. I majored in Physics at my LAC, and I can say I really don’t think I would have if the intro courses hadn’t had a prof who cared personally that I understood the material.</p>
<p>My kid goes to another top LAC, and for him, I think it is absolutely worth it. In a way, kids get more at a big college–there’s more variety, more people, more different things to do. Life at a small LAC is very simple in a way. There isn’t THAT much to do and you see the same people all the time. However, the learning, the intensity, the personal attention, the constant intellectual enrichment, is incredible. I feel that my son is really becoming a thinker on a very high plane, along with his classmates. Furthermore, I think that opportunities will open up to him that might not have opened up from attending a public university. I went to a public U and have a great life. But I can see he is pushed to a different level by his education. It’s hard to see what the value of this kind of education is until you’re immersed in it, and that’s why it’s worth it to me to pay for it.</p>
<p>If D wants to be able to combine the highest level academics, athletics, and orchestra and have a college experience she will have fond memories of, Rutgers should not be her choice. Even the Honors College will not be as challenging as the academics at Williams and the schools she hasn’t heard from. The bureaucracy of Rutgers and difficulty in enrolling in desired courses even for Honors should not be overlooked.</p>
<p>As an athlete, D will have to weigh her sport into her selection. You don’t mention that too prominently. Will she have the opportunity to play at all of these schools? Playing at a NESCAC school (especially Williams or Midd), even though DIII, is considered by most to be on a par with Ivy play if the team is strong.</p>
<p>If D does not need to attend Rutgers for financial reasons, I’d strongly urge her to pick an Ivy or NESCAC option.</p>
<p>So you can evaluate my comments: H and I have graduate degrees from Rutgers and 3 children with undergraduate degrees (one a Phi Beta Kappa) from Rutgers. They have no complaints and we are RU boosters. Youngest child, a recruited athlete, would not apply to RU, but applied to half of the schools your D has applied to. He will attend a top NESCAC school and play his sport there.</p>
<p>the benefits of going to a school like Williams will resonate throughout her life. Williams offers a personal touch that few schools offer.</p>
<p>If you could afford it, no question Williams hands down and I don’t have a kid at Williams. My daughter was also accepted into Rutgers Honors program 3 years ago. If I maybe so blunt, she cried after she visited it, it wasn’t the kind of college experience she wanted. What does she plan to do after college? Job, graduate school, med school? Coming out of Williams would give her a leg up on any of those post UG opportunities. </p>
<p>Some people may like Rutgers’ size, but if your daughter views Williams as a dream school, then Rutgers probably wouldn’t be a right fit for your daughter. If you were considering Cornell and Rutgers than there maybe a better reason to compare, outside of ranking.</p>
<p>Williams will be in session next week. Spring break is from March 20 through April 4.</p>
<p>I sent you a pm.</p>
<p>I want to thank everyone who has posted so far. Your comments are so informative and insightful. This is such an education for us and I really appreciate any and all information as I feel that we have such an important decision to make and Williams and its faculty sound amazing. Each post continues to give us something to think about.</p>
<p>Best of luck, and isn’t it great that your d worked so hard, and you raised her so well, to have these choices! Congrats, we are all collectively proud of you, and happy for you!</p>
<p>Thank you! I noticed you (OldbatesieDoc) from NY Wine Country. My dad was also, he was born in Phelps, NY and lived in the Finger Lakes area. We used to vacation up there as kids and see all the beautiful glens he had explored as a kid.</p>
<p>JMMom, If I could look in my crystal ball I’d say your daughter’s decision is not going to be between Williams and Rutgers but between Williams and one of the larger universities on her list.</p>
<p>You haven’t said what the financial burden of choosing Williams would be to your family. (Or what kind of package Williams has offered.) How much a private education is worth is totally personal; however, putting money to the side for a minute, I would put Williams lightyears ahead of Rutgers.</p>
<p>I went to a Big 10 University and my son graduated from Williams three years ago. Although I received a good education well recognized all over the world, my son’s experience was infinitely better than mine. The friends he made – students and professors – will stay with him his whole life. They’ve already proven golden in job hunting and graduate school application.</p>
<p>I strongly suggest that your daughter try to overnight at Williams, even if inconvenient. Williams is a love/hate scenario. Students know immediately whether it is – or is not – the place for them. I’ve never known anyone who was impartial.</p>
<p>Then when the other acceptances come in (my crystal ball says they will) she’ll be in a better position to compare – size, environment, ambience, prestige. </p>
<p>Good luck and let us know how she does.</p>
<p>Momrath - thank you so much. From our last minute research and from everyone’s help, Williams sounds like an amazing choice. We are visiting tomorrow but can only do a morning because my daughter is in her school’s show (pit orchestra) this week. We have meetings with profs. next Monday but we really wanted to see the campus with students on it before break. I can already list SO many positives about Williams but can you tell me what students have not liked about it? I don’t know what will happen with the other larger universities on her list which are reaches but I really feel she would be much more at home in a smaller setting. She thrived on the extra close relationships she formed with a number of her teachers over the years. Finances are such that we could send her to Williams (although it certainly would cut into our savings) but then she would be on her own for graduate work, whereas, if undergrad was paid for (Rutgers) we could help her with graduate (and I don’t even know what her plans would be after four years in terms of that. I thought it might be helpful to know what people might not like about Williams because at the moment, I can’t imagine anything. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>The two issues come up the most when kids cross Williams off their list are 1) the isolated, rural location and 2) the sports driven culture. For my son, who’d only ever lived in big cities his whole life and who didn’t play any team sports these potential negatives turned out to be pluses. </p>
<p>He loved the natural beauty of the Berkshires and thrived in the insular, inward focused community. He managed to get to New York or Boston about once every term either for a social event or a school sponsored trip, but he was always pleased to get back to the Purple Bubble.</p>
<p>Although he was always involved in outdoorsy activities, while at Williams he took up several new sports and stayed healthy and active.</p>
<p>The reaction seems to be intuitive: kids step on campus and say “this is the place” or “get me out of here.” 
</p>
<p>My son stayed on campus all four years, including all four winter study periods. He would have signed up for four more.</p>
<p>I didn’t visit Williamstown all that often but when I did I was always knocked out by the energy and enthusiasm of my son’s friends: smart, multi-faceted, talented, kind and happy. Three years on they’re all doing great things.</p>
<p>We paid for Williams. I’m grateful that we were able to do it and have no regrets. For graduate school our son is covering tuition roughly one third each loans, grants and parents.</p>
<p>What are the future plans?</p>
<p>hmmm, negative stuff…it really is in the middle of nowhere, but gosh that nowhere is very pretty. Student housing has some issues that are being worked on…currently students are placed into neighborhoods from day one which can make it difficult to live with friends if you bond with people outside of the first year entry. Drinking may be an issue for some, but there are people who don’t drink at all, and those who do it in moderation. That can be a tough issue the first year if a kid starts out in a heavy drinking entry and wants to find other students to socialize with. They seem to work it out though. </p>
<p>Your daughter may have other choices to make in the next month. I get the financial issue, and Rutgers may well be the right choice in that regard. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Williams over her other full-pay options though.</p>
<p>I saw that you were meeting with Adams… he’s such a great guy! I had him in the fall for Multivariable Calc and every class was entertaining and fun. I’m glad that you are meeting with him because many of the math profs are excellent teachers (Williams tries hard for this: the math program at Williams is one of its strongest and well known beyond Williams).</p>
<p>If graduate school is even a remote possibility, then I would go with the undergraduate program that gives the most financial aid.</p>