I am so lucky to have been recently accepted to my top two choices- Williams College and Wellesley College. I have gone back and forth between the two countless times, and I’d love to hear how other people compare these two excellent schools. I was also extremely surprised to be accepted to Bowdoin College as a Faculty Scholar, and I am also (to a lesser degree) considering it.
I plan to major in International Relations/History/Political Science. One of my biggest concerns is Williams’ rural location in tiny Williamstown (Population: 8000). I’d definitely say Wellesley’s setting less than an hour from Boston is a big draw. At the same time, I love the idea of a women’s college, but I think it could get old over the course of 4 years. Of course, many Wellesley girls do socialize with guys from the nearby schools, but I also value friendships with males. I feel like these could be limited.
I visited both schools in the fall and was struck by the contrast of the prevalent drinking culture I saw at Williams versus the low key (nonexistent) party scene at Wellesley. I prefer the latter school’s tradition of going off-campus for parties.
Academically, is Williams really superior? I did get the sense that the students at Williams were top-caliber, but I also sensed that they were aware of the fact. I know that Williams is widely considered to be the top LAC (even beyond rankings), and I would hate to pass up the opportunities that come with the Williams name further down the road.
I’d appreciate any feedback, especially from alumni/current students/parents of current students. Thanks in advance for your assistance!
Other acceptances: Northeastern, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Hamilton, Macalester, Colby, American
Congrats on so many wonderful acceptances! I really like your options. Wellesley has great academics but I have a little bias against it because I know several students who have found the environment overly competitive.
Personally, I’d choose Williams or Bowdoin. Take a closer look at Bowdoin. It has the top notch academics of the other two, with a little more laid back vibe and a great location.
Don’t let a few ranking placements sway you into choosing one school over another as the academic quality is marginal or nonexistent. Whether ranked #1, #4, or #5, you’ll get an equally good education at any. Go with fit and where you think you would be happiest for 4 years. THAT will make the difference in your college years.
Bowdoin is awesome. The town is lovely and Portland is 25 miles away. Part of the Bowdoin campus is in a neighborhood of big old homes and the other side is sort of in Brunswick’s downtown if I remember correctly. Brunswick is on the water too. Bowdoin’s location is far better than William’s. Bowdoin is also close to Bates so you can go there if there is something interesting going on. Food is outstanding at Bowdoin and the food in town is excellent.
To add onto @TimeToBreath’s comments on the location, you can catch Amtrak from Brunswick (Bowdoin) into Boston. Brunswick has an AMAZING gelato shop as well as other good dining. Portland ME has some of the best dining per capita in the USA. It has great love music venues- State Theatre and Port City Music Hall. Combined with good housing and on campus dining, no wonder Bowdoin students are so happy.
@scully20 - I’m a Williams alum, and I’ll go ahead and say no, the difference in perceived quality is not meaningful to the life of any individual student. The one important academic difference is Williams’ tutorial system, which is truly remarkable, but if that’s not a big draw for you, then it’s a pretty level playing field. You’re in a win-win-win game. Congrats!
Bowdoin’s poli-sci/government department is pre-eminent, so if that’s your interest i think you’d be wise to strongly consider Bowdoin for that reason, in addition to what others have said above.
Congrats on so many great options! Bowdoin has it all- top academics, laid back student body, close to Portland, so many many many positive attributes. Yes Williams is the top dog when it comes to admissions to the tippy top prestigious LACs but there is a pretty intense vibe that goes along with that honor. Check out Bowdoin before you make any final decisions- phenomenal school, awesome location, fantastic option!
Congratulations on some fine acceptances! I’d agree with @marvin100 that the quality of academics at Williams and Wellesley would be identical. I would think that factors that lead to career success such as internships, summer jobs, career placement, graduate school acceptances, professor recommendations, alumni/ae networks and overall name recognition would also be very similar.
History and Political Science are mainstays of the liberal arts and will be strong departments at all and any. International Relations is a concentration at Williams (as I believe it is at Wellesley) but both schools have excellent networks in DC and send many students to study abroad opportunities.
The major differences are, as you note, all women vs coed and suburban Boston vs rural Berkshires. Only you can decide how you feel about attending a women’s school. Obviously that wasn’t a decision that my son had to make, but I will say that he really enjoyed interacting with and living with women in Williams first year entry system. Winter Study was also a plus for him.
My son considered Williams’ rural setting to be a plus and took full advantage of outdoorsy activities. Pre-Williams he had only ever lived in mega-cities and post-Williams he’s back in the city again (Boston as it turns out), but he values the time he was able to spend in the mountains. Again, it’s a personal consideration. I haven’t been to Bowdoin so I can’t compare, but Williamstown is a very special place.
Parent of a recent Williams alum here. My daughter loved living in Williamstown and greatly enjoyed her peers there. In hindsight, the academics are really intense and at times the stress level gets to unhealthy levels. Drinking is hit or miss. The sports teams tend to do the most organized partying and they’re easy to avoid. My daughter had some friends she drank with, more like wine and cheese parties, and many that didn’t drink at all. Security is quick to respond to noise complaints and shut down anything that might be considered “wild”. There is an off-campus party place but again, easy to avoid if that’s not your scene.
I think either school could provide you with a strong alumni network.
My daughter’s closest friends at Williams were male. That’s for you to decide what works for you of course.
Thank you all for your input! Part of the reason I said I was not considering Bowdoin as seriously was because it is the only one of the three schools I have not visited. Luckily I will be visiting all of these schools in the coming month, so I will hopefully be able to make a well-informed decision.
Choose Williams. The difference in quality may not be apparent, but It is more well known and significantly harder to get into. Bowdoin is also another great choice. In my opinion, Williams and Bowdoin hold better names. Good luck
Actually, Bowdoin has a lower acceptance rate than Williams despite US News rankings, which are insignificant in my opinion. They are both amazing colleges with stellar academics. I think location/quality of life has a lot to do with the appeal of Bowdoin to students.
@collegeparentnew From my school, there are charts of students accepted and denied at every school that is applied to. Williams is significantly harder to get into than Bowdoin is from my school. Also Williams is ranked as the #1 LAC in the country.
I don’t think it is that simple, but I would probably choose Williams also. I concur with the poster above re: the tutorial system – one of very few genuine tutorial experiences in the U.S. It sounds as if you may be considering law or an international relations-related career, and if so, I do feel Williams may give a slight boost career-wise. And Williamstown is actually perceived as a rather urbane area, despite its rural surrounds.
I don’t think the quality of education will be qualitatively that different among the top three or five LACs. I was also accepted to top LACs many years ago, and chose larger for personal reasons. But given your goals and what Williams offers, you may want to give it another in-depth look.
That said, if you really prefer Wellesley’s atmosphere, it being perhaps the pre-eminent women’s college, you will also gain benefits attending Wellesley. I disagree that Bowdoin holds a better name than Wellesley; Wellesley has been an established inside track to some of the highest echelons of society for quite a long time. Alas, not so simple. The Bowdoin-Faculty offer sounds enticing, but I don’t know what kind of real-world effects it translates into.
Congratulations! Wonderful to have so many options and your three top choices are all amazing. I would try to revisit all three if possible and speak to as many students as you can. We visited Williams and Bowdoin last year and while Williams is a beautiful campus in a beautiful location, it is isolated in a way that neither of the other two are. Wellesley obviously is close to Boston and Bowdoin is 1/2 an hour from Portland which has some of the best restaurants and bakeries in the Northeast. (In addition to Holy Donut and Standard Baking, I would add pies from Two Fat Cats, french fries from Duck Fat and anything from Fore Street or Street and Co.) Bowdoin itself consistently gets top ratings for food. But again, they are terrific schools, all very highly ranked so I think you should re-visit and see where you feel most comfortable academically and socially.
Splitting hairs when trying to argue selectivity of Bowdoin vs Williams for sure. They are the same caliber. Make your choice by deciding on campus feel, location, size, academic departments etc. Great choices!!
