what's the difference between Williams and Davidson?
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Anonymous
Regarding the bolded portions: LACs are liberal arts schools, so, yes,they do attract students who have less of a pre-determined career goal or path. In many,maybe most, instances they need to go to grad school in order to proceed through life. I respond because the "life of the mind" comment is not a compliment in my view--it just means that one is somewhat directionless and needs to grow & mature further in order to find a career. In my experience, students at the elite National Universities and in public university honors colleges tend to be brilliant, motivated and determined. Different environments for individuals with different preferences and in different places in their lives. |
Anonymous
| Most kids at Davidson are not interested in IB because there are more important and interesting things to do in the world. That said, economics is a strong and popular program at Davidson, and the school offers an IB boot camp for those interested in the path. If students at Davidson want IB, the opportunity exists, especially with BofA in Charlotte. |
Anonymous
My cousin majored in Econ and math at Davidson and got a fantastic investment banking job afterwards. |
Anonymous
| Williams is more isolated |
Anonymous
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I visited Williams one summer and currently have a student at Davidson.
As for Williams, I can only remark on the physical campus. It’s nice, but not a stunner. It’s spread out more than it needs to be and is in a rural town somewhat difficult to get to. Davidson is in an idyllic community/suburb of Charlotte, NC with easy access to other surrounding communities, activities, and the city. The campus is beautiful and compact without being cramped. The vibe is friendly, academic, and collaborative. All the kids take their studies seriously, but Davidson spares the cutthroat competition common at NE schools. Professors encourage students to attend their office hours and are happy to mentor kids and help them find career or research opportunities. The career center is great and alumni actively recruit graduates. Basically, attend Davidson if you want an idyllic setting, warmer weather (but still four seasons), rigorous academics, friendly and smart students, and great outcomes. Save Harvard for graduate school. |
Anonymous
That’s such an insane reading of life of the mind to me. Most people do not finish in the same career they started. Most people don’t commit to a single path anymore at all. These are 18 year olds, not everyone is going the boring safe path of being an accountant. Being stubborn and “mature” about careers when you haven’t worked a corporate job a day in your life is called being an idiot. |
Anonymous
Yeesh what’s the point of a liberal arts college if the students are running towards stem. |
Anonymous
Um, no. Like seriously: no. |
Anonymous
Liberal arts have always included STEM. |
Anonymous
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Go visit both campuses. Sit in on classes.
There are way too many variables for us to tell you the answer for your student. I will say that of all the SLAC’s we visited, and we visited many, Davidson was the only one that didn’t give off an obsessed about sports vibe or that the athletes are gods. I mean they did mention Steph Curry and that the whole town comes out for basketball games. Wouldn’t you though? |
Anonymous
Sure but acting like they haven’t historically been more known for humanities and social sciences is delusional. |
Anonymous
The top LACs want to be more special than they are. Instead, their students are the same as the ivy students aspiring for IB/Consulting internships. If 112 of your students in such a small class are going into Econ, there’s a diversity issue clearly. |
Anonymous
Students everywhere find it easier to get a job in consulting than to "follow their passion." All you need to qualify for an interview is a decent gpa from a good school in an Econ or quantitative major. It's a pretty easily laid out path and open to new people, which is why consulting continues to steal top students. There aren't higher education degree barriers or unnecessary competition or technical ability. |
Anonymous
| College counselor here. Both are obviously excellent schools, although I favor Davidson for most students. With that said, I would think about where your DC will likely want to build a network during and after graduation. If in the North, Williams is the better choice. If in the South, Davidson is the better choice. |
Anonymous
+1000 |