Williams vs Vandy

[Anonymous]

Nashville seems like such a great place for that age. Vanderbilt would be an easy choice for my teen, but it ultimately depends on what your son values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would go with Williams. In a lot of circles, particularly within a lot of traditional industries like law, medicine, and finance, Williams is still seen as a solid tier above Vanderbilt. Vandy strikes me as a school that is somewhat overrated for what its selectivity with a very insecure Chancellor who seems to be obsessed with rankings.

I agree. The Chancellor’s written response to last year’s USNWR ranking was embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Williams.
More respected among those that hire and admit to top med/law/phD

[Anonymous]

Be prepared to say Williams College in Massachusetts your whole life because no one with exception of liberal elites have heard of it. Nashville a dynamic go to city with chance to watch SEC sports with great weather vs a climate change rally of 150 people in wiillamstown

[Anonymous]

I would choose an intellectual northeast college over a southern one filled with Daisy Dukes 10 out of 10 times.

[Anonymous]

Williams has Oxford style tutorials. Also, it’s in a blue state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would go with Williams. In a lot of circles, particularly within a lot of traditional industries like law, medicine, and finance, Williams is still seen as a solid tier above Vanderbilt. Vandy strikes me as a school that is somewhat overrated for what its selectivity with a very insecure Chancellor who seems to be obsessed with rankings.

Lol “solid tier above” in law and especially medicine

Williams doesn't have a medical school or a law school, but I think what this person meant was that within the legal and medical professions, a Williams undergrad is typically seen as more prestigious than Vanderbilt. Williams is known to be a pretty strong feeder into Top 14 law schools, while Vanderbilt lags behind: https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-law-school

Maybe. But I think this view is a little dated. Vanderbilt has an excellent medical school right on campus. And it has a T14 law school.

If someone wants the SLAC experience, go to Williams. But I really don't think Williams is better than Vanderbilt for med and law school placement these days.

+1, people here are obsessed with lacs. If you at all like opportunities and diversity, I’d stay clear. It’s nice in theory, but having access to actual professionals nearby is really helpful and can change your career for the positive. I think lac people get too caught up in the academic path to actually explore anything- doesn’t help their campuses are stuck in the middle of absolutely nowhere. For some reason, liberal arts colleges are allergic to engaging with the rest of the world

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Williams.
More respected among those that hire and admit to top med/law/phD

Interesting - how does one assess the reputation of undergrad institutions among multiple disciplines? Where did you find this data?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would go with Williams. In a lot of circles, particularly within a lot of traditional industries like law, medicine, and finance, Williams is still seen as a solid tier above Vanderbilt. Vandy strikes me as a school that is somewhat overrated for what its selectivity with a very insecure Chancellor who seems to be obsessed with rankings.

Lol “solid tier above” in law and especially medicine

Williams doesn't have a medical school or a law school, but I think what this person meant was that within the legal and medical professions, a Williams undergrad is typically seen as more prestigious than Vanderbilt. Williams is known to be a pretty strong feeder into Top 14 law schools, while Vanderbilt lags behind: https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-law-school

Maybe. But I think this view is a little dated. Vanderbilt has an excellent medical school right on campus. And it has a T14 law school.

If someone wants the SLAC experience, go to Williams. But I really don't think Williams is better than Vanderbilt for med and law school placement these days.

+1, people here are obsessed with lacs. If you at all like opportunities and diversity, I’d stay clear. It’s nice in theory, but having access to actual professionals nearby is really helpful and can change your career for the positive. I think lac people get too caught up in the academic path to actually explore anything- doesn’t help their campuses are stuck in the middle of absolutely nowhere. For some reason, liberal arts colleges are allergic to engaging with the rest of the world

Holy hyperbole, Batman. Check out Williams' January term - they get a lot of professionals from NYC and Boston who come in to teach really interesting courses for a month. And as someone noted above, it is not that hard (though admittedly not super easy) to get to Boston or NYC for a long weekend.

Again, not saying Williams is perfect. It definitely is remote. But it is a lot less remote than Grinnell, Middlebury, etc. For generations students have managed to overcome this remoteness to be extremely successful. It is great for some people. And awful for others. You seem to only see it in one direction and refuse to admit that others might see things differently.

[Anonymous]

Williamstown is extremely remote. One key component of college is having an enjoyable experience. Vandy is located in one of he most desirable cities in the country in the fastest growing region warm weather and well rounded students. The academic differences is is negligible the fun divide is huge. Only lefties would go to Williams.

[Anonymous]

Has your son done the 'Dore for a day' tour at Vandy? It's a 3-hour on-campus program where an admitted student shadows a current Vanderbilt student for an afternoon, attends class, eat lunch, and explores campus. Dore for a day helped my son decide on Vanderbilt. He is finishing his freshman year and loves it.

[Anonymous]

I think it is crazy how people here have the perception that VU is "daisy dukes" and a regional college vibe. Vanderbilt is a national R1 university with a sub-5% acceptance rate. The academics there are top-notch and if you claim otherwise, you are the one who needs to update your thinking. It's been in the top 20 for over 20 years at this point.

[Anonymous]

We've had Vandy grads absolutely bomb on interviews and in work product at our firm.

And the main reason is they are very intellectually uncurious and do not go 'above and beyond'.

This is not an issue we have from nescacs or even seven sisters schools where kids make up for anything with their earnestness.

I'm not sure how exactly vandy has a sub 5% acceptance rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Williamstown is extremely remote. One key component of college is having an enjoyable experience. Vandy is located in one of he most desirable cities in the country in the fastest growing region warm weather and well rounded students. The academic differences is is negligible the fun divide is huge. Only lefties would go to Williams.

Williams alum in the South. Lots of respect for Vandy. Both Vandy and Williams are great in different ways. It really depends on your kid’s lifestyle/climate/vibe preference.

[Anonymous]

Because of the tutorial option, Williams is going to offer far greater academic challenge.