Williams vs Princeton, please help

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC was admitted RD to Williams and almost picked it over an Ivy. It is a terrific college, probably a better undergraduate experience than any Ivy. It has amazing results in terms of grad school admissions (about an 85% admit rate into medical school) and extremely strong job outcomes.
You should visit Williams, the facilities are amazing, you will see the College President walking around campus. The town is small and very rural and that may put your DC off.

Both schools are extremely difficult to get into, Williams does have ED, Princeton only SCEA which doesn't offer much of a boost if any. I wouldn't worry now about telling people where she went to college, the bigger issue is getting into college let alone getting into two of the most rejective ones . . .

Such as? Everything we saw was pretty subpar.

Sawyer Library, the theaters, the science facilities which are accessible to undergrads because they aren't competing with grad students.

Swayer library is just a bunch of flashy windows and swivel chairs. Not impressed.
The theaters are nothing different than what I've seen at peers.
Science facilities are worse than WASP peers- particularly Amherst and Pomona. You either haven't been to many LACs or are easily pleased.

You sound like someone whose kid got rejected from Williams. . . .

Oh another person who can't handle an opinion, great. I'm not wowed by any of these buildings. I've been various times to williams campus-the setting is stunning, but the actual academic buildings are fine. Plus, if you're doing a resource match up, williams is destroyed by Princeton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC was admitted RD to Williams and almost picked it over an Ivy. It is a terrific college, probably a better undergraduate experience than any Ivy. It has amazing results in terms of grad school admissions (about an 85% admit rate into medical school) and extremely strong job outcomes.
You should visit Williams, the facilities are amazing, you will see the College President walking around campus. The town is small and very rural and that may put your DC off.

Both schools are extremely difficult to get into, Williams does have ED, Princeton only SCEA which doesn't offer much of a boost if any. I wouldn't worry now about telling people where she went to college, the bigger issue is getting into college let alone getting into two of the most rejective ones . . .

Such as? Everything we saw was pretty subpar.

Sawyer Library, the theaters, the science facilities which are accessible to undergrads because they aren't competing with grad students.

Swayer library is just a bunch of flashy windows and swivel chairs. Not impressed.
The theaters are nothing different than what I've seen at peers.
Science facilities are worse than WASP peers- particularly Amherst and Pomona. You either haven't been to many LACs or are easily pleased.

You sound like someone whose kid got rejected from Williams. . . .

Oh another person who can't handle an opinion, great. I'm not wowed by any of these buildings. I've been various times to williams campus-the setting is stunning, but the actual academic buildings are fine. Plus, if you're doing a resource match up, williams is destroyed by Princeton.

No question Princeton on resources and I completely agree most students admitted to both would pick Princeton and my own kid picked an Ivy over Williams after RD. I just wouldn't advise anyone to make their "decision" between the two before they apply or to do so on the basis of name recognition of Williams by the general public.

[Anonymous]

Life has a way of helping you out with these decision all on its own. Apply then worry.

[Anonymous]

I wish we could ban the words "Williams," "Amherst," "Swarthmore," and "Pomona" from this forum

[Anonymous]

Williams is closer in prestige to Gettysburg than it is to Princeton - no one in DCUM ecosystem would choose either Williams or Gettysburg over Princeton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, all I want is the best for my daughter. She’s bright, articulate, and passionate about literature—an aspiring English major who lights up when she talks about Shakespeare, Toni Morrison, and George Eliot. I’m proud of her intellectual curiosity and her drive, and as college application season ramps up, I find myself facing a surprising dilemma: prestige versus fit.
Recently, she’s been talking a lot about Williams College. Her college counselor raves about it, calling it one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. Small class sizes, amazing faculty attention, a rigorous academic environment—it checks all the boxes on paper. She loves the idea of a tight-knit academic community where she can really dig into her studies.
But here’s the thing that keeps nagging at me: no one I know has heard of Williams.
I don’t mean this to sound dismissive or elitist. I’ve done my research. I know that Williams consistently ranks at the top of liberal arts college lists, often ahead of places like Amherst. But when I bring it up to friends, colleagues, or even extended family, the reaction is almost always the same: “Where’s that?” or “Is that William and Mary?” or, worse, “Oh, is that a state school?”
It feels strange—and frankly a little frustrating—that such a highly ranked school doesn’t carry the same name recognition as, say, Princeton or Yale. In a world where connections matter, where first impressions are formed in seconds, I can’t help but wonder: Will people take her degree seriously if they’ve never heard of the school?
That brings me to the other option my daughter is considering: Princeton. She’s academically competitive enough to be a real contender there, and of course, the English department is world-renowned. If you tell someone you went to Princeton, you don’t need to explain. The name opens doors—whether you're applying for a job, a fellowship, or grad school. It’s just understood.
I’m torn. I don’t want to push her toward a decision based purely on prestige. I know that real learning happens when a student feels seen, challenged, and supported—and from everything we’ve heard, Williams offers that in spades. But I also can’t ignore the reality that in many circles, name recognition matters. She might thrive at Williams, but I worry she’ll have to constantly explain or defend her choice to people who simply don’t know better.

Nice attempt at prompt generation dearest Troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC was admitted RD to Williams and almost picked it over an Ivy. It is a terrific college, probably a better undergraduate experience than any Ivy. It has amazing results in terms of grad school admissions (about an 85% admit rate into medical school) and extremely strong job outcomes.
You should visit Williams, the facilities are amazing, you will see the College President walking around campus. The town is small and very rural and that may put your DC off.

Both schools are extremely difficult to get into, Williams does have ED, Princeton only SCEA which doesn't offer much of a boost if any. I wouldn't worry now about telling people where she went to college, the bigger issue is getting into college let alone getting into two of the most rejective ones . . .

Such as? Everything we saw was pretty subpar.

This is how one says that they have never been to a place without saying that they have never been there....they just blither and make themselves look foolish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC was admitted RD to Williams and almost picked it over an Ivy. It is a terrific college, probably a better undergraduate experience than any Ivy. It has amazing results in terms of grad school admissions (about an 85% admit rate into medical school) and extremely strong job outcomes.
You should visit Williams, the facilities are amazing, you will see the College President walking around campus. The town is small and very rural and that may put your DC off.

Both schools are extremely difficult to get into, Williams does have ED, Princeton only SCEA which doesn't offer much of a boost if any. I wouldn't worry now about telling people where she went to college, the bigger issue is getting into college let alone getting into two of the most rejective ones . . .

Such as? Everything we saw was pretty subpar.

This is how one says that they have never been to a place without saying that they have never been there....they just blither and make themselves look foolish.

And you've been? You really didn't say anything. I'm well aware of what Williams is like and the student body.

[Anonymous]

Years ago Princeton and Williams were my top two choices (admitted to both) and I'll happily share my thoughts with OP once her DD is admitted to both.

[Anonymous]

Agree that the facilities at Williams College are not amazing, but they are more than adequate. On a per capita basis,Williams College is a wealthy school with respect to endowment per student; however, Princeton University is in a different class than small, isolated Williams College.

Both are great schools and both have a low rate of admissions.

OP, nothing you have shared suggests that your daughter is a strong candidate for either elite school.

Another poster suggested that your daughter consider Kenyon College in Ohio. I think that this is an excellent suggestion based on your daughter's academic interests and will help her to decide whether or not she wants a small, rural, isolated school for her 4 years of college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC was admitted RD to Williams and almost picked it over an Ivy. It is a terrific college, probably a better undergraduate experience than any Ivy. It has amazing results in terms of grad school admissions (about an 85% admit rate into medical school) and extremely strong job outcomes.
You should visit Williams, the facilities are amazing, you will see the College President walking around campus. The town is small and very rural and that may put your DC off.

Both schools are extremely difficult to get into, Williams does have ED, Princeton only SCEA which doesn't offer much of a boost if any. I wouldn't worry now about telling people where she went to college, the bigger issue is getting into college let alone getting into two of the most rejective ones . . .

Such as? Everything we saw was pretty subpar.

Sawyer Library, the theaters, the science facilities which are accessible to undergrads because they aren't competing with grad students.

Swayer library is just a bunch of flashy windows and swivel chairs. Not impressed.
The theaters are nothing different than what I've seen at peers.
Science facilities are worse than WASP peers- particularly Amherst and Pomona. You either haven't been to many LACs or are easily pleased.

You need to do far better than googling the name of a library. You are making yourself look foolish my little Pomona Troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC was admitted RD to Williams and almost picked it over an Ivy. It is a terrific college, probably a better undergraduate experience than any Ivy. It has amazing results in terms of grad school admissions (about an 85% admit rate into medical school) and extremely strong job outcomes.
You should visit Williams, the facilities are amazing, you will see the College President walking around campus. The town is small and very rural and that may put your DC off.

Both schools are extremely difficult to get into, Williams does have ED, Princeton only SCEA which doesn't offer much of a boost if any. I wouldn't worry now about telling people where she went to college, the bigger issue is getting into college let alone getting into two of the most rejective ones . . .

Such as? Everything we saw was pretty subpar.

Sawyer Library, the theaters, the science facilities which are accessible to undergrads because they aren't competing with grad students.

Swayer library is just a bunch of flashy windows and swivel chairs. Not impressed.
The theaters are nothing different than what I've seen at peers.
Science facilities are worse than WASP peers- particularly Amherst and Pomona. You either haven't been to many LACs or are easily pleased.

You need to do far better than googling the name of a library. You are making yourself look foolish my little Pomona Troll.

I've been to Sawyer library. The entrance is the historic building that then transitions to the renovations they did. There are upstairs classrooms. What the hell do you know about Williams?

[Anonymous]

Lots of emotion and snark in this thread, but for what it's worth, here’s a level-headed take from someone who has actually compared these two options up close.
Princeton and Williams are both elite institutions — full stop — but they offer fundamentally different undergraduate experiences. It’s not as simple as “Williams is a no-name compared to Princeton” or “Princeton has more money so it’s better.” That kind of binary thinking misses the real tradeoffs.

Williams, while consistently ranked the #1 LAC in the country, doesn’t always have that instant-brand reaction. That’s the truth — though in academic, policy, and grad school circles, it’s extremely well respected. If your daughter applies to a top PhD, law, or MFA program, Williams will not be a liability — it might even be a slight advantage because of the close faculty mentorship and research opportunities.

Princeton, meanwhile, is much more excellent for humanities, but it’s a much larger environment, more bureaucratic, and she may have to fight harder for faculty attention — at least for the first year or two. There is a prestige tax: you might have a more “famous” degree, but the tradeoff is a different kind of student-professor dynamic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the facilities at Williams College are not amazing, but they are more than adequate. On a per capita basis,Williams College is a wealthy school with respect to endowment per student; however, Princeton University is in a different class than small, isolated Williams College.

Both are great schools and both have a low rate of admissions.

OP, nothing you have shared suggests that your daughter is a strong candidate for either elite school.

Another poster suggested that your daughter consider Kenyon College in Ohio. I think that this is an excellent suggestion based on your daughter's academic interests and will help her to decide whether or not she wants a small, rural, isolated school for her 4 years of college.

Agree with this interpretation. It is not uniquely more resourced than another top LAC, and it won't have the same opportunities or resources as Princeton, but for the right student, it's a great fit.

[Anonymous]

It's not your choice, it's your daughter's. And she is under no obligation to sacrifice the experience she wants so that you can get bragging rights among your uneducated friends.