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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP: hi everyone, we came back yesterday from Previews, and hubby and I are WOW'ed!

In short: the final choice is DC's 100% (and we've told DC many times so), but in our (hubby and I) opinion, we'd both rank the final two as CMU vs Williams (prior to visit, it was CMU vs Rice, and Williams a long third behind).

In lieu of writing a book here of our visit, some quick highlights:
- campus is gorgeous, despite it SNOWED on Monday, multiple times
- One thing that stood out was that at Rice, the math building felt old and neglected, but at Williams, it is a new, world-class building/floor. It was clear Williams is throwing/investing money in their math department. This matters a lot.
- every student we spoke with had nothing but good things to say about Williams (where at most other schools, we'd hear both sides of the story from different kids), and really love everything they're doing at Williams
- of course: love all the support and focus on undergrads, and the school focuses on creating opportunities for the kids there

I now understand why Williams has such a reputation and following.

For DC, the decision is really up to him. It's absolutely NOT about which one is better than the other (because each school stands out in different ways), but more about whether he want a more intense environment (CMU) or more laid back (comparatively speaking) and higher quality of life environment at Williams.

I can write more but will stop here. Happy to answer any questions (esp other parents who may be considering Williams)!!!
 [/quote]

Two observations:
1) Condition of buildings (math building) at Williams v Rice, doesn't mean the math dept is better at Williams. It's probably not. It just could mean that Rice is investing more in salaries or professor comp (Houston is a much more expensive city to live in, and real estate/maintenance etc is more expensive too than Williamsburg, MA). Don't be dazzled by edifices alone.
2) Be wary if you only ever hear positive things from students and their answers are too polished. It is not authentic for young people to be able to come up with no cons or downsides, just pros. It also sets up your student for false expectations when they go if no current students have realistic convos with them in advance. It also signals to me that it's possible the students who speak on admitted student day are scripted.

Good luck OP![/quote]

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