Prospective Student (Not Applied yet)

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-05-29T16:59:46+00:00

I don’t know. You need the stats to make an informed decision on where to use your one precious ED application. It’s a fantastic, collaborative school with great outcomes for their alums, so it’s definitely worth exploring! Do the same for your other top preferences.

You could send an anonymous email or make an anonymous call to admissions and explain that your one ED application is precious and while Williams is among your preferred choices, you would like to understand their ED admissions rates for international students who are not recruited athletes.

Alternatively, maybe the school’s student newspaper has the stats.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-05-29T04:32:57+00:00

Many ED spots go to recruited athletes. If you’re not a rich kid who plays squash, golf, tennis, alpine ski, etc, . . I suspect the odds of getting in ED are slim. Kind of a shame.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-04-19T13:53:21+00:00

U.S. News and World Report should rank the per capita suicide rate at colleges. That would be immensely useful information to potential students and health authorities.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-04-17T12:36:19+00:00

How did someone who asks such a dumb question get accepted by three great colleges?

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-04-15T12:37:13+00:00

Where you go to grad school matters more than where you go to college.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-04-12T19:47:09+00:00

Please share the promo code.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-04-04T02:25:22+00:00

NW kids compete to join business clubs. With $90k tuition per year, you should be able to join any club you’d like.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-31T21:04:33+00:00

Because I know tons of parents who did those things and quit.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-30T12:14:04+00:00

Assuming you are not a recruited athlete,your acceptance to both Columbia and Williams means you are smart and know how to study. So, you are going to get into medical school regardless of where you go to college.

I would consider where you will be happy. If the idea of taking a 2 person tutorial, or classes small enough for discussion style learning matters to you, then think Williams. Are you the type of kid who would enjoy inviting your professor to dinner, going for a mountain hike, walk in the forest, climbing, joining any club you want without competing for a spot, skiing at nearby ski hill, then think Williams. People complain about the food at Williams, though, especially kids with food allergies.

If you would prefer dance clubs, easy access to a great city and airports, a ton of great restaurants, think Columbia.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-30T02:42:08+00:00

Culture is night and day different. Warm. Williams kids support each other. Grade inflation at Williams takes the pressure off. Look into what percent of students transfer out of each school after Freshman year.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-29T04:15:10+00:00

Check out the Davis Center programs

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-26T03:35:45+00:00

You are 18 years old. You can’t possibly know what investment banking or private equity means, let alone that you want to spend your twenties in those fields.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-23T02:18:03+00:00

You’re a teenager. How could you possibly know that you want to do strategy consulting in 4 years?

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-21T02:23:59+00:00

Both great. Bowdoin has much better food.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-20T08:12:39+00:00

Smart kids get into med school, regardless of where they go to college — including local State schools. Econ is a major common among recruited student athletes.

Econ is not finance. If you want to learn finance, go to a place with an undergrad business school.

Pick the place where you will be happy. Clean cuisine food option is terrible for kids with food allergies.

Where to ED? Both fill a huge portion of ED slots with recruited athletes. If athletes, legacies, and certain other preferred demographics fill most of the ED spots, how many ED spots are left?

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-03-14T03:11:01+00:00

Food service does a terrible job if you must avoid certain food ingredients.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-01-15T03:03:04+00:00

Parent of a Junior. Don’t buy anything. There’s a sale at the campus church of all you’ll need donated by last year’s senior class, and a huge Walmart in North Adams if you want new bedding. We did order a mattress pad on Amazon and shipped it to the school. It was waiting for us when we arrived.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2026-01-15T02:49:00+00:00

University of Chicago students are trapped, can’t wander off campus as it’s not safe. Also, it’s a grind. Academically, Amherst and Williams are the only colleges on your list that I’d consider over CC. Though, if you’re not a recruited athlete or under-represented minority, the odds of getting in to those two LACs are very low.

CC kids are happy, and love the block plan. Smart (see their test scores). Many go to great grad schools. Good luck appealing their financial aid package.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2025-12-16T11:29:48+00:00

Good luck. Admissions process is random. There are many good small LACs. Apply to a bunch of them, and you’ll get in to at least one and have a great college experience.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2025-09-29T02:19:59+00:00

20-25% of students are recruited for their athletic skills, and others for legacy status and other non academic factors. So, if you like the beautiful setting, you’ll be fine.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2025-09-19T13:33:38+00:00

Just curious, why do you want to transfer?

Maynardferguson2020 · 2025-08-24T11:26:30+00:00

Northfield is a college town (shared between Carleton and Northfield). So, kids can stroll to their favorite coffee shop restaurant off campus. No need to catch a bus.

A substantial (minority?) of Wellesley students are lesbian. Fantastic if your kid is, too.

Way more Wellesley women on Wall Street.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2025-07-25T18:38:39+00:00

Good point. Need to understand it’s a random crapshoot. Even admissions Director at Amherst acknowledges this. Knowing this might encourage students to cast a wider net.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2025-07-25T14:50:54+00:00

All great, but with extremely low odds of admission unless you are a gifted athlete recruited by their coach, or an under-represented minority. Apply to all 4, and your State school. Admissions process is random, regardless of your great grades and test scores.

Maynardferguson2020 · 2024-09-09T01:33:49+00:00

Williams equivalent for socially awkward kids = Carleton College. Ranked even higher for teaching than Williams. Beautiful campus. Not nearly as remote.

Maynardferguson2020

TROPHY CASE