How do I decide between Williams College and Pomona College?

I'm a current student at Pomona.  Feel free to ask me any questions you have and I'll do my best to answer them :)

Come to Pomona college. What I've found in my college experience is that most top liberal arts colleges are very similar academically. Given this, you can base your decision on location, weather, and other factors. Williams is in an isolated, small, boring town, while Pomona is in the ultra-safe city of Claremont on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The weather is also always beautiful, so that is another plus over Williams. Finally, the Pomona consortium will give you exposure to a larger network and more opportunities overall. Go to Pomona

I take it you've been accepted at both and visited already, and still can't decide?  Otherwise, the admissions departments will probably decide for you, and you should visit if possible, respectively. Otherwise: You cannot make a wrong choice here in terms of school quality; that's why it's hard.  These are, in my opinion, the two best schools in the world for undergraduates, certainly in the top five.  Remember that no matter which you pick, you've "made it" to a world class place, and don't agonize over whether you made the right choice.  There is no wrong choice! The biggest difference between the two is, I think, location.  Williams is isolated, in more of a rural, natural, picturesque setting, and has a Massachusetts winter.  Pomona is just outside LA; it's hard to be more different in this respect.  I'd choose based on where I want to live for four years.  Is travel going to be a pain for you to one but not the other?  Do you find months of winter depressing, do you love the idea of living surrounded by mountains instead of highways?  Do you prefer being in the countryside, close to running and hiking trails through forest reserves, or will you find it stifling and prefer being in a city that actually has a stoplight?  Try to imagine yourself two years from now during sophomore spring, when feelings of burnout and buyer's remorse are typically at their maximum: what's bothering you about each school?  If you can think of things that would be wearing on you strongly at one of them, you've made your choice. My personal story:  I chose Williams, and I'm very glad I did. On the other hand, I'm in southern California for graduate school in part because I needed a change after four years of western Massachusetts.

I agree with others, who congratulate you on being admitted to both of these outstanding colleges.  One is isolated and in the Northeast, the other in the Pacific rim and sunny.  As a graduate of Williams, I can not think of a better education than I received there.

Try to visit both campuses if you can. Many colleges schedule days for admitted students to visit, with social and informational events to help you learn more about the college. Here are some things you could try to do to see what it's like to live there: Sit in on a couple of classes that sound interesting Check out a couple of dining options and try the food Visit the university store, library, student center, etc. If possible, visit a dorm and see a real dorm room If you have a student tour guide or are staying overnight with a student host, feel free to ask questions about student life, classes, extracurriculars, etc.! Be sure to take answers with a grain of salt, since they'll probably be overwhelmingly positive and one student's experiences may not be representative. Visiting a college campus also gives you a chance to see if it feels like a place you want to call home for four years. Sometimes, a college may sound perfect to you, but it just doesn't click when you visit or you learn something you didn't know before visiting. Of course, things like the weather, what's happening on campus the day you visit, your own mood, etc. can influence the feel of campus, so keep that in mind. If you can't visit campus, see if you can talk to current students. Do you know anybody from your high school who went there last year? Maybe you have a cousin or friend of a friend who studies at either college? Is there a Facebook group for admitted students? Does the school have student admissions ambassadors who reach out to accepted students or who you can contact with questions? You can always try to reach out to these people and ask questions you might have. I know it sounds really intimidating, but many of them love their school and want you to like it and go there! Don't be discouraged if you don't get a response or if the response is short -- college students are really busy and get lots of emails in general, exams are coming up at many colleges, they might not know the answer to your specific questions, etc. Try to keep your questions specific - it's a lot easier to give a specific answer to a question like "How hard is it for freshmen to get involved in research?" or "What types of alumni networking opportunities do you have?" than "What's [college] like?" Good luck, and congratulations on both colleges!

Disclosure: I went to Pomona and my wife went to Williams. We both loved our college experience. We both ended up at UCSF medical school and so we pursued similar pre-med (and her pre-law) type of classes. Educational environment very similar and overall amazing. Close-knit, personal relationships with professors. If there is truly any discernible difference, it would be that Williams seemed to produce more wall-street, i-banking, and consulting graduates than Pomona based on informal snack poll and reunion perspectives. That said, however, I didn't hang out with most of the econ / poli-sci people and I still have more friends than I can count who went the MBA-consulting or banking route as well. Everyday, via linkedin or otherwise, I'm impressed where I find my old classmates are: founders of tech companies, doctors, lawyers, scientists, bankers, VCs, writers, travel photographers and Williams is the same way. Williams is a gorgeous campus tucked far away in western Mass. It will remind you of going "off to college" back in the old days. However, it actually doesn't get much snow, but rather stays cold and gray for large parts of the year. That said, the cold weather really seemed to bring the campus together and sew some very close friendships. Also, summer and fall there are beautiful with the old buildings and small town feel. Pomona has the the best weather I can imagine. It's summer all year (but you're not there for the brutally hot real summer) and everyone studies outside under the palm trees, dips in the pools, and enjoys a campus-centered, bustling social life at night. Mountains are an hour a way and beach is even less so. We took many study-cations to Laguna Beach, Newport, and Santa Monica and barbecued every Sunday evening on campus (Pomona will provide you everything you need for free - uncooked meats and bbq items rather than using your meal card for a meal!) In terms of classes and careers, you'll be on the right path at either one. If you're dead set on landing a California tech, green-energy, or California based job, Pomona might be better and vice versa for Boston & NY for Williams. That said, there are many Sagehens and Ephs in high-powered careers on both coasts.

I'm a Williams grad and can recommend it passionately.  First off, I think warm weather is overrated in decision-making.  The fall in Western Massachusetts is breathtakingly beautiful, the winter has good skiing and pretty snowscapes, the spring is a riotous rebirth of the local flora and an intoxicating (literally and metaphorically) return to outdoor living.  The variability of the climate and the seasonal lifestyle it supports is a plus, not a minus.  Secondly, Williams is set in an idyllic mountain valley.  A three or five mile jog from campus takes you into deep forest or through lovely rolling pastures.  I've never in my life had natural beauty so accessible.  The school has amazing resources for lovers of all things outdoors.  The so-called isolation of Williams (a three hour drive from Boston or New York) makes campus life immersive, and the community self-supporting.  You don't need to look further for an incredibly rich experience.  The educational resources are world class, the summer theater in Williamstown is world class, the two art museums within minutes of campus are world class, and the sports programs and facilities are without peer for a school its size.  And with the intimacy of a school like Williams comes accessibility. Williams offers Oxford-style tutorials to work directly with your favorite professors.  Participation in any number of outstanding activities is available to students in a way that you simply don't get at other schools.  I studied astronomy as a minor and had relationships with top professors and hands-on access to observational equipment that is usually reserved for PhD candidates.  I wasn't an athlete in high school, but at Williams I walked onto the crew team and worked my way up to captain the team my senior year.  These experiences were formative for me.  I don't think I would have found these opportunities many other places. Campus life is engrossing, and you get to know your classmates exceptionally well, forging deep friendships for life.  I've also never before or since been around more intelligent, creative and stimulating peers.  Williams alumni (even those from different generations) have an incredible warm feeling toward each other, because sharing the Williams experience is like having a friend in common.  Hi Reenie! Look, everyone's trying to give a balanced view.  I don't know much about Pomona other than its a excellent school with even better weather.  But I'm not balanced, and I think many Williams grads feel the same way.  My experience at Williams was awesome, and I can't recommend the school more highly.

I'm with Andy Huang -- Andy, why haven't we met btw? I am an Eph living SF too.  When it comes to lifestyle, nothing beats California. SF is different from Claremont but it's all great. That said, your college years are probably the only time you'll actually voluntarily choose to live in a town like Williamstown -- unless you already come from a small town or the Berkshires or some kind of rural/semi-rural environment. At the risk of sounding completely partial (and what do I know, I am), Williams has consistently placed # 1 (or somewhere close to it) among the liberal arts colleges in the country. It was like that 25 years ago when I applied and it's the same today. There's a reason for that which just cannot be ignored. It's way more difficult I think to get in today -- so the fact that you got in means that you are undoubtedly one of the country's brightest. Kudos to you. Have you talked to the alum of both? I think one of the best ways to make the decision is to look at the people they produce and think about whether they at all represent some inkling of the person you might want to be one day.  I know it's subjective but it's one way to look at it. The Eph network is fantastic - unparalleled. They will go out of their way to help fellow alum anywhere in the world - not just NY and SF.  I've lived in Tokyo, Mumbai, Hong Kong...it works everywhere, all the time. Still, Pomona and Williams are both great schools. Either way, you can't go wrong.