bowdoin v. williams college

Bowdoin is in in Maine.

Williams in in Massachusetts.

If you like lobstah (lobster), clams, skiing and spectacular seashore go to Maine.

If you like high taxes, potholes, drivers who don't know the function of a directional switch on a car and are subject to regular spasms of road rage, drive-by shootings, going to a store & not finding a clerk that speaks English, plus the inept, unresponsive, corrupt Liberal Government & Courts, go to Massachusetts.

The answer should be clear. I live in Massachusetts owing to family obligations, otherwise I'd be O-U-T.

You can't possibly live in Western Massachusetts. You might be describing another part of the state, but WMass is not like that at all.

I think that both are very good schools, and neither is a wrong choice. Williams consistently has a better running program, but there are always exceptions (certain years and individuals). I went to a NESCAC school and really liked my running experience. If I could do it over again, I would pick a school that had a wider range of majors, because I ended up with a degree that I didn't really want.

I don't think you are going to get a lot of objective responses to this question, because Williams alums and fans will want you to go there, and Bowdoin alums and fans will want you to head to Maine. Both coaches have their quirks, but both programs have athletes whose lives have been changed for the better by their running experience at the school.

Both are very cold...I think Williamstown, because it's not near the coast, is actually colder than Brunswick.

Congratulations. You are one lucky kid. I have no association with either school. Don't know your event, but certainly the Williams program appears stronger at the indoor meets I have watched the past 2 years (haven't seen them outdoors). While both schools are strong academically, Williams gets the nod in recognition as the top liberal arts school in the US. I know no one that hasn't loved Bowdoin.

I would recommend visiting each school, talk to the coaches and runners. I'm sure you are smart and have worked hard, which all contributes to my lucky kid remark. Good luck.

Both good schools. The program at Bowdoin is a dead end. If you want to develop and run well choose Williams.

Yeah, the comments by "New Englander" do not accurately deseribe the Williamstown area. As rural as the Williams area is, it's right on Route 7 and it's pretty easy to get to a lot of places in a hurry. Actually, I'd say Western Massachusetts is my favorite part of the country, and no, I'm not a native, I just wish I were (I'm from Fairfield County, Connecticut). And Williams does seem to have D-3's best running program.

RUNNING: I went to Bowdoin, and I also spent a fair amount of time talking with Williams runners over the years. Based on that, my thought is that Farwell (Williams) is a good coach. Slovenski (Bowdoin) did the pole vault in college. I think it shows (although Bowdoin kids have run some great times over the past 5-10 years, so perhaps he's become much better recently). Bowdoin has great snowmobile trails that make fall cross-country training a blast (until hunting season). After that, there are still a lot of nice runs near Bowdoin, not to mention a pretty sweat indoor track.

LOCATION: I like Bowdoin's location a lot better than Williams. You're much closer to a city at Bowdoin (Portland is 20-25 minutes and Boston is 1:45ish). Also nice to be so close to the beach (at least in the early fall and later Spring).

ACADEMICS: I thought Bowdoin was great. I think Williams routinely is ranked 1 or 2. Bowdoin has dropped some in recent years (from 5 to 8-10). I think Williams would look better on a resume.

Both are great schools. Can't go wrong.

Bowdoin is a fine school, fine school.

But, my friend, when you are pumping the alumni network for career progression, believe me, TRUST me, you cannot do better than Williams.

Think of your future.

scatmandu - you are absolutely correct in affirming the power of Williams alums. They are a veritable mafia - but a good one - because the quality of their graduates is uniformly high. A partner of mine hires his own - Williams grads - of course. But they work out - bright people they are.

Obviously you should go to Tufts.

I went to Bowdoin, I loved the school, loved the team, and loved Coach Slovenski. I was sad to leave, but I felt well prepared for the real world. I am still in very good touch with many of my teammates, professors, and coaches. The alumni network has been great to me, and I enjoy the work I am doing now.

Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. The Lynx X-C program is on the rise.

Get a truck drivers' license or become an LPN. Failing that go to agricultural school.

dean moriarty wrote:

I went to Bowdoin... The alumni network has been great to me, and I enjoy the work I am doing now.

I should have been more specific, especially given that I do not know the OP's acadmic aspirations. Also, I have no affiliation with either Bowdoin or Williams, but I have been a hiring manager in more than one top firm.

If you are considering--or think you might consider at some future time--a career in financial services (of any sort, but thinking Buy Side) or law: do yourself a favor and do a Google for partner-level captains of industry for both schools.

Again, I am not dissing Bowdoin in any way, but I think you will find a measurable disparity in industrial might between the two, a difference which only compounds over time.

williams is better academically, and their team is better in L-D. Bowdoin is better M-D and the guys are way cooler than williams dudes. Don't expect to party at williams, but expect to party like an MIT-rockstar at bowdoin.

Williams is a "more prestigious" institution, if that matters.

Well, I can't speak for Williams, and I won't even TRY.

Of the cross country teammates I have had, these are just the programs that BBXC alums are in at the moment... these are the guys that I can think of off the top of my head. I graduated in 2005, so these guys are 3-4 years out of college. I can only think of one that went on to law school or to the financial services world... but that may just be because they chose other paths.

Cornell - Med School

Georgetown - Med School

U Oregon - PhD program (science)

Brandeis - PhD program (history)

Columbia - Law School

Georgetown - Masters Program (science)

Harvard - Architecture School

Boston University - Med School

So yeah, it seems like there is an emphasis more on the medical/research/science side, at least in terms of distance runners during my time there. These are male distance runners only, I'd have to spend all afternoon on Facebook looking up every trackster.

However, the Bowdoin alumni are quite deep in the pockets, as evidenced by the recent capital campaign that got some coverage in the Boston Globe.

Also, it should be noted that Williams and Bowdoin were neck-and-neck at the last New England Championships, so the teams are pretty comparable in the long distance events.

The fact of the matter is this- I am a proud alumni and I would choose Bowdoin because I went there!

Williams has been #1 in the U.S. News National Liberal Arts College rankings during most of the past twenty years. Either school would be great academically, but Williams gets the snob appeal factor, which is important for graduate school and jobs. The virtue of the slightly higher student credentials is that some of your classmates would be extremely impressive. The setting is perfect for distance running. Thoreau said "it would be no small advantage if every college were thusly situated, at the base of a mountain." That's understating the point. There are mountains all around Williams. The weather from May through October is tremendous. The ephs win the Sears Cup every year for overall athletics. The partying is very low quality, mainly involving a lot of drinking, and I mean a lot of drinking. The high percentage of legacies lowers the quality of education and worsens the campus atmosphere. The women's cross-country team has won multiple national crowns since Pete Farwell took over. The men's team is consistently top ten nationally and frequently wins New England's. There have been two individual men's national champions at Williams in xc in the past twelve years, I believe. My biased two cents.

You didn't ask those of us who did NOT go to college.

dm,

Did running get you any financial aid? I only ask because I want my daughter to consider good small schools like Williams and Bowdoin, although i'm not sure I can afford them.

She's only a sophomore but is already thinking DI all the way. I think she's good enough to have both options open to her. I just want her to keep an open mind. I tell her that unless you think you'll be world class someday, you should focus on academics first and athletics second when choosing a college.

Thanks.