Williams, Amherst or Brown?
Recruited athlete deciding on a college that will give me opportunities in finance, specifically IB. I saw there was just a thread on this but I always get mixed opinions about Williams and Amherst. Are they targets or not? Because I prefer them over ivy. D1 sports seems like a full time job and I want time to do things outside of my sport/potentially play 2.
Honestly they're all pretty equal...only thing being Brown has the "ivy" prestige attached to it. D1 sports could be miserable, but also Brown would probably be more fun than the other two.
Brown is certainly better for finance in my opinion as close to 100% of prospects convert in my experience. I also think it’s a better school and more fun regardless.
Currently play a D3 sport at a school similar to Williams/Amherst and can say it is way more than I expected. I think there is a big misconception that the difference in time commitment between D1 and D3 is so wide. I don't know if it is just my school, but the athletic programs are run at a high level and require a lot of time. I have friends who play D1 and the time commitment is similar. Obviously D1 is better competition so that might add extra stress, but with wanting to do things outside of sports, I think you will find that both will take up a lot of time. In regards to playing 2, you will have little time to do anything else no matter where you go. I would go with Brown if I were you because I think no matter where you go it will be time consuming, and as others have said, Brown is probably more fun in general. Best of luck with your decision.
Would have to agree with this. I also play a sport at a D3 school similar to Amherst/Williams. There is still a pretty big time commitment that is comparable to my friends that play at D1 schools. With that being said, you should go to the place where you think you will be the happiest. In the sport I play, Amherst and Williams are two of the top teams in the country, and I know for a fact they train hardcore all year round. Not sure how good brown is at whatever sport you play, but I can tell you it's a lot more fun to be a top D3 team than a shitty D1 team. Not sure if they are able to go out on saturday's during the season, but at my school it is games Wednesday/Saturday ---> Can party saturday night with sunday off. I personally love being at a D3 schools and would hate playing D1, but that's just me. Playing D1 sports would be an incredible experience if you are serious about the sport.
EDIT: Missed the part about potentially playing two sports. You will have very little time to do anything else if you play two sports. You never have an off-season. I'd only do that if you truly love both sports. I know people that do that and they never go out and have fun. Seems miserable.
Feel free to PM me if ur sport is soccer
Can’t speak for Brown but Amherst and Williams both have incredibly strong alumni networks. Alums will be very responsive and will advocate for you in application process. I attend one of the two and found alums played a crucial role in my recruiting process and ultimately were the reason I was able to land at a top shop.
I'd go with Amherst given that you said you like them better than the Ivies, don't want the commitment associated with a D1 sport and b/c A and W are (in my eyes) pretty much the same but A has the open curriculum and is way closer to civilization (Boston, NY, airports) than W
However do note that the vibe at A/W is not for everyone and that the social scene at Brown is probably more suitable for most people
FD: I chose Amherst over Brown and am going into IB
Can speak for Williams. I think vs. Brown, is it a relatively more difficult school to achieve a high GPA. That being said, I think you'll get as many looks as any top target out there. I would guess Amherst is the same way. I think you'd have more fun at Brown, but in my 4-5 year experience in finance, I see disproportionately more Williams/Amherst kids than I do Brown come out of underground. Not sure why.
There may be an angle of going to Brown to get a better GPA, compete against less people, etc. But Williams and Amherst alums are fiercely supportive.
Seems like there's pros and cons to each, and where I come out is just go to where you think you'd be happiest, and you'll be able to make it work at all 3. At Williams/Amherst you'll spend more time studying, at Brown you'll spend more time networking.
Not a lot of students pursuing IB at Brown
Not a lot of students pursuing IB at Brown
Williams has a fuck ton of alums in banking/buy side
Williams has a fuck ton of alums in banking/buy side
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This is just not true. I went through the Williams recruiting process, and it's without a doubt one of the most stacked networks out there. You get access to all the BB's and a handful of boutiques/MMs, as well as some PE, hedge funds, etc. that recruit undergrads, but the Williams classes are so small and there's almost no real competition from within Williams. Everyone in my class who wanted to get into banking/consulting got into it (and that's about half the graduating class).
Brown is a fine school, and if you want to get into banking, it's definitely possible; it's easier to get a high GPA given their grading system, but you may find the level of engagement from professors/alumni to be inconsistent. Amherst is just a poorer/less resourced version of Williams, so I'd only choose it if you have some special affinity for Amherst. Lastly, given your comment about athletics, Williams has won the Directors' Cup 22 of the past 24 years for D3, so athletics are still pretty serious commitments in the NESCAC.
Lastly, don't discount the Williams network -- telling you, from the inside, it's only matched by Dartmouth and Princeton. It's not a target school like HYPW, but it's on the level of Duke/Columbia/UChicago in terms of recruitment attention, and comparable to Dartmouth/Princeton in terms of alumni network.
Worked with a Brown intern and he got looks from all major banks from MM to BB. In regards to recruiting, I don’t think you can go wrong with Brown.
Worked with a Brown intern and he got looks from all major banks from MM to BB. In regards to recruiting, I don’t think you can go wrong with Brown.
Without a doubt would go NESCAC. In the NESCAC, you don't have practices with your coach in the offseason, it's all captain's practices and much more related.
I can't speak for the Ivy League, but overall if you're in the NESCAC you fully tap into the whole network. People from all 11 colleges are willing to help you out especially as an athlete. I don't think the Princeton lacrosse kid is helping out the Harvard lacrosse kid.
This is definitely true-- I went to Williams, which by itself has a phenomenal network that carries with you throughout your career. That being said, alums of the NESCAC schools in general really pull for each other since there is some camaraderie in sharing a similar experience.
You can't go wrong with any of these schools. I don't know many Brown alums on the street, but Amherst / Williams alums are a golden network if used correctly.
Currently go to Brown and will go to a BB this summer for IB. I would say students going for consulting and tech recruiting are more popular here, but people who are interested in IB do place well, and alumni are incredibly supportive and willing to help you out in the process.
During my interviews, my non-finance stem background really stood out (we don’t have a finance concentration/major at Brown), and many of my interviewers also came from liberal arts colleges. I was able to switch to a stem concentration as a sophomore because of our open curriculum.
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