The 25 Most Desirable Rural Schools

Along with Wesleyan University and Amherst College, Williams College is part of the “Little Three,” the small-liberal-arts-school version of the “Big Three” that consists of Harvard, Princeton and Yale.  And Williams shares the limelight with its Big and Little counterparts on several of Newsweek’s lists: It’s No. 17 for future power brokers, No. 16 on most desirable schools overall, No. 2 on most desirable rural schools, No. 4 on most desirable small schools and No. 10 for brainiacs.   

Undergraduate enrollment at Williams College is roughly 2,000, with the majority of students pursuing a degree in economics, followed by English. If that sounds like a student body of polar opposites, consider this: Approximately 50 percent of all Williams College students participate in varsity sports, putting it eighth on Newsweek’s list of colleges stocked with jocks.

Another unusual aspect of Williams College is an academic year that operates on two four-course semesters, plus a one-course January term. An all-male college until 1970, Williams began to phase out fraternities in 1962.

During the 2009–2010 school year, students paid $49,880 for tuition, fees, and room and board.