<p>did you guys enjoy the entry system? are you still friends with the people in your freshmen entry? also, what is your housing situation as upperclassmen? what are the best neighborhoods?</p>
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<p>To be honest, that article surprised me too. I’ve never been dropped from a class during my time here, and that’s including 4 tutorial classes. I do know people in the Art dept that have had very different experiences with regard to that, though, but I’d say that generally professors are extremely receptive to being contacted ahead of time (sending an email before enrollment starts, etc) and if they don’t have a spot for you one semester, they’ll give you first billing the next time they teach the course.</p>
<p>In terms of Oxford: application process is in January/February of Sophomore year.</p>
<p>smiles17–</p>
<p>I’ve absolutely loved the entry experience here at Williams–I’m still living with 6 other people from my first-year entry (and near several others). </p>
<p>In terms of the neighborhoods, they all have their trade-offs. I personally think Dodd (where I am now) is the best for upper-class housing (Senior year, maybe Junior year) because the houses are incredibly nice, but it probably has the worst of the sophomore housing options. Spencer’s probably the best when it comes to location all-around. In general, though, housing here is fantastic no matter where you end up; the only chance you’ll have of getting a double (if you don’t want one) is in sophomore year, and some of the singles are absurdly huge.</p>
<p>Hi, I have so many questions about Williams. What are the professors like in terms of qualifications and teaching styles? What would a “typical” day in a classroom be?</p>
<p>As for the winter study, is that optional? What classes are available? When are there breaks to return home?</p>
<p>What’s the neighborhood like? I know it’s small, but is it like a small city kind of small or a village?</p>
<p>Hey… please be honest. How hard is it to get an A?</p>
<p>Let’s compare getting an A in APUSH to like getting an A in a Williams history class.</p>
<p>Or all they all beautiful, athletic, outdoorsy students…</p>
<p>Tongue in cheek but my son, the non-drinking math fanatic is concerned that he will be the one in the corner while others party on with beer funnels.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>What is the current state of the theater department, in your opinion? My son has interests in acting, directing, writing. He’s into comedy, improv, a capella. (But also strong in math and science.) I know about all the famous theater folks who went to Williams; but my sense is that the situation is weak or uneven now. What do you think? Thanks.</p>
<p>Shelldemeo - my D is in the corner as well but not lonely.</p>
<p>gtalum: Well that is good to hear that your daughter is not lonely in the corner. That must mean she has other like-minded students around her…</p>
<p>Yes, she feels socially engaged and not pressured to drink.</p>
<p>That is great. Son is looking forward to preview days and the midnight hike.</p>
<p>I have a question for the Williams students/alums who are on this thread: Why did you pick Williams and what were your other choices that you chose Williams over? Thanks, Jack</p>
<p>There’s a back log of questions, so here a re a few of the answers:</p>
<p>Winter Study is not optional, but it is awesome. Professor’s get to teach things they love but aren’t weighty enough for regular courses, so they are really enthusiastic, the subjects are interesting and unique, and campus is wonderful. There is SO MUCH going on during Winter Study, you can never get bored.</p>
<p>It is hard to get all As here. I was a straight A student in high school, and here I get mostly Bs. However, I think that isn’t necessarily a bad thing - grad schools and employers know what a B from Williams means, and it is especially ok to get Bs in most classes if you get As in the courses for your major. It’s not nearly as damaging to get Bs or even Cs as it is in high school.</p>
<p>There are definitely plenty of non-athletes and/or non-drinkers here. There are lots of other people to hang out with and lots of other things to do!</p>
<p>I picked Williams because of the rigorous academics, the beautiful campus, and the rich history, which probably apply to all the schools you’re considering, but also because it’s a college, not a university, because of Winter Study, and because of the entry system, which are unique. (or rarer)</p>
<p>At a college, all classes are taught by Professors, which will not be true at an Ivy League school. And I guarantee no other college has as awesome a freshmen living/orientation systems as the entry system. I am a rising Junior, and I can tell you that the class of '15’s JAs are going to be fantastic.</p>
<p>Williams '08 alum here. Thought I’d pop in and share some thoughts after having read this thread (makes me so damn nostalgic).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I’d had my heart set on schools like Harvard and Yale, but they weren’t as keen on the idea of my going there. So when it came time for me to select a college, the other top contenders were Georgetown, Tufts, and NYU. Just in terms of sheer academic quality, Williams clearly stood out. But what really sealed the deal for me was a visit during an admitted student weekend. The beauty and atmosphere of the campus really just struck me, and I didn’t give it a moment’s thought afterward. I was ready to send in that deposit. Ended up being a fantastic decision on my part.</p></li>
<li><p>As someone who entered Williams before they re-tweaked the housing system (again), I had the good fortune of living in the Frosh Quad my freshman year and Mission my sophomore year. As someone else mentioned in this thread, the social dynamic of both places can be quite different. My freshman year, I certainly hung out with my entry-mates, but I found that people tended to hang around in their rooms (and their respective common rooms) most of the time. In contrast, each floor on Mission had a much more cohesive feel due to the centrality of the floor common rooms. All in all, I preferred Mission, but both experiences were great.</p></li>
<li><p>Non-drinkers have plenty to do at Williams, and I don’t think they should be spooked by the thought of being pressured or feeling ostracized. That said, the drinking culture at Williams is very real and can be intense at times. I enjoyed it most of the time, but everyone has a story or two about having to deal with drunk, belligerent idiots. It happens. </p></li>
<li><p>Doing well at Williams is very much a function of both effort and one’s course schedule. I ended up graduating with a very high GPA (which helped me get into one of the top three law schools in the country), but I was usually pretty disciplined when it came to work. Perhaps more importantly, though, I was a political science major. Reading and writing have always come naturally to me, and it’s much easier to pull an A in the humanities than it is in the sciences. I had several science major friends who struggled to keep up in their courses, and the stuff they were doing was way over my head. </p></li>
<li><p>Winter term is amazing. Got to take classes on chess and wine-tasting. May or may not have also had a chance to go to Italy for 10 days. No big deal.</p></li>
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<p>For what it counts, I would trade almost anything in the world to be back at Williams and do it all over again. I always think back fondly on it.</p>
<p>gtalum: you sound uniquely able to help with my current predicament. my son was admitted to georgetown and williams (along with bowdoin, carleton, berkeley, brandeis). georgetown will cost me (what is a student loan anymore - they push it on the parents now) $12K a year more than williams. is it “worth it” - ie $50K total more? one way i end up with 80k of loans, the other with 130k. hard to believe other parents (unless very wealthy) are putting up this kind of money. I’m in sticker shock!</p>
<p>georgetown is extremely stingy with aid (lowest of all by far except for UCs who are in dire straights), probably due to expenses for new MSB bldg and new science bldg under construction. noted on gu’s employment site they have a lot of openings for professional fundraisers with high quotas, so am reading between the lines…</p>
<p>thx a lot!</p>
<p>How well do people do getting into top top med schools. Like typically how are their GPAs?</p>
<p>Pre-med advising is great. They help with apps, write letters of recommendation, screen you to see if they think its right for you, etc. If you keep 3.7 GPA you can apply to be automatically accepted to GU med school with no MCAT. They said each year about 12 apply and ~ 10 are accepted. That said, I spoke with a few kids who didn’t bother. Their comment was that if you have a 3.7, then you can probably get in at many schools so why bother.</p>
<p>Lot’s of small LAC’s have great pre-med success rates too. Williams, Bowdoin and Carleton in particular. Sure some others do too. You don’t need to be at a big research school to prepare for med school, and many doctors told me you should enjoy your undergrad and explore learning as you will have a whole lot of specialized learning filling your life for a long time after you get your bachelors…</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>carlsbaddad - Georgetown and Williams are both great schools, but very different. Finances aside, if you’re looking for interesting and engaging classes with professors who want to teach and are interested in you as a student plus a great campus life, Williams wins hands down. If you want an education off campus: Wander the city, visit the Smithsonian and the mall, and tend to the “least of us,” Georgetown wins. My Williams daughter has a much more vibrant campus life than my Georgetown alum husband or I had as we found ourselves off campus much of the time. </p>
<p>There is no way I would consider the 48K a year worth of additional loans “worth it” for any school.</p>
<p>carlsbaddad – Just a thought. Having visited Williams, my sense is that your son will probably spend less on food/drink/social life at Williams for several reasons. First, of course, is that there is not a lively urban scene in the vicinity, which, however energizing or enriching one may be, there is $$ involved every time the kid walks off the campus. My sense was that there is a lot to do at Williams that is free or very cheap. Second, virtually everyone lives on campus and the meal plan covers 3 meals a day 7 days a week. Thus, I doubt that the kids spend very much on meals that are not covered under the meal plan.</p>
<p>^^^^It can be expensive living at GU, but DC has a lot of free stuff. But, the difference between the kids with means and without is very obvious at GU as the kids with money are going out to eat and shopping. At Williams, there is just nowhere to go hence my daughter’s comment: “There are a lot of rich kids here but they don’t act rich.” At Georgetown, they act rich. That being said, there are plenty of penny pinching students but you do feel like a minority.</p>
<p>At Williams, there are no hidden costs other than transportation is more expensive than Williams financial aid estimates.</p>