<p>Hi, I'm a senior embarking on the college application process, and Williams has struck my interest. I'm concerned, however, that I may not fit in well with the majority of the student body, and since I'm not able to visit at this time (I live in Tennessee) I was hoping that those who have visited/attended can offer me some guidance. :)</p>
<p>Academics: I have a 35 ACT and 4.00 GPA unweighted, so the rigorous academics at Williams are hugely appealing.</p>
<p>Aspirations: I want to write. I'm more interested in novels/comedy/poetry than journalism, so my paying career will probably be academia.</p>
<p>About me: I'm somewhat introverted and not very sporty. A vegetarian on the political left, I'd rather see a play than go out drinking. In fact, I have fairly strong personal reasons for not wanting to drink, which I realize will handicap me socially at any college. I get along best with quirky/nerdy people; e.g., Doctor Who fans and artsy theatre kids. I don't actually act myself, but I do admire theatre a lot.</p>
<p>I realize that almost every college will at least have a few people like me, but would I be outside of the norm at Williams? What do you think of the students there? Would I be better off at Vassar/Wesleyan if I wanted a school with more people like me?</p>
<p>I’m also a prospective student, but I can tell you that from my research it seems like Williams is more intellectual and less hard-drinking than some of its peer institutions (Dartmouth, Amherst). You’re right that all colleges have drinking cultures, though, I don’t think you can escape that anywhere (except Deep Springs haha). </p>
<p>When I visited Williams, I felt like the crowd was down-to-earth and easy going rather than elite and preppy, which was the impression I got of Yale and Princeton. Given that the school is in an isolated location and is comparably tiny, it tends to draw the “quirky” students who can appreciate those qualities. I consider myself introverted as well, which makes Williams attractive to me: I like the idea that I can go for long bike rides through forested areas or walks through nearby nature preserves without running into anyone else. Not many other schools can offer that.</p>
<p>Wesleyan and Vassar may draw more diverse and politically minded students, but the academics are not in the same league as Williams. It’s also worth considering that the grade of student at Williams is higher than at those colleges. </p>
<p>Williams has great theater, too. The Williamstown Film Festival centers around Williams and is world-renowned, which speaks to Williams’ theater department. </p>
<p>You might want to check out Swarthmore or Brown.</p>
<p>I’ll second what JackTornson said. I’ve actually talked to quite a few of Williams students (well, I guess I am one now, considering I’ll be living there starting next week haha), and they’re really quite down-to-earth and friendly. I’d say that was actually what drew me to Williams–a lot of the schools I visited, such as Amherst and Pomona, had a less home-y atmosphere (at least, that’s how my parents and I felt). In fact, if you look up why people decided to go to Williams, that’s actually one of the most common reasons–the people.</p>
<p>That being said, I really think that even though you don’t drink (neither do I, nor do I plan on drinking in school), you’ll quickly fit in. There really appears to be a place for everyone, not to sound cheesy.</p>
<p>Thanks Jack, you’ve eased my concerns a little! At the very least, I think I can now justify the application fee.</p>
<p>I want to remark, however, that roughly the same “grade of student” attends Williams as Wesleyan and Vassar. Those three colleges sport 75th percentile ACT scores of 34, 33, and 32 respectively, a negligible difference. In accordance, I would expect that the academic rigor is roughly the same for humanities majors.</p>
<p>Regardless, it’s nice to hear that Williams kids are not preppy comparative to students at other institutions; this was a concern of mine. And to hear reinforcement of Williams’ arts scene is also very nice. :)</p>
<p>I have looked into Swarthmore and Brown by the way. I like what I’ve seen of Swarthmore enough to apply, but Brown was a no-go for me. I’d rather attend a stellar LAC than an Ivy League that tries to emulate LACs. But thanks very much for the leads!</p>
<p>Your post sneaked in just before mine, peetamellark! Sorry for not including you in my last response. It’s great to hear Jack’s opinion seconded, though I’m now just a little bit concerned about Pomona. It was the “good weather school” on my list of colleges to apply to. :)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about the homey feel comment for Pomona, I know the kids at Pomona would argue that it’s definitely homey. Funny, my son ended Junior year with Williams as his number 1 school with all others distant runners up. But after revisiting and interviewing at a number of schools over that summer, it ended up number 3 after Swarthmore (1), and Pomona (2). I would say that he is also strongly anti-alcohol, and loves theater and quirky nerdy things as well. I think you will find what you are looking for at any of them. Good luck.</p>
<p>@GvaMom - Thanks for the anecdote; it’s encouraging that your son liked Swarthmore, Pomona, and Williams–all these had already made my short list. Unfortunately I don’t think I’m able to visit and interview at a lot of northeastern schools, but I’ll do my very best to try over winter break!</p>
<p>@kaukauna - I’ve looked into UChicago and I believe that the student atmosphere is perfect for me, but unfortunately I have a pretty strong aversion to Chicago (and most huge cities, but Chicago especially). Thanks for the recommendation, though, because UChicago would be wonderful if I were a city person!</p>
<p>@ttm321 - Carleton caught my eye, too, but it didn’t stick out enough for me to apply to it, especially since its merit aid appears to be slightly less generous than its peers. Very slightly less, but enough to make a difference for me.</p>
<p>I was a theater and creative writing major years ago at Williams and in retrospect I wish I’d gone to school where the kids were more focused on the arts. My own kids wouldn’t look at that place. For writing my daughter chose Bard (where there isn’t just one ancient poetry teacher but four vital poets for instance.) My son, pre-med but also a writer, is looking at Wesleyan and Vassar. The writing teachers are the same faculty as when I was there 30 years ago and they weren’t that great then (check out rate my prof and you’ll see…look at different schools.) We tend to put much too much emphasis on rankings and scores. Really educated people know they can educate themselves. They read and think and question. In life you’ll find that some of the smartest people didn’t always have the best gpas (my daughter has seen this at Bard which she found much more intellectually challenging than the other places she visited) I will say that I did have a few profs I loved very much at Williams–but they were women, one of whom left, and one who was always on the outs of the in scene there. If you want to be a writer, look for your teacher not your credentials.</p>
<p>No argument that Bard has a well deserved “artsy” reputation. The atmosphere/personality is very different from Williams, though, so it really depends on what suits you.</p>
<p>I would, however, question the statement that “The writing teachers are the same faculty as when I was there 30 years ago and they weren’t that great then.” Jim Shepard, Karen Shepard, Andrea Barrett are all accomplished and respected fiction writers ,and they weren’t teaching at Williams 30 years ago. Poetry, I’m not sure.</p>
<p>Jim Shepherd was there and so was Larry Raab. Check 'em out on rate my professor. I think what I am responding to is the connection between this poster’s stated interest in creative writing and her need for a school with good credentials. Honestly, as a writer what you need are not credentials but really good mentoring and a community of fellow writers who are brave and curious. I went to Williams but I get so tired of these rankings which are pretty meaningless. Sit in on classes, explore all kinds of schools, and find your mentors. And read. Education is not a brand you buy but it seems like more and more it’s being marketed that way.</p>
<p>I don’t know when aditrep attended Williams, but assuming that we are of a similar age (seeing as we both are old enough to have college aged kids), I am not sure what he/she is talking about having been a creative writing major at Williams. There couldn’t have been one – when I attended, there was one visiting professor who taught fiction writing - I took his class and it was pretty bad, but nonetheless, quite a few of the people in that class went on to very successful writing careers. I just checked the Williams website for the English major and can see how much more the writing staff has been beefed up since then.</p>
<p>Williams is a very different place than when I attended. For the record, I am not a total Williams booster – but I would not let the experience of an old alum inform any perspective on the current curriculum. Any college is going to have professors still on the roster thirty years later. If they only had old professors there, then obviously that would be a problem! But, clearly, the English Department has evolved since we attended aditrep…</p>
<p>Fair enough. I think I just wish I’d gone to a more creative school…where kids did arts the way Williams kid did sports…(and banking) I’m a little jealous of my daughter’s experiences!</p>
<p>Again, Williams and Bard have very different characters and it’s hard to imagine anyone being a good fit for both. However, Williams studio art (and art history) compare favorably to any LAC in the country. Music – for a non-conservatory – is also excellent, in depth and breadth, and theater, while small, is well supported in facilities and opportunities. </p>
<p>It’s true that sports and outdoorsy activities are popular at Williams, but so are art, music, theater, dance, writing. One doesn’t preclude the other.</p>
<p>It appears that Jim Shepard has been at Williams 29 years, so yes, almost 30 years. His rate your professor comments are mixed, but there’s no doubt that he, Karen Shepard and Andrea Barrett are recognized as accomplished writers of fiction, and that Williams’ English department is as a whole very strong.</p>