are you happy?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Williams College
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<p>Hi I was waitlisted and I am trying to determine whether or not I should stay on this one a different one, neither, or both. I was just wondering if current students and recent grads could answer a few questions for me:
are you happy (in general)? do you feel constantly stressed? obviously williams is highly ranked, but do you think you are getting a quality education (good profs & close attention)? what is the format of most classes(discussion, lecture, etc)? </p>

<p>what is the social scene like?
thanks!</p>

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<p>anyone???</p>

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<p>well, I’m only the parent of a current freshman, but I’ll answer for him as best I can.<br>
Is he happy in general? He is unbelievably happy, in general, in specific, every which way.<br>
Is he constantly stressed? No, definitely not constantly, but he’s very stressed during exams. He’s a very easy going kid otherwise. He works hard, but he most definitely has a social life.<br>
Do we think he’s getting a high quality education? Absolutely. Would he rate every professor at a 100 on a scale of 1 to 100? No, but he has had a few in his first year that come mighty close to 100. Class formats have been a mix of lectures and seminars.</p>

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<p>are you happy (in general)?
Can’t quite answer. Yes, but what, really, is “happiness”? People define this differently, and I don’t want to go into this. I don’t think there’s any college where students are sad the whole time. Generally, you get used to things. Very, very few people do get fed up and leave. Maybe the answer to your question is a resounding “Yes!”, but I don’t know. People have ups and downs, and it’s amazing how the weather can affect the overall student morale. Williams weather is quite special.</p>

<p>do you feel constantly stressed?
My perspective on this obviously cannot and should not be an impression of general stress levels on campus. I task myself heavily. As you go up, you learn to figure out how much work won’t kill you and how manage time effectively and do things for fun. Sophomore fall was the most stressful, but that was largely of my own making. It’s very easy to stress about how much work you have to do. And that ends up taking all the time you need to actually get it done.</p>

<p>obviously williams is highly ranked, but do you think you are getting a quality education (good profs & close attention)?
Obviously. You’ll probably not be satisfied with all your classes but you can get all the attention you want. It’s amazing.</p>

<p>what is the format of most classes(discussion, lecture, etc)?
Lectures, seminars, tutorials, discussions, conferences… there’s some average mix. Don’t know the exact numbers. You’re likely to experience all formats during your time here, except maybe for the tutorial. Classes are very small except for big draws like intro econ/psych and calculus, etc.</p>

<p>what is the social scene like?
It’s what you make of it. Want to party every weekend? There’s always one happening. Want to chill out to a performance or concert every weekend? There’s always one. Want to just chill with friends, watch a movie or play Scrabble? You’ll find people. Want to do homework? Yes, you can go to Schow Atrium, Jesup, Bronfman library, even on Friday night to get some quiet. </p>

<p>The social scene is pretty much what you make of it. Everyone is sociable in their own way, though that might not be apparent to everyone. And it’s not difficult to hang with people from very different social scenes.</p>

<p>I really don’t see what you lose by keeping yourself on the waitlist, except you have other places you can go where you have to decide before the waitlist decisions come out. You can always opt out whenever you want, right? Always better to leave all options open.</p>

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<p>Jrock: you say “williams weather is quite special.” </p>

<p>I am not sure whether that was meant to be interpreted sarcastically or not, but I would definitely like to know what you think</p>

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<p>I meant special in a “special” way, lol. Yeah, the weather could be unpredictable sometimes. A week before spring break, it was so nice out. Everyone thought the worst was over. I was on campus for spring break, and the weather actually got better. We were in the high 50’s most afternoons, and we played frisbee and soccer almost everyday. </p>

<p>But the students return, and it suddenly turns cold, gloomy and rainy, snowy, almost. It was very thin snow this evening… last year, we had a very warm December (50’s most of the time) and then a snowstorm on Easter. So the variation is no surprise. Winter this year was typical, though, but everyone is kind of getting tired. Once the sun comes out for good, the “happiness” levels will jump up instantly!</p>

<p>For many, the weather is not a big deal. I don’t really care - it’s all good to me. But some do care. There are a lot of people who need to see the sun right now.</p>

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<p>Since you are waitlisted, the chances of you having an opportunity to attend are quite minimal and I would suggest an alternative solution: find something that works!</p>

<p>You cannot idle and dream.</p>

<p>You must gather your strength and regain your momentum to where you will succeed. If you do not, you at risk and great peril.</p>

<p>Do the best that you can, for I see in you great possibility.</p>

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<p>^A little strange, but insightful.</p>

<p>I have a question: how is the Jewish scene at Williams? Is there a sizable population of Jews at Williams, is there an active Jewish community with a Hillel, etc?
I’m trying to decide between Williams and Cornell, and this is one aspect that is definitely a factor. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>ChandlerBing - You may have already checked this, but in case you haven’t:</p>

<p>[Williams</a> College](<a href=“http://www.hillel.org/HillelApps/JLOC/Campus.aspx?AgencyId=18005]Williams”>http://www.hillel.org/HillelApps/JLOC/Campus.aspx?AgencyId=18005)</p>

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<p>Being “waitlisted” is indeed discouraging. Needless to say, there may be something at the end of the rainbow, and having said that, hold that thought, for such is what miracles are made of.</p>

<p>Use “intention” and perhaps the admissions officers will pick up on that energy and give you the benefit of the light you seek.</p>

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<p>thanks all your responses are very helpful
i have a couple more questions–I applied for financial aid and have received a significant amount from the colleges at which i was accepted, but i could probably find a way to make it work w/o aid. Would it be helpful to my chances if i withdrew my FA request?</p>

<p>any suggestions to help my chances?</p>

<p>how are the political science, political economy, and economics departments (especially the first two)?</p>

<p>can you describe a typical weekday and weekend-day?</p>

<p>thanks!!</p>

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<p>ehoss: A lot of questions, and I unfortunately can only answer one, and crappily at that (sorry!).</p>

<p>The economics department at Williams is very popular, to the point that they had to hire new professors to meet demand. I think that econ classes at Williams are larger than the average class in other majors, though I could be wrong.</p>

<p>However, economics is an extremely strong major at Williams, and you can’t go wrong if you choose it.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>@ehoss: You need to call Admissions and ask if the wait list is need blind. If they say yes, the FA is not an issue. If they say no then it might be helpful.</p>

<p>However, if you were awarded aid it sounds like you need it. Would it be wise to forego this?</p>

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<p>ChandlerBing, I imagine there is a MUCH bigger Jewish scene at Cornell (where I believe there are thousands of Jewish students). Williams is usually around 10-12 percent Jewish, meaning there are only around 200-250 Jewish students on campus, and I’d say the vast majority of those (80-90 percent) are nor particularly / regularly observant. In most years, there are a small handful who are very active / dedicated, and the rest are either not involved at all or only sporadically so (high holidays, Passover, etc.). On the plus side, the support for the Jews that are active is pretty incredible, and there is a very homey / cozy feel for those who choose to engage more regularly. A number of faculty and their families are very active, so combined with the active students, there are weekly Shabbot dinners and whatnot. I am sure you have or will check out the Jewish Religious Center – it is a pretty fantastic facility for such a small population. I actually know Cantor Scherr (not from Williams, he was not there when I attended), the campus Jewish spiritual leader, and he is a really awesome guy. Also, the schools hosts an annual Latke-Hamentaschen debate. </p>

<p>I would try to reach out to Cantor Scherr or one of these students for more current info:</p>

<p>[Jewish</a> Association at Williams Leadership](<a href=“http://jewish.williams.edu/?page_id=4]Jewish”>http://jewish.williams.edu/?page_id=4)</p>

<p>If you would be content with having a leadership role / being very active in a small but dedicated Jewish scene, Williams would be great. If, however, it is important to be around a large community of actively practicing Jewish students, you won’t find that at Williams.</p>

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<p>EHoss, Poly Ec is really cool. One of the only, if not the only, departments of its kind in the country. Especially cool is the senior year majors-only class, in which students travel over spring break to D.C. to meet with a variety of prominent (and not so prominent) public policy alums as part of their capstone group project requirement. </p>

<p>As for your financial aid question, Williams claims (and I have heard no reason to disbelieve them) not to take aid requests into account when evaluating applications (aka, they won’t even know if you have requested aid during the deliberations – the only thing that would matter is if you are an extreme outlier, truly economically disadvantaged or rich enough to buy the campus a building, both of which would help). If you are already on the waitlist and you are thinking of withdrawing your request, I don’t THINK that would help but in this economic climate (aka, I am assuming waitlist is need blind, but less certain there), I guess there is some slight possibility.</p>

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<p>Ephman: Thank you for that information! I actually already read about the WCJA, and it seems awesome. I like the whole tight-knit, not necessarily ridiculously religious feel of it, rather than the gigantic one at Cornell. 10% of the population is a solid number for me, I don’t need to be surrounded by a huge community with a lot of people already in cliques formed years ago in Long Island, etc. </p>

<p>I’d rather have a leadership role and be active in a dedicated, close community than be lost in a sea.
I didn’t actually know that Williams had a Jewish community this strong! It’s great news.</p>

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<p>thanks, ephman! that majors only trip to washington sounds amazing! do politics majors do the same or something similar?
and can you (or anyone) answer the typical day questions too, if you get the chance?
thank you!!</p>

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<p>ChandlerBing, sounds like Williams will be a good scene for you then – it is most definitely NOT (at least not when I was there, nor since that time from what I’ve heard) a continuation of the regional/national youth group cliques (UPenn, might be a different story …). And I can’t emphasize too much the degree to which Cantor Scherr rocks. And I can’t imagine many schools with a Jewish population the size of Williams having a facility like the JRC (thanks, Edgar Bronfman …). </p>

<p>EHoss, Poly Sci does not have a standard senior D.C. trip like Poly Ec, so far as I know. I note, however, that most departments, during the course of your four years, will offer the opportunity to do something very cool off-campus (or even in the area) during Winter Study – just check the Winter Study course catalog for examples. </p>

<p>As for typical day, I don’t think many students could describe their own “typical” day at Williams – it is even more difficult to generalize across the student body. But this post is a nice depiction of one of the innumerable atypical days you could have at Williams:</p>

<p>[On</a> the Past 51 Hours and Ephblog : EphBlog](<a href=“http://www.ephblog.com/2009/04/12/on-the-past-51-hours-and-ephblog/]On”>http://www.ephblog.com/2009/04/12/on-the-past-51-hours-and-ephblog/)</p>