<p>I am visiting the school on preview day but just wanted to get some opinions first. I know that Williams is a huge sports school. Does this huge presence of sports really affect the social environment of the college? There are many conflicting opinions on this, from professors to the students themselves. This is an article I found on the subject.</p>
<p>God knows I'm REALLY happy on getting into Williams, but I, being a non-athlete myself, am worried about just how prevalent it is to the campus scene. Comparable to the likes to Duke or other Division one schools?</p>
<p>This topic emerges on almost every thread involving Williams. About 38 percent of Williams students are varsity athletes, and the range of personalities and behavior of varsity athletes is identical to the range among non-athletes. In general, athletes at Williams get a bad rep because of a few (very few) bad apples.</p>
<p>About 5 years ago, Williams conducted an ad-hoc study on the impact of athletics on campus life. Amherst did the same, but did not place their results on the Amherst website for entire public's viewing pleasure. The findings revealed that professors (and students to a lesser extent) felt that too much emphasis was placed on athletics at Williams. Subsequently, Williams has undergone a "de-prioritization" of athletics. In some sports, Williams is still faring exceptionally well, while other sports (like ice hockey) are no longer performing at the same level as 5 years ago. </p>
<p>Williams may, in fact, have a more athletic culture than many of the other NESCAC schools, but I'm not sure that the cultural differences are as profound as some on this board would have you believe. That said, Williams students do tend to be much more extroverted than students at many of the other NESCACs.</p>
<p>You really should visit and develop your own opinions. People are seldom ambivalent about Williams. They either love it or hate it.</p>
<p>This does come up often, and I have similar concerns.</p>
<p>Through conversation and dialogue with current and former Williams students, however, I no longer believe the supposed "athletic dominance" of the atmosphere at Williams really exists. I live nearby to Williamstown, and when I see the student body up front, I do witness a physically active community, however, I don't see jocks walking around in their football uniforms, or things of that nature.</p>
<p>I'm attending Williams in the fall, and I've never seriously played a competitive sport (or any sport, for that matter) in my four years in high school. My time at Williams, in all likelyhood, won't fair any differently.</p>
<p>I'm not much of a good athlete. I did cross country in high school, but when I came here, the athletics felt so intense and time-consuming, and I sort of felt intimidated by it all. So I thought, myabe my days of competition are over. I ran a couple times with the XC team - great guys, but I wasn't ready to commit to that yet.
I'm likely to double major in physics and music, and I do stuff along those lines. But I love running - and I do that a lot. I took tennis and squash for PE last fall and for winter study. Now I'm taking trail running/hking with the WOC.
No matter what you're interested in, fitting in here won't be a problem, I think. I've a lot of friends who don't play a varsity sport. Sometimes we play pingpong, or chess.</p>
<p>Are Williams kids generally more extroverted than Amherst kids?</p>
<p>Also, although the entry system allows for cultural/racial/socio-economic intergration, does this integration continue throughout the 4 years at Williams, or does the student population seem to self-segregate?</p>
<p>My Williams student has picked in with a multinational, multiethnic, multiracial group. About half of the Ephs receive some sort of financial aid, and it's difficult to know who's receiving assistance unless you directly ask (and I don't know anyone who's asked) -- especially since a lot of Williams students like to have paying jobs (whether they're receiving financial aid or not).</p>
<p>The Williams students I know are generally all very friendly and outgoing, even those who seem quiet at first.</p>
<p>I've made an interesting observation, too. The only people who seem to complain about the isolation of Williamstown are those that are NOT students at Williams. The Williams students, however, almost never complain about being "isolated," besides referring to the "purple bubble."</p>
<p>Some of them do, but most of them love it. That is also because Williams students knew how isolated Williams was and chose it anyways...probably because they wanted that. It makes complete sense - of course the majority of people who decide to go to school in Williamstown won't have a problem with it! Ask the average kid who chose NYU and they'll probably have a different take.</p>
<p>Edit: I don't think Williams students are generally more extroverted. I think Amherst students and Williams students are generally very similar.</p>
<p>"I think Amherst students and Williams students are generally very similar."</p>
<p>To my Eph, there was a definite difference in the people at Williams and Amherst as well as in the feel of the two campuses -- and an equal amount of time was spent at both. The word used to describe Herst was a strong one of dislike. In this case, it was pretty much no contest.</p>
<p>And my Eph finds the healthful, natural beauty of Williamstown inspirational. There's something about the pureness of the air in the Berkshires that's very noticably invigorating.</p>
<p>onemoremom - Can you elaborate on the different impressions your Eph found at the two schools? Both Amherst and Williams are on my S's list for next year, and we visited over the summer, but aside from the tour guides and other kids who were working in admissions, there weren't a lot of students around. We're really interested in hearing others' impressions. Thanks.</p>
<p>There are people to dislike at every school, I think your Eph probably got a bad (and too small) sample population. Shame! Glad to hear s/he likes Williams.</p>
<p>nceph, I hope your son visits both schools again during the school year, will he have the opportunity? It would be best to do an overnight and visit classes so he won't make a decision based on one or two unfortunate or unlucky encounters! Good luck to him.</p>
<p>Sonata, I wholly endorse this observation. Reaction to Williamstown is usually instantaneous -- you love it or hate it. Over the course of my son's four years I've met quite a few Ephs and I can honestly say that none of them ever said that they regretted choosing Williams. In fact I just spent a few days over Spring Break with four seniors and asked them that question. The response was overwhelmingly positive. </p>
<p>Now these are kids who took full advantage of what Williams has to offer. </p>
<p>Majors -- art history + art studio, biology + environmental science, philosophy +English, physics + astronomy. (Many Williams students double major)</p>
<p>Outdoorsy activities -- skiing, snowboarding, trekking, Outing Club wilderness trips to the Grand Canyon, winter camping in New Hampshire, fresh air and a star-flung sky. (The environment is a big plus)</p>
<p>Campus and summer activities -- environmental campaigns, campus government, museum docent, planetarium shows, jazz ensemble, classical piano, junior advisors, Williams at Oxford, internships, travel grants (There is so much to get involved in)</p>
<p>What's next? -- First, volunteer stints or internships. Peace corps, Teach America, NGOs, arts internships, travel grants. Then, law school, PhD, architecture, MBA. . .
(Their professors know them and will write strong personal recommendations. The Office of Career Counseling offers plenty of advice and job listings. The alumni/ae network is amazing.)</p>
<p>nceph: I don't know all the particulars of my then-high school senior's visits to each of the campuses. I do know that the visits (to A, W, and others) were invaluable in helping to determine which places would offer the best opportunities for -- and bring out the best in -- my student. I do know, too, that my Eph, a self-described moderate, felt that Amherst was, in the main, a bit too liberal to be the most comfortable of the bunch. But that's a decision best left to each applicant. Thankfully, my Eph is very happy -- and doing very well -- at Williams.</p>
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Can you elaborate on the different impressions your Eph found at the two schools?
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<p>nceph, When we made our grand tour Amherst was near the top of my son's list and Williams wasn't even on the list. We had planned to stay the weekend in Amherst but arrived at what turned out to be of all things the annual Teddy Bear Festival. No relation to the college but the town was overrun by furry animals. </p>
<p>We drove over the mountain to have a look and even in the middle of a terrific thunderstorm, our son decided that Williamstown was the place for him. There were NO rooms available anywhere near Williamstown so we drove BACK to Amherst and then BACK to Williams the next day. A visit to all three museums clinched the deal.</p>
<p>I believe that there's quite a lot of overlap between the type of student who attends Williams and who attends Amherst. For my son's area of interest -- art and art history -- Williams is far, far better, no contest. Art at Amherst seems to be an afterthought while at Williams it's a focus. I think the same can be said of other arts like music, theater and dance. They exist at Amherst (or through the consortium) but they're really strong at Williams.</p>
<p>I'm not a fan of the consortium concept. It sounds to me like a lot of jockeying for places and travel time. The small, nurturing, insular, energetic, dynamic community is what Williams is all about. As I wrote above, for my son and his friends it was an amazingly intense and vibrant environment.</p>
<p>I've read some of the reports students have written upon competion of their trips. There's also a Metcalf grant for summer travel, specifically for RI residents. </p>
<p>The office of career counseling and professors in individual departments offer a lot of support and advice in crafting applications. There are a wide range of resources to draw upon -- both human and financial.</p>
<p>Thanks, onemoremom. I actually know a lot about both schools (I'm a Williams alum, and my best friend an Amherst alum - but we attended 30+ years ago, so some information is a bit out of date), but I was a bit startled by your reference to your child's having had a strong dislike for Amherst. That sounded like more than just that it might be a bit more liberal than Williams. My son is quite liberal and very athletic, so I assume he'd fit in both places. </p>
<p>I know that reactions to schools are very personal, and my son is certainly not going to base his decision of where to go on comments on an anonymous message board. Still, it is helpful to hear the impressions of other students, because sometimes they call to one's attention something one might not otherwise have considered.</p>