<p>My D emailed the admissions office with a question last week and has yet to hear back from them. I know there are probably vacations and higher priority matters for the office to deal with, but I'm surprised at their failure to respond, because my D got personal responses from Swarthmore and UNC within 24 hours (although she only got an automated response from Brown three days after she emailed). I'm also a little concerned, because she emailed the chair of the music department a month ago and hasn't gotten a response from him either. Maybe I'm expecting too much? Has anyone had a more favorable experience with communication with either admissions or the music department? Thanks.</p>
<p>We had prompt and efficient communications with admissions, music, athletics, physics, and math departments. But we weren't doing it in mid-July, which may be part of the problem, as you note.</p>
<p>I guess we'll just try to be patient. I had thought maybe the summer would be a good time to communicate with them, because they wouldn't be overrun by applications yet. It was actually in early June that my daughter emailed the music department, so perhaps the department's spam filter picked it up and it never got there. We'll try again.</p>
<p>I emailed the registrar and admissions office a week ago and I receieved a reply within like 3 days. So I guess its just one of those times that an emal doesnt get read or sent or something like that.</p>
<p>I know at some point (end of May or early in June) my S mentioned that the mail system had been hacked into and he could not access the system for several days. Perhaps your daughter's e-mail was "lost" during that time period or never arrived at it's intended destination. In the past I have found the school to be very prompt in answering any questions or concerns that we have had. I do know that some deptartments have summer hours and schedules at this time. I'd be happy to answer any general questions you have about Williams.</p>
<p>likewise, I sent an email to admissions back in late June I think, received an away message due to a vacation, but have not heard back since then. I am a little disappointed.</p>
<p>Most of Admissions is currently on vacation or traveling--chances are, the people who see the admissions.williams.edu emails are all out of the. Same goes for the chair of the music department. Usually, I know from personal experience that they're all great about returning emails.</p>
<p>Is there any questions I can answer for any of you? I'm a rising Junior at Williams and I've been involved with the music department.</p>
<p>haon do u play in like an orchestra at williams?</p>
<p>I play piano which is not an orchestral instrument so I don't regularly perform with any orchestra. However, I have played with Berkshire Symphony, Symphonic Winds, and the conductor of the Student Symphony (the actual ensemble was a mixture of Berkshire and Student Symphony kids). I also have friends in the symphonies/bands, so ask away.</p>
<p>I have heard several complaints about the admissions office, and quite frankly, as a whole, I have not been too impressed with them either.</p>
<p>NCEPH.. I know you mentioned that you are an alum. Perhaps you should write a polite note to Morty telling him about this. He is very very very responsive, and gets stuff done. Chances are that others are in the same boat as you.</p>
<p>The chair of the music dept may be so busy that it might be unrealistic to expect a response from him without the admissions dept serving as a liaison. Summer is the time when most of the profs do most of their writing/research. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the admissions officers have absolutely no excuse.
Their job is to answer questions and to sell the school. Clearly, they are not serving the school well by not answering questions.</p>
<p>my s set up an appointment with someone in the music dept and didn't have any trouble. He didn't get a meeting with the person he first contacted, but he did with someone else. He didn't have much delay hearing back from his e-mails.</p>
<p>haon: how hard is it to get into the student orchestra as a cello player. Also how likely is it to sing in a decent early music ensemble?</p>
<p>Is it possible to combine a seminar/ oxford tutorial in 17 th century musicology with a math/physics major? How good is the musicology at Williams?</p>
<p>Haon, do u know who Hanna Na is? a violin player haha she's my sister. :)</p>
<p>Yes hoan, just how difficult is it to get into the student orchestra?</p>
<p>NCEPH:</p>
<p>My D had mixed response to e-mail questions from admissions offices and I wouldn't read too much into it one way or the other unless it is persistant. From experience, I would allow for the possibility that people are on vacation. Luckily, my D did get prompt replies to her e-mails from every department or program head she contacted.</p>
<p>It is frustrating as a parent because it's a learning experience for the student -- often their first business-style "informational communication" experience of the kind they will use for job-hunting, etc. When we assure them that, yes, people don't mind getting questions and will reply if they write the e-mails, it's kind of nice when it actually happens!</p>
<p>BTW, I think summer is a good time for communicating with colleges -- before the mad rush of applications later in the fall.</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I think we'll wait a couple of weeks and try again. Maybe they'll all be well rested and ready to answer some email by then. </p>
<p>Our schools in the south let out much earlier in May than many schools elsewhere, so our sense of how far into the summer we are is perhaps a little skewed by that. And when we feel summer is about to be winding down, others may just be getting their summers underway. There are a number of college application details that we wanted to have a handle on before senior year started, so we may be feeling a little more pressure now than those who don't start back until after Labor Day.</p>
<p>One thing I noticed on the music department website is that they seem to be still recruiting for the class of 2008. I guess failure to update the website is another sign that they're busy with research, vacations and other higher priorities, and I certainly understand that.</p>
<p>I do know Hannah Na (at least, I know who she is)...she really is a phenomenal player.</p>
<p>As far as I know, the student symphony doesn't really turn down any musicians, so if you're interested, you'll probably get in. Berkshire Symphony (effectively a professional orchestra with select students playing in it) is obviously more selective. Without having heard you play, I can't really tell you your chances other than that if you're a serious musician, you have a good shot at Berkshire.</p>
<p>paleozoic--there is an early music acapella group on campus, the Elizabethans, which despite being not at all hard to get into, is quite good. I'm not sure if I understand your question about courses at Williams, but double majoring (notwithstanding the subjects) is very possible at Williams...it just means you'll have less room to experiment with other subjects.</p>
<p>haon</p>
<p>How is the piano instruction at Williams?<br>
Is music a big part of your life and if so do you find enough other musicians to share it with?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>There are several piano teachers associated with the college as well as an Artist in Residence in Piano. Doris Stevenson (the Artist in Residence) is an exceptional performer and generally takes on the more serious students. There are virtually unlimitted opportunities to perform solo or in ensembles, and what doesn't already exist may be easily created by any moderately motivated student. This spring I thought it'd be fun to play with an orchestra so I organized a small chamber orchestra to perform Carnival of the Animals with (a project which eventually became the 2005 Children Theatre Project's performance--we had hundreds of local children in the audience, a beautifully done set, and students in paper mache costumes acting out the music. It turned out to be tons of fun, incredibly succesful, and I got to play with an amazing orchestra!). </p>
<p>Williams has the talent and motivation in the student body as well as the financial and organizational administrative support to do just about anything you want to do.</p>
<p>Music's always been a big part of my life and although I am not majoring in music, it is continuing to be a big part of my life through college. There is certainly no lack of musicians at Williams.</p>
<p>Thanks haon. Wish I could have seen your Carnival- sounds brilliant!</p>