<p>Sorry everyone, I can't PM this:
haon, you sound like the person to talk to for music at Williams, so I have a few questions. Do you know anything about the violin faculty? I've been playing for a very long time (semi-professionally recently) and would definitely like to take lessons in college. How easy is it for a non-major to get private instruction? Besides the Berkshire Symphony and student orchestra, what other performance opportunities are there? Is there a strong chamber music program? Does Williams' rural location make it hard to go see professional groups perform?</p>
<p>And now some general questions if you don't mind. I've heard that Williams is a very preppy/sports-oriented school. What are your observations? I like to stay active, but I'm not a varsity team member and I definitely don't want to be surrounded by Abercrombies and Fitchies. Overall, what do you think of Williams' location? I thought I wanted a really urban school, but Williams' academics and extensive music programs really push me in that direction. Is it too rural and isolated for you?</p>
<p>As a pianist, my perspective on musical opportunities at Williams probably isn't exactly what you're looking for. I know that there are student chamber music groups all semesters as well as a winter study course directly on chamber music. One of the beauties about WIlliams is that if they don't already have something you're interested in, with very minimal effort, you'll be able to start a new ensemble/organization. Williams location is actual ideal for someone interested in music/art. The Berkshires are an incredibly cultural location and besides the numerous events sponsored by the college itself, there are plentiful music/art/drama events happening either on-campus or a short drive away. MassMoca sponsors events very frequently as does the Clark. Bennington is about 15 minutes away and frequently draws interesting events. If you're willing to make a slightly longer drive, Tanglewood is about an hour away as is Northampton. All of this aside, the College sponsors more than enough events to keep most on-campus musicians' appetite sated.</p>
<p>Williams is a fairly preppy school in that a fair number of the students come from prep schools or are from upperclass families. Williams students, however, do not dress or act very preppy at all--I'd say sweatpants or jeans are probably the most commonly seen clothes item on campus. Students are surprisingly unmaterialistic. Sports-wise, it sounds like you'd fit right in. While many students are varsity athletes, most students are not. The teams are all very succesful and the student body really comes out to support them. Intramurals are very popular and are played entirely for fun (nobody takes them very seriously). </p>
<p>Personally, I find Williams' rural location to be perfect--the College understands that there's no large town nearby and compensates by bringing a constant stream of events to campus. Since students all socialize/party/attend lectures with/etc fellow students, there's a real sense of community, a community I don't think you'd get at a larger school or a school in a city. I'm interning in DC this summer and I don't find that there's really more things to do (things just cost a whole lot more--basically everything at Williams is free). Then again, I grew up in a fairly rural location and never had a strong desire to attend an urban school, so take my opinion on that subject for what it's worth. I think you'll find that no matter what college you attend, you're going to spend most of your free time just generally hanging out with your fellow students. I don't think you could find a better group of students to hang out with than the Williams student body.</p>