<p>My daughter is very interested in Studio Art and Art History. She will be applying to Williams soon. We have not visited, yet. She was speaking with a friend who visited and she told my daughter that the dorms weren't just coed, but had men and women in the same rooms!?! I find this difficult to believe. Please clarify this for me and any comments about dorm life in general would be appreciated. We have visited Dartmouth, Wellesley, Amherst and Middlebury and found the attitudes on campus to be very liberal to the point of significant animosity towards anyone who does not have a liberal outlook. This was the worst at Amherst to the point where she won't be applying there. (Will apply to Mid and Williams). We are fairly conservative, but actually like diverse points of view without any animosity at all with people who think differently. What is the atmosphere at Williams?</p>
<p>Sorry, double post. I didn't think the first on went through-just respond to one.</p>
<p>ehhhh...men and women definitely dont share rooms..(we do share the common room ofcourse) and the bathrooms are coed (at least in my entry).</p>
<p>all sorts of political views are respected at Williams...i am ultra liberal but some of my closest friends are conservative.</p>
<p>atmosphere at Williams - two words - warm and fuzzy (the weather is definitely NOT warm though)</p>
<p>Freshmen suits (aka, freshmen quad suites) are always separated by gender, though sometimes, bathrooms shared by suites will be co-ed. Roommates are certainly always the same gender.</p>
<p>Politically, Williams is predominantly liberal, as can be expected at most LACs and major universities. That said, I'm several notches more conservative than most of my friends and acquaintances. I'm not shy about this fact, and I've often engaged in some pretty heated debates regarding hot-button issues like abortion or the Iraq War, but in the end, views are respected by all sides.</p>
<p>Thanks, that's much more encouraging.</p>
<p>Aardvark, My son is a senior majoring in art history and art studio. I can assure you your daughter won't find a better place for that combination. Other LACs that I'd recommend that are strong in both are Wesleyan, Hamilton, Kenyon and Skidmore. Please let me know if you'd like any more information about the program.</p>
<p>The first year dorm is one of the best features of Williams. About 20-25students are assigned to an "entry" overseen by two junior advisors who provide practical advice and soft shoulders. Being part of an entry means having an instant social circle for meals and events. It's a great system. </p>
<p>A large percentage of the first year rooms are singles. If in a double, your daughter's roommate will definitely be female, though she may share a common room with boys and girls. My understanding is that the bathrooms can either be single or mixed gender but that the kids generally take the path of least resistance.</p>
<p>All Northeast colleges lean left politically. I would say that Williams is more centrist than most and that the more conservative kids at least can have their opinions heard without animosity.</p>
<p>From the perspective of a parent who visits a few times a year and regularly reads the Williams Record (available online) and checks the website, I agree with the above perceptions. The college offers a great guest speakers program, with all sides represented. They seem to be well-attended, but political activism as a group activity doesn't seem to be of much interest....not necessarily a bad thing on a small campus, IMO. Neither the College Dems nor the Garfield Republican clubs have updated their websites in two or three years, despite the recent presidential election. Issues of the day are definitely widely discussed, however, and I've been very impressed with the maturity with which the community has dealt with a number of hot-button socio-political issues that have popped up on campus during my 3-year tenure as a Williams-watcher.</p>
<p>My d is a first year at Williams. She lives in the older first year dorms. The suites are all single sex but she does share a bathroom with the male suite next door. It appears to be just random as she says most of the other bathrooms are single sex. At this point, they just use the bathroom separately; they have a sign on the door and if a guy is in there they don't go in. Seems to be working OK. She has a single in the suite and I think is pretty happy with the dorm arrangement. As a non-drinker, however, she is definitely struggling with the social scene.</p>
<p>Much thanks. These comments are very helpful.</p>
<p>dakota, what problems is your daughter having with the social scene?</p>
<p>dakota- as a prospective student who is not very interested in the party scene, I'd really appreciate it if you would talk about your daughter's social problems. Is it really a huge problem if you don't want to drink heavily? I'm not opposed to hanging out with people who drink, if that's what you mean...but I would like to have other options, and other people, available to me.</p>
<p>I'm not Dakota, but my child -- who is neither a social nor heavy drinker --enjoys the multifaceted W social scene. </p>
<p>No external pressure is put on the students one way or the other (to drink or not), and both non-drinkers as well as those who imbibe participate in the parties and other events.</p>
<p>The point is, there are numerous types of people at W -- most of whom accept and respect others' choices.</p>
<p>sep092, I'm forwarding the pm dakota sent me to you.</p>
<p>Would you mind sending or forwarding me the PM?</p>
<p>OK, basically what I said in my pm is that I think you will find lots to do at Williams if you aren't a big partier or drinker. I certainly agree that there does not seem to be any pressure to drink. I do think that, especially at first, if you aren't into the party scene it might take longer to find things to do on the weekends. It's very easy to find kids to go to the parties with. My D is always asked to go along with her suitemates or entry to parties. It takes a little more effort to find other things to do and other kids with similar interests but if you don't just stay in your room, you will find them. My D's main problem right now is that she is very homesick and has tended to stay in her room a lot, but I think things are improving. The entry system is also helpful; she says there are generally kids hanging out in the ja's common room watching movies or playing games on weekends.</p>
<p>I understand... I too was once a homesick freshmen. Things tend to improve after freshmen year. I do recommend having a car at Williams. There was the occasional weekend that I felt I needed to escape from the purple bubble. About once or twice a semester, I drove to New York and hit the big city.</p>
<p>Good, dakota. Glad to hear it's working out.</p>
<p>I've been somewhat the pessimist here, but I have to disagree that things get better after freshman year. My first semester of freshman year was great, but sophomore year was horrible (and a number of people felt the same way). I studied abroad junior year, so I don't know if it would have gotten better. I agree that a car is essential, since the isolation really starts to get to you after awhile. Also, there isn't "lots to do at Williams if you aren't a big partier or drinker". I'll admit that I drink plenty - most students do - and when I don't feel like drinking, it's hard to find much to do. Williamstown isn't exactly a happening place. If you're a serious student whose only real priority is learning (or if you just want to drink all the time), then you'd do great at Williams. But if you want the whole college experience, I strongly advise you to look elsewhere.</p>
<p>I'm a recent grad who always found plenty to do... I actually drank very little. Obviously, there's not nearly as many diversions as what you might expect in a metropolitan area. </p>
<p>Just to put williams07student's comments in perspective: I would say that the vast majority of williams grads are satisfied with their experiences. A few are not. This is largely a result of Williams being a less than ideal match, as I suspect is the case with Williams07student. </p>
<p>I highly recommend not only visiting beforehand, but spending some time on campus to sense how you might deal with that type of unique environment over a longer period.</p>
<p>Sorry that things didn't work out Williams07student!!</p>
<p>So would it be accurate to say that the drinking at Williams is casual and non-extreme, rather than beer-funnel type drinking? Or I could wait 2 days and ask when I visit, I suppose.</p>