<p>Trying to categorize drinking at Williams into either casual or frat-style binging is pointless. You'll find that the drinking culture at Williams is much the same as it is anywhere else. There are plenty of students who drink very heavily on the weekends. It's not surprising to see kids pounding back drinks, doing keg-stands/funnels, etc. But the entire spectrum exists. There are also many students who may only have a few drinks or even just one drink in an evening. Sharing a few beers while just casually playing video games? Sure. A bottle of wine shared amongst a group of girls sitting and gossiping? Yeah. </p>
<p>Honestly, you'll find everything at Williams. You'll find people who never drink, and people who never stop drinking. I'm now a grad student an urban Ivy League U, and I interact with undergrads on a fairly regular basis. I don't perceive any major differences in drinking patterns between Williams and the school I currently attend. Statistically, there may be differences- I haven't conducting any rigorous analyses. But if they exist, they are not noticeable to an insider.</p>
<p>Rather than asking the adcoms, you should pull students aside and question them about their experiences. If you do this randomly, and sample about a dozen individuals, you should get a good sense of how Williams students feel about all aspects of the institution.</p>
<p>Listening to comments on this site does not provide an accurate gauge of life at Williams because it is prone to attract either A) people who are super gung-ho about Williams or B) people who are looking to transfer out of Williams</p>
<p>Ideally, you'd like to talk to people who are in neither camp to get a more "fair and balanced view." No school is shangri la.... sorry to disappoint</p>
<p>Ask the adcom for the College's own survey data on drinking. They have it, and it is public information. They will tell you the percentage of binge drinking in the past two weeks, the percentage of heavy drinkers (nearly every day, 2+ drinks), and the percentage of abstainers. You can then draw your own conclusion.</p>
<p>True... there are differences across colleges, with the all female colleges reporting less drinking. Where would one get data comparing drinking rates across different schools? If this is publicly available information, are there any websites that have comparitive statistics?</p>
<p>crnchycereal, thanks for the info. To clarify, I know full well that there isn't a dichotomy between drinking and nondrinking, I was merely asking for a tendency. The question was probably poorly phrased on my part.</p>
<p>I wonder why williams07student <em>didnt</em> transfer if he (or she) has been so unhappy with/uninvolved in all that W has to offer. And what could have made sophomore year (so) horrible? It may be that the onset of heavy/binge drinking after first semester of freshman year precipitated a downhill slide. Seems like williams07 is neither a serious student nor athlete and has sadly not attempted to take advantage of the breadth of opportunities available to those who care to reach for them. Too bad his/her narrow focus has precluded enjoyment of Ws whole college experience.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I wonder why williams07student <em>didn’t</em> transfer if he (or she) has been so unhappy with/uninvolved in all that W has to offer.
[/quote]
There could be many reasons...generous financial aid among them, along with the undeniable fact that Williams is one of the finest academic institutions in the country (even if they don't know Williams when you go to Oxford for your semester abroad), whether or not the environment is a good fit. </p>
<p>There are a couple of alums who post regularly here to such an obsessive extent that they have single-handedly (double-handedly?) created the myth that Williams is an alcoholic death cult populated by jocks with lower SAT scores than they had. [Shrug] They shoulda wenta Swarthmore. I think that williams07student shoulda wenta Swarthmore too. Fit is a very important thing when selecting a college. Visit before you sign on the dotted line!! My own personal Williams '07 student has thrived in the Williams environment.</p>
<p>I just spent a few days in Williamstown. I had the opportunity to visit my son and intereact with some of his friends, attend some classes, meet some professors, see some art, eat well, inhale Fall in the Berkshires.</p>
<p>All I can say as I've said in other posts is that there are plenty of reasons not to choose Williams -- too cold, too remote, too sporty, no Starbucks, no Gap, no malls, no frats, no city -- you name your own preference. </p>
<p>HOWEVER, too much drinking would not be a valid reason to cross Williams off your list. There are just too many positives to let a minor negative dissuade you. As a parent, I feel that the friends that my son has made, both students and faculty, are well worth the tuition and that Williams is as close to an idyllic college experience -- academically and socially -- as you could imagine.</p>
<p>ok after reading this thread I'm highly confused.... as an international student applying early to Williams, I'm really sure I want to go there even though I've obviously never had the chance to visit considering I live on the other side of the world. And I'm a non drinker (never touched a drop, never will) and not too sporty either. Yet I know that people from my part of the world in the same position as me have absolutely loved the Williams experience even though they've come from an urban environment as well (like me)! So really....how important is drinking and being sporty? Well atleast the drinking thing has been clarified to an extent... but as far as the need to be sporty is concerned... Isn't having school spirit and enthusiasm on the spectator level enough?</p>
<p>i guess basically what I'm asking is.... can't you have the perfect Williams experience without a love for alcohol and DIRECT involvement in sports? can it take away from the love of the college, or lead to a Williams07student like experience?</p>
<p>I guess I should respond to the apparent personal attack from onemoremom. That is another reason I don't like the school. Normally, it's OK to have differing opinions from others. At Williams, however, if you disagree with the majority, there's something wrong with you. I mean, it's just not fathomable that a "normal" person could dislike the school. I am not the only one who doesn't like it there. And Driver, you touched on a couple good points. Williams does have an excellent reputation and I know that a degree from there would be beneficial in the future as opposed to some party school. Furthermore, the isolation really has gotten to me, as it has to a number of people I know, including those who like the school. The social scene needs serious revamping, a fact that is agreed upon by the vast majority of students. I could have found all this out when I was researching schools in the first place, but as is true with many high school seniors, I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted. I also did try to transfer during my sophomore year, but I only applied to an Ivy League school and I was rejected.</p>
<p>PS I did visit before applying, and based on the visit, I thought I'd like it there</p>
<p>hm...sixsixty, the evidence was from one person who was a friend of a friend.... so i had a fleeting conversation with him about williams, and he seems to have loved it. as for the other person, my aunt attended williams and she wasnt a drinker but she was definitely sporty... i wanted an insight about how williams would be if you weren't really interested in either. but i got some great insight through the posts... thank you. I'm a "her" by the way. :) driver.... thank you.... its a relief to be told i dont need to be a jock to go to williams!! sports is just REALLY not my thing...</p>
<p>heba, you definitely don't have to be a varsity, or any team athlete, to fit in at Williams. I would say, however, that participation in some kind of physical activity is most common, whether it means jogging, working out at the gym, skiing, sledding, ice skating, broomballing, dancing, hiking -- whatever gets you moving. </p>
<p>I'd also stress that the long winter can be restrictive unless you develop an interest in something that can be done in the snow. :)</p>
<p>williams07student...I am really sorry that you have not had a better and more fulfilling college experience at Williams. And sorry too that your transfer did not work out.</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, I believe that the most important thing one can do during the college selection process is a lot of soul-searching, and to "know thy self". No college will please all the students all the time. One can only hope that through objective self-evaluation and trying to put into priority one's own "must haves" and "don't care about" one finds the best fit possible. And even then, as williams07student has mentioned, things can change in 4 years. There are students who remain at Harvard all four years who are not entirely happy...just as there are in every college and university everywhere. Statistics such as the (freshmen) "retention rates" and "% that graduate in 6 years" give some incite into happiness and/or satisfaction. Doing research on colleges/universities anecdotally, on forums such as this one, and personal visits improve one's odds of a better fit...yet are still no guarantee.</p>
<p>driver: So funny! H came over to see why I was laughing as I read your post while vacuuming my keyboard. A friend’s son on an overnight at Swarthmore two years ago was taken aback by the smoke (and people) in his host’s room, where the roommate had rigged an elaborate bong to share with everyone (the son is now at UChicago).</p>
<p>Williams’07student: Not so funny. Have you considered that there <em>may</em> be something seriously “wrong with you” (such as clinical depression, which may be exacerbated by the “plent[iful] drink[ing])? A visit to the W health center or your family physician may be beneficial. Too, a sour outlook on life constantly drains one’s time and energy (and could well have figured prominently in the unsuccessful transfer attempt); it’s difficult to continually swim upstream. Trying to make the best of any situation is a sign of maturity that will serve you well in the future.
I’m guessing that W was not your first, or even second, choice, and that you had your hopes set on a university like Princeton or Yale. As disappointing as it might have been to have to “settle” for W (and thousands of students would give their eye teeth to be in your situation), things happen for a reason – though that reason may not be obvious until much later. It’s best to get over it and get on with your life. Try to make the most of the short time you have left at W – graduating with honors would make you that much more attractive to prospective employers or grad schools.
As another XX, I’m also guessing that you’re female – growing up as the only D in a houseful of boys, I know that most males would not have brooded so long and would have moved forward long ago.
(Also, try to refrain from generalizing – have you conducted a poll in which “the vast majority of [W] students” “agreed” with your belief that the “social scene needs serious revamping”? Or better yet, get involved and provide some constructive, positive input.)
P.S. This is not a “personal attack,” just some advice from an old-timer who has seen a lot of what works – and what doesn’t.</p>