<p>What are the dorms like at Williams? How does the neighborhood system work? Are students generally happy with their roommates/living situations?</p>
<p>The neighborhoods don't really pertain to frosh, though they are officiallly assigned one. </p>
<p>Frosh live in their the quad (doubles) or Mission (singles). Wiiliams' first year system is the entry system -- 20 frosh and two junior advisors live together (horizontal floor in Mission, vertical entries in Williams and Sage) and do activities together, particularly in September.</p>
<p>My S is a frosh at Williams, and he loves his dorm room and his entrymates.</p>
<p>As a sophomore, I could say as a constant observation that those freshman that live in the singles (Mission) are noticeably happier with their living situation than that those that live in doubles (the Frosh Quad, consisting of Sage and Williams buildings). The vertical nature of the entries in the Frosh Quad usually lead to miniature entries forming between the different floors and suites. Each suite has its own common room, which just adds to this separation. In the Mission entries, there is only one large common room, which leads to more interaction with the entry as a whole rather than with just your suite mates.</p>
<p>Entries themselves are an extreme hit or miss scenario. The questionnaire asked to determine housing is barely taken into account and the selection of people is extremely random. Due to this randomness, entries could either get along very cohesively or barely do anything with each other. As I stated before, the vertical, suite oriented nature of the Frosh Quad usually does not help with entry cohesiveness, in many ways working against it. Mission entries, with their horizontal set up and one main common room, are more likely to form close entries.
A freshman that gets along with their entry is usually a very happy freshman as it is an excellent social net that helps with the transition into college life.
However, those that do not get along with their entry, (or suite mates in the case of the Frosh Quad. Entries in the Frosh Quad usually suffer from an internal disconn), can usually have a very rough freshman year as they are forced to find their own groups (athletes usually have their team be their social net) or another entry that accepts them socially. </p>
<p>Personally, I recommend those incoming freshman without a preestablished social net (i.e a sports team) to choose singles (Mission) as the single common room and lack of constant separation helps with socializing. Many I knew that are dissatisfied with Williams were those without such preestablished nets, that didn't get along with their entries, and lived in the Frosh Quad. Yes why don't these stories ever get out? Why does Williams get such a good reputation? </p>
<p>Most of these dissatisfied transferred.</p>
<p>My son lived in the frosh quad twice -- once as a first year, once as a JA -- both times in a single. As a first year he had a terrific entry and shared his common room with kids who would become his best friends throughout his Williams years. Maybe this was just luck but it made a huge impact on his experience as did his relationship with his JAs.</p>
<p>He lived in Mission sophomore year and although that was also a positive experience, his conclusion was that the frosh quad common rooms were more intimate and personal than Mission. The options to interact with your neighbors both horizontally and vertically was a plus. Conversely, although he supported the neighborhood concept, he was sorry to see the Mission/Sophomore tradition go as that was a fun progression after the first year entries.</p>
<p>He only lived in his neighborhood one year, but I think on the whole he felt it was a postive move for the school.</p>
<p>Housing at Williams is top-notch, especially in comparison to almost any other college housing in America. </p>
<p>My housing situation (all pre-neighborhood system, as I moved off campus senior year) is pretty average:</p>
<p>I lived in a frosh quad single my first year, and have only positive things to say about the JA and entry systems. Though my entry was far from idyllic, I still made some of my closest friends there and had a strong support system starting from day one. </p>
<p>Sophomore year I moved to Tyler Annex (keep in mind: probably the least desirable housing on campus), where I had every room is ENORMOUS single and every two rooms shares a private bathroom. The walk to class in the snow was harsh, but I really liked living there overall. </p>
<p>Junior year I lived in the Greylock quad, in an average-sized single with shared bathrooms and common areas on each floor. Much better location than sophomore year, and a dining hall right in the quad.</p>
<p>Senior year I moved off campus, but very few people do and there's really no need to do so. Senior housing is really really awesome for just about everyone.</p>
<p>Before Mission was an option as a frosh dorm, there was a pretty clear consensus that the Frosh Quad was the place to be. It's interesting to hear that that may no longer be the case. Regardless, they're both wonderful (I've also lived in the frosh quad and mission) and from my experience, are far more posh than most of what you'll find at peer schools. The neighborhood system is still new and far from universally accepted around campus. All I can say is that it was a positive addition for my friends and I...I was skeptical at first, but I also think it was a good move for the school. Regardless, I think you'll find that it doesn't really affect your life in a significant way, either positively or negatively (unlike, say, the entries, which will hugely positively impact your first year experience).</p>
<p>this is a great thread. thanks teltar, bex and abl. if someone was a non-drinker what would be the best fit, if such a fit exists.</p>
<p>DS is a teetotaler. He is in Mission. Most of his entry does drink, but this is absolutely no problem for him. He is accepted just as he is and likes to be of help when others have had too much. He does hang out with them at parties and doesn't feel he has to find an alcohol free activity, though last night he did go see the student play and had a great time.</p>
<p>Hoping to be in Frosh Quad with a single. Mission Park looks like a dungeon.</p>
<p>It's not. S has an adorable room on the fourth floor and it looks like he's in a tree house. He has an end room with windows on two sides and a huge fir tree right outside. He loves it.</p>
<p>I am sure the frosh quad is wonderful, too.</p>
<p>It seems you can't go wrong.</p>
<p>I do think you are more likely to get a single in Mission and roommate in frosh quad. So if you are set on the frosh quad you should probably request a double. At least that's how it seemed to work this year.</p>
<p>Students can correct me if I'm wrong.</p>
<p>Very true doubles guarantee a place in the Frosh Quad. However, I still hold to me belief that Mission is best for those without preestablished social nets. Huge shame that the Williams Record does not put its cartoons up on its website...there was a great cartoon in the Record this week about nets (the athletic teams) at Williams. </p>
<p>To answer your question 5757, it really depends on luck. I will not lie, there is A LOT of drinking on this campus. Admittingly, the school does do its job in providing alternative things to do...but most of these end when the parties begin. Non-drinkers, especially those freshman, usually have to find each other. From my experience this is easier in a Mission entry than a Frosh Quad entry.</p>
<p>thanks teltar</p>
<p>As a current freshman, I definitely agree with Teltar. I live in frosh quad, and while it's wonderful in many ways, I think Mission is probably a better choice for most freshmen. The vertical setup with four common rooms definitely does fragment the entry. There are a quite a number of people I've barely seen since first days. Having four common rooms can also make it tougher to keep them all clean, and this has been a big problem on my floor. We have the main common room with the tv, so a lot of people come to use it, but they don't actually live there, so they leave trash around and don't clean it up. Frosh quad is certainly not a bad place to live (its location is much better than Mission's, for example, and some entries are really cohesive) but I think it's much more hit and miss.</p>
<p>Also, you will not appreciate how nice a single can be until you have a double with a bad roommate. Again, much riskier in the frosh quad.</p>
<p>Does anyone have pictures of what these dorms look like inside or out?</p>
<p>Here's a link to the frosh quad and mission dorms for first-years:
<a href="http://www.williams.edu/dean/campus_life/firstyearhousing.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.williams.edu/dean/campus_life/firstyearhousing.html</a></p>
<p>(and here are two links to upperclass housing:
<a href="http://www.williams.edu/dean/campus_life/neighborhoods.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.williams.edu/dean/campus_life/neighborhoods.html</a>
<a href="http://www.williams.edu/dean/campus_life/coops.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.williams.edu/dean/campus_life/coops.html</a> )</p>
<p>(all with floor plans as well)</p>
<p>I just found out that I’m living in the basement of Williams Hall… is this as undesirable as I think it is? I’m pretty much horrified that I’m living in a basement in what’s probably a double even though I requested a single. I’m not overly upset about it, just really worried! Does anyone know anything about Williams Hall’s basement/living in it? The windows look really, really, really small…</p>
<p>Sorry, but I have no insight to share. How did you find out? By email? I haven’t yet received an email detailing my housing assignment.</p>
<p>Actually no, you just go to PeopleSoft, log in, click on the Student Center link, go to Camp Address and your housing assignment is there.
I have no idea what to think about mine, haha. Honestly, I’m a little apprehensive.</p>
<p>I found it, but I don’t really know how to make sense of it. I’m in Armstrong, but which numbers (or series of numbers) indicate whether my room is a single or a double?</p>
<p>I really have no idea, most Mission rooms are singles, so you probably have a 1 before your neighborhood assignment? (which is probably either DODD or SPENCER)?
I got a 2 next to my neighborhood assignment, which I’m assuming means I got a double?</p>