<p>Just to complicate things, some of the Sage and Williams rooms on the Quad are singles...</p>
<p>Back in the day, I lived in Mission Park when it first opened. I was lucky to have a view of Pine Cobble and, if anything instantly rushes into my mind when I think of Williams, it is that view and the many hours I spent taking in the way the light and clouds changed from moment to moment on the hills. </p>
<p>As a first year, I lived in Sage and ate mainly in the dining room there (Baxter -- pre-Paresky). I had a single in a suite for four (the rooms have all been reconfigured, but, like the newer Quad singles, it was very small). I found Sage very noisy (I was on the first floor, there was a parking lot right outside my room, and the dining hall workers and supply trucks were coming and going at all hours -- I don't know that's configured for Paresky but you could drive over and check it out), plus there was no view. The remodeled rooms on the Quad are better than they were, but they aren't as nice as the Mission rooms are.</p>
<p>I'd take Mission Park any day. For one, it was built as upper class housing and the rooms are bigger. Also, having the dining room there is great on the days when you don't have a class (or you have big blocks of time without a class) and just want to hole up and write a paper or plow through a novel. You can get to know people by seeing them in the dining room, the common rooms, the laundry room, and the halls -- and you'll have an entry and JAs to help you get to know people. You can still eat at Paresky or the other dining rooms whenever you want, and get to know people that way as well.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about the "long" walk from Mission. You won't be constantly going back to your room. Instead, you'll probably find places where you like to study and hang out and then you'll go back to your room only after spending large blocks of time in your classes and in those favorite places. From the photos and descriptions, it looks as though Paresky has a lot of good places for hanging out and studying (so does the science quad, by the way) and that might be a good place for you to spend time and meet people -- you may actualy be more likely to hang out at Paresky if you live in Mission than if you are nearby in the Quad. After a few weeks at Williams, I suspect that a lot of people who now spend a lot of time in cars will be more used to walking, and that what now seem like major distances on foot will seem unremarkable.</p>
<p>I'd say that, if you are hesitant about having a roommate, go for a single in Mission. Having a roommate doesn't mean that you'll meet more people, and it may mean you'll be very uncomfortable all year -- this can really be a problem for people who are quiet and aren't used to sharing a room. Wait until you get to know people and then see if there's someone you want to pick into a double with for sophomore year. To my mind, Williams is pretty unusual in having gone to offering a realistic chance for a single room to freshmen and that's a rather amazing option I'd take advantage of if I were going in as an only child, a quiet person, and/or someone not used to sharing personal space with other people.</p>
<p>More than anything, if I were you, I'd try to remember your concerns about meeting people, and make a plan and a real efffort once you get to college. Understand that whether you get to know a lot of people and gain close friends will be largely a function of choices you make every day at Williams, not so much of where or with whom you live.</p>