Early Decision -- How do I stack up?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Williams College
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Just last week I let many November 1st ED deadlines pass for other colleges, and am now sure that I will apply for Williams Early Decision. After visiting about a month ago, I felt a strong fit with the college. I could stare at the ED statistics all day, but I’d appreciate insight on my position in particular.

My stats are:

Test scores: ACT 35 C (non-superscored: 35 M, 34 E, 35 S, 35 R) Not sure if Williams needs SAT II’s, but sent them 730 Bio M and 790 Math II.

GPA: 3.93/4.0 (unweighted from a large, noncompetitive public school: 3.8 Freshman year and 4.0 since)

Ranking: Top 5% (not valedictorian or salutatorian, obviously)

AP: Taken 13 by the end of this year. One freshman year (5) and one sophomore year (3). 5 last year ( 5, 5, 5, 4, 3). 6 now.

EC’s: Competitive swimmer (not a recruit) for 3 years. Most likely able to be a walk-on (talked with coach about possibility).
Chess Club, Knowledge Bowl, NHS, the usual. Worked at Subway for 1.5 years and for my school for 2 years (lots of work).
Volunteered ~ 60 hours this past summer. Mensan active member and magazine writer. Evergreen Boys State participant (and won a scholarship from it). Nothing too groundbreaking here.

Essays: Worked arduously on my Common App one. Have written up, but still need to edit, my Williams supplement (in which I chose Hermione as my tutorial partner).

Demographics:

Your typical/generic upper middle class white male. I am from Washington State, so quite a bit away. Not an east coaster.

I am sure I left some things out, but oh well. Would love some feedback: I would hope with an ED acceptance rate of 40% I’d be an ideal candidate, but alas, who knows. If it matters, I plan to study econ and political science, and go on to graduate school.

I have couple of minor reservations about Williams. I would definitely define myself as a introvert, and I didn’t understand their explanation about their housing system for Freshman year and onward. And also, what is the religious life like at Williams? Do they have a church/temple? What about political clubs?

Thanks

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Bumpitty bumb bump

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Well, by test scores alone you’d be in the top quarter of Williams’ enrolling class if you matriculated. That should give you some indication.

But, to give you a total non-answer: want to know how you “stack-up” against other people in the ED pool? Look at some other ED threads on this forum. If you feel that you’re particularly strong when compared to some of the people that are planning to apply to Williams ED, then that should make you take heart.

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@DressingIron so many of the other posters are international, URm’s, or recruited athletes. It is hard to find data on someone (like me) who just seems plain (no hooks or an odd circumstance). The ED results thread had barely any posts last year (like 9?).

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You certainly have a solid shot, you don’t seem to have a real hook but your ACT and AP scores (that’s a LOT of AP classes) are very, very strong and will help your chances. You seem like someone who fits the Williams mold, very well-rounded in lots of different areas, but unfortunately there are a fair number of applicants like you out there, so it may come down to how many apply ED. I think they will like that you’ve had normal jobs in addition to your extracurriculars and being from Washington state can’t hurt. Probably fair to say around an average shot (so maybe 40 percent chance of acceptance) of getting in, as there are lots of hooked applicants in the ED pool but you will be in the stronger cohort of those who apply without a hook.

There is not an overwhelming religious life presence on campus but there are typically several very active groups, across various denominations. Thompson Chapel is obviously gorgeous inside and out, also several other churches on or adjacent to campus, plus the Jewish Religious Center. For more check out: http://chaplain.williams.edu/sample-page/student-religious-organizations/

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@Ephman Thanks for the informative reply! Since middle-class America is supposedly shrinking, is that a hook? :wink: Joking.

How many would you say from the ED accepted pool of ~ 250 are hooked? Maybe half to two-thirds?

Thanks again.

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@MrTongueTie

Well, actually yeah being middle class can be a hook. I heard from a Williams admissions officer that, if your family makes 75k or below, Williams looks at your application a bit more favorably. I think a house hold income of roughly 75k is like, 65th percentile for US household incomes so if you’re “middle class” – which I’d define to be around the 50th percentile for household income – then Williams does seem to give you a bit of a bump.

Not sure if it applies in your case, but something to think about.

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Hi. In answer to your question about freshman housing:

Each freshman is assigned to an “entry,” which is basically a section of a dorm. Each entry is designed to be a diverse microcosm of the Williams population. There will be two juniors living with the freshmen who serve as Junior Advisor volunteers. Their role is to be there to listen, support and help the freshmen. They are not disciplinarians like residential advisors elsewhere. Every Sunday night the entry enjoys ‘snacks’ together-- a time to gather and talk. Entries are a basic social unit. While all of my closest friends eventually came from outside my entry-- there are many ways to make friends at Williams-- the entry gives you initial social connections. My entry enjoyed dining at a professor’s house together, formal academic discussions with that faculty member and many informal discussions on our own, etc.
Housing at Williams is nice. A lot of freshmen get singles as do most upperclassmen. While the upperclass system has changed since I went there, so you may want to ask the admissions staff or housing staff about it, the basic idea is that you and a group of friends sign up together to be assigned to a neighborhood for the next three years. Each year, within the assigned area (‘neighborhood’) of campus, there is a lottery. The seniors, then juniors, then sophomores draw; the highest lottery numbers get first pick of rooms, etc. When I was there, the neighborhood (we didn’t call it that then, but same idea) was both a political unit-- we elected reps to the student council, etc.-- and a social organizing unit that would organize things like a barbecue, a Homecoming dance, a Halloween Party for faculty children, etc. Each upperclass dorm continues to have ‘snacks’ on Sundays.

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TheGreyKing, they actually recently changed to system to make it much more fluid; the neighborhood system is basically gone, so you can pick into any dorm on campus sophomore year and onwards, with your pick group changing each year if you want. Just a small revision.

Also, in terms of entries, they’re basically a built-in support system for you in the beginning of the school year. They come to shows, sports games, plays, and everything else that entrymates are doing, and it’s always a safe space to come to with your problems. I really loved my entry system as an introvert as it gave me the opportunity so socialize in a very comfortable space, but also allowed me to retreat to the safety of my single room (I was in Mission).

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I, too, loved the entry system (I was in Sage B, back in 1990-91). JAs are well selected, generally, and it’s great to have them around.

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Alright. Another question: people on CC generally believe that Williams is a decent ‘feeder school’ per say to graduate schools. Would @marvin100 @jersey454 and @Ephman agree?

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Yes, if you look at the numbers (which should be available on the admissions office’s site) I believe Williams has one of the highest PhD rates and graduate school acceptance rates in the country, even to - especially to - top-level grad schools in their respective fields. Without looking at the numbers, I’d pretty confidently say that it’s more than decent.

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@MrTongueTie - Yes, definitely. (But it’s “per se” :slight_smile: )

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@jersey454 Awesome, that’s a thing to look forward to.

@marvin100 Good, you’re staying attentive :wink: you passed my test

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Unfortunately, this has not been updated, but I don’t see why it would change substantially. About a decade ago the WSJ did a study of undergraduate feeders to the top five business, law and medical schools. On a per capita basis, Williams was fifth (and first among liberal arts colleges). http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB106453459428307800

In all events, there is no doubt that if you do reasonably well at Williams, you can write your ticket to a top graduate school in any endeavor that you choose. (I speak from experience, as I had pretty good, but basically middle-of-the-pack, grades at Williams and was admitted to a few top-five schools in my field).

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Well, I do not need a campus to be friendly to me in order to keep my faith. Through difficulty comes perseverance, and through perseverance comes stronger faith. If people are willing to discriminate against me for being a Protestant, than so be it. I could really care less. My supplement for Williams is strikingly conservative, so if they cannot accept that, I hope that they will reject me!

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MrTongueTie, no one here will discriminate against you for your faith even slightly. Many of my best friends are Protestant and Catholic, Muslim and Jewish. Religion here is never, ever a basis for judgement of someone’s character.

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MrTongueTie, I can only assume that your concern about discrimination relates to a since-deleted comment by an unhinged poster whose assessment of Williams is, to put it mildly, unreliable, and who managed to get himself banned here after only one week. Needless to say, what jersey454 says is accurate, you won’t be discriminated against based on your faith at Williams. In additions, while you will certainly be in a smallish minority of students on campus as a conservative, you will find far more than just a handful of kindred spirits. And there is a strong network of prominent, highly influential conservative Eph alumni that are testament to the fact that you aren’t alone (including Mike Needham (CEO of Heritage Action), Walker Stapleton (current Colorado State Treasurer and member of the Bush family), Micah Edmond (recent GOP candidate for Congress), David Kensinger (former Chief of Staff to Governor Brownback), Sean Fieler (one of Ted Cruz’s chief financial backers), and Bill Simon (former GOP nominee for Governor of California) among others).

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I officially submitted my Williams ED application today! Thanks for all of the helpful insight.