Hi all! I’m an ED admit for the class of 2023. I’ve been looking online and I was wondering what the timeline is for freshmen scheduling their fall semester class. Also looking for any advice on which classes to take freshmen year. I’m pretty unsure of what I want to do but leaning towards a pre-med/healthcare route.
I’m curious about this as well.
Welcome to College Confidential, @eph2023. Congratulations on your admission!
In the spring (May-June), you will be sent info about how to pre-register for classes, and you will do so. You also will be assigned to an advisor with whom to discuss your choices. In early summer, you will learn that you may have been dropped from some of the classes that you wanted, and you will be given a day and time you can log on to pick new classes to replace the ones you did not receive. Changes still can be made in the fall and during the add-drop period.
As far as what to take for pre-med, you can look for pre-med info online, but there is a recommended list of science/math courses to take by the end of college: here is a link: https://careers.williams.edu/sciences-health-professions/four-year-plan/
During freshman orientation in early September, there also will be a pre-med meeting, and they will make sure you know what to take.
Every student will want to look at the distributional requirements and start taking classes that meet those as well.
You will look at the pre-requisites for courses.
Apart from these considerations, take whatever looks interesting! Make room for intellectual exploration, and have fun!
Thank you for all the great information! Are there any courses or professors in any subject that you’ve heard are especially interesting or well-taught?
Once you are sent all the enrollment info in the spring, you also will be given access not only to the official PeopleSoft, but also to WSO, which has reviews by students of Williams professors and classes. That can be a big help in choosing classes. And then you also will be hearing word of mouth once you are on campus.
Overall, more professors at Williams have great reputations than have bad ones, so it is easy to find classes for which to sign up where you will be enthusiastic about both the topic and the professor.
A few more tips from our DS and DD, both at Williams: try the classes that you think are crazy for you. They turned out to be their favorites and took them down fresh avenues of intellectual and creative exploration. A college prof friend of ours said take one class a semester that’s fun and low stress. It helps, especially at an intense place like Williams. Don’t get all hung up on your pre-{fill in the blank} requirements that you miss the fun. For my sporty STEM DS, that was African drumming and dance. He had never danced or drummed and he LOVED it – great class and professors. Also art history, since Williams is world famous for it. He went from museum-tolerating to museum-seeking. 
Our humanities/performing DD fretted over her distribution reqs, but discovered Geology there. It was fascinating, with lovely profs, and more fun than she expected. She took 2 classes in the dept. That was a delightful surprise for her!
Choose class types strategically. Don’t take all four classes that have the same type of work structure. You don’t want 4-all essay, or 4-all labs, or 4-all test type classes, because it means the work often is due all at the same time, and it’s the same kind of work. A spaced out, varied workload is best. Your advisor can help with that.
Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself. With the profs’ permission, DD took a couple of upper level classes her freshman year, where she was the only freshman. She loved those classes and the upperclasspeople were very supportive of her having to catch up with things they had already learned, like post-modernism.
Finally, you’re there for the next four years in one of the most remarkable educational experiences in the US. Do what Williams does best: take tutorials. Make profs your friends and mentors. Get involved in extracurriculars you love – those become your “people.” Become a campus leader, or at least participant. And good luck!
^That is some of the best information I’ve read on this site, regardless of what college we are discussing. Kudos to @ivegraduatedmom
Thank you, @NEPatsGirl!