<p>...but I love Williams.</p>
<p>Is this relationship doomed?</p>
<p>Yes. No one will ever be your friend if you do not wear J Crew outfits that cost at least $1000 and go get wasted to the point of vomiting twice per night (yes this is possible–I have a hyperactive liver).</p>
<p>Pawn, you know that’s not true.</p>
<p>…I’m in the same boat as you goldenratiophi. Not even funny. </p>
<p>YAY WE CAN BE POOR AND SOBER TOGETHER! :)</p>
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<p>I know you’re joking (or at least it looks like it), but just look through, for example, Teltar’s posts – he seems pretty convinced that Williams would suck for people like me. I know a lot of people talk about how many minorities feel isolated. I don’t see that happening to me at all since my school is the same way for our other 4 Hispanics, but I get along just fine. It’s the economic disparity I’m (hopefully over-)concerned about.</p>
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</p>
<p>Prove It.</p>
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</p>
<p>Hey, that’s social scene enough for me! :D</p>
<p>“I know you’re joking, but just look through Teltar’s posts – he seems pretty convinced that Williams would suck for people like me.”</p>
<p>And every single one of his posts has played on stereotypes and cited no evidence at all, nor even a single anecdotal experience that would support what he has to say.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>When you’re in the middle of nowhere, no one can tell who has money and who doesn’t. I can’t believe that anyone would ever exclude anyoneelse because of money-- In fact I don’t know of any other person who has even made this claim!</p></li>
<li><p>There are people who don’t drink, but there are also (like at all colleges) people who do. And (as is typical) # of drinkers > nondrinkers. Still, this doesn’t mean that you’re forced to drink at social events (and at least it’s not as bad as at a place like dartmouth with frats…) Of course, as is the case with high level colleges, a lot of people who go to them start as nondrinkers and end up not as abstinent as before…</p></li>
</ol>
<p>^ Thanks, that was very insightful.</p>
<p>“Still, this doesn’t mean that you’re forced to drink at social events (and at least it’s not as bad as at a place like dartmouth with frats…)”</p>
<p>…ouch. I was admitted to Dmouth too, and I’m really evenly split between Williams and Dmouth, but since I’m a nondrinker (and don’t really consider drunk people that fun), that might tip the scale for me. </p>
<p>@goldenratiophi: poor, sober AND minority? Wow, our list of similarities just grows larger and larger…;)</p>
<p>On the plus side, I’m just rich enough that Williams will make me poor.</p>
<p>^HAHAHAHAHAHA at Pawn_H7. </p>
<p>LOL work-study + summer employment for FA, anyone?</p>
<p>Actually I think there’s more non drinking activity at Dartmouth. More people, more stuff, more to do. I knew lots of non-drinkers at D. There is a great party scene, but there;s also alot of other things to do!</p>
<p>I’m also in a similar position
nonsmoker/drinker, low income asian family from SoCal,</p>
<p>i’m pleased by the fact that there are others out there :D</p>
<p>low income means u just have to work extra harder to get aid\scholarship i guess</p>
<p>To golden
I really apologize that I have seemed so negative about Williams. It has its sore areas, but there are many notable shining spots.
- One of the best educations that you can get from any institution in the United States (yes better than Harvard…at least on the undergraduate level). Incredible professors that you actually see, great facilities…I feel like I can’t stress just how good of an education you can get here.
- Despite of the financial crisis and calls for budget cuts, the school still manages to keep very important areas such as financial aid intact.
- Beauty - the scenery is truly amazing. If you like activities like hiking or simply walking amidst nature…you will love this place.</p>
<p>You are in the love with Williams. THATS what counts. Have you visited? Have you stayed for a few days? THATS what counts. We here on this excellent waste of time (CC forums) give viewpoints. We attack each other and vilify each other, but in the end, we are merely anonymous people sharing (a VERY light word) opinions. DO not take our words for law. </p>
<p>You love Williams? GO FOR IT. I wish you the BEST of luck and hope to see you on campus next year (though we will not recognize each other…the dynamics of the campus make certain we will at some point or another see each other). </p>
<p>I feel like I need to reply to Pawn_H7 and his claims of my invalid opinions.</p>
<p>How can you claim my viewpoints based on stereotypes when yours (as well as several others) possess the same narrow and baseless opinions? Simply because I am in the minority and negative side does not allow you to deride my experiences and opinions so. Interesteddad loves to argue the larger picture and present arrays of data supporting his claim. My data is composed of memory and firsthand experience…which I feel to be more valuable than distant statistics gathered by an administrative assistant interested in efficiency of presentation. Isn’t that what viewers of these forums want? Experiences of current students…not statistics they could look up on their own that in the end tell them nothing?</p>
<p>Why do I not share intimate details of my trials with Williams? Being a small campus, privacy is a luxury here. How would you like it should you be identified as the one spouting a negative opinion about a place that everyone is almost institutionally bound to be enamored with?</p>
<p>It is interesting to note how disconnected certain members of this forum themselves are distant from Williams. You see several parents receiving opinions filtered through their children on campus. Onemoremom for example stated my experiences in the “Gays at Williams” thread to be “tin hat”ing. What claim can she lay on being a current student at Williams? Can she claim to being at a queer bash or QSU meetings? Can she claim to being surrounded and living Williams and all its qualities, both positive and negative? Pawn_H7 himself once said that he is “150 miles” away from Williams as well.</p>
<p>To summarize, do not deride my experiences as simply based on stereotypes and ignorance when other members of the majority opinion on this forum are guilty of the same claim. </p>
<p>At this point however, I need to echo Mythmom and Ephman from previous threads in that all our opinions are NOT law. My experiences are not everyone’s experience. If any of my previous comments seemed like I was insisting that they be applied to everyone…I deeply apologize. Everyone should be allowed to express their unique opinions and views. Let me express mine.</p>
<p>^ Thanks for the clarification. 
Unfortunately I won’t be able to visit Williams this month (Previews overlaps with my school’s spring play), so I’m forced to make my decision based entirely on what people on the internet say.</p>
<p>You should not do that. If this is the place that you want to spend your next four years at, you must invest time and visit. Simply basing such a huge decision on the thoughts of anonymous people and the school viewbook is bad idea. Contact the admissions office on becoming a pre-freshman for at least a Thursday night to Saturday/Sunday so you can attend some classes and experience some of the social scene.
Just please…for your own sake, do more firsthand experience before you make such a huge decision.</p>
<p>To the OP, GoldRPhi, & others who cannot attend Previews for whatever reason–</p>
<p>You can visit on other days. On non-Preview days you would see the campus on a “typical” day. My son did this. He contacted departments that he was interested in & made arrangements to speak to someone.</p>
<p>I’m fairly certain the Adm Office would help you with details, particularly if you want to do an overnight.</p>
<p>Please contact Admissions about arranging visits for non-Preview days.</p>
<p>@ limetime and goldenratiophi: I wouldn’t call myself a drinker or a nondrinker, just kind of… undecided? hahaha. and also, I’m rich enough to be made poor by Williams too! Yay for being middle class! And we can definitely be penniless and (half) sober together.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m not into sports at all (except watching them can be cool if you’re with a bunch of people who also get excited over awesome things like purple cows) and definitely will never downhill ski or snowboard. Will this put me at a disadvantage at Williams?</p>