I am a current high school junior and quite a competitive applicant, and I have fallen love with Williams for so many reasons, but I am a little concerned about the athlete culture there. I did varsity outdoor track and field sophomore year but I am definitely not someone you would describe as “athletic” and I don’t plan to do much sporty stuff in college (I would consider joining a club team, but I’m not very good at sports and I don’t want to commit much time to it…) I’m wondering if any recent grads or current students can tell me what the experience is like at williams for non-athletes - is there any social divide? is there pressure to join sports teams/clubs? do athletes mostly hang out with other athletes? please share your experiences/thoughts!!!
I cannot answer your question, but referring to college athletics as “sporty stuff” says it all.
My daughter is incoming this year and a soccer player. I figured she would be housed together with other soccer players but found out it was the opposite. The coach wants her players to be with the student body and not only with the team. I assume that will be the same for most of the other sports as well.
I am an alumna but not a recent one. I may be one of the least athletic people on the planet, played no sports there, and never attended a sporting event there… but I loved Williams and totally fit in! And, from our visit this week, it still seems the same kind of welcoming place. At Williams, you would interact with people with all sorts of backgrounds and interests.
what does that mean @Publisher
I’m a parent and adapting a previous response to a similar question. Hope this helps:
There IS a place for non-athletes at Williams. We sent 2 kids there. Kid #1 (science/econ kid) happened by accident into a non-varsity club sport, recruited on club day because he knew the rules to less-than-popular game and expressed interest in watching, and most people don’t! Since he knew the rules, he was on the team! Suffice it to say it’s not taken all that seriously, but he loved it.
Kid #2 (humanities kid) does no sports other than hiking. Beyond the swim test, 4 credits of PE classes is a graduation requirement for those who don’t play on teams, but there is such a huge variety of “PE” that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Kid #2 has hiked, taken first aid, yoga, etc.
Do teams function like greek life on campus? Yes, to the extent that they have the money and people to throw the bigger parties and there’s an active effort between teams to fraternize. You don’t need to be an athlete to have a social life. To begin, your first year in your diverse “entry” creates the first group of friends. The entry system is powerful. Kid #1 went off with a couple of entrymates to found a start-up. Kid #2 still lives with four former entrymates and they are the closest of friends.
Also, Kid #2 is very active in the performing arts community and those students are her friends, colleagues, and social world. It’s a much larger group than the admissions reputation gives it credit for. Theater and Music are a big deal at Williams and Kid #2 loves the program and its extracurriculars there. She found her people.
The fact that both my kids ended up there, with no athletics, no legacy and from a public school across the country, demonstrates both an effort in admissions for a well-rounded student body and the ability to live there and make your way happily as a non-athlete.
While there is often an athlete and non-athlete divide, that challenge is mainly a question of time. Though Williams is Div 3, student athletes still devote hours on hours of practice. It depends on the individuals, but folks who wish to expand their social circles will do so.
There’s plenty to do that does not have to be sporty. e.g. school clubs, taking the shuttle to Boston/NYC, going to the Clark Museum, etc. Folks take PE classes from ‘nutrition’ to wall-climbing and hiking, without having to worry too much about being athletic. At the end of the day, the primary pursuit is studying, and there are plenty of clubs and other pastimes that Ephs enjoy 
My son, who is an athlete, just finished his first year at Williams. He loved the entry system and met a lot of great kids with diverse interests who supported each other in their endeavors - my son would attend fellow entrys 'musical performances and they would come watch his team compete. My son loves his teammates, but he is rooming next year with some of his freshman entry mates and none of them are athletes.
My two cents as a non-athlete and recent graduate: if you like to party, get to know the athletes. There’s definitely a specific culture of “athletes” that doesn’t necessarily include all athletes or omit all non-athletes; for example, the cross country team really does its own thing, but there are many people who don’t play a varsity sport that hang out in the “athlete” crowds. The divide is really unnoticeable anywhere but the nightlife, where in my opinion it’s quite stark. There’s even a secret fraternity on campus (coed) that you need to get invited to join, and — surprise! — it’s probably 80-90% athletes. Of course, this really doesn’t have any effect on what you can do or who you can be friends with at Williams, it just means there are two pretty distinct cultural circles: athlete/party culture and nonathlete/non-party culture.
Also, to be clear, it’s not that there are no parties thrown by non athletes, but rather that most of the “typical college” parties are thrown by that crowd. They’re also non-exclusive, but if you go to them and you’re not really a part of that scene you’ll probably get some weird looks.
During my time there, I really had no interest in going to those parties, and I still had quite a few friends that were athletes — we just went to different parties most of the time. In all other areas, I didn’t notice any divide between athletes and non-athletes, so you can rest easy there.
@jersey454 Thanks for your thoughts! So as a non-athlete, would you have been welcome at the parties thrown by athletes or would that have been awkward? What kinds of groups throw the non-athlete parties? Wondering if, for example, you are neither an athlete nor a performing arts kid, if you are shut out because that’s the only choices for parties and they aren’t welcoming to others. Have a daughter applying so I am truly wondering what it’s like. She isn’t an athlete nor is she into performing arts, but she is friendly, outgoing, and has other extracurriculars that she loves.
No worries there! Williams doesn’t have any major social divides except the athlete/non-athlete divide. You can be any combination of anything at Williams and no one really cares. The performing arts group, for example, has plenty of athletes, artists, gamers, etc. The situation is actually quite good unless you decide you want to break into the heavier partying scene as a junior or senior, at which point it can seem a little awkward. Not impossible still, just more of a “what are you doing here” vibe at some parties.
Also, I’m definitely especially sensitive to feeling out of place, so this is just my experience! I do think most people would acknowledge at least some athlete/non-athlete divide, but its reported strength probably fluctuates depending on who you ask. I wouldn’t worry about your daughter finding a social group.
Also, parties thrown by non-athletes abound! They just tend to be more relaxed, less kinda “club-music-hooking-up” and more drinking games, chatting, and so on. If you’re looking for a huge rager party scene in general though, look elsewhere: Williams is definitely not the place to have 4 throwaway party years.
@jersey454 Can you elaborate on how the XC team does it’s own thing? Our son has been in contact with the coach and may be able to walk on. Curious what the rep of the team is when it comes to their social life.
@homerdog they are much more of a “goofy” group, with more emphasis placed on… well, silliness I guess. It’s a huge team so there are apparently multiple subcultures within it, but I unfortunately don’t know enough about the dynamic within the team to comment any further. Most of the people from XC that I met were wonderful, so if I were joining, I wouldn’t have any worries
@jersey454 you’re killing me! That would be perfect for S19. I cannot find one thing that does not fit him at Williams but it’s such a long shot.
Just another bit of feedback. My daughter (current Williams ED applicant, not a student) was concerned about the same thing. She’s not an athlete and has no interest in sports. She spent the night on campus a couple months ago and asked about it to her hosts. One of her hosts told a story about how someone on the football team through a traditional kegger-style party with a cover charge. The twist was that the party and cover charge were a fundraiser to help victims of sex trafficking. So it seems like the athletes at schools like Williams are students first, athletes second.
And it’s not Williams, but I came across an interesting video about an Amherst football player on YT. I don’t think I can post links here, but just search for “One Amherst student makes a difference”.
(And sorry for mentioning Amherst in a positive light on a Williams forum. I hope this doesn’t jinx my daughter’s ED application! )