School Spirit

<p>What is the school spirit like at Williams? Are the students and teachers proud to be apart of the college? Also, are people excited about sports at Williams?</p>

<p>???</p>

<p>There is definitely a lot of school spirit at Williams, but of course, it’s expressed differently than at, say, a Big Ten school. You will see tons of students wearing Williams t-shirts, sweartshirts, and other college gear. The purple cow image is visible in abundance. In general, most students are excited to be affiliated with Williams, and that continues into alumni-hood, as Williams features among the most actively engaged groups of alumni of any colllege or university in the country. I think the fact that Williams is so little known outside of NESCAC and Ivy circles only makes the passion for the school stronger – it’s like you are part of a well-kept secret clan or something. </p>

<p>Regarding sports, well, yes, for a Division III school. Basketball games vs. Amherst, Middlebury (in recent years), or post-season games are definitely big campus events, and the student support is passionate at those. Fall football games are also fairly popular, at least the games vs. Amherst, Wesleyan and Trinity. Soccer and hockey games also sometimes get fairly good crowds out. But again, it’s Div-III, so you aren’t watching borderline-professional athletes in a borderline-professional atmosphere, or anything close to that. Students come out to support their friends and classmates, typically (the odds are, you will know at least a few varsity athletes at Williams), except for big rivalry games vs. Amherst or NCAA contests, which have a bit more of an event atmosphere about them, and get a bit more raucus. </p>

<p>One thing that is nice is that, due to the small-town atmosphere, there is tremendous community support for athletics; Williams sports are, literally, the only game in town. For example a lot of Williamstown kids become Williams hoops groupies, and the football games attract a lot of support from local residents.</p>