<p>Im an intl student applying RD to Williams. Ive been told that social life at Williams isnt that good. Is that true??</p>
<p>Uhh... I think its fine. If you're looking to go clubbing or anything, you're out of luck, but, generally, I think the social scene is pretty good -- the people here are great.</p>
<p>bernardolw, I'm a freshman at Williams and all I can say is that the social life is awesome. I'm always busy, parties are fun and laid back (usually given by clusters, houses, or teams). If you're applying to Williams, or Midd. or any school that's not in a city (i.e. not Tufts or Columbia, etc.) you have to understand that, like ephrymeswbeef said, there will not be clubs. I can't even imagine a club in Williamstown, that just wouldn't go...All I can say is that I had some questions about social stuff too, even though I'm from a smalltown. I was a little worried about "what people did," but trust me, there is always way too much to do and never enough time. I have trouble deciding what I am going to do, not the other way around. If you're not sure about the social life stuff and you can't visit, I can see how you would be in a bit of a bind about how to see if the social life was right for you, but all I can say is that for me, it's awesome. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>As my S considers LACs, I'm interested in what Williams students think of the social life compared to a place like Wesleyan, which has a slightly larger student body and some grad programs that might give the place more bustle. Also, do students feel it makes a difference that Wesleyan is located in a larger town that is closer to NYC and Boston? Or, in the end, is it mainly about what happens within your own campus, where you spend most of your time anyway?</p>
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Or, in the end, is it mainly about what happens within your own campus, where you spend most of your time anyway?
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<p>Mostly about campus and immediate surrounding vicinity.</p>
<p>Williams and Wesleyan are different schools. With a close reading, the major guidebooks (Fiske, etc.) do a good job of laying out the dominant campus culture themes of various schools. Applicants should pay attention to those campus culture themes and really give some thought to what they might be looking for.</p>
<p>All colleges have "good social life". College is fun and college kids have a good time. That's universal. Whether the social scene is desireable for a particular student depends on what the student wants to do. For example, a heavy booze school could be viewed a great social scene for one student and a miserable social scene for another. Best to ask specific questions, rather than generic, "is the social scene good?"</p>
<p>As for access to a city, it really depends on the student. Personally, I think it's important for students to get a breath of air from the real world outside the ivory tower -- and especially important for students at small liberal arts colleges. That break from the ivory tower could be a weekend of skiing in Vermont or a weekend of theater and museums in NYC. Depends on the kid.</p>
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<p>Or, in the end, is it mainly about what happens within your own campus, where you spend most of your time anyway?<</p>
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<p>Obviously, it's both. At the extremes, you have Columbia, where there is virtually nothing on campus that can compete with the bars, clubs, and theaters that are within a subway's ride of campus; I've never heard anyone talk about a "Columbia bubble"; I don't think it exists. On the other extreme, there are Williams and Middlebury where the towns are basically vestigial, and part of the charm of the experience is the sense of shared isolation.</p>
<p>Wesleyan definitely has its own bubble, but, it's not Jurassic Park; one never has the sense that one has to be helicoptered out in case of an emergency.</p>
<p>"On the other extreme, there are Williams and Middlebury where the towns are basically vestigial, and part of the charm of the experience is the sense of shared isolation."</p>
<p>It's something hasn't come up too much but I am wondering whether such small school (williams and any other) become become more "co-operative" or more "competitive" because of that? I've heard of some schools being really cut-throat which I can imagine gets pretty ugly in such a small setting, IF it is true - though I guess to get there you really have to be exceptional in the first place. Then again, I can be a bit of the 'we fight when we can bond' type.</p>
<p>I don't think the location of a school has anything to do with where it falls on the "competitive"/"cooperative" scale. That's more a function of campus culture and rooted in campus traditions dating back decades.</p>
<p>My experience at Williams is dated. I found it neither "competitive" nor "cooperative". Everyone just pretty much did their own thing.</p>
<p>stupid question - does eph really rhyme with beef? I had assume it was pronouned 'eff' like the letter..... ???</p>
<p>lol tickytacky, yes it does. The name is from the founder's name, Ephraim Williams. Pronounced with a hard 'e' like 'beef'.</p>
<p>Isn't the name ephraim pronounced "eff- rayim" though?</p>
<p>No. Here's a quote from the athletics section of the College's website:</p>
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Pronounced "Eefs," this title is short for Ephraim Williams, whose will and determination led to the founding of the college. Varsity teams at Williams are referred to as Ephs and on occasion men's teams are called Ephmen and women's teams are called Ephwomen.
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<p><a href="http://www.williams.edu/athletics/eph.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.williams.edu/athletics/eph.php</a></p>
<p>haha it's okay TickyTacky I know what you mean...i was always confused about the pronunciation too until I found out that Ephraim is actually pronounced "Eef frayim and not "eff-frayim" like I had thought</p>
<p>This individual may have pronounced his name 'eefraim' but I know two people called ephraim and both pronounce it the other way. Thank goodness you told me, or there could have been some embaressing mispronounciation situation if I do end up at williams (or maybe at my interview!).</p>