<p>Hey, I got accepted to Williams and was wondering what the social scene is like. Are there frats? House parties? Dorm parties? Bars? Clubs? Do people leave Williamstown a lot? Do people get bored in the middle of nowhere? What's a typical weekend like? Is it difficult to party legally? Thanks.</p>
<p>I was under the impression that there were no established fraternities anymore...</p>
<p>No frats since... somebody here probably knows the date. I don't attend Williams, but I've been accepted (and thus been researching) and live in a nearby town.</p>
<p>There don't seem to be many bars in Williamstown -at least one? Drinking doesn't seem to be hard to find if that's what you're into, but that's true anywhere.</p>
<p>There always seems to be something to do though. I think their philosophy is something like, "If we have this many college students in a small town 'in the middle of nowhere,' we'll be in trouble if we don't keep them entertained."
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I'm impressed with how much arts/music there is to see.</p>
<p>It's no New York City, and it bothers me a little bit that it's so far from exciting urban centers, but my impression is that you don't have to be bored if you don't want to.</p>
<p>Let me sum up williamstown for all of you, since I come from Los Angeles and I visited: BORING.</p>
<p>Hey, I am also from Los Angeles but I am a student as well. Williamstown is horribly boring -- if you are interested in a more urban, lively social scene. Williams is great for people who are outdoorsy or for people who are into awkward drinking parties in which everyone dances awkwardly.</p>
<p>BORING- but then, that's not that bad because suddenly, your work does not seem that boring anymore =).</p>
<p>The warmth and friendship my son has found in his entry is more fulfilling to him than the kind of nightlife the OP asks about. </p>
<p>He went to Williams for friendship, school and EC's and he has found those. My D is at Barnard which has the opposite culture -- lots to do, less cohesive campus life. </p>
<p>Both are appropriate for the right people, though I must admit she complains about the lack of campus cohesion more than S does about boredom in Williamstown.</p>
<p>Your son had a good entry in MIssion Park mythmom. There is a sizable minority (minority like 45%) of people who don;t have this entry cohesiveness.</p>
<p>Umm... Just got my acceptance letter and now I'm concerned. Does Williams have wild parties? I'm not a party girl but I need to party once for a while (like, weekly?) . And by saying party, I mean loud music tearing off the roof and everything rising up to dance naturally, not some elitist ball where everyone dresses in formal gowns and sips wine...</p>
<p>Thank you Teltar for the info. I'm sure it's useful to prospies.</p>
<p>He tells me that his friends on the Frosh Quad are having good experiences too, though I am sure there are those who don't.</p>
<p>coolcc: Williams may not be what you are looking for, but I have never heard of an elitist ball with formal gowns and kids sipping wine.</p>
<p>I don't have the hard data on me, but the internal survey numbers at Williams show pretty overwhelming satisfaction with the entry system. The actual number is something like 90%+ of students report being satisfied or very satisfied with their frosh year entry experience.</p>
<p>Regarding Mission vs the Frosh Quad, up until 3 years (I think) ago, it was Frosh Quad vs Odd Quad vs Morgan vs Lehman...and the Frosh Quad was the most desirable place to live. The Frosh Quad hasn't gotten any less desirable--frosh housing at Williams has just gotten better. I lived in the Frosh Quad my freshman year, and could not have been more satisfied with my experience. I have good friends who were then JAs in the frosh quad who were very happy with how their entries developed as cohesive units (and with their JA experience).</p>
<p>Regarding social life, Williamstown is rural. If you're looking for a college social scene that involves bars, clubs, tapas, and drunken cab rides home...Williams is probably not the school for you. However, if you're looking for a college social scene that involves on-campus movies, student group performances, on-campus (and free) entertainers, and drunken walks home...well, Williams might be the school for you. In my opinion, the college experience should be about, well, college. You can do the bar/club/tapas thing after graduating, but you can't really replicate an experience like Williams. I, for one, was never bored at Williams in the least.</p>
<p>Regarding drinking scene, yes there is drinking at Williams. If the sight of your peers having a beer terrifies you, this is not the school for you. If you're looking for a school that will offer you a variety of keggers on a variety of weekend and weeknights...well, Williams is also not the school for you. The fact is that while there is ample amounts of drinking at Williams, it mostly tends to be restrained. Sure, there are sweaty keggers (almost exclusively attended by frosh) where people drink more than they probably should...but the vast majority of students' social life typically involves smaller groups and less drinking. Coolcc--I think you'll find weekly parties if that's what you're looking for, but you'll also find a host of other activities on weekends and you'll never feel pressured to party or drink when you don't want to.</p>
<p>Abl--thank you for summarizing the social life at Williams for us. It really helps putting things into perspective. I was worried about the whole rural aspect of it maybe because I'm raised up in a city. But after reading your post, I think it just fits my bill (e.g. restrained alcohol, weekend student activities on campus, etc.)So I guess I'm ready to pay my $200 deposit now. :)</p>
<p>Alcohol is not restrained lol</p>
<p>abl, you forgot hoxsey and surrounding properties</p>