<p>Appreciate the feedback from everyone. A couple posts made references to guidebooks we have not looked at yet, we'll check those out. And of course we will be making some visits over the next few weeks. But this discussion has been helpful (along with other threads on this site).</p>
<p>Cur, I like your post and especially the phrase "insulated vibrant campus". I am so tired of hearing Williamstown referred to as Siberia, the frozen wastes, the gulag, remote, isolated, in the middle of nowhere. Can you envision Nanook Goes to College? </p>
<p>I've never been to Grinnell, so I may be extrapolating, but I think the same principal applies. Yes, it's a small town (in the case of W-Town actually a charming New England village) but it has everything you want and need and there are tons of activities -- social, arts-related, athletic, academic. No one is bored. The campus itself is the center of the universe. The downside is that it's an ivory tower. The upside is that it's an ivory tower. Opportunities to go to New York or Boston (again this is W-Town) come up once a semester or so (usually in conjunction with a class), but the kids are happy to get back to the mother ship. The insulation, in fact, encourages a more cohesive student body and a stronger sense of community. The profound natural beauty (again I can only speak for the Berkshires) enhances the experience.</p>
<p>"Grinnell type LAC in a Grinnell type location - an LAC exactly like Grinnell with a a shift of a few degrees to the middle politically and socially."
Sounds a lot like Williams to me. The majority votes blue, but they are willing to consider the red side. They also like to dress up for parties.</p>