<p>I have already paid my deposit and I'm not trying to ilicit a sense of "buyer's remorse". However, after the online chat with current students, I think I'm portraying Williams as a perfect college, and the "rational being" inside me is a little cynical about that. There's bound to be something horrible at Williams, right? It's better to put everything into perspective now than to be severely disappointed in August. So please express your frustration with the College and do not sugar-coat. Thanks!</p>
<p>coolcc: My son is so in love with Willams that I doubt he would offer you any negatives at all. He is a frosh.</p>
<p>I will help burst your bubble a little. Freshman advising is not as good as it could be. It's cold a lot. (He doesn't care.) Some of the classes are really hard. Kids sit around in entries a lot when they could be doing other things like taking advantage of the amazing things there are to do on the weekends. Wait, that's starting to sound positive.</p>
<p>coolcc, if there's bound to be "something horrible" at Williams, then there's bound to be something horrible at any top LAC. Nothing is perfect, every school will have some fault, and every student will have some gripe about their college.</p>
<p>Regardless of that, I think you'll find that that a school's redeeming qualities and the like totally overshadow the "horror." Williams excellence in academics, wealth of opportunities, and myriad of things to do on the weekends may make up for poor freshmen academic advising, or temperature, etc. People make sacrifices for greatness, and Williams is a pretty amazing school. </p>
<p>Just from what I've read about Williams and from family members visiting campus, I personally can't seem to find anything horribly wrong or bad about the school. But as I said, every school will have some problem of some degree, yet you'll likely find that the school's other, numerous pros will make any con seem insignificant in the scheme of things.</p>
<p>The biggest complaint that you will here about Williams has to do with it's location... When I got cabin fever, I just headed down to NYC.... Problem solved..</p>
<p>P.S. I was able to make the trek from Williamstown to Manhattan in 2 hours and 27 minutes... Beat that :-)</p>
<p>Is there really nothing around Williams? It seems so secluded, similar to all the other colleges within that region like Dartmouth, Middlebury, etc.</p>
<p>Lol well this is sort of a biased opinion since I visited Williams and didn't like it enough to apply...but Williamstown definately needs some work. I'm into Amherst and am 75% going, so I deaifnetly like the idea of the LAC experience.</p>
<p>Obviously, Willliamstown isnt expected to be a booming metropolis. But there is something to be said about being able to go out on a weekend just to get a burger or something with some friends. i asked the tourguide if there is a place you can go out to on a weekend with friends, just to get pizza or something, and her answer was basically a long-winded "no".</p>
<p>Not true. There are places. Images Theater, the Thai Restaurant, the Indian Restaurant. Kids go to all of these.</p>
<p>Actually, there's tons of pizza places in neighboring North Adams.... It's a five minute car ride.</p>
<p>Williamstown is a village. It may not have everything you want but it has everything you need: e.g. several restaurants (5 or 6), movies, drugstore, bookstore, liquor store, cleaners, stationery, knick-knacks. So, yes, it's quite possible and common for kids to go out for a casual dinner in Williamstown.
Someone in the group or the JA usually has a car so driving to a nearby town is also quite common.</p>
<p>I think the key point in the Williams happiness quotient is whether or not you want to be there. If you're a city person but decide to choose Williams because it's the highest rated college that you were accepted to, you're bound to be miserable. If your idea of a fun weekend is shopping, clubbing, soaking up urban buzz, then Williams just isn't going to do it for you.</p>
<p>Williamstown really does offer a lot for a small town, it is ridiculous to suggest there is nothing going on ... now, NYC it ain't, so as others have said, if you want urban life, you should go elsewhere. </p>
<p>But Williamstown can boast a really great coffee / desert / hang-out spot (Tunnel City), a top-notch ice cream parlor, two cool bars once the Pub reopens in the fall (Red Herring and Purple Pub), a truly fantastic deli (Pappa C's), a great pizza place, tons of restaurants such as Water Street Grill, Mezze, the 6 House, Jae's (all of which also have bars you can hang out at once you are 21), a record store, and so on and so on. Add in a world-class theater which hosts the Williamstown Theater Festival in the summer (for those who stick around), a great local movie theater which hosts a theater festival each fall, two top-notch museums, skiing, hiking and the top college golf course in the country, and there really is plenty going on, more than some would have you believe. Toss in North Adams, with MassMoca (which has tons of arts programing) plus a few more quality restaurants, and there are some more options. Again, it's far from urban, but to suggest there is nothing to do beyond campus is simply false.</p>
<p>If Williamstown was really so desolate, why would all kinds of broadway / movie stars spend months there each summer to partake in the theater festival? Again, I am not saying the school will make someone who wants an urban lifestyle happy, I just object to characterizations of Williamstown as if it's nothing but the college, a bank, and two restaurants ... there is a lot more going on.</p>
<p>In response to Ephman's post, I just wanted to lodge a complaint about the "truly fantastic deli". Papa C's is REALLY over-rated, IMHO. The sandwiches are small, prices are jacked up, and to be completely honest, the quality of food there doesn't even compare with my hometown deli back in NJ. </p>
<p>My grudge against Papa C's is fairly minor, though, and in general, I think Williamstown is a great place. I definitely recommend spending a summer here if you can.</p>
<p>To each their own, I guess. I think Pappa C's is fantastic (and I have certainly been to my share of delis ...). I'd certainly put it below a truly stellar NYC deli like Murray's Bagels, but above what you can find almost anywhere else (and certainly better than what you can find in the vast majority of small towns ...).</p>
<p>
[quote]
I definitely recommend spending a summer here if you can.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I concur. Summer in Williamstown is fantastic. Every Williams student should try it at least once. Fall is nice, too.</p>
<p>"Not true. There are places. Images Theater, the Thai Restaurant, the Indian Restaurant. Kids go to all of these."</p>
<p>-these seemed to be the only 3 restaurants to me. i've visited twice and the only other notable places i can remember are a coffee shop and an awful sandwich place. i can also tell you that the indian restuarant is nothing to write home about either.</p>
<p>" Actually, there's tons of pizza places in neighboring North Adams.... It's a five minute car ride."</p>
<p>--does anyone really want to get in a car and drive to get a slice of pizza? i think there is something to be said for being able to simply no-big-deal grab a slice.</p>
<p>that said, im not trying to knock williams. i think it's a great school, and since i picked amherst then obviously we have similar taste. however, you asked for something that people DIDNT like about williamstown, and the isolation of the town was the factor that swayed me to not apply. some people may think that the opportunities offered by the town are wonderful, bountiful, etc. i however, did not. its just my opinion, its not necessarily true or "untrue". it just depends on how remote a lifestyle you are comfortable with having.</p>
<p>before 1AM, you can get pizza at the 82 grill</p>
<p>It's fair to not want to be in a small town, julius, but we are just correcting your misinformation about Williamstown. You are simply wrong when you describe it as having only two restaurants. As I said, there is Mezze (great fine dining), a really good pizza place (Hot Tomato's) which has a style of pizza that is now very popular in Boston, ice cream parlor (which also serves some lunch food), the deli (which most people do really like, notwithstanding some dissenting opinion on this thread), a very good pan asian place (Jae's), two solid pub-food style options (the 6 House and Water Street Grill), a latin place (Coyote Flaco), two bars with solid bar food (and the pub had fantastic burgers, I expect that to resume in the fall) as well as the great options in the Paresky Center. Plus there are lots of events at the Clark, MassMoca, and Images. You've visited twice, hardly enough to make you an expert on Williamstown (which is more than just Spring Street, obviously the only part of town you've been to, and even there your survey was far from complete). The town also has a fantastic organic food mart, Wild Oates. If you don't like small town life, Williamstown is not for you, but it is hard to imagine a small town anywhere with the diversity of food, culture, and outdoors activities options that Williamstown offers ...</p>
<p>If you are a minority, I'd stay away from this school. Despite the thinly veiled attempts to promote diversity, in terms of the culture, racial stereotyping, and pandering that goes on here, Williams falls far short of its goal of 'inclusivity' (that's not manufactured). Other than the fact that Williams is in the middle of nowhere and the parties (most of them at least) suck , that's about it. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a party where there is literally no one there. And no, the b does not count.</p>
<p>p.s.: this is coming from a minority student at Williams, so yes, I know what i'm talking about.</p>
<p>Some of my fav responses/comments on this topic:</p>
<p>momrath:</p>
<p>"I think the key point in the Williams happiness quotient is whether or not you want to be there. If you're a city person but decide to choose Williams because it's the highest rated college that you were accepted to, you're bound to be miserable. If your idea of a fun weekend is shopping, clubbing, soaking up urban buzz, then Williams just isn't going to do it for you."</p>
<p>^^this is so true. urbanites beware.</p>
<p>crnchycereal:</p>
<p>"In response to Ephman's post, I just wanted to lodge a complaint about the "truly fantastic deli". Papa C's is REALLY over-rated, IMHO. The sandwiches are small, prices are jacked up, and to be completely honest, the quality of food there doesn't even compare with my hometown deli back in NJ."</p>
<p>Same. Ditto Colonials and the racketeering outfit that masquerades as Water Street books. Papa Johns and Barnes and Nobles it is not.</p>
<p>Ephman:</p>
<p>"If Williamstown was really so desolate, why would all kinds of broadway / movie stars spend months there each summer to partake in the theater festival?"</p>
<p>It's not because they like the town. They like the festival, it's quite prestigious. I also don't really see how this proves your point. Williamstown IS desolate...as a matter of fact, 'desolate' doesn't do it justice. More like 'farm town', isolated even by New England standards.</p>
<p>Ephman:</p>
<p>"I just object to characterizations of Williamstown as if it's nothing but the college, a bank, and two restaurants ... there is a lot more going on."</p>
<p>Ok, ok. two banks and a post office. happy? And let's not talk about prices. You could write an econ paper on the monopolization of Spring Street.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear you've had such a negative experience. I had many minority friends at Williams who certainly didn't share your view, but of course the school is not for everyone and I'm sorry to hear your experience has not been what you hoped for. The school may be failing in this regard in your mind, but you certainly can't say that it doesn't try, between heavy minority recruitment efforts, a dean for institutional diversity, the MCC, Rice House, Hardy House, a multicultural requirement, and so on. </p>
<p>re: the town, yes, it is a rural small town. But I've already listed about 20 places beyond the purported "two restaurants" and "two banks" that you and other keep falsely asserting constitute the entirety of the town: Helen's Place (another great deli I neglected to mention), Purple Pub (soon to reopen), Red Herring, Wild Oates organic food co-op, the indian and thai place, Jae's Pan Asian place, Tunnel City Coffee, the ice cream parlor, Water Street Grill, Mezze, Images Cinema, the Williams Inn, the 6 House Pub, plus another 4-5 higher end restaurants in town, and of course two 18 hole golf courses, great hiking trails, two art museums, and a ski slope. Yes, rural, yes, not for someone who wants an urban environment, but NOT the empty, desolate, two-restaurant wasteland as some have portrayed. </p>
<p>And it is not just people who WORK at the festival who spend summers in Williamstown, there are an influx of tourists who choose to live there each summer.</p>
<p>I also disagree strongly with rl.hill's characterization of Williams' student culture and its reception of minority students. Speaking as a minority as well, I can think of few if any instances in my four years here during which I encountered any sort of truly offensive behavior. If anything, I would argue that the existence of any sort of institutional exclusivity is more the result of minorities self-selecting themselves out of various student groups and activities.</p>