<p>im not a senior yet, but i do think i'd want to apply there. i know obviously a great gpa and SAT score is crucial, but what are other things they look for? i'm a musician, is that something they like? should i send in supplementary material when i apply there?</p>
<p>Williams loves athletes more than any other school, it seems nearly everyone plays a sport. Then there's drinking ability, if you can chug 10 beers in 4 minutes you're in with any stats...j/k about that last part, sorta, and don't know about music.</p>
<p>From what I understand they have a very developed music program, so yeah that could be a plus. And they want the usual high grades, scores, impressive ECs showing depth and committment, interesting essays, strong letters of rec... pretty much like all the selective schools.</p>
<p>Sports is a big part of the campus culture, but there are plenty of non-sporty kids, too, I hear. It has a reputation for lots of students who want to get on the big-income-career-in-finance track. Also hard partying. When my son and I visited, at the information session the admissions officer asked for all the students in the room to ask a question they wanted answered about Williams. After the predictable ones about class size, study abroad, dorm life, sports, how to get accepted, and so forth, one cheeky guy asked, "I hear Williams if the heavy party school of all the NE LACs. Is that true?" At which point the admissions rep kind of hemmed and hah'd and then said, "Well, I've never actually heard that before." Immediately roughly half the kids in the room started giggling because <em>they</em> had all heard it lots of times before.</p>
<p>It was pretty funny actually. I think the admissions rep was a little flummoxed.</p>
<p>My son didn't end up applying as it turned out, but it's got a great reputation among the selective LACs and must have it for good reasons. Just present yourself in the best light possible. You can't really control what they're looking for or how to meet it, because they are trying to build a class. If an applicant is just superb, but superb in the same way as a zillion others, then they may be facing tough odds... but there's no way to know about the other people applying so just present your strengths, write an interesting essay, get good letters of rec, and see how it turns out.</p>
<p>My S attends Williams. Not a partier, not interested in finance career, not into sports, just an intellectual type kid who'll probably end up in academics.</p>
<p>Williams looks for students who are interested in a variety of things, not just one thing. If I could find one word to describe the successful Williams' candidate it would be multi-dimensional.</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way, my S is a musician among other things.</p>
<p>He just finished his freshman year and really loves the school.</p>