Hey guys,
I thought I would start a new thread for Williams Fall 2019 transfer. We’ll talk about the process and stats over the few months.
Also applied for Fall 2019 - I remember from their site that decisions will be out by April 15th which is pretty soon, any estimates on the exact range?
have any of you received requests from the school for more financial aid info?
Good luck everyone!
thank you!! does anyone want to post stats?
Unfortunately, Williams doesn’t seem to welcome transfer applicants. In the most recent year for which information is available, only 3.1%, or 1 in 33, were accepted. Students truly wishing to transfer from their current colleges probably should research schools with reasonably transfer-friendly practices.
@merc81 that’s far more of an inherent problem with applying to transfer to many top universities - there naturally aren’t a lot of spots that open up, and this is further compounded by Williams being a small LAC. It’s not really fair to view this as Williams not welcoming transfer applicants, particularly when they waive the application fee for transfers, but rather just the harsh reality of transferring.
@bvbchamps I agree. There just isn’t that many spots. It is also hard to know what admissions committees prioritize. It sometimes seems random.
Since you have made me aware of Williams’ automatic fee waiver policy for transfers, I’ll retract the unfair “welcome” aspect of my earlier comment. However, I really don’t view the excerpted segment above as valid reasoning. Colleges are limited by their overall capacities, which they can apportion, not the amount of spots that “open up” for transfers. And, in actuality, there are colleges with similar or higher graduation rates than Williams’, including LACs (e.g., Wesleyan), that do accept transfer applicants at a rate equivalent to that for first-years applicants.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/highest-grad-rate
Hi! So I’ve been following the transfer application process for 2 years now. I can tell you that last year, only 12 transfer applicants were accepted. 10 of those were veteran applicants, and 0 of them chose to attend Williams.
The school is primarily focusing on its veteran applicants again this year, considering they are losing the majority of their current veteran students within the next year. Just something to keep in mind.
that is good to know!! thank you so much
also, how many items are on all of your financial aid checklists, if you are applying for aid?
I’m not applying. Just friends with an insider.
I’m not a veteran, so that’s a little discouraging. It is what it is though.
@KirkingItUp what do you mean “an insider”?
Good luck to all!
Any cc transfers?
@noitpmeder I’m a cc transfer!!
The vets are all close with the director of admissions. I just get the trickled down information. A lot of the trickled down info. But from what I understand, the school is looking for transfer students who can bring a different perspective to campus. They’re not looking for the perfect 4.0 GPA kid. They’re looking for the one who is different. All the students who have been accepted in the past are not straight A’s, (they’re still a competitive range at a 3.7-3.8) but they’re looking at the kids who have a really different perspective to bring to campus. Community college kids are popular there. Certainly don’t let the vet thing get you down. As long as you were yourself in your application, you’ll be okay. As cheesy as that sounds.
Good luck to all 
Non-traditional student transferring from CC.
School: Community College of Rhode Island
Major: Liberal Arts ( Looking to major in Sociology)
Credits: 62
College GPA: 3.95/4.0
SAT: I haven’t taken it / waived by Williams
College EC’s: Phi Theta Kappa Member, Peer tutor at The Writing Center
EC’s: Intern at the Institute of Non-violence for Public Policy and Advocacy and TA for citizenship classes for immigrants.
Recommendations: 9/10
Three professors. Two hold PhD’s from Brown University (one in English and the latter in Psychology) and one from the University of Chicago (Sociology).
Essays: 9.5/10.
I gave insight on my self-inflicted adversities and gave a brief background on the intergenerational cycle within my family in which I am vowing to break. I emphasized on academics and how education is the only plausible way to overcome my adversities. My understanding of life has been shaped through personal adversities which I have had to overcome, instilling in me this belief that everything happens for a reason. Incarceration for me was divine intervention. If it were not for my last incarceration, I would not have the courage and drive to pursue higher education at the age of 27. Also, I would not have the courage to enact change within the community through means of volunteer work and advocacy. I realized that in order to successfully make an impact in this world, a dialogue needs to come into fruition to bring awareness to the mischaracterization of ex-convicts within societal constructs. My life circumstances put me at an advantage. Due to my self-inflicted plight, I have to work harder than my peers in every facet of life. I had to excel academically during my journey in a community college to encompass a semblance of hope. I plan to exceed all societal expectations of ex-convicts and aid in the humanization of formerly incarcerated individuals.
High School Drop-out
Received GED in 2009 Battery average: 540
Hooks: First generation college student, father deported for drug trafficking,
“Unhooks”: convicted felon recently released
Any input is duly appreciated.