<p>I'm a student @ Williams offering you a chance to ask questions about life here. We're in midterms, so I might not answer quickly, but I will get back to you.</p>
<p>YAY! :)</p>
<p>I had several questions...</p>
<ol>
<li>Can you/Do you actually get to have personal attention from professors due to the small size of the school?</li>
<li>And a corollary to that -- is it easy to enroll in a Tutorial class?
2.5. Speaking about midterms, do the classes contain a lot of reading? Also, are students graded on a bell curve? </li>
<li>How is the food?</li>
<li>How are the dorms? </li>
<li>Do people ever feel suffocated because of the rural location, or are there generally enough activities on the weekend to keep occupied?</li>
<li>Will I feel left out if I don't/can't drink? </li>
</ol>
<p>Sorry for so many questions, and thank you so much for the offer! :D</p>
<p>How many Canadian students do you know?</p>
<ol>
<li>Can you/Do you actually get to have personal attention from professors due to the small size of the school?</li>
</ol>
<p>The short answer is yes. All professors have office hours, and unless a paper or problem set is due very soon, you can get time one on one. I have also never been turned down by a prof if I ask them to snackbar or for a meeting. More importantly, you can e-mail a professor about class and get an in-depth response to your question. Some professors anonymously post the questions they get so that everyone can get the answers.</p>
<ol>
<li>And a corollary to that -- is it easy to enroll in a Tutorial class?</li>
</ol>
<p>Tutorials tend to be one-shot classes about a topic of particular interest to that prof. If it's a great topic, you can easily get shut out because of how many people apply, but a few easy steps like going to see the professor in person can make your chances much more likely. The college has tutorials specifically for upperclassmen and for lowerclassmen, and has been expanding the number of tutorials over the past few years. The Admissions office has the stats on how many students take a tutorial.</p>
<p>2.5. Speaking about midterms, do the classes contain a lot of reading? Also, are students graded on a bell curve?</p>
<p>It depends on the class, but generally, you are going to have a lot of reading. That's a part of any high-level education. Grades are different between departments; I can't shed much light on that issue.</p>
<ol>
<li>How is the food?</li>
</ol>
<p>Relative to what? It's much better than the food at my high school; I've yet to hit a meal I didn't want to eat. More importantly, there are many many options - 5 dining halls (with online menus for planning), as well as a student run coffee bar, staff run snack bar, and a little cafe in the science atrium for the mornings, with fresh baked goods. You can also get a grab-and-go lunch, or get your meal to-go from the student center. Meals are flexible.</p>
<ol>
<li>How are the dorms?</li>
</ol>
<p>Depends on where you are and who you're living with, but the best general answer is that we have a LOT of singles. Most students have a double only once between freshman and sophomore year; doubles are options for rising juniors and seniors, but only because some of them are so great.</p>
<ol>
<li>Do people ever feel suffocated because of the rural location, or are there generally enough activities on the weekend to keep occupied?</li>
</ol>
<p>The rural location means that if you don't like hiking/the outdoors, you'll be going to a place with amenities you don't necessarily need or want. But people sometimes go to Boston or other places on the weekends, and the key thing to remember is that there are a lot of other students around you - there will always be parties and shows to go to. See Williams</a> College :: At Williams for a partial list (though its limited because of the upcoming Spring Break) Here's another one: '62</a> Center These calendars don't include the parties and whatnot - if you really want to get a good sense of this, come and visit.</p>
<ol>
<li>Will I feel left out if I don't/can't drink?</li>
</ol>
<p>Drinking is a part of life at almost any college, but Williams has a substantial population of non-drinkers. I have never been pressured into drinking when I wasn't up for it, and have found people happily playing a board game one floor up from a dance party in a house basement.</p>
<ol>
<li>How many Canadians do you know?</li>
</ol>
<p>I probably know quite a few who are Canadian, but I'm only aware of one Canadian's national origin; I can only tell you where people are from if we're talking about my entry or a few groups I'm in. Otherwise, you're an Eph, and that's the end of it. A quick search of the student website indicates a few more people I knew, but didn't realize were Canadian. If you want to talk to one of them, PM me.</p>
<p>Thank you for the answers! They are really helpful!. :D</p>
<p>So since getting an early write to Williams, I've heard a lot of great things about the school and a few things that brought up some concern.</p>
<p>My initial impression of the school is that it was a fairly open place, and accepting of pretty much everyone. But I've been hearing a lot through the grapevine that, in fact, kids are kind of cliquely and primarily stick to their own small, closed niche groups. Is this the case? And how is diversity at the school?</p>
<p>I'll leave it to current students to answer the questions about cliqueyness, but my guess is, you'll get different answers depending on who you ask. And by the way, it should be self-evident, but just in case, the silent majority don't post on these boards -- the people tend to come from the extremes of those are extremely satisfied students / alums, or extremely dissatisfied. I feel comfortable saying that, in Williams' case, the extremely satisfied are far more representative of the alumni and student body as a whole (after all, around 2/3 of the alumni body wouldn't be donating each year if they were displeased with their college experience), but there will always be a loud and vocal minority for any school, and again for any school, they are far more likely to post on these boards than those who are fairly content. </p>
<p>To answer your easier question re: diversity, the numbers in recent years are about 30 percent american students of color (evenly split among black, latino, and asian students, unlike many northeastern schools, which have a relatively larger asian population) and about 8 percent international students. Students are fairly split, 50-50, between those who are involved in athletics (varsity, J.V., club) and those who are not, 50-50 male-female, and 50-50 receiving financial aid / not receiving financial aid. As with every school in the Ivy League or NESCAC, the student body is far wealthier, on the average, than the general U.S. population, but via Questbridge, expanding fin aid., etc. Williams has been making some strides in this regard (still a long way to go and in this economic climate, I doubt that is at the top of the agenda). Politically, it is overwhelmingly moderate liberal, with some of the more vocal students far to the left and right, but again, those are small minorities.</p>
<p>Any advice for incoming freshman regarding campus jobs? </p>
<p>Housing question- how are freshman assigned to the neighborhood system? Is the entire entry assigned to the same neighborhood thus after they leave Mission or the Freshman Quad they stay together or is the assignment random?</p>
<ol>
<li>But I've been hearing a lot through the grapevine that, in fact, kids are kind of cliquely and primarily stick to their own small, closed niche groups. Is this the case?</li>
</ol>
<p>That can be the case; the housing draw method of pick groups encourages a small group of close friends. But, the fear I think I hear in your question is that having a wide range of friends is difficult, and I would definitely disagree with that. The extent to which the entry and ephventures group constitute a solid base is something people forget about, and there are huge numbers of clubs that would love to have you if you have the time.</p>
<p>I think you'll find the best answer to that question at Previews; PM me and we can meet if you want.</p>
<ol>
<li>And how is diversity at the school?</li>
</ol>
<p>The statistics are public... I'm not really sure what you are asking, so I'd like clarification before answering.</p>
<ol>
<li>Any advice for incoming freshman regarding campus jobs?</li>
</ol>
<p>They can be a lot of fun; look for the opportunities that match your interests most.</p>
<ol>
<li>How are freshman assigned to the neighborhood system? Is the entire entry assigned to the same neighborhood thus after they leave Mission or the Freshman Quad they stay together or is the assignment random?</li>
</ol>
<p>Entries are currently assigned altogether, but it's easy to move between them if your pick group is from different entries.</p>
<p>In your experience, how well known is Williams in the New England area?</p>
<ol>
<li>In your experience, how well known is Williams in the New England area?</li>
</ol>
<p>In my experience, pretty well known. The basics numbers game (fewer alums) makes it less visible than larger Ivies, but it still has a definite presence. I think most of our students come from NY, with MA close behind. It also depends on how you define "New England."</p>
<p>I define it as basically the Northeast. Thanks</p>
<p>I am not sure if you would be able to answer this, as it isn't really about college life, but do graduates typically find it easy to obtain the jobs they want. For those of us interested in Financial Careers but Liberal Arts Colleges, is there a fair amount of attention towards graduates from banks/wallstreet?</p>
<ol>
<li>For those of us interested in Financial Careers but Liberal Arts Colleges, is there a fair amount of attention towards graduates from banks/wallstreet?</li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, plenty of attention. Those companies aren't hiring nearly as much now, but I have a few friends still headed in that direction. You will not be hurt in this field by going to Williams; I can assure you of that.</p>
<p>One of my best friend’s daughter was accepted ED. She is probably the warmest most welcoming young person around. She is a huge skier and very big on the community involvement. I honestly feel she is not a cliquey person and is generous in spirit. From now on, this will be my impression of those attendng Williams (even though Son knows a few boys he thinks are complete tools). Thing is… I think there are ALWAYS all kinds and be careful in buying into any kind of rumor train. The motivation behind it is often unknown.</p>
<p>A Williams class is specifically enrolled to provide for balance and diversity in interests, skills, races, abilities, and anything else. You can stereotype us, but that’s as wise as stereotyping everyone from California as movie stars.</p>
<p>Williams got rid of frats for a reason, and many of us who go here were specifically drawn because of the lack of frats. We’re not big on exclusive social groups.</p>
<p>do you know how often people get off the waitlist? waitlisted at williams, amherst and middlebury - not a good day.</p>
<p>Other than sending in that “Waitlist” card (do they still have those???), you should try to contact an admissions officer via e-mail/other just re-iterating your interest at those schools. Can’t guarantee it, but that’s how I got off the waitlist several years ago. Best of luck.</p>
<p>yup im sending in the cards tomorrow and i will email the admissions officers for my state…my guidance department is lousy but i will try to get them to call on my behalf although they will probably not do it unless i like stand over them. those were 3 of my top schools so im sort of devastated but hopefully magic happens!</p>
<p>I’m tired of fighting the battle of proving that Williams is not as great as all the admissions people here make it out to be.
Just please, take everything that Ephtastic says about Williams (especially socially and on diversity) with a massive (trucksized) grain of salt.</p>