1. The school takes care of its own. Financial aid is excellent, even if the policies are a little quirky. The college provides events every once in a while to help students relax. There are advocacy groups on campus for mental health, sexual assault support, and things like that.
2. The social life can be a little stuffy, because the school is small. It's good to form at least a couple groups of friends.
3. The academics is harder than I expected it to be... but they will help you through if you are willing to put in the effort. Free tutoring, from professors and other students. There is a free writing center where you can take your essays and tutors will look over them and give suggestions.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
If you're looking to apply: Williams has a huge emphasis on community. It's almost sacred. It's good to have an awesome academic record, because everyone on campus is just as smart or smarter than you. Of course you could always apply just to see; I know plenty of people who did not have the best grades and are doing great here.
If you've been accepted: Move-in day was especially hard for me because I had never visited the campus. Even if money is tight, go visit! The campus roads are meandering, and they don't really go where you expect them to. I almost passed the college going down Route 2 on move-in day... Don't worry about not fitting in. No one here fits a stereotype.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
I thought I was going to die last year, mostly because I thought I had a handle on everything in high school, and that made me cocky about college. It was a big wake up call-- After I received a D on my English paper and a 55 on my Psychology quiz, I got my act together and took advantage of the free one-on-one tutoring and writing center. Ended up with a B in Psychology 101 and a C+ in English, mostly because my high school wasn't helpful in terms of writing papers. But I'm learning.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
The dorms aren't bad. Of course they're not great, but I personally didn't mind sharing the bathroom. Everyone's schedules differentiate throughout the semester, so the bathroom was mostly empty anyway. The food is good, although I needed to supplement my diet with some good old Korean food. I did not have a roommate last year, but next year I will, with a person of my choosing. Our sleep and study schedules line up nicely. Everyone on my floor is super nice, referring to both my freshman and sophomore year.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The food is fine. We have lots of options during the year: Whitman's, which is located in the student center, Mission, which is located in one of the freshman dorms, and Driscoll, which is on the east side of campus. Those are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At night, Whitman's turns into Late Night, which serves delicious fried things for midnight snackers or people who just missed dinner. We also now have Lee, which serves breakfast food at night. In the morning, Goodrich serves coffee, tea, bagels, and other breakfasty things for early risers. We also have Eco Cafe, located in the science building, which serves breakfast and grab and go lunches, prepackaged for convenient and on-the-go class schedules. The student center also serves grab and go lunch. Finally, we have the '82 Grill, which is open on weekend nights and serves giant pizzas and tray-sized nachos for especially hungry people, or for groups to share.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
There are actually a lot of things going on during the year, even though the school itself is small. We have stressbusters once a month, with free massages and candy and small things like that. We have events like plays, musical performances, art shows. We also have a huge acapella population... 6 groups, if I counted correctly. There's usually something to go to or do every night of the year. But you can also always stay in your room and cry over sad movies or play games on your computer or chat with friends or whatever. No judgment. People are very respectful of your comfort zone and they never try to force you to drink or try drugs.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
Definitely worth every hard-earned dollar.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
No Greek life, although I suppose the closest thing we have is our acapella groups.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
Very safe. Everyone is watching out for everyone else, and we very rarely have someone overdrink. The campus police are also pretty nice. The deans definitely handle situations carefully and let everyone know about their decisions via email.
1. The school takes care of its own. Financial aid is excellent, even if the policies are a little quirky. The college provides events every once in a while to help students relax. There are advocacy groups on campus for mental health, sexual assault support, and things like that. 2. The social life can be a little stuffy, because the school is small. It's good to form at least a couple groups of friends. 3. The academics is harder than I expected it to be... but they will help you through if you are willing to put in the effort. Free tutoring, from professors and other students. There is a free writing center where you can take your essays and tutors will look over them and give suggestions.
If you're looking to apply: Williams has a huge emphasis on community. It's almost sacred. It's good to have an awesome academic record, because everyone on campus is just as smart or smarter than you. Of course you could always apply just to see; I know plenty of people who did not have the best grades and are doing great here. If you've been accepted: Move-in day was especially hard for me because I had never visited the campus. Even if money is tight, go visit! The campus roads are meandering, and they don't really go where you expect them to. I almost passed the college going down Route 2 on move-in day... Don't worry about not fitting in. No one here fits a stereotype.
I thought I was going to die last year, mostly because I thought I had a handle on everything in high school, and that made me cocky about college. It was a big wake up call-- After I received a D on my English paper and a 55 on my Psychology quiz, I got my act together and took advantage of the free one-on-one tutoring and writing center. Ended up with a B in Psychology 101 and a C+ in English, mostly because my high school wasn't helpful in terms of writing papers. But I'm learning.
The dorms aren't bad. Of course they're not great, but I personally didn't mind sharing the bathroom. Everyone's schedules differentiate throughout the semester, so the bathroom was mostly empty anyway. The food is good, although I needed to supplement my diet with some good old Korean food. I did not have a roommate last year, but next year I will, with a person of my choosing. Our sleep and study schedules line up nicely. Everyone on my floor is super nice, referring to both my freshman and sophomore year.
The food is fine. We have lots of options during the year: Whitman's, which is located in the student center, Mission, which is located in one of the freshman dorms, and Driscoll, which is on the east side of campus. Those are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At night, Whitman's turns into Late Night, which serves delicious fried things for midnight snackers or people who just missed dinner. We also now have Lee, which serves breakfast food at night. In the morning, Goodrich serves coffee, tea, bagels, and other breakfasty things for early risers. We also have Eco Cafe, located in the science building, which serves breakfast and grab and go lunches, prepackaged for convenient and on-the-go class schedules. The student center also serves grab and go lunch. Finally, we have the '82 Grill, which is open on weekend nights and serves giant pizzas and tray-sized nachos for especially hungry people, or for groups to share.
There are actually a lot of things going on during the year, even though the school itself is small. We have stressbusters once a month, with free massages and candy and small things like that. We have events like plays, musical performances, art shows. We also have a huge acapella population... 6 groups, if I counted correctly. There's usually something to go to or do every night of the year. But you can also always stay in your room and cry over sad movies or play games on your computer or chat with friends or whatever. No judgment. People are very respectful of your comfort zone and they never try to force you to drink or try drugs.
Definitely worth every hard-earned dollar.
No Greek life, although I suppose the closest thing we have is our acapella groups.
Very safe. Everyone is watching out for everyone else, and we very rarely have someone overdrink. The campus police are also pretty nice. The deans definitely handle situations carefully and let everyone know about their decisions via email.