See Williams College reviews submitted by students. Find out what students have to say about various aspects of attending Williams College. Read about academic experiences and campus life in these free Williams College reviews, or contribute your own Williams College review if you're a current student there.
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11 out of 11 people found this review useful.
Marsha from belmont, MA
Reviewer is A current student here.
Categories Rating Comments Am learning a lot The classes are fast paced and challenging, particularly the math and science courses. If you keep up with the coursework, reading, and go to office hours, you definetly learn a lot. English classes are not much different than high school. You have a small discussion class and are graded heavily on participation. Depending on your teacher, you can become a better writer by constructive criticism. However, one teacher loved my writing and I got As on all my papers, while my other English teacher never gave me more than a B and always remarked that my writing was convoluted. In my biology class in the spring, I never did too well on the tests, despite my best efforts to go to office hours and study. I recommend reviewing the material over the summer to be more prepared for the material when the school year starts. My introductory anthropology class did not teach me a lot, I mostly got information from the readings, which were very dry, long, and oftentimes boring. I recommend taking a higher level anthropology class to learn more about specific topics.
Am enjoying being here I like the rigor of the classes, but the location is very isolated and rural. On the weekends, there is not much to do and the non-school sponsored parties are often broken up. Every First Fridays of the month, there is a college sponsored party at Goodrich Hall, which is fun most of the time, especially when there is a good DJ playing music. Due to the amount of homework, most of the time during the week and a good amount of time in the weekend is spent studying. Lab writeups take up a lot of time in particular and I spend most of Sunday night at the Math Science Resource Center. Additionally, my family lives 3 hours away so I get homesick occasionally. It's also a little hard to meet friends. If you don't click with a lot of people in your entry (the people that live on your floor), it's not easy to meet people from classes that will become your friends. Meeting people through clubs on campus is another option but usually most people have a lot of work and don't have time to be substantially involved on campus.
Bang for the buck Yes, it's very affordable! Don't be scared off by the sticker cost. They try to make the school affordable so there's no need for loans. The school gives out a lot of scholarships/grants for financially needy students and there's work study too to complete your financial aid package, plus federal grants if needed.
Tips for prospective students Try to meet as many people as you can the first couple of weeks of freshman year. People are friendlier during this time and more likely to want to make friends with other freshman. Don't just stick with your entry or you will miss out on meeting other people. Get help on subjects before it's too late: there's the Writing Workshop, Math science resource center, help from professors, and peer tutoring.
Great for these types of students It's great for students who are outgoing and prepared for academic challenges and living in an isolated town. It also has an active Outdoors club so it's a great choice for students who like to hike and do outdoor activities.
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2 out of 2 people found this review useful.
Tiffany from Cupertino, CA
Reviewer is A current student here.
Categories Rating Comments Am learning a lot The professors I've had so far have been very accessible. Definitely take advantage of their office hours, for it's a great place to get all your questions about the material answered. Even when professors' office hour schedules are not compatible with you schedule, it's quite easy to email the professor and set up a different time for you to get help. Since the campus is relatively small, the libraries are conveniently close by, and they stay open pretty late for people who want to stay up late doing work. Even though I'm taking all large lecture classes, my largest class has 40 students. Williams College is a great place for learning.
Am enjoying being here The entry system definitely may feel limiting sometimes, but if you get along with your entry, hanging out with your entry mates is a blast! However, if you don't get along with them, you share a bathroom with people from the neighboring entry if you live in frosh quad, and you can get to know them. Unfortunately, it is really hard to meet people in classes.
Bang for the buck The tuition is pretty high, but the intimate academic environment is pretty worth it.
Tips for prospective students Be sure to visit the school before making the decision to go to Williams, but the visit experience should not be the entire determining factor of whether or not you choose to attend Williams. Connect with people (especially people from your area) who are also going to Williams and get to know them before going off to college.
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1 out of 2 people found this review useful.
Anna from Chester, VA
Reviewer is A current student here.
Categories Rating Comments Am learning a lot Outside the nurturing and exceptional education provided in class, the entire student and staff population of Williams has taught me so many lessons in my short time being here.
Am enjoying being here Adapting to being a college freshman anywhere is kind of weird, but I've really liked Williams so far.
Bang for the buck Even Forbes agrees with me. Williams provides a phenomenal education and exhilarating experience that is worth every penny.
Tips for prospective students When applying to Williams, please visit it and express as much as you can how much you want to go here.
Great for these types of students Intellectual, athletic, well-rounded, curious, artistic, environmentally-aware, witty, sarcastic...
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2 out of 6 people found this review useful. 1 person found this inaccurate.
Iris from Albertson, NY
Reviewer is Researching this school. Reviewer has been to campus.
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William from New York
Reviewer is A current student here.
Categories Rating Comments Academic Rigor classes at williams are tough, but when you get through all of the work you're rewarded at the end with a deep understanding of the course material. professors aren't shy about piling on the work, but they're also extremely approachable and always looking to help students out. there are also numerous academic resources for students to help you with problem sets in math and science course,s and writing workshops to help you polish papers.
Dorm Life the entry system was one of my favorite parts of my first year. while you need to be sure to expand out from your entry a little bit on your own, which can be daunting at first, you'll find that people here are incredibly friendly and willing to meet new people.
Food and Dining there are some nights that are better than others, as at any school, but generally williams dining does a great job. the have relationships with many of the nearby farms that provide us with fresh, local fruits and vegetables which are great.
Campus Safety this is an incredibly safe campus, and if ever you have a problem or feel unsafe there are several places you can go to or call for help.
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