Williams College Top Questions

Williams does a good job of maintaining a diverse campus, which is hard at a small New England school. There could definitely be more integration of the student body, but I feel like I have met a decent mix of people that I would not have met at home.

Williams students, on the whole, have not impressed me. There have been racist and sexist notes left on peoples' doors since my freshman year. People are generally snobby and obnoxious, and cannot see why you disagree with their obviously superior opinion. However, I have met some genuinely wonderful, caring friends here as well.

Depends on who your talking about I dont really like these questions because it is an overgeneralization

There are lots of minority coalition groups on campus, and the school supports them as a rule. It's true that the student body is not incredibly diverse, but the college has been making lots of efforts to attract a more diverse applicant pool through various programs and revised financial aid policies and need-based scholarships. Students here tend to be fairly mainstream and mellow. I haven't found many extreme types when it comes to politics, social beliefs, religion, attitude, etc. Standard dress for class tends to be jeans, t-shirt, and whatever shoes are most comfortable to walk in/appropriate for the weather that day, but people dress up or down as much as they want (I've seen everything from dresses and high heels to pajamas and slippers). Most students are from New York and New England (and randomly, California), but there are representatives of just about every state and quite a few countries too.

No talk about future earnings that I've heard. Most common home states are NY, MA, CA, and NJ. About 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} international and 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} from ethnic minorities in the US. A fair amount of interaction between different types of students, especially given the freshman residential system. Most are fairly politically aware, but not the most politically active campus, especially given our location. Some major exceptions, though, especially surrounding environmental activism.

Williams is a predominantly white campus, but we still indefinitely have a diverse campus. The Multicultural Center and Minority Coalition have great support system for minorities, MinCo built mainly of student run organizations . The Queer Student Union is a great community of people, and helps to make an environment of acceptance. People of different financial backgrounds are common. It doesn't really seem to effect daily life. Williams does pretty well as far as financial aid. The campus is pretty relaxed and you see all sorts of people interacting. In some areas, it may seem less diverse, but it always seems welcoming.

I want more political awareness and activism on campus. I think the urge at Williams (and a lot of other schools, to be fair) is to intellectualize everything--to only deal with social issues like racism or homophobia in papers we write, to hide in the library and use the (gigantic) amount of classwork we have to excuse our lack of participation in the world in which we live. And I think students often, sadly, continue that when they graduate, when they go to grad school or even med school or become i-bankers.

Williams students are very diverse, but there is still some prejudice/targeting. Overall, though, I think most students at Williams are really accepting of most people.

Little bit of everything represented. No doubt a place like Williams is traditionally WASP-y. But, as one of the few that offers need-blind assistance to International student, and an institution with lots of money to help out other people from less-well-to-do circumstances, you do have quite a diversified student body. The intermingling is not the best, but at least there's no clear rift between the rich and poor, or overt racism. It all depends on what you want.

Williams students are known for their amicability. Students will often acknowledge and greet one another as they pass by each other on the street. Even two students who are total strangers to one another will give a nod as an expression of greetings. Williams students work hard, but also know how to "play," as evidenced by the many contributions to campus life that students make. Williams is made up mostly of White students, although the campus has become increasingly diverse in recent years.

Ehh, Williamstown is certainly not your most diverse place. As an African-American, I'd say the lack of stores that cater to my needs, (like ethnic hair salons, supplies, etc), is unfortunate given how long Williams has been here. And though I don't feel any racial hostility here, sometimes standing out in the towns feels a bit awkward. But then again, no matter where you are in the country, any minority will feel somewhat uncomfortable if they are placed in a pretty homogenous town... But for the religious/spiritual, Williams has pretty amazing resources. I'm part of the Williams Catholic group which has become like another family for me. And Williams is one of the first prestigious schools to hire a full time Catholic priest for the Catholic chaplaincy. He is sooo wonderful that I can't even find adequate words! Although we try to attend Daily Mass as much as we can, (and it's a beautiful, but not mandatory, service to go to during weekdays), religious life isn't wrapped up in simply "doing" religious things. Students here definitely try to live what they speak, not just share empty words. People here are truly open to figuring out how to understand life-- how to truly let go and LIVE it. How fun is that? On the social side, we have impromptu dance parties in the student space, procrastinating on YouTube when taking a paper break. We watch Project Runway marathons, South Park, our priest chaplain cooks us really intricate dinners, (he's a great chef!). This sounds like a random list, but how amazing is it to feel excited by these simple things? This is a place where relationships deepen. But most importantly, there isn't some ulterior agenda behind the group that says, "Convert, convert" because that's not what being religious should be about. If people feel attracted to how we live our lives, then they'll be moved to respond in their own way. Love can't be forced. Financially, Williams offers some of the best, most competitive packages. We just took on the no-loan policy and alot of students here are on financial aid. I pretty much get paid to come here! But yeah, how much you get will vary on your family's situation. Williams is pretty generous when it comes to helping students out...

We love everybody and will probably chastise people who don't love and accept all races/religious/LGBT/socio-economic/and other groups on campus.

We live in the mountains. Sweatshirts and jeans are the norm. And big, big jackets. There's alwasy one wanna-be hipster, but it's a little weird. That kindof thing isn't really necessary. There's schoolwork to be done.

Proud to be an EPH

students from the city who went to public schools who are from the low-mid socioeconomic backgrounds usually feel out of place at williams or really hate it here.

People are working so hard, sometimes they can be apathetic towards things outside "the purple bubble." Fair amount of diversity on campus though.

The friendliness of Williams seems to be directly related to the weather. During the first and last months of school, it is a very friendly, open place. However during the winter months it becomes a cold place where people tend to not interact with people they don't know. Despite all efforts of the administration, Williams students still manage to form cohesive groups of students with similar dispositions that separate from the student body at large.

People like to party a lot.

relatively homogeneous - a lot of preppy, J Crew wearing, outdoorsy type students, but still diversity does exist - a little taste of everything to say the least - people have different styles, ideas, and opinions, and are certainly not afraid to express them.

pretty homogeneous. Not much diversity. Bigotry is standard in males, jock stereotypes fit well enough to the point that it is scary.

Most Williams students are from affluent communities in Massachusetts, New York and California.

The Williams student body likes to claim that it is liberal, but I found that it tends to be apathetic on social and political issues. Sort of like, "I vote Democrat, isn't that enough?" or "let me sign your petition, but don't make me read it or think about the issues." Of course there are pockets of activism, but it is much more apathetic than I expected a liberal arts campus to be.

Williams students, generally used to being the smartest person around, tend to have this "I don't care to actually listen to what you're saying" streak in them about certain topics. They look like they are listening, but their counter-arguments won't necessarily address your arguments. This is a fairly well-rounded group of students, though many tend to lean conservative. There's this interesting thing on campus: at first glance, you would think the student body is extremely liberal, but after you take a closer look, you realize that it isn't that the students are extreme liberals, but that the super-conservatives just tend to keep quiet about their views.

I mentioned the racial incident before. There are many fewer black people here than at my high school, which is frustrating. There's a good degree of self-segregation on campus. I don't know who might feel out of place at Williams. Maybe lower socioeconomic, probably harder for a student of color, but so with other universities and colleges. Most students wear sweats, flip-flops to class. Flip flops.... so weird. Different types of students definitely interact.

Williams in general has a great eco-conscious crowd-- Log Lunches (a student-run sustainable, local, vegetarian lunch served once a week), Greensense and Students for Social Justice, the Center for Environmental Studies, and some inspiring envi. professors. I only wish that Williams students, on those drunken Saturday nights, would have more respect for their peers and college property. At Williams, you can have almost anything. And sometimes, that goes to students' heads in a destructive manner.

The student body is ok. Laid back group of people. Dress casually, or more athletic wear. I think alot of people find somewhere to fit in. It is very cliquey here. There are students from various areas in the country and from around the world, even though they may not be represented in large numbers. Alot of students from the east and west coast. Alot of students are middle-class to upper middle class but its hard to tell most of the time, so its not always an issue. When they are passionate about something or an issue, they do a lot to take action and raise awareness and support. I do think they pretend to be more tolerant and unprejudiced than they really are and their true opinions show through little things they say, the way they act around certain groups and what they do or say when they are drunk.

We're just starting to vocalize more the importance of talking about diversity and minority groups on campus, in part due to some recent racial incidents. There was a rally and open mic, which went very well. People aren't purposely offensive, but some are more naive than others. People tend to associate by activity, and not by any minority group. It's hard to know people's financial backgrounds. So many people dress well, but are on financial aid, or vise versa. It's easy to forget about the political events in this rural environment. You have to actively pursue it by reading the newspaper and going to talks--which I'm doing, and loving. Students and teachers are mostly left politically I would say.

Overall, Williams is not a very politically active campus, though I would say the student body is fairly politically informed.

The Williams student body is relatively diverse and, for the most part, friendly. There are lots of people from wealthy families, but also lots of people here on major scholarship, and money doesn't seem to be at all a factor in social interactions. There's an active Queer Student Union and Black Student Union, and these organizations are very welcoming to straight or non-black students as well, respectively. There are a wide variety of religious groups on campus. Many of the students are very athletic, or at least spend a lot of time working out. There's a large contingent of students who like hiking, camping, and genrally being outside. Even taking the non-athletic folk into account, Williams is a very active campus. Students who prefer to lie around and watch TV rather than getting involved with campus activities might feel a little out of place.

Williams students are very diverse. However, there is a lot of narcissism and pretentiousness among the student body which bothers me. This may be because a majority of students come from well-off families, or just because they're used to being the best.

people are generally liberal, but apathetic. there's not enough awareness and dialogue about social issues (though I have seen some progress on this front recently.)

Well rounded but as I already said, it can be difficult at times. I think that is another problem that is not specific to Williams.

While there does seem to be some separation between the wealthy preppy athlete types and the skinny intellectuals, most students seem pretty friendly and open to each other.

The student body is on the whole very friendly. That is what I felt when I visited and that is what I discovered upon arrival.

student body is great. sweats are worn often different students interact, except for the BSU, which likes to keep to themselves.

There are a lot of dumb rich white people here who don't care about anything except themselves and act like if they don't know about some issue (like racism), it doesn't exist.

The student body at Williams is, beyond the first glance, incredibly diverse. Students come from every corner of the earth and every walk of life to study here. Sometimes minorities seem insular, with specific clubs cutting themselves off from the larger social scene, but on an individual level it's easy to get along with just about everyone.

There is quite a bit of diversity, i know people from all over the country and world, all levels of income, and varying interests. you really get to know the people you live with in your freshmen entry, which was randomly assigned, so you're bound to be exposed to people with different interests.

Williams students wants to claim it's not diverse but they fail to look beyond race and other visual types of diversity.

People are accepting for the most part. This is probably because it's so diverse. There is def. racial divides, however. Students are not very politically aware/active. Students are mostly left.

not as diverse as advertised, but what school is? there are a lot of wealthy students, but it is becoming more economically diverse, and class is rarely an issue on campus. i'm the child of a working class parents, and am friends with the kids of furtune 500 ceos. it's not an issue.

Williams students come from all around the world. I know many international students as well as students who live close by. There is no racial discrimination here. We all respect each others differences and are interested in learning about other cultures and always trying something new that a friend has brought with them from his or her culture.

Overall very well-to-do, politically active, slightly segragated

I hate the typical williams student - partier, jock, preppy, rich - but i love the many individual people i have become close with. there are always events that try to bring different groups of people together, but the truth is people hang out with who they're most comfortable with and don't really mingle that much.

It depends. It seems that sometimes social, economic or racial groups stick together a bit too much, and dont really branch out. Not that much of a prblem, but theres definitely some of that.

Plenty of indirect experience with people of vastly different backgrounds, but the Frisbee team isn't too diverse, so fewer direct experiences. That being said, I really find it hard to believe that a certain kind of person would ever feel out of place here. If I had to choose one, I would say somebody who just isn't assertive and charismatic when they need to be. Students hail from all parts of the country, and the number of financial backgrounds is impressive. Its not just rich white people, at all. Predominantly left politically, but there are some good debates. Its always a bit weird to see somebody speak out way from the right though.

It would be nice if the place were less clique-y, but there are definitely people who migrate between groups. A lot of students are either very wealthy or on a lot of aid (it's expensive to be middle class here). students tend to be very aware of global warming/environmental issues and less so of social-political-international people issues.

There are a lot of different students on campus. I guess they are pretty diverse.

Sometimes students interact with other groups, but not all the time. I think it definitely depends more on personality than race or socio-economic status. People are not going to avoid groups of students because of something superficial. The groups are pretty open with regards to accepting others. The theater people are pretty universally disliked, but then I guess they all fit in well with each other. Everyone has friends, unless they are freaks.

Most Williams students are well-informed and active and are primarily left-leaning.