Williams College Top Questions

Sports are big at Williams, but even bigger is a cappella. There are lots of groups on campus, and if there isn't one that you want it is pretty easy to start your own group. I recently joined a glass blowing club, for instance. There is no dating scene at Williams, just drunken hook-ups. Most people party on weekends, but if you don't want to you don't have to.

A fair bit of people leave their dorm doors open. Many guest speakers - my freshman year, I got Madeline Albright. Dating scene, next to non-existent. Met my closest friends randomly, serious. Just talk to people. Most people party almost every weekend, it seems to me. Work hard during the week, and then go "play". No Frats, or Sororities. Last weekend, I worked in a community establishment. Thing with Williams...there isn't really an "off-campus"

Williams isn't a crazy party school, but that being said, there are parties going on during most weekends which stretch into the wee hours of the morning and include, as you might imagine, alcohol and plenty of rowdy people. In terms of regular campus life, there are plenty of theatrical productions, committees dealing with the administration and operation of the campus, and extracurricular activities or clubs for students to become involved with.

So people up here are big on respect, meaning, if you leave your laptop sitting in the middle of a common room for days, it probably won't get stolen. However, things do go missing here-- we're not immune from thieves. All of the extracurriculars here are majorly intense. You usually like what you're doing so much that you try to do it all the time. Unfortunately, there are only 24hrs in a day, so you HAVE to limit yourself. There are no fraternities/sororities.

I leave my door open on campus, even though security tells us to lock them. Guest speakers are popular and are really great sometimes--in just one semester, I've heard James Carville, Stephen Lewis, Helen Epstein, Robert Putnam, and many more. Afroman is coming too, and last year we had Vanilla Ice and Gunther. Surprisingly good concerts come to the area, including Stephen Malkmus, Ozomatli, Matisyahu, and Vampire Weekend.

There are parties. People drink. But mostly only once or twice a week-- the rest of the time we sit around talking.

The JA system is the best part of Williams.

Is pretty bad. It is incredibly hard for people who don't drink. I think I've become an alcoholic coming here. It is hard to find interesting, creative people.

students in dorms leave their doors open athletic events are fairly popular - homecoming is very popular we have amazing guest speakers - too bad only a small percentage of the student population actually attends them if i'm awake at 2 am on a tuesday, which most students are, it's because i'm studying

Athletics are popular. People do all kindsa stuff.

There are way to many acapella groups. A million sports teams. Sports are the main social factor. People party once or twice a week. College provides lots of funding for this. No frats though!

Williams pays a lot of money to get incredibly interesting speakers. But the social life is what you make it. No one seems to be entirely happy with the all-campus events so its up to you to either join an organization like rugby or ultimate frisbee that has a social scene of its own, or create your own fun with your friends. There really isn't much of an off campus area to interact with. It seems pretty hit or miss whether you will find a group of compatible people to hang out with. Some people find it, some people don't. But even the people who do find a close group of friends often feel themselves alienated from the campus at large.

Sports are really popular, but not that many people go to games

party scene on weekends is a bit lame - tons of drinking then walking to different parties that tend to get broken up pretty easily - recent concerts and planned events have been really great though, sporting events and a-cappella concerts are big on weekends too!

there are a lot of activities. Not as much social activism as one might think, even less than my highschool which had 500 less students and no funding. If you have something trivial to do, you have a good chance of being lavished with money though.

Alcohol, like on most college campuses, is a problem at Williams. Students feel a false sense of safety on the small campus and forget to take responsibility for their actions.

The general campus has a party mentality, but it is possible to find alternatives to this mainstream. There are many groups that are possible to find if you keep your eyes open, but often overlooked by most of the students. They often arrange their own entertainment on the weekends.

Dating scene? lol I met my closest friends while smoking green and talking about philosophy. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Williams has a great range of things to do--besides drinking (though a lot of people do that.) Lots of sports extracirriculars--from club to varsity--musical performances, lectures, an indie cinema on Spring St., weekly "Stressbusters" which include free massages. That being said, a lot of people feel that Williamstown has very little to offer in terms of night life. Understandable--it is a small town in the middle of a mountain range!

The purple bubble, is NOT a myth. You can really be isolated from other areas, and what's going on off campus and outside campus if you don't make the effort to inform yourself. On campus lot's of groups to get involved with and if there is a group or activity you want to start, its not too hard to get support and get it going. No fraternities or sororitites but sports teams take the place of that. The eat, live, study, party and play together. People usually study a little everyday. Parties are ok. First Fridays is a tradition which everyone loves. Drinking can get out of control, especially when it comes to property damages.

Most popular groups are athletics and a cappella groups. Athletic events are great and we do very well, but because so many people are in sports of their own there aren't as many fans as there should be. We get great speakers, but not a great student turn out. A lot of people who come are older Williamstown residents. The students don't know what their missing out on (and are very busy with other things)! Parties happen on Fridays and Saturdays only (although some people go out Thursdays too). There is a lull in the social scene's quality in February, but it picks back up in the spring with concerts and bigger parties sponsored by the school. Drinking is prevalent, but there is no pressure.

There is not a whole lot to do at night in the area that is not eating out or seeing an artsy movie at the cinema. This is fine for many people, but it may be constricting for some.

For such a small school, there's an incredible variety of activities. The theater and music programs are very active, and there are chances to get involved with political groups or activism and such as well. The party scene at williams is quite active. Many students tend to drink a lot, every weekend and often on Thursdays as well. That said, there's also plenty to do on campus if you don't drink. Yes, you can go to parties sober, but there are also concerts, plays, and lectures. There are kitchens in most dorms and flat-screen TVs with cable and DVD players in almost all of them, plus a good DVD collection in the library.

Not being a drinker, there are limited opportunities for me for social activities on weekends. This year I discovered having baking parties with friends was a wonderful alternative to the party scene.

lots of studying (though if you're wary, you can stay out of trap of letting it take over) lots of partying, by a certain subset of the population dating scene doesn't really exist. there's hook-ups and long-term relationships. Entries (frosh living setup) is awesome, for most people.

The opportunities to get college funding for clubs and groups are incredible. As a freshman I was involved in the development of two college funded clubs. THe guest speakers are incredible and almost make living in the berkshires after school worth it

The freshmen entry system encourages campus unity from the start of our time at Williams. All freshmen live in entries of 15-25 students who live and participate in various activities together and are guided by two junior "parents".

At 2am on Tuesday, I am usually in the library, typing madly away at my computer trying to get my response paper to my English teacher. I am very grouchy at the fact that I have started out the week with so little sleep, knowing I will continue in my sleepless habit.

social life is pretty dull. there are a lot of on-campus parties. security is understanding. but aside from the redundant college parties centered on drinking, there aren't other activities available that a college in a city may be able to offer

In a word, the social scene at Williams is comfortable. There are parties during the week and on weekends, but there's no pressure to go. I met my best friends through the school's freshman "entry" dorm system and through classes, where working together is often a must just to survive.

Sports of all competitive levels are probably the most popular activity. I do theatre all the time, but my close friends spend more time on sports, because we all have lots of interests. People party on the weekends, there are always fun themed dance parties in different dorms, and all campus dance parties every weekend. Most people go to student concerts, plays, games or activities and then watch a movie, or drink and go out dancing (in a dorm.. there is no where else to go) There are no frats, which is great, because alcohol is not the central focus of most events. no one cares if you dont drink or dont want to, there is always something going on and it doesnt matter if you drink or not.

Williams has amazing guest speakers and the theater productions are fantastic.

The most popular groups are a cappella and sports. Most people play some kind of sport. I play basketball and spend much of my time with the team both in and out of season. Almost everyone leaves their dorm room door open. People don't really date - they hook up and go to parties. There is no greek life. There is plenty to do besides drinking. I don't drink and I have more fun than you can imagine. Most people really like to get their drink on, however. There is nothing to do off campus but travel for days and days to reach civilization exhausted and anxious to return to school because of approaching due-dates for essays.

frats were abolished in the 60s, which is great. the social groups are very diverse, from WUFO (frisbee team which is a semi-cult, though that's necessarily a bad thing) to students who have friends from 10 sports teams. 20 countries, 30 majors.

I started a tap group here at Williams. I have always loved to tap dance and when I came here there wasn't a group already. It was really easy to start a group and get funding for student organizations. You can find people here who share the same passions and you feel comfortable expressing these passions to the rest of the campus. There's always something to do here at Williams besides drinking. A lot of people actually do not engage in drinking and nobody will ever pressure you to drink at Williams.

Lots of weekend partying, but also dances and organized events. Well balanced

frustrating drinking culture, hard to find people who aren't obsessed with getting drunk. i've managed to find friends with similar interests, which has been helpful, but overall the social scene can be disappointing.

Social life is pretty ill.

WUFO, the ultimate frisbee team, is my niche. I love the people I play with and I love the sport. As a three sport athlete in high school, I was worried about not getting a setting to be competitive in. This is the perfect thing for me. Its not coached, and unofficiated, for those who don't know the sport, and its truly a team game. I spend a ton of my time hanging with the frisbee guys, and the girls from the girls team, and I like it that way. Some people think we're a little too tightly knit, but that's the way this sport breeds people. Its a lot of time with a lot of the same people, and you get used to it. I always leave my door open, although you do hear about some scary stories... Mountain day is an awesome tradition. On a Friday in October, classes get cancelled, and we are encouraged to get outside. Also, Winter Study, our January Term is a blast.

A lot of people do sports, and most activism is environmentally oriented. This can be frustrating for someone passionate about race, gender and sexuality issues, but there is also a ton of work to be done here, especially since so many students are going into positions of power and will be making decisions, activism and public dialogue becomes that much more important

I wish there were fraternities on campus. There are not enough places to go on the weekends because all the parties get busted so quickly. The social scene gets really annoying because lots of people don't go out.

Drinking is a big thing on campus. People always go out during the weekends and get ridiculously drunk. There are a lot of environmental groups on campus because people are very aware of issues relating to the environment. I haven't been on a date yet, but some people go out to Spice Root. Most of the romantic encounters are just randomly hooking up with people at parties. There are also some people who just stumble into relationships.

Williams is a very athletic school, nearly 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population play varsity sports so athletic events have pretty large turnouts.

Snack Bar is definitely the social hotspot on campus, especially on the weekends. People are just always hanging out in Paresky in general whether they are reading, studying, or just hanging out with friends. I think there is definitely a big social scene on campus, and I guess we are known for being a kind of party school. There are always parties going on during the weekend, but anyone can choose to go and drink or stay in and watch a movie. It is pretty flexible, especially since there are a lot of cultural events going on during the weekends.

-Rugby, Crew, and Football teams are all pretty big while there are so many clubs/groups/organizations that it's hard to say if any are more "popular". -The purple bull investment club is a sweet group of students that discusses the market, invests in an equity portfolio, and shares there respective knowledge of investment strategies with one another. (It is not affiliated with the school for a bunch of reasons.) -Some kids leave their rooms open, but theres a common room (sometimes multiple depending on the dorm) with a TV on every floor in every dorm so kids can hang out together whenever they want to. -Depends on the sport, the homecoming football game is big as well as any sporting event against Amherst. The crowds are pretty much what you'd expect depending on the team. -I'll make it to a few guest speakers a year, if they sound like they'll be interesting and I'd say the popular ones will attract a couple of hundred students (out of 2000 that's a lot). The same goes for theater. -A few kids date, but most get to know each other in other ways... -I met many of my closest friends through other close friends, through my team, and through my entry. -I'm doing homework, without a doubt. -Homecoming, a bunch of dances, "QueerBash"-a party put on by the QSU, and a bunch of others. -People generally party twice a week, Friday and Saturday, but if you have a group of friends that just want to party with themselves, no day is off limits. Many kids will stay in on a Friday or Saturday if they get bogged down with work. -No frats/sororities. Parties are put on by the neighborhoods, of which there are four, and they have houses with dance floor where they usually get dj's and serve to people of age. A lot of partying is done in the dorms themselves as well, and off campus cooperative living/seniors often throw pretty good parties. -You can go to a play or musical performance (acapella), drive to a movie, go to a jazz concert or go to a party and just not drink. -Not much going on off campus, there is a mall though...

If youre awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, you are studying. Most Fridays and Saturdays are partying nights, however, you can definitely find people watching movies in common rooms, or even in the library. There are no fraternities or sororities so the social life revolves around the sports teams and the places upperclassmen live. All parties are open to everyone so it easy to find something to do on the weekends regardless of class or gender.

Sports teams are very popular on campus. Around 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are varsity athletes, which doesn't include those who play JV, club, or intramural. Thursday Night Group is also very popular because many students are very concerned about the environment. I am actively involved in The Record, the college newspaper. It takes up the majority of my time because I have to write articles, track down writers, edit stories, and layout pages. It is a long weekly process, but it is worth it because most students read the newspaper. There seems to be virtually no theft, so most people leave their doors unlocked. Lots of people even leave their valuables such as laptops, iPods, and TVs out without worrying about others taking their stuff. The campus is really active and lots of students take advantage of the events offered. There are not many alternatives, so athletics, guest speakers, and theater are well attended. There is a myth that there is no dating scene on campus. It is true that not that many people are in open relationships, but there is a lot of dating among students. There is a prominent hooking-up scene on campus. I met most of my friends from my entry because they are the people I live with and socialize with the most. I also met two good friends through WOOLF, my backpacking orientation trip. I am usually studying or talking to friends at 2 a.m. We have Mountain Day on a random Friday in October where classes are cancelled and students all hike up a mountain to enjoy singing and refreshments. We also have Winter Carnival where students watch the ski teams and participate in fun winter activities such as human curling and a WAH! tournament. People go out every weekend on Friday and Saturday. There is always at least one party going on each night of the weekend, and usually there is more than one. However, many of the parties are school-sponsored events. There are no fraternities and sororities because they were abolished in the 1960s. There was Winter Carnival last weekend, so I went out three nights of the weekend to various parties. There were many organization and school-sponsored parties along with private parties held by students. I also watched the two basketball games. There are various speakers and events on campus for those who do not drink. A lot of people watch movies and just hang out with their friends. The only time I really spend off campus is during breaks where I am home or in Boston and New York.

Everyone leaves their doors open in their dorms. Williams is a really safe place, so people leave their doors unlocked, leave bags in the lobbies at dining halls, and similar such conveniences. I had a friend who needed to have $300 in cash in an envelope for a road trip, and had it fall out of his bag in an academic building. He found it the next day in the same envelope, sitting propped on the table where he'd lost it. Dating at Williams is interesting. To be honest, the majority is making out on the dance floor at a party, but there are a good number of students in long term relationships. It's a pretty standard rumor that an exhorbitantly high number of Williams alums marry one another, and from the close bonds that people form at Williams, it's pretty easy to believe. No frats, no sororities. It's GREAT. Pretty much everything around here to do, outside of the great art musuems, is on campus, and is free (the art museums are free too, though).