Purple Perfection

Introduction
It took me four visits to the campus to realize that the school was right for me, and even then I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly helped me make my decision. I had visited the school the summer before my junior year on a whirlwind trip of college tours in the Northeast, complete with campus tour, information session, and visit with a varsity coach (I'm a swimmer). Next came an overnight visit with the swim team, then a day trip over Winter Study (now one of my favorite times of the year), and finally an accepted students' day prior to the May decision deadline. However, I find myself in the minority among my friends, as nearly all of them visted the school and instantly fell in love, applying early decision. As current students, we're all extremely happy with where we are now, so as a preface to this review, if you take anything out of what I say, it should be this: a day trip to Williams usually isn't enough to truly get a feel for what makes it such a great place to be. Actual interactions with the students can often help you to realize that the school isn't as isolated as it's rural location (and conniving Amherst students) might suggest...

Campus Life and Social Life
The school and it's social life benefit tremendously from what some have characterized as an "athlete culture". While some interpret this as a jock-school mentality, it is far from that stereotype. Don't forget that Williams is consistently rated #1 in both academics (US News & World Report) and athletics (NCAA Director's Cup). Over 50% of Williams students take place in intercollegiate sports, and they excel in the classroom as well, making these individuals "student-athletes" in the best sense of the word. The fact that the school is NCAA Division III also indirectly bolsters the academic qualifications of its athletes, since athletic scholarships are illegal in D3. This doesn't provide a lack of competitiveness, however, and the school is often brought together for ancitipated NESCAC sports contests. A sea of purple and yellow clothing is almost guaranteed at "traditional" sports matches, like football and basketball, and not uncommon at matches for every other sport, from baseball to volleyball and everywhere in between.

Athletes arguably also host the majority of parties on campus. These individuals work hard, play hard, and are by no means exclusive in the majority of cases. Nonathletes and athletes comingle at these events, and its not uncommon for students with even the most distant connections to the team (freshman year roommate's classmate's teammate) to show up after finding about through the party through word of mouth and have a great time.

That's not to say that nonathlete culture is dead. ACE (All-Campus Entertainment) is a social group that provides parties about every two weeks (First Fridays is a live-music event every month that is largely attended and very fun) in addition to the three major "festivals" of the academic year: Homecoming, Winter Carnival, and Spring Fling. The ACE Co-Sponsorship fund also allows students to have their parties partially or fully subsidized as long as the entire campus is invited. Academics
Academics are a given at Williams. Students need to be academically skilled to be admitted, and they are expected to produce work of a high quality in their classes. Classes range from the rare 100+ student PSYC101 lectures to the unique tutorial system, where classes of 5 students or fewer take turns writing and reviewing papers that one another have written on a weekly basis under guidance of a professor. While some classes are known killers (organic chemistry is a GPA death wish for anyone not strongly considering chemistry or premed) and other's are a relative breeze (introductory psychology, oceanography, and some assorted 100-level science classes with titles like "Biology of the Tropics"), the vast majority of classes are well-taught and challenging, but entirely manageable.

The economics department has recently expanded greatly in response to an increase in majors in the department. While the majority of the professors and classes are nothing short of incredible, there is a small minority that consistently manage to turn crops of students away from the major.

Art history, one of the college's two departments with a master's degree (the other, development economics, is only available to citizens of third-world countries) is arguably the school's strongest department, with professors renowned throughout the field. This is both a blessing and a slight curse. Although all the profs are stunningly knowledgeable in their field, some of them are very closed to alternate theories, viewing themselves as the authority on a subject. It is said, and is entirely true, that the Western Art introduction courses (ARTH101-102) are a must-take before graduating. If you can, avoid the 8:30AM conference, however. You'll be much fresher in the afternoon.

I only mention these two departments for fear of going on too long, but all the school's departments are full of qualified professors, the majority of whom are very good at communicating to and with their students.

Student Body
The Williams student body is incredibly diverse for its small size in some ways, and united by common ties in others. Students from all states, countries, races, religions, ethnicities, lifestyles, and socioeconomic statuses are represented, though they are all united by a generally strong work ethic, motivation, and intelligence. Like I mentioned before, many of these students are athletes as well, with over two-thirds of the campus taking part in at least one sport at the intramural/club level (think flag football, Ultimate frisbee, rugby) or above, but by no means are nonathletes "out of place" on campus. Williams prides itself on highly educating a diverse student body, and they succeed in that endeavor with flying stripes. The graduating classes produced are intelligent, mature, and well-equipped for the challenges they face outside the Berkshires.

In Closing...
If it hasn't already become abundantly clear, I have a deep love for Williams College. It's small size provides a student body that's hard to get lost in, but is never too small. As a rising junior, I still meet new people from my own class and others on a regular basis. Its athletics are top-notch and very competitive, but lack the sometimes overwhelming commitment required of Division I sports. The academics, for which the school is first and foremost known, are deserving of their reputation. Although somewhat geographically isolated, New York and Boston are only 2 1/2 hours away, and an abundance of activities on campus make the desire to leave relatively low. If you've got your heart set on Greek life, look somewhere else. Frats were phased out in the 1960s (though the old frat houses still stand as some of the best housing there is). However, if you're looking for a beautiful, fun, active campus to spend your undergraduate years, strongly consider Williams (and don't go to Amherst College).