Location, Location, Location: Williams College | Pros & Cons of a Rural College
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- Let's talk about the Williams campus, Williamstown, New England, and going to a college in a small town! Lots is applicable to other NESCACs/rural colleges/SLACs :)
----
Williams resides on the homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. Learn more here: linktr.ee/MohicanHomelands
Relatedly, Williams has a long history of racial violence, currently perpetuated by agents such as the Williamstown Police Department. Hear students' stories at @blackatwilliams on Instagram and learn about support systems for marginalized individuals at Williams by visiting diversity.williams.edu/
Location will really determine your college experience! Living in a beautiful place with so much to do outside has made a world of difference for me. This isn't a video about the pros and cons of a small college (though I could make one of those!), but there is SO much intent behind creating community at small liberal arts colleges that there's always a ton to do; it's just up to you to decide whether whether you're okay with not being in a city. The combination of the selectivity and remoteness mean that most people are here super intentionally, making the community even stronger. I've definitely experienced the most extreme version of the isolation (less can happen on campus and we can't leave campus) and I still love it. Every Williams student had some hesitations about going to such a small and remote college and you definitely feel the isolation sometimes, but we all come to love the beauty and close-knit community. And I forgot to mention that the Berkshires have absolutely world-class art, including the Clark (art museum a mile from campus), MassMOCA, Jacob's Pillow, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and more. One point I didn't get to in the video is that we're in a bit of a healthcare desert here in Berkshire County, which is something to consider if you expect to need to see medical specialists while here (of course, sometimes those needs arise during college), though we have a health center on campus and the college can provide transportation to other physicians.
Williams actively seeks a lot of diversity, so the student body is highly diverse in many metrics (interests, background, demographics, etc.). Because the student body is so small, this means that it can be hard to find community in your identities when only a handful of others share those identities.
As always, feel free to ask questions, including about specific facilities. We have two amazing brand-new science buildings!
All photos are by yours truly; background music is from Bensound.
Your videos were SUPER helpful! I was recently admitted and they helped a ton when it came to trying to get to know the school. Williams ‘25
Aww so glad to hear it!! Congratulations!!!!!🎉🎉🎉
America has a huge number of great colleges. This video has convinced me that Williams is one of them.
My mother went here and every time I went to a reunion I absolutely loved it... hoping to get in next year!!
Awwww, I love to hear that!! Good luck!!
Your videos are so helpful! I was just admitted and your videos are my favorite resource for getting to know Williams! Thank you!
Awww, thank you so much!! Congratulations, that's amazing :)
I went to Hampshire, which is about a 90-minute drive away from Williams (in New England there's a joke that EVERYTHING is 90 minutes from EVERYTHING else 🤣), and although Hampshire is right in the middle of the Amherst/Northampton area (which is MUCH LESS isolated a location than Williamstown is), because it is also a MUCH smaller campus (back when I attended Hampshire it was 1,400 students) than Williams is (2,100 students), it still feels a bit isolated because it's out in South Amherst, and away from the Amherst Town Center.
However it's also very close to the other Five-College campuses: Amherst/Smith & Mt. Holyoke Colleges, & UMass/Amherst. I mean, Western Massachusetts is a GREAT place to go to college, generally speaking. I also studied extensively at Williams sister college, which is Amherst.
I gave Williams a pretty good lingering look, and I thought it was excellent academically, definitely a little more quirky & eccentric socially and more artsy than Amherst was, but still didn't have the TOTAL academic freedom that I had at Hampshire. HOWEVER, I ❤️ Williams campus; the Berkshires are BEAUTIFUL.
I did get to also participate in the Williamstown Theater 🎭 Festival during the Summer after I graduated from Hampshire, so that was ACTUALLY a really great experience. The Berkshires are pretty artsy and full of Music, Visual Art, Dance, Theater & Film, which is another one of the MAJOR reasons I chose Western Massachusetts to go to college in the first place.
Thank you for such an in-depth and personal account of your amazing college. I have applied to Williams and this video really helped me get a better idea of the place!
Aw I'm so glad it helped, best of luck with your application!
Thanks for the video! It was very helpful :)
So glad to hear it :)
Thank you for your insight! I applied a few days ago:)
Yayy best of luck!!
Your videos are AMAZING!!! The information I’ve been receiving from these videos is vital; but, I have an extra question: would you say that Williams is a good school for pre-med students?
Thank you!!
Thank you so much, I'm so glad they help! It's definitely a great school for pre-med; I'm technically premed (probably going to drop it lol but that has nothing to do with Williams) and it's very very popular here. There's premed club, premed advising, premed career talks, ample opportunities for research, and it's possible to fulfill premed requirements while majoring in something totally unrelated. Definitely a great experience in terms of being really well prepared for med school and a career in medicine (and lots of opportunities to learn from alums etc if it's really the right path for you) but still having opportunities to do other things!!
Btw idk why I said it’s 10 minutes from Misison to Spring St, it’s definitely more like 5-6 depending on how fast you walk
Hi! I've been watching a lot of yours videos and it's been an absolutely fun experience. I do have question tho, you mentioned that for international students the "getting to campus" part can be a burden. As an international that obviously caught my attention, could you tell me if international students have any help getting to campus from the airport? Like you mentioned, a bus would take international students?
Absolutely-the college has buses to and from nearby airports/train stations around breaks for a low fee, you just have to be on top of things to sign up for that on time. I believe the college also covers the cost of one or two visits home for international students on financial aid but you should talk to admissions/fin aid to confirm that!
@@GenuinelyGwyn alright! Thank you so much, Gwen.
Hi Gwyn,
My daughter is still in HS but is very interested in art history, particularly museum curating. Williams has an exceptional MA program in art history although their BA art history is wonderful as well. It would be cool if she could get a BA and MA at Williams, but I wonder if spending 6 years at Williams would be too much considering the rural location. Do you think Williams presents enough opportunities to warrant staying there for more than 4 years? We’re from Georgia and I wouldn’t want my daughter to feel lonely and bored. Also, is the financial aid at Williams generous? I really appreciated your thoughts and good luck on your studies. Thanks
Hi! Sorry I didn't see this sooner. First, the financial aid at Williams is arguably the best in the country, and it's the reason a lot of people come here. With regards to the art history program, a few thoughts-- 1) the whole point of a liberal arts college is to explore lots of different topics. Very few people end up majoring in what they planned. It's great to go to a school with good programs in the things you're interested in, but this will and should change if you try planning your coursework 6+ years down the road! 2) I've never heard of anyone doing an MA immediately after a BA at Williams. Beyond banking on retaining those interests and goals (and getting in!), that would really come down to a lot of personal priorities with regards to the focus of the program, whether grad school is the right choice at that moment, where she wants to live, etc. Obviously lots of professors live here for decades, so some people find it very pleasant to be here, but it definitely isn't for everyone.
I've been enjoying your videos on Williams. Can you tell me if you are involved with any of the music ensembles? Do you find that Williams has good opportunities for non music majors to perform?
Thank you! Yes, I'm very involved playing tuba and trombone here (actually sitting in a practice room right now lol). Can you tell me what you play/what you hope to be involved with so I can be a little more helpful in my response?
@@GenuinelyGwyn I'm interested in the jazz ensemble, orchestra, brass ensemble, and any other possibilities for... the trombone.
HAHA NO WAY okay this is going to be long:
First, I have definitely had a disproportionately bad experience with music here because of covid (missed out on all of my senior year band concerts with no warning and didn't get any of that closure; the College still doesn't deem it safe to rehearse in large groups which is fair but all of my friends at other schools have been able to do it; I haven't seen the College's music during non-covid times; it's been over a year since I've played in a large group of any sort and that makes me really sad). I will also say that I was sort of pushed into going to LAC by my parents and didn't seriously consider going to a bigger school where I would have better music opportunities. I love Williams, but I wish I had made the decision a little more intentionally. Band was my whole life in high school; it meant the world to me and it was a pretty intense and competitive program for concert, jazz, and marching band (and I played in a preprofessional orchestra on the side), and I was not ready to give that up. That's all on me, not Williams, but distorts my perception of music here.
As for the actual programs at Williams:
Jazz is a big part of the reason I came here. The jazz faculty is AMAZING and the jazz ensemble is really good (you can find more info and recordings on a quick Google search) and a fun community. This year, we've only been able to play in small combos and work in skills groups, but it's still been really nice to have that. Usually they get to play in New York and bring in guest artists and play swing dances and have dinner together every week!
I felt pretty misled about the Berkshire Symphony tbh. Different people describe it in different ways, but basically, the baseline is that it's a bunch of professionals, and if you're really really good your private teacher might let you play in it. Some students have lasting positions in it, some just play in it once or twice. It is a professional orchestra, nothing like a school orchestra; the rehearsal schedule is compact and intense. But if you do get to play in it, it would be absolutely amazing.
Lessons are free and count as a half credit! That's really unique! There are like 8 music majors in the whole school lol, there 0 music opportunities closed to non-majors.
From my understanding, there isn't much in the way of a brass/wind ensemble; it exists but it's pretty low key and all skill levels, though sometimes they bring in LEGENDARY guest conductors who are vacationing in Berkshires and fill out the ensemble with local professionals, so that sounds super amazing. There's also an avant garde new music ensemble called I/O and assorted opportunities to put together your own group/get random gigs.
So basically, my point of view is skewed negative because I did it so seriously in high school and have been missing it for so long. but overall, jazz is really great, Berkshire is amazing ~if~ you get to play in it, wind ensemble could be a fun time, and it's a campus that really appreciates music. I don't know what you're looking for, so I strongly recommend reaching out to the music faculty if you're seriously considering Williams!
@@GenuinelyGwyn Thanks for your in depth reply. How difficult is it to make the jazz ensemble?
I suppose that finding groups and random gigs would be something I can do as well with electric guitar.
I think there are usually 2 jazz ensembles plus combos, so there should be space for everyone (except maybe rhythm section since that's always more competitive). As of now, I'm the only trombone who isn't graduating lol. And yeah, there are usually all sorts of gigs that pop up throughout the year!
What’s the best way to visit campus this month to get a feel for it even with covid restrictions ?
Unfortunately, Williams is a closed campus due to Covid and we can't welcome visitors. We have a tight bubble with a strict testing regimen and need everyone to respect that to keep everyone safe. I know it's such a hard situation, but we have some amazing virtual tours on the admissions website, and hopefully we'll be able to start welcoming visitors in person very soon!
Hey Gwyn... I have a question for you, if you're still responding to this video. Did you submit an Arts Supplement (trombone)?
Hello! I submitted an arts supplement on tuba since it's my main instrument, but I also reached out to the music department individually to express my interest to some faculty I was particularly eager to get to know. I think you could do a virtual lesson with the low brass instructor if you wanted to.
@@GenuinelyGwyn Thanks Gwyn. That's a good idea to contact someone in the music department.
Thank you for the information. I’m here dropping off my niece for her freshman year class 2025. Is there much cultural diversity in this school since you mentioned pretty much all white.
I am certainly not the best person to speak to this, but I would say it is very diverse in many senses (race, ethnicity, hometown, interests, religion, sexual orientation, etc etc etc)but students with diverse backgrounds sometimes have a hard time finding community because it’s such a small school. The school is about 50% POC but the town is very white.
Hi! I have a question for u;do william clg have nursing program?btw ur vdos are amazing:)
Thank you! No, Williams doesn't have a nursing program-most liberal arts colleges don't-but you could take pre-nursing classes at Williams and go on to do a Master's in nursing somewhere else!
Applying for class 2026 Ed I really want to get in🥺, I am from India, my major extracurricular is karate I have played national and secured bronze medal, do you think I would get in.
Good luck!! I don't work for the admissions office so I can't say anything about who might or might not get in, but I wish you the best!
@@GenuinelyGwyn thanks for your wishes, but could you get me in touch with someone from admissions office, who might be able to help me. Also I really love your content ✨✨.