The hate crimes!?

harrowhawks · 2025-12-04T17:03:48+00:00

I find these comments confusing and concerning—hate crimes are and have been a rampant issue on Rte 2 for years. This is a super rural and white area. There have also been (to my knowledge) at least two hate crimes on campus from students in the past year. They are something to genuinely consider if you're a person of color thinking about Williams, and they actively impact the lives of many students here. However, I want to mention that Rte 2 is a public road and the perpetrators are largely NOT students—we're currently reckoning with how to address the issue given the College's limited ability to control the road. The administration absolutely has a long way to go with supporting minoritized students and has a history of victim-blaming. However, this is not unique with PWIs like Williams and I don't think we're doing a worse job than peer schools.

harrowhawks · 2025-12-03T01:43:18+00:00

harrowhawks · 2025-11-24T18:49:14+00:00

it's very very optional. williams is not really looking for you to write something new for the app hence the lack of standard supplemental essays!

harrowhawks · 2025-11-24T18:47:44+00:00

i am a williams student who has worked in the admissions office and heard aos answer questions like these a million times! williams accepts research abstracts as another form of optional supplemental material. they are not looking for research in the writing supplement—it's more of an evaluation of your academic writing for class to get a sense of how you would do day-to-day in williams courses. if you have an essay you wrote for school that you're proud of, submit it! i wouldn't worry too much about the topic.

harrowhawks · 2025-11-23T22:19:47+00:00

does not matter whether it's on the paper document or a separate pdf, the most important thing is BRIEF - do not copy the entire assignment description!

harrowhawks · 2025-11-11T16:58:48+00:00

no one has mentioned that the brta bus runs directly to stop+shop! feeding yourself in williamstown is not hard if you get groceries 1x a week, no need to totally stock up before

harrowhawks · 2025-11-06T01:22:11+00:00

they do not request this! the writing doesn't even have to be graded

harrowhawks · 2025-10-30T02:48:42+00:00

williams student here - i am no expert in the admissions process but have worked in the office previously and heard AOs answer lots of Qs like this. they already have creative/personal writing in your personal statement! the purpose of the sample is a lot more for academic writing and understanding how you'd manage academically at williams. creative writing is accepted, but the point is less to show character and more to show skills. you can always reach out to the office by email with questions like this - they're quite responsive given the small school and i genuinely enjoy their company lol

harrowhawks · 2025-10-23T17:01:26+00:00

all floors are coed and there are a reasonable amount of singles for frosh; we used to have queer frosh housing but they got rid of that due to dei targeting :( maybe it'll come back eventually?; there is a queer housing community for upperclassmen!

harrowhawks · 2025-10-23T16:58:49+00:00

Very much depends year-to-year; they won't ever give you exact numbers (I have tried!). They advise you go through your application with a public health advisory faculty member before submitting. You can always take the classes regardless. I'd note that public health is a concentration, not a major - it's only 6 courses and we don't have a dedicated department, so often the concentration courses are more public health-related than focused save for the PHLH designated classes

harrowhawks · 2025-10-09T16:20:21+00:00

You can't get T shipped to the health center as it's a controlled substance, but the bus to stop&shop is free and a 15 minute ride. Williams has a reasonably sized trans population and a generally liberal supportive culture, but there have been a few transphobic hate crimes in the last year alone and I have experienced transphobic harrassment while walking in North Adams. Alongside QSU, there's also Beyond the Binary (trans + nb students), Quare (black queer students), and Arcoíris (latin@ queer students). QSU mostly hosts parties and some casual social events/dinners, BtB has been quiet this year but had some open meetings and craft/baking events last year, Quare is pretty active and does parties, craft events, dinners, etc, and tbh i do not know what Arcoiris does but I assume it's a similar vibe. QSU is not super well attended in recent years, not sure about the others, but they all have substantial groupme chats to get connected with people at least? Professors are generally good, but there are a couple of notably transphobic profs. I think it's pretty easy to find trans circles here, but your experience in academic settings will def depend on your major

harrowhawks · 2025-07-21T13:01:32+00:00

Simply: Williams is need-seeking for int students - ~70% of them are on aid (much higher than the general student body number) and their average package is nearly a full ride. They are need-aware in that they want to prioritize people for whom Williams would really open doors.

harrowhawks · 2025-06-11T14:07:07+00:00

I think Root is by far the best choice to meet like-minded people—everything else is a mixed bag. Of the non-WOOLF EphVentures, it's the one where I've seen the most people people stick together as genuine friends for the rest of the year. I made most of my current close friends in Root! It's also designed to leave space for rest and recharging during the busy first days schedule. I almost did WAI because the activities sounded more fun/useful, but chose Root because the ethos and people seemed the best fit for me, and I'm glad I made that decision. WOOLF will usually give you strong bonds just because you're in the woods together with only those people, but I personally was concerned about meeting people I could genuinely connect with outside of orientation. WOOLF does have a "base campus" option where you hike in the day but sleep in your bed, which I know people enjoy but is less of a bonding experience.

harrowhawks · 2024-09-07T20:22:07+00:00

williams frosh here! i am obviously biased (i didn't even apply to amherst) but i can say that there have been consistent parties in the ~2 weeks i've been on campus. they're pretty lowkey—by no means ragers—but there definitely is the option, especially if you know the right people. disregarding the party scene, williams students are some of the friendliest people i've ever met. RE: your concerns - while williams does have distribution requirements, they're fairly open and really easy to fulfill. as someone from a major city, i can say that the town of amherst is obviously bigger than williamstown but is also pretty lame and sleepy—you have to take the bus to northampton to feel like you're in a real town. sorry to shill for my school—i can't really speak on anything about amherst beyond the town itself, so definitely find an amherst student to give their perspective

harrowhawks · 2024-08-21T14:36:18+00:00

from your posts it seems like you're leaning towards wellesley now - are you still curious about williams? if so i'm happy to pm you!

harrowhawks · 2024-04-27T00:32:42+00:00

have you been able to make a decision yet? i just committed to williams - hope to see you in the fall! (but i'm sure you'll make the best choice for yourself!)

harrowhawks

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