Recruited by Williams

I'm a Williams alum and I endorse this message. I did not consider Amherst, though. At this point I could not tell you why I didn't apply. You should apply to both and make your decision based on the visit.

Before choosing Williams make sure you like Pete and his philosophy/program and that you are okay with the small town. If you're varsity/NCAA qualifier, you'll be traveling almost every Saturday of your college career, which does get you out of town a bit but is very time consuming. I ran 3 seasons and think I had something like 12-15 weekends with no meets, total, in my 4 years.

The teams are tight-knit and it's great that we accept, and train with, a large number of walk ons. It (at least slightly) broadens your peer group. You'll be spending a lot of time with the team, so the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned.

F*ck Williams, F*ck T-bear

da man wrote:

It's hard to give you advice because we don't know your other options.

In general, if you can get into Williams, you should go there. It's one of the best schools on the planet. (No, I didn't go there.)

But, I don't know what your other options are. I would say that D3 vs D1 is a big decision. If you're weighing Williams vs. an Ivy, for example, the academics will be similar, but the athletics are very, very different.

It comes down to whether you have the drive to excel and prioritize your running. If not, I don't think you can go wrong with Williams. It has a much better balance between academics and athletics vs. an Ivy.

I've got a lot of variety in my potential schools, as I'm also considering a D1 school that would probably be considered a "Public Ivy" as well a behemoth of a D1 state school (less known for its scholastic merit) in which I would be eligible for significant academic aid and take part in its Honors College as well as other advanced program on offer there. I'm trying to weigh the academic, athletic, social, and financial factors at each to determine which would be the best fit. Does anyone have any insight into ways my experience might be different at any of the three types of school (large, cheap, athletically-focused D1 with passable though not sterling academic reputation(although, again, with honors, for what that's worth) / public, relatively cheap, solid reputation D1/ Williams, expensive but sought after D3)?

I'm planning to visit each of the schools but I still think it'd be helpful to hear from as many sources as possible.

Also, I should mention, I love to run, and want to get everything possible out of myself in order to meet my full potential while in college, but not to the point that I'd be willing to trash the rest of my life to get to there.

what is tbear?

If you have to choose between being a good d3 runner on a nationally competitive team and an average-slow d1 runner on a mediocre or bad team, go d3 every time. Can't speak for everyone's d1 experience but d3 is much more enjoyable and it's better to be competitively individually and as a team than to be middle of the pack. The best d3 programs will have better training than a mid-range d1. The relationship with the coach is more of a partnership and less things being dictated to you.

Tbear is a teddy bear that has been soaked in piss, semen, and god only knows what else. The Williams kids carry it around like a badge of honor and think they're the envy of every other team. They don't realize that no one cares and that it's f*cking disgusting.

Williams Track personnel surely visit this board, and I doubt they'd be impressed by your grammar, diction, and spelling errors.

lol can pete even use a computer

Current Williams runner here, who was also looking at Amherst, this hit the nail on the head of the differences. Academically and athletically I'm sure the schools are very similar, I personally chose Williams because I had a much better experience when I stayed at Williams but I'm sure I would have had a fantastic experience at either school. I enjoyed how large and varied the Williams team is. I appreciate all of the different personalities and passions different members bring to the table. The mens and womens teams are very close which I don't believe is the case at Amherst. I also liked the non-team people and professors I met at Williams a lot. My closest friend was actually someone I met on my visit to Williams! To echo what others have said you should really visit and stay with some of the team, there are many many prospective students that stay with us each year and we try to give them the most realistic taste of Williams possible.

Meek Zohen wrote:

The coach can get you in, but you most of the time it's for people who do early early decision and you still need to be around probably a 32 ACT and mid-90s GPA and you have to be fast enough for him to want you. If you're senior you need to contact Pete ASAP. The academic rigor is very similar to most other schools. It's good for all the majors you listed and internships are easy to come by. As other people have said, drinking is totally optional and there's pressure to drink with the team. Men's and women's teams are pretty close but both teams are so large that a lot of different pockets of friends form.

I'm only a junior so I have some time. Thanks for all of your advice. Williams sounds like a place I would like very much.

What is the entry system?

willy um wrote:

go to williams! fantastic school, tight-knit and successful program. The only reasons I can see for not going there are:

-Wanting a specific academic concentration that they don't offer e.g. an engineering track

-Being a truly elite HS athlete (read: sub 1:51, 4:08, 9:00) and wanting to compete at the D1 level

-Weather concerns if you're from a warm climate

Financially you should be set up with an excellent ROI

I'm from a cold climate also so that's not a concern at all. It sounds like a great place. I will buckle down on my classes and hopefully visit sometime during the spring.

The entry system is how freshman year housing is run. Students are placed in groups of 20-30 freshman who live together with two Junior Advisors (JAs). The entries are usually chosen to break up sports teams and other groups - so you meet people you wouldn't have otherwise met. The JAs lead events within the entries to help build the communities. A lot of Williams students stay close friends with their entry-mates after their first year.

John Utah wrote:

I’m assuming “Williams” is a school.

Yup, I don't know what Williams is. So I find it hard to believe the degree is on par with Yale like someone said. It's probably some local liberal arts college that is high quality for a local community but nothing nationally.

I know dude wrote:

Yup, I don't know what Williams is. So I find it hard to believe the degree is on par with Yale like someone said. It's probably some local liberal arts college that is high quality for a local community but nothing nationally.

The kind of people who went to Yale know what Williams is.

Williams' loss to Amherst at Little Threes (Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan) this year was its first after 29 years of winning every title. You'll get some good competition from D1 athletes and at nationals even if you are a low 9 high schooler. Pete was able to turn a 9:37 high school 2M guy into a national D3 xc champ a few years ago. The setting is spectacular. You have trails, dirt roads, gorgeous mountains all around. Pete's a good guy and likes the puns. He was himself a 29 minute 6M guy at Williams back in the 1970s. The academics are not considered as much of a grind as Chicago or Swarthmore, but most people work hard outside of Th-Sa and the admissions standards are fairly close to those of Yale. Many graduates go straight to Wall St and eventually make a mint. You get individual attention from the profs and aren't taught by grad assistants and adjuncts. Years ago, financial aid became 100% of demonstrated need and admissions are need blind.

gdm wrote:

I know dude wrote:

Yup, I don't know what Williams is. So I find it hard to believe the degree is on par with Yale like someone said. It's probably some local liberal arts college that is high quality for a local community but nothing nationally.

The kind of people who went to Yale know what Williams is.

i guess it's big in the east coast liberal arts community

Just googled it, smaller than your average high school.