Lovely campus in the Berkshires to visit in the summer. My wife, two teenage sons (16 yrs, 14 yrs), and I drove from Northampton, MA for a campus visit in August 2022. Route 2 goes right into the middle of campus where you can see a delightful range of classic New England architectural styles in a rural setting with peaceful views of the surrounding mountains. First, the mid-morning information session was well-organized with a senior associate director (who was a Williams alumna) and rising sophomore from Seattle. Second, we did the 45 minute walking campus tour with a junior from Philadelphia who was refreshingly honest about her experiences. In contrast to Amherst College (which we visited the day before), Williams had a more organized and polished information session. One could see personal and specific examples of various Williams alumni being proactive in helping current students. Finally, the campus did not impose a KN-95 mask requirement. Overall, it's a lovely campus that is worth a stop if you're in this neck of the woods in the northern Berkshires! read more

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Small college located in Williamstown Mass. Visited for a basketball tournament hosted by the school. The campus is very nice and located near the Vermont border. My pictures reflect the gym where we spent most of our time while on campus. Parking for the gym is limited. read more

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Small College in Williamstown, MA ... Really nice campus. We came here for a fly-in program tour. Very well organized. Really nice architecture & their main shopping strip with little gift shops & restaurants, really cozy. Admissions office with nice & friendly staff. Enjoyed our visit. read more

Outstanding in all aspects. Would be fun to again be young and attend Williams--that would be a thrill. The museum is a gem. Going to Williamstown is a special treat. read more

Pros: A whole group of students who are all really smart, all together in a small college in a small town. Cons: A whole group of students who all know just how smart they are, all stuck together in a small college in a small town. I should have gone to Wesleyan. read more

I don't need U.S. News or Forbes telling me how great Williams is year after year (but it doesn't hurt). Williams is almost like a well guarded secret: those in the know know how awesome it is and everyone else isn't awesome enough to know about it. Coming from L.A., college life in Williamstown, MA is a surreal experience. I totally agree with Beth, both the pros and cons of coming here is that it's a very small school in rural New England where you are spending serious time with the same group of absolutely brilliant, talented students and faculty. You'll have some wonderful experiences and some not-so-great times for sure. It's the uniqueness of the Williams College experience that really makes me happy that I went here. I hope that this place always stays the same - life in the 'purple bubble' is idyllic and incredibly lovely. For those of you who want a comparison, Williams is kind of like Dartmouth except without the big Greek system and fewer students (so less hard core partying) and its identical twin could be Amherst (with the major difference being Williams students are more athletic and down-to-earth). read more

Why is Williams consistently ranked the top liberal arts college in the United States? Challenging courses delivered by engaging professors in small classes with talented students from around the world. Definitely not a place to sit in the back of a large lecture hall and wait for the final exam - in order to be successful, one must engage academic subjects through their primary sources in the form of essays and seminar discussions. read more

Awesome school which stands head to head with Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford in terms of education and prestige by those in the know. It is generally deemed very rigorous and students are known to work very hard, yet it does not have the reputation for cut throat competition among students. Williams prides itself in maintaining grading integrity and has resisted the trend of grade inflation. If you get an "A" at Williams, it's a real A that means something. Williams is know as a top feeder school to Wall Street and top tier law schools and medical schools. It also one of the top 5 in producing PhDs per capita. It also has a 2 Billion Dollar endowment which is not only one the larger among all schools but one of the highest per student. The campus and surrounding area is beautiful. The college and town is a quintessential rural New England village environment. The people on campus are very friendly and welcoming, and the facilities are exceptional. It is a truly a special place. When walking about, you feel as if might expect to see Thoreau's or Emerson's ghost striding by on a sunny fall day. While Harvard, Yale and Princeton are hard to beat for reputation and their own special campus environments, Williams stands head to head with them with equally brilliant and some would contend more well rounded, better equipped thinkers. read more

This place gets five stars not b/c it's a top-notch liberal arts college, but b/c it's also a really unique place to be a student. Admittedly, it's far from most urban centers, but that's part of the appeal. It's out there and there is no reason not to study, hike, and hang out with smart and sophisticated people. Coming from WVa to Williamstown was like entering a new world that was, strangely enough, kind of like Appalachia, except in Western Mass., which is much more rural and woodsy than the New England image of a chic college town would suggest. And if it all gets too unreal, just head up the road to North Adams, where things look less cookie-cutter than parts of Williamstown. read more

This is a review for parents and tourists. Traveled here in July 2014. The area at this time of year is gorgeous: it is not just the autumn when Williams College shines. Driving through the area, Williams College's campus in the summer looks like a movie set. Visited Admissions -- very low key and helpful. Does not put on airs. Great school, well known to anyone who's ever hired a graduate. If you are in the Albany-Troy-Schenectady area, it's only less than an hour to Wiliamstown, Mass. Beautiful campus. And the drive itself is very scenic in the summer (NY route 7 and Mass route 2). read more

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Such a beautiful place for wildlife tracking! Notably vibrant squirrel community, and the cows are quite friendly too. 10/10 would go here for undergrad again. read more