Williams College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Economics
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Male
Summary
I was a student-athlete. I’m in Williams Consulting Club, which is a club for students interested in consulting. We go over case studies, do mock case interviews, and hold panels of rising juniors and seniors who had internships in consulting
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Private school in Connecticut with a graduating class of about 150 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: Economics
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I was a student-athlete. I’m in Williams Consulting Club, which is a club for students interested in consulting. We go over case studies, do mock case interviews, and hold panels of rising juniors and seniors who had internships in consulting
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
Every Economics class has readings and at least one problem set a week. Then we mostly have tests, but I have had a project or two and a few papers.
Did you especially like or dislike anything about the Economics department?
No, nothing really stands out. I’ve had good professors and bad professors. Some of the professors don’t always teach in the most organized manner. They’re all very approachable.
What was your favorite class in your major?
Intermediate Macroeconomics. It was taught by my favorite professor in the department. He is the most organized with the way he teaches and gives out course materials.
What was your least favorite class in your major?
Environmental Economics. I had a bad professor. It wasn’t necessarily because of the course material.
Why did you pick Economics?
I knew I wanted to do something in finance later on. So, I figured that Economics applied to the broadest range of things. I’m happy with my choice for the most part. At first, I wanted to do History, and now I think I could have done that and not taken as hard of classes and it wouldn’t have affected my chances at an internship in finance.
How was managing both your sport and your coursework?
At times, but not for the most part. It helps quantify your time and not get lost in it. You have to get your work done in the time you have available.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s a really, really good education with good professors.
2) It’s a close-knit community. You’ll have a very close group of friends and get to know a lot of people well.
3) There is good hiking and skiing close by.
4) You can play sports.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) You’re in the middle of nowhere
2) Small and repetitive nightlife, it’s not the place to go if you want to party a lot.
3) The cafeteria food is aggressively medium.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Mission Hall in a single
Sophomore: Agard House in a double. It’s an old frat house so there is a common area that you can hang out with people in and a really awesome downstairs area to throw parties in.
Junior: I was abroad in the fall and then got a single in Morgan Hall, which is the best dorm location wise on campus.
Senior: Off-campus house with 12 guys.
What was your favorite living situation?
Agard was my favorite by far. The building itself is awesome, the rooms are really nice and the common areas are great for having people over. Agard allows you to maximize the amount of fun you can have
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Blue Mango
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Don’t really have one. There’s not a lot around.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Out of season, I go Thursday through Saturday at least. Everything cycles between 4 or 5 off-campus houses that are known for having parties. About 90% of the social scene is run by off-campus houses. At some point during the party, everybody goes to the bar. “The Bar” is The Red Herring, which is like the only bar in Williamstown so everybody refers to it as “The Bar.”
What have been your favorite days and nights at Williams?
Some of my favorite nights have been team social events, like team date parties. The day parties are also really fun. There are two in the fall and four big ones in the spring, which is the best time of the year. Homecoming is the biggest in the fall and that’s one of my favorite days of the year.
What are some other options if you don’t want to go out to a party?
There are school dances every once in a while. I’m not really sure what the other people do.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Williams? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m really happy with the nightlife. Fall freshman year was some of the most fun I’ve had in my life. Things started getting kind of old sophomore year but after getting back from studying abroad junior year I realized how much fun I was having. It’s also getting more fun as an older student because you know the lay of the land.
Campus Culture
How did you make your closest friends?
Through either my sports team, the intermingling of other sports teams, or just being in the dorms with them. One of my closest friends was down the hall my freshman year.
How would you describe the social scene at Williams?
The social scene is very dominated by sports teams. There are very few kids that hang out with sports teams that don’t play sports. Also, athletes live in the off-campus houses that throw parties. There is a decent amount of people that go to the parties that aren’t on sports teams but I don’t see them as much. Like 90-95% of the people I interact with play sports. The teams can be cliquey amongst each other, although I am living with people that aren’t on my team next year. [About 30% of students at Williams are recruited athletes.]
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Not a ton.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you with internships or jobs?
Yes, the current internship I have is from an alum.