Location, Location, Location: Williams College | Pros & Cons of a Rural College

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 :)

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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 https://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.