Williams College

Williamstown, MA · founded 1793 · 2,200 students · liberal arts college · NESCAC

Known for: Williams is one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the United States, renowned for its rigorous academics, intimate tutorial system modeled after Oxford, and strong alumni network.

Rankings

U.S. News liberal arts: #1
Times Higher Education: #126
Forbes: #9

Top programmes

Economics
English
Art History
Political Science
Mathematics
Biology

Notable alumni

Stephen Sondheim — Legendary composer and lyricist for musical theater
James A. Garfield — 20th President of the United States
Eliza Griswold — Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and journalist
Wangari Maathai — Nobel Peace Prize laureate and environmental activist
Sterling K. Brown — Award-winning actor
Robert F. Engle — Nobel laureate in Economics
Mark Hopkins — Influential educator and college president
George Steinbrenner — Principal owner of the New York Yankees

Traditions

Mountain Day
Winter Carnival
The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) 5K
Claiming of the college's founding chair

If Williams College were…

As a food: Omakase at Masa — Tiny, exclusive, eye-wateringly expensive (sticker price), but if you get in, it's the pinnacle of craft and attention. Every detail is considered, the chef knows your name, and you're experiencing something most people
As an athlete: Mikaela Shiffrin — Alpine skiing champion, dominates a niche sport with precision and grit, trains in the mountains. Williams is tucked in the Berkshires, produces Rhodes Scholars like Shiffrin wins slaloms, and attracts brilliant overachi
As a person alive today: Ina Garten — Effortlessly elegant, Ivy-adjacent (she worked in the White House, lives in the Hamptons), makes everything look easy but is secretly meticulous. Williams students have that same polished, 'oh this old thing?' confidence
As a historical figure: Teddy Roosevelt — Outdoorsy, intellectual, patrician but not stuffy, believed in the 'strenuous life' of both mind and body. Williams kids hike Greylock before their philosophy seminar, row crew at dawn, then write a thesis on Hegel. TR's
As a movie or TV show: Dead Poets Society — Elite New England prep school energy, small classes with inspiring professors, students grappling with big ideas in a bucolic, isolated setting. The tutorial system is literally 'seize the day' pedagogy. Plus: the Purple
As a US president: James A. Garfield — Williams alum (class of 1856), brilliant, classically educated, tragically underrated. Assassinated after a few months in office, so he never got to show his full potential—but those who knew him recognized his genius. W
As a city: Reykjavik — Small, isolated, stunningly beautiful, punches above its weight culturally, and everyone who lives there is brilliant and knows each other. Harsh winters, tight-knit community, and a surprising amount of global influence
As an element: Platinum — Rare, precious, extremely high melting point, resistant to corrosion, and used in the most refined applications. Doesn't tarnish, doesn't need to prove itself. Williams is the platinum standard of liberal arts—small supp
As a car: 2023 Range Rover Sport — Refined, athletic, and expensive—equally at home navigating Berkshire mountain roads or pulling up to a polo match. Williams combines elite academic pedigree with outdoorsy preppy culture and a price tag that signals ser

Campus life

Life at Williams is defined by its close-knit, residential community in a picturesque rural New England setting. Social life revolves around campus events, outdoor activities in the surrounding Berkshires, and a strong house system. It is academically intense but collaborative, with a focus on undergraduate teaching.