Why Williams

Williams has a long and storied history that begins with an ambitious vision for education that took root in the earliest days of our country. Today, our tight-knit community shares a sense of curiosity and an openness to new ideas. Here, in the mountains of Massachusetts, you’ll learn to expand the way you interact with the world.

Williams is known for small, intimate classes where you can follow your curiosities wherever they might lead. This approach to learning is at its best in our tutorials and Winter Study courses. Tutorials pair two students with a professor for a semester-long discussion that sharpens your ability to form arguments and engage in the art of persuasion. And every January, you can focus entirely on a topic of your choice in one of 150+ Winter Study classes.

Williams is part of a thriving cultural landscape with vibrant art museums and world-renowned theater, music and dance festivals. On campus, you can experience art at our own Williams College Museum of Art, take in performances by visiting artists, and join student-run groups that encourage personal expression in all its forms.

Williams graduates find success in every field—from medicine and media to business and the arts—yet they remain fiercely loyal to the place that started it all. We have the oldest alumni association in the world with 30,000-plus members who look out for one another. As a student, you can count on them for mentorship, job shadowing, networking connections and internship support.