<p>I’m a sophmore at Williams, so I’ll try and fill you in on this. The one in 4-1-4 is Winter Study, which is pretty much every Williams student’s favorite month of the year. Unlike some schools with January semester programs, Williams requires every student to complete a course or project for each of their four years. Freshman year you have to stay on campus, but for the next three years you can do things in other places. On campus there are tons of choices of classes in every department, mostly in somewhat off-beat subjects. Lots of classes in whatever professors love to do and want to share with students. Check out the online course catalog:
<a href=“Williams College”>http://www.williams.edu/admin/registrar/winterstudy/courseinfo/courses05.html</a>
Some classes are really intense, some are very laid back…it’s sort of up to you to challenge yourself or take it easy for the month. It’s basically Camp Williams for a few weeks-- lots of skiing/snowboarding, sledding, general fun winter stuff with your friends after the craziness that is finals. </p>
<p>You can also go off campus for the month, on a Williams-sponsored trip (those are listed in the course catalog) or on some kind of independently organized internship/research project/etc. </p>
<p>It’s a great time on campus, pretty much everyone loves it. It’s a definite plus in the Williams column, if you ask me.</p>