<p>Now, Williams certainly can’t match Wesleyan for film studies. But I will note that for a college that is not a film school, Williams has produced a remarkable number of highly-successful directors: Eliza Kazan, John Frankenheimer, John Sayles, and Frederick Wiseman – not many schools can top that group. </p>
<p>But more broadly, to say that Williams is not an arts powerhouse is flat-out laughable. We are talking about the best undergraduate art history program, and easily the most prominent collection of art museum curator alums, in the country. The college benefits from three major museums in close proximity, all of which have close ties to the college: MassMoca, The Clark, and WCMA. No school can compare when you consider the combo of world-class museums that actually are closely tied to the college community and provide great opportunities for students. The campus itself is full of all sort of prominently-displayed public art installations. I also note that Williams recently started a unique (or at least unusual) program where students can borrow and keep in their dorm rooms art from the college collection. Also check out the studio art facility at Williams – I doubt any liberal arts college that is not an art school can top it. </p>
<p>In terms of theater, Williams has one of the top undergrad theater facilities in the country, with three distinct spectacular stages, as well as a gorgeous and well-used dance studio. The college has, as in art, a legacy of producing major theater talents – folks like Stephen Sondheim, A.R. Gurney, William Finn, Sebastian Arcelus, Leehom Wang, David Turner, and so forth. And the college benefits from its close relationship with one of the top summer theater festivals in the country, the Williamstown Theater Festival, which also provides some summer opportunities for students, typically. The Berkshires are known as an arts mecca, and the college certainly benefits from that reputation. </p>
<p>Williams also has a tremendous music program; of particular note is its relationship with the Berkshire Symphony, which allows the top musicians on campus to collaborate with professionals. Not to mention an enormous array of student music groups (I doubt any school has more singing groups on a per capita basis). The music facility is not on par with the other arts facilities on campus, in my view, and could use an upgrade. But the faculty is great – one just won a Grammy, in fact (Roomful of Teeth). </p>
<p>Overall, a huge percentage of Williams students participate in the arts in one way or another. When I think of what makes Williams distinct from other liberal arts college, in addition to the setting, I think is that the school manages to be at the very pinnacle of the liberal arts world in three distinct areas that aren’t commonly grouped together: math and science, athletics / outdoor activities, and the arts. In sum, I don’t really understand the basis for saying the school doesn’t have arts at its soul – probably the majority of students participate at some point in the arts at Williams (and almost everyone on campus has at some point attended student-produced theater or music events), there are a huge array of student art and music groups, the school is situated in one of the cradles of the arts in this country, and Williams continually produces alums who go on to become prominent in the arts. </p>
<p>One other note on Wesleyan – if jock culture is of concern to you, note that Wesleyan has been really emphasizing its football program, to the point where they have very quickly emerged as the top football powerhouse in NESCAC in just a few short years. That involves a very different focus in admissions that Wesleyan had in its past, or, for that matter, even Williams has in its present – Wesleyan has been giving massive recruiting concessions to build a football juggernaut in NESCAC, after hiring Williams’ coaching staff away to run the program. Wesleyan is still a very liberal, activist place, especially when compared to Williams, and whatever jock culture is emerging is still a minority of campus, but it does seem like the current administration is trying to change (much to the chagrin of many alums) Wesleyan’s reputation via new financial aid policies and increased emphasis on athletic recruiting. I wonder if a sort of split campus culture will eventually develop … nonetheless, I agree with others who have said that if you want to focus on film studies in a liberal arts environment, looking closely at Wesleyan is mandatory! </p>
<p>Williams does still have a jock culture of sorts, and certainly remains unbelievably successful in terms of the aggregate athletic program, but it isn’t a football/traditional jock-dominated culture – the vast majority of athletes on campus play sports like swimming, cross-country, track and field, tennis, crew, and so forth (those are also the most successful teams on campus), and it is kind of an outdoorsy sound mind in a sound body kind of vibe, you would never mistake these kids for stereotypical jocks. Now, there are of course exceptions, and it is still a sporty campus, but I find it interesting that Williams maintains this outdated reputation as a hard-core jock school which really is about 10-20 years outdated, while other NESCAC schools like Amherst, Trinity, Midd, and now even Wesleyan, have placed far more emphasis in recent years on recruiting athletes for the most prominent team sports, which require the greatest admissions concession, and are also the sports most associated with jock culture, like football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and ice hockey, none of which (other than men’s basketball) Williams is a particular stand-out in, at this point. </p>