If admitted, will you visiting campus before you decide?
My S24 applied without visiting first, and that is our plan.
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Will you fly into Albany?
It may depend on if we are combining anything. But we have some direct flights to Hartford, not to Albany, so weād probably do Hartford if we can.
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Itās quite a drive! We drove from Amherst to Williams, and it was something. Really beautiful, but also a little frightening. I was just wondering if the drive from Albany to Williams is less exciting.
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I have only ever done the drive from the eastern side, and that was a long time ago. However, my understanding is if anything the Taconic Mountains on that western side are even more dynamic than the Berkshires on the eastern side.
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There are 3 different ways to get there from Albany. The route through Vermont and the one that goes by Glass Lake are equally beautiful, much less scary, and take about the same amount of time.
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Very interesting. I was just playing with Google Maps and even though Route 2 superficially looked the most direct, it was only 2-3 miles shorter than those alternatives, implying to me it probably has a lot of back and forth curves. Which I might personally view as a positive, but others less so . . . .
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We have driven from the NYC area to WIlliams a few times. It is an easy daytime drive, not scary at all. The roads at the end are small but well marked. We have gone to Albany and then east and have gone straight through new york state. If you are used to small road driving it is not a problem but it is very dark at night with almost no lights.
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For people who have driven up to williams, what is the general vibe of the school? Also is there any form of public transport from Albany to williams for those without cars?
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There is public transportation. There are buses from Albany to williamstown. The accepted students day link does ask if the student is coming alone so there may be more information about that there.
We went on a crazy rainy day so didnāt get a huge sense of vibe. People were friendly, professors and staff very accommodating and the town attached was not big but had a bunch of restaurants and shops also that was welcoming. The Williams Inn is lovely
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Route 2 is pretty windy and snowy. Short, beautiful, and an little bit treacherous. We got about three inches last night. (I live about 45 minutes north of Williams, at a higher altitude.)
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Itās less exciting for about 2/3 of the way. Depending on the time of day and weather, the last third is as exciting as youād want.
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Ok. I should not have assumed it would be flatter!
Whew, good to know.
Iāve been to Albany many times in order to get up to SilverBay, but I have not headed as far east as Williams. Thank you for this information.
When we drove from Amherst, it was late afternoon getting into evening right after a rainstorm. It was beautiful, but I could see there were no lights. I was very relieved to pull into our motel at dusk, and grateful that we hadnāt decided to have dinner in Amherst before driving to Williams.
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I did not get a good handle on the vibe, which is one reason weāre thinking of going back if my son gets in. We did see some of the campus on the tour. The campus and the views are stunning. We did not meet any professors or students. We learned a lot about the programs and had an evening in the street connected to the campus. It has a handful of various restaurants and some shops.
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I remember that drive from Amherst to Williams when my oldest kid was doing college visits. My father-in-law was with us on the trip and decided this was the perfect time for my newly licensed 17 year old to get more practice with highway driving. We survived, but it was not my favorite drive!
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Oh boy!!!
S24 is taking his driving test the week after we go fro admitted studentās day. He will not be practicing driving on that trip! You are very very brave!
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