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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies. [/quote]

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's.  Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status.  Both kids were easily qualified to get in.  I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth.  Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again.  I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.[/quote]

Mine the same but 2 years ago. Straight A’s, 36 ACT, and goo EC’s, coming from a rigorous curriculum at a top HS. So, I completely understand your feelings.

The problem with Williams is that they sponsor just about every sport that NESCAC offers. With 800+ athletes at a college with 2000+ students, almost 40% of the admissions spots are taken before otherwise regular applicants are even considered, i.e. 200 of 500+ In a freshman clas are athletes. It seems that the priorities are screwy when this high a percent of the spots are claimed for those whose achievements are non-academic at what is supposedly top academic school.

But there’s more. 170+ international students are enrolled, or about 40+ per freshman class. With a number of other spots reserved for those with other hooks, it would seem that less than half of the spots of an incoming freshman class go to students based on academic merit. Among NESCAC members, the number of athletes at Williams is 2nd only to Tufts, a school almost triple its size.

[/quote]

All of this is probably true, however those selected with hooks - like athletic ability to fill the numerous roster spots - likely have impressive academic stats too. It's not necessarily an either/or proposition. In the selective numbers game Williams is priorizing smart kids with hooks over smart kids without hooks.[/quote]

The majority of these athletes are also white and from middle class or more affluent backgrounds so the college is also prioritizing that too. I point this out because plenty of white parents on this board and outside this forum often seem to suggest that URM students are getting in over their kids because of that “hook.”  Look at the rosters and team photos.

https://ephsports.williams.edu/   
https://athletics.amherst.edu/
https://swarthmoreathletics.com/
https://haverfordathletics.com/landing/index

Most look majority white. Also look at the schools and towns these students come from.  Lots of affluent to very affluent suburbs and independent/boarding schools represented. If your kid is from a similar demographic but not an athlete, they may not be offered a spot because the school decided they needed to fill the team roster and while your kid was smart, accomplished and had great extracurriculars, they didn’t row, swim, golf, fence, or play LAX, fieldhockey, or soccer.

If you are a nonathlete white person from a middle class or affluent background, those are probably the kids who had the hook that got them in over your son or daughter. Not the URM or first generation students.  No, your kid’s squash playing, golf playing, rowing (crew), skiing, etc. classmate got in instead. I think everyone says well they worked hard on their sport. They sacrificed study time etc.  Yes, that is true. But a lot of those sports (and frankly the majority of college sports) require $$$$$ to play. Equipment for many of these sports is expensive. Travel and club fees are expensive. Outside coaches and trainers are expensive. The colleges (especially many of these SLACs) value winning at sports and filling team rosters. They value that more than they value other activities that nonathlete students put a tremendous amount of time and effort into. That is the reality.  They just don’t advertise it. [/quote]

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