The undergraduate experience is the focus of the institution, and student voices are integral to campus governance and future planning. Students at Williams are renowned as independent and creative thinkers, and professors encourage them to critique conventional wisdom and seek out new perspectives. Initiated in 1896, the College Honor Code sets the tone for daily life and helps to foster a community where respect and mutual trust prevail. Students at Williams are more captivated by ideas and by life than absorbed by grades. Yet, reports of the Office of Career Counseling demonstrate year after year that Williams graduates succeed in all professional areas, from business and education, to law, government, medicine, communications, and non-profit organizations.
Students also gain acceptance into the most selective graduate schools.
The strength of Williams graduates lies in their breadth of preparation. From 50 countries and every possible background, Williams students bring a range of talents and interests unparalleled at other liberal arts colleges. In the mid-1800s, the college pioneered the concept of placing each student at the center of the education enterprise. Over the years, it has built on that philosophy, refined it, and adopted it as the guiding spirit of the college.