Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011 - (Page 44)

students review The Students Review series is intended to aid prospective college students in their search by offering insiders’ views of selected colleges and universities, as expressed by current undergraduates or recent graduates who have high academic ability. Note that the number of reviewers is small. Consider their personal perspectives as only one factor as you gather information and impressions from many sources. Our reviewers include 35 individuals, who major(ed) in: American studies (1), Arabic (1), art history (3), astrophysics (1), biology (2), chemistry (3), classics (1), computer science (2), economics (4), English (6), environmental studies (1), French (1), geology (1), history (2), math (7), music (1), philosophy (2), physics (2), political science (6), religion (2), Russian (1), sociology (1), Spanish (1), and women’s studies (1). (The number of majors exceeds 35 because several reviewers had double majors.) Reviewers’ comments appear within quotation marks. Williams College college has no core curriculum, only “The Quality of Academic Instruction for Undergraduates Reviewers praised the education Williams provides. quality of instruction is superb. “The The college’s focus is clearly on teaching, although many professors conduct outstanding research as well. Professors are amazingly available and make an effort to get to know individual students even in some of the larger classes. Classes generally have about 20 students, although some intro courses are larger (70-120). All courses are taught by professors; TAs serve only as tutors and lab assistants.” true liberal arts college, Williams offers “A no preprofessional curricula, like business or journalism. Professors try to teach us how to think, emphasizing critical and holistic thinking rather than mastery of work-related skills. They assume we’ll be able to pick up the knowledge and skills elsewhere for whatever we choose to do after college.” divisional requirements. Students must take three classes in each of three divisions: arts & languages, social sciences, and science & math. It’s not hard to find enjoyable courses to fulfill these requirements. Students must also take two writing-intensive courses, of which there are many to choose from, ranging from English to history to music. These classes are limited to 19 people so the professor can focus on giving a lot of feedback.” “Williams is famous for its Tutorial format courses, in which students are divided into pairs that meet with a professor for an hour each week. The students take turns writing an essay that serves as the basis for the discussion that week. These are demanding courses that hone your ability to synthesize readings and make an argument; and the intimacy of the format allows you to get to know both faculty and fellow students well.” “Williams’s 4-1-4 calendar is made up of two semesters and a January Winter Study Period, during which students take one pass/ fail class outside the range of traditional academics—from Political Aikido to Green Computing to Glassblowing. Career-related internships are also offered. Students may also design their own WSP programs.” “Many juniors study abroad, and the school does a great job of encouraging this. It makes senior year far more interesting; returning students have matured and expanded their thinking. It’s also a great way to take a break from the cold Berkshires.” Math Department is one of Williams’s “The best and most creative. Over 10% of students major in math (~60 students per year), as compared with a national average of around 1%. And more than 60% of students take the extremely popular (yes!) Introduction to Statistics.” “Despite being far from a major city, Williams is located near three worldclass museums—the Williams College Museum of Art, the Clark Institute, and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art—and Art History is one of the college’s strongest departments. So many alums join the NYC art scene that the ‘Williams mafia’ is a common term in the museum world.” construction of a beautiful new theater “The in 2005, along with the school’s ties to the Williamstown Theater summer festival, has led to an influx of students interested in the performing arts. The practice rooms are superb, with glass walls that look out at the mountains.” Social Life Williams’s social life offers both the pleasures and limitations of a small college in a small town hours from the nearest major city. “Social life is centered entirely on campus. The small college community is conducive to close friendships and a feeling of security. With no frats or eating clubs, parties are typically open to the whole campus and range from small gatherings to dorm-sponsored dances. Drinking is prevalent, but there’s no pressure to drink.” “Nearly all students live on campus (and the housing is fantastic). Important social ties are formed in the freshman ‘entries’ (dorms), 44 imagine Mar/Apr 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Problem Solving
Orange County Math Circle
Number Theory
Count Me In
National Mathematics Competitions
Math at the Science Fair
Just My Speed
MathPath
When Origami Meets Rocket Science
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Making a Difference
High School Options for Gifted Students
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2011