Winter Study Input from Alums

Deena Bak, Class of 2013

I felt compelled to share my Winter Study story because I can honestly say that it changed the course of my life, both personally and professionally, in a very profound way. For January of my Senior year at Williams, I took a class called “Yoga and the Art of Fully… Continue reading »

Jim Stearns, Class of 1971

Fifty years later I still remember the variety and intensity of my winter study courses: – “The Symphony” – “The Transistor” – “The Microeconomics of Berkshire County”   The Winter Study Program provided an opportunity to be a little bold and explore fields about which I knew little. Continue reading »

John Burns, Class of 1970

In the first year of WS I branched out from my math/science academic focus and took Fred Stocking’s literature course with readings from Hemingway, Shaw and Cummings.  I most remember the great short stories of Ernest Hemingway and went on to read much of his work.  WS gave me the… Continue reading »

Tom Goodbody, Class of 1969

I was a junior for the first year of Winter Study, and while it seemed like a cool idea, we didn’t know how it would work out in practice.  It was great.  First, loved having exams before Christmas.  The first WS I took a course on Joyce’s Ulysses, from Don… Continue reading »

Christopher C. Baker, Class of 1970

The Winter Study program started in January of 1968, when I was a sophomore at Williams.  Under the old two semester system, we had to work on papers and study for exams during the holiday break.  Students were often too busy with courses to relax and interact in meaningful ways. Continue reading »

Alum, Class of 1979

Professor Kozelka (math) teaching about Sherlock Holmes mysteries, while I knitted a hat! We wrote our own stories (mine wasn’t very good). Being surrounded by interesting people doing interesting things, and actually having time to think about them and enjoy them was the best part of Winter Study. This is… Continue reading »

Chris Eaton, Class of 2005

Before I signed up for Survival in the Winter Landscape my first year, I had been camping just once – during my WOOLF trip. After the winter study drop/add deadline passed, I thought I had made a terrible mistake. Why did I think I could spend January hiking and camping… Continue reading »

Bob Ware, Class of 1970

I remember the time in the fall of our sophomore year when we received the pamphlet describing what courses would be offered during Winter Study. I was delighted and astonished at the range of the offerings. Many were very enticing, but I finally chose a course taught by Professor Barrow… Continue reading »

Becky Logue-Conroy, Class of 1999

When I was at Williams, I was a member of the first “Composing a Life” class, then taught by Chip and Michele Moeller Chandler. I took it because I wanted to get a sense of how to put together career aspirations with family aspirations. Over time, I continued to think… Continue reading »

Mariama N’Diaye, Class of 2017

After studying abroad in Paris the Spring of my Junior Year, I became fascinated about the hip-hop world in Paris – notably the full-day dance battles occurring usually outside of the city of Paris and in the suburbs. I proposed the idea to spend my Winter Study diving into this… Continue reading »