This schedule is under development and additional content will be added so please check back regularly and get familiar with it. It is also mobile friendly!
Please note sessions with an R, E, or W next to the location indicates if it is required, encouraged, or has a focus on Health and Wellness.
R-Required
E-Encouraged
W-Focused on Health and Wellness
Thursday, August 29 - Move-In Day
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00am-12:00pm | Students Arrive at Pre-scheduled check in times (EphHelpers available to assist 8-11am) | Paresky Center |
| 8:00am-1:00pm | Zilkha Center Reusable Water Bottle Pick Up - Complete the sustainability course in your inbox to be eligible! | Class of 1966 Environmental Center |
| 11:00am-12:00pm | Campus Tour: Take a guided walk on the beautiful Williams campus, explore the landscape, academic and residential spaces, and learn more about the place our students call home. | Meet at Weston Hall (E) |
| 11:00am-1:00pm | First-Year Family Lunch | Paresky Tent (E) |
| 12:00pm-1:00pm | Parents of Varsity Athletes Meeting | Bernhard Music Center/Brooks Rogers |
| 1:00pm-1:30pm | GOODBYE HUGS! | |
| 1:30pm-2:30pm | Welcoming Families to Williams: Maud Mandel, President, Prof. of History Gretchen Long, Dean of the College, Frederick Rudolph Class of 1965 Prof. of American Culture Leticia Smith-Evans Haynes, Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | Chapin Hall |
| 1:30pm-2:15pm | First Entry Meetings | Your Assigned Entry Space (students only) (R) |
| 2:30pm-3:45pm | VOICES Group A Frosh Quad - Community on Campus | Chapin Hall (R) |
| 2:30pm-4:00pm | PARTY SAFER Group B Mission | '62 Center (R) |
| 2:30pm-4:00pm | Parent, Family & Friends Reception Join President Mandel and Steve Simon for a reception on the President's House lawn. Light refreshments will be available. | President's House Lawn |
| 4:00pm-4:30pm | VOICES Group A Frosh Quad - Debrief | Sage 1 - Physics 205 (R) Sage 2 - Wach 015 (R) Sage 3 - Chem 202 (R) Sage 4 - Wach 113 (R) Willy 1 - Wach 114 (R) Willy 2 - Griffin 3 (R) Willy 3 - Wach 017 (R) Willy 4 - Griffin 5 (R) |
| 4:45pm-6:00pm | VOICES Group B Mission - Community on Campus | Chapin Hall (R) |
| 4:45pm-6:15pm | PARTY SAFER Group A Frosh Quad | '62 Center (R) |
| 6:15pm-6:45pm | VOICES Group B Mission - Debrief | AP1 - Griffin 5 (R) AP2 - Physics 203 (R) AP3 - Physics 205 (R) AP4 - Wach 015 (R) MD1 - Wach 017 (R) MD2 - Wach 114 (R) MD3 - Chem 202 (R) MD4 - Wach 113 (R) |
| 6:00pm-8:00pm | Dining Hall Debut! Dinner with your entry mates in the dining hall. | Various Dining Halls |
| 8:00pm-10:00pm | First Night Fest! The Office of Campus Life and the Dean's Office celebrate your first night at Williams College! Featuring the Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream Truck (co-sponsored by President Maud Mandel) "Dunk the Dean" Dunk Tank featuring Dean Walsh, Giant Bouncy slide, Inflatable Ax Throwing Inflated Extreme Dance Party with a JA curated playlist, Giant Soccer Darts, Lawn Games, and meet and take a selfie with Ephelia, our beloved bovine and college mascot! | Paresky & Sawyer Quad (E) (W) |
Friday, August 30
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30am-9:00am | Breakfast | Dining Halls |
| 9:30am-10:30am | First Class Meeting Dean Walsh, Dean for First Year Students Maud Mandel, President, Prof. of History Gretchen Long, Dean of the College, Frederick Rudolph Class of 1965 Prof. of American Culture Leticia Smith-Evans Haynes, Vice President for MinCo - Mariel Baez '26 and Johnathan Martir '26 FAST - Andrew Oh '25, Osegie Osayimwen '27, Palvasha Khan '25, Jezebiel Gonzalez '26, and Akiko Jindo '25 | Chapin Hall (R) |
| 10:30am-11:00am | Housing: The First Year Area Coordinators and Team Welcome You! | Chapin Hall (R) |
| 11:30am-1:00pm | Picnic on the President's House Lawn Grab a spot on a picnic blanket for lunch on Maud's lawn! Music, selfie photo booth, and presidential engagement! | President's House (E) |
| 12:45pm-1:10pm | Jumuah, the Muslim Friday prayer service, will take place at 12:45 PM on Friday, August 30, in the Muslim Prayer Room (MPR) or musalla on the lower level of Thompson Memorial Chapel accessible from the parking lot entrance in the back next to Sawyer Quad. If you are a Muslim student, you may attend Jumuah and then head off to finish your “EphVenture Program Check Ins"scheduled to end at 2 PM. For Muslim students who observe the five daily prayers, salah, please let your group leaders know that you may need a wudu (ritual washing preceding prayer) and salah break(s) depending on the time of the day. If you have any questions, especially about halal food and religious accommodations during EphVentures, please contact Muslim Chaplain Sidra Mahmood at [email protected]. | MPR-Muslim Prayer Room |
| 1:00pm | EphVenture Program Check Ins | WOOLF: Lansing Chapman Hockey Rink ETA, WAI?, Root, Leading Minds: Paresky Porch |
| 5:00pm-8:00pm | Dinner | Paresky Tent |
Saturday, August 31--Monday, Sept 2 - EphVentures
Sunday, September 1
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30pm | Catholic Mass | Thompson Memorial Chapel |
Monday, September 2
| Time | Event | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30am-10:30am | Breakfast | Dining Halls | |
| 10:00am-1:00pm | Free time-relax, explore, chill post EphV. Various EphVenture programs come to a close through the morning. | All around (E) (W) | |
| 11:30am-2:00pm | Lunch | Dining Halls | |
| 1:00pm-2:00pm | Post EphVenture JA/Entry Reunion | Your Entry Space (E) | |
| 2:15pm-3:00pm | Framing Community: How do we make meaning out of the challenging and joyful experiences that we have together, as we learn and grow in this environment characterized more by diversity than sameness? What resources does the Davis Center offer to support students seeking to build communities that foster a strong sense of belonging? Davis Center Staff will facilitate dialogue on questions like these at Framing Community. | Chapin Hall (R) | |
| 3:30pm-4:30pm | Speak About It A | '62 Center (R) | |
| 5:00pm-6:00pm | Speak About It B | '62 Center (R) | |
| 5:30pm-8:00pm | Dinner - All Campus Picnic | Paresky Tent | |
| 7:00pm-9:00pm | Sustainable Sorbet Social- Join students and staff from the Zilkha Center for the Environment and the Chaplain’s office for a chance to reflect and connect with others who are interested in exploring the intersection of spirituality and the environment, all while enjoying delicious locally sourced sorbet! | '66 Environmental Center Kitchen (E) Registration Required | |
| 7:00pm-9:00pm | Bob Ross Paint Night with the Area Coordinators! You are invited to paint fluffy clouds, almighty mountains, and happy little trees at the Bob Ross paint-a-long event . At this immensely popular event you will be following along with an original Bob Ross video to create a wonderful Mountain Lake scene you can use to decorate your entry common room. Groups will consist of 3-5 people. Take a selfie with a life sized Bob Ross! There is limited space available. Be sure to sign up now! We will be raffling off the official Bob Ross Joy of Painting Kit at the end of the event! | Dodd Dining Room Registration Required-at capacity limit | |
| 8:00pm-10:00pm | HIDE and SEEK! Sponsored by the Chaplains' Office Join us to play HIDE and SEEK in the Chapel Sanctuary in the dark! You do not need to be a part of any religious or spiritual RSO to participate—just bring yourself and your friends! The Chapel Sanctuary is located on the first floor of the Thompson Memorial Chapel, the large building with a tower next to Griffin Hall. | Registration Required |
Tuesday, September 3
| Time | Event | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30am-10:30am | Breakfast | Dining Halls | |
| 10:00am-10:30am | Getting to know CSS | Chapin (R) | |
| 10:30am-11:30am | Mind, Body, and Spirit Wellness & Self Care Integrative Wellbeing Services & Chaplains' Office | Chapin (R)(W) | |
| 11:30am-1:00pm | Lunch | Dining Halls | |
| 12:00pm-4:00pm | Placement Exams | Placement Information | |
| 12:30pm-2:00pm | IWS Open House Come visit the Integrative Wellness Services location. We welcome all students to come over, meet some team members, learn about our resources and services, and pick up some sweet swag! | Pond House for Wellbeing (IWS) at 100 Hoxsey St (E) (W) | |
| 12:30pm-2:00pm | Chaplains' Office Open House | Paresky 205 and Henze Lounge(E) (W) | |
| 3:00pm-3:45pm | Speak About it Group A - Frosh Quad DEBRIEF | Sage 1 - Schow 030B (R) Sage 2 - Wachenheim 015 (R) Sage 3 - Wachenheim 017 (R) Sage 4 - Schapiro 129 (R) Willy 1 - Wachenheim 113 (R) Willy 2 - Chem 202 (R) Willy 3 - Wachenheim 114 (R) Willy 4 - Goodrich 207 (R) | |
| 4:00pm-4:45pm | Speak About it Group B - Mission DEBRIEF | AP1/MD1 - Wachenheim 113 (R) AP2 - Wachenheim 017 (R) AP3 - Wachenheim 015 (R) AP4 - Schapiro 129 (R) MD2 - Wachenheim 114 (R) MD3 - Griffin 6 (R) MD4 - Chem 202 (R) | |
| 5:00pm-8:00pm | Dinner | Dining Halls | |
| 6:00pm-8:00pm | Musical Bingo with Sundae Bar and Prizes! Admissions & SFS Event Join the Office of Admission and Student Financial Services for an evening of Musical Bingo, ice cream sundaes, and PRIZES! The ice cream sundae bar will include plenty of toppings and flavors to be scooped by the Admission and SFS team who are excited to meet all of the incredible First-Years! Musical Bingo, hosted by local mainstay DJ Bizz, begins at 6:15 pm. Be sure to come early for the best chance to win prizes, including Williams blankets, hoodies, and other swag! Door prizes will be given to the first 100 people who show up to the event. Other prizes and raffle tickets will be up for grabs for everyone throughout the night! | Weston Hall | |
| 7:00pm-8:30pm | Sexpo - Whether you had great sex ed in high school or no sex ed in high school, there's always more to discuss and think about. Join the Sexpo peer educators for conversations about healthy relationships, identity, pleasure, sexual health, and more! Snacks, fun, and prizes! | Bronfman Auditorium | |
| 7:00pm-10:00pm | Library Mini Golf Test out your mini golf skills (no actual skills required) while familiarizing yourself with the spaces and other resources available to you in the Libraries. Our 9 hole course will take you throughout Sawyer library, and takes under 90 minutes to play. You can register as a group or join a team with available space. Register for a tee time now! | Register for a tee time now! |
Wednesday, September 4
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30am-10:30am | Breakfast | Dining Halls |
| 10:00am-11:00am | Looking Ahead to the Academic Life: Gretchen Long, Dean of the College Frederick Rudolph Class of 1965 Prof. of American Culture Sam Sidders '25 and Harper Treschuk '26 - Student Honor Code Katy Evans - Office of Accessible Education Hale Polebaum-Freeman - Reference and First-Year Outreach Librarian Julia Munemo - Director of the Writing Center Nick Hanford, Director of the Quantitative Skills Program - Peer Academic Support | Chapin (R) |
| 11:00am-12:30pm | Academic Expo! | Sawyer and Schow Libraries (R) |
| 11:30am-2:00pm | Lunch | Dining Halls |
| 12:00pm-3:00pm | Zilkha Center Reusable Water Bottle Pick Up - Complete the sustainability course in your inbox to be eligible! WOOLF students who have completed the module: your bottle will be waiting for you at WOOLF check-in on September 1st. Please do not pick up during this distribution time. | Class of 1966 Environmental Center |
| 1:00pm-2:00pm | Transfer and Non-traditional Student Sessions (refer to Pre-O Schedule) | |
| 1:30pm-4:00pm | Academic Advising | Various locations |
| 2:00pm-3:15pm | Academic Support Fair - Peer Tutoring, First Year Outreach Librarian, Office of Accessible Education, OIT, Writing Center, Quantitative Skills Program, Center for Career Exploration, Deans' Office and more! | Paresky Tent (Required) Note: If you are planning to meet with your academic advisor during this time window, plan to visit this event before or after your advising appointment). |
| 3:30pm-4:00pm | Practice and P. Sets: Preparing for Your First College Exams | '62 Center (Required UNLESS you have an appointment scheduled between 3:30-4pm with your academic advisor) |
| 4:00pm-5:00pm | Writing Your First College Paper | '62 Center (R) |
| 5:00pm-6:00pm | Make your own cider! Cider pressing with the Zilkha Center for the Environment and the Makerspace- Join staff and students from the Zilkha Center for the Environment and Makerspace to tour the environmental center gardens, explore a few of their collaborative projects, and make — and of course taste — freshly squeezed apple cider. | '66 Environmental Center Kitchen (E) Registration Required-at capacity limit |
| 5:00pm-8:00pm | Dinner | Dining Halls |
| 6:00pm-9:00pm | Welcome to Williamstown! We are the Clark! The Clark Museum welcome the Class of 2028 with a special night designed to entertain you while you explore everything the Clark Campus has to offer. Enjoy the short walk from Williams to the Clark or hop on a local shuttle bus! 5-10pm Free Open Galleries with Gift Bag 6-7pm DJ Set at the Reflecting Pool Lawn 6-8pm BBQ Manton Library Southside Exit 8-9pm Stargazing and S'mores at Stone Hill | At The Clark Art Institute (E) (W) |
Upcoming Events
| Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, September 5 | Classes Begin! | |
| Thursday, September 5 Athletic Courtyard outside of Chandler Gymnasium 6:30-8:00pm | Club Sports Fair Curious about our 16 Club Sports teams? Grab some ice cream and see what we have to offer! All students welcome. | |
| Saturday, September 7 | Convocation | |
| Tuesday, September 10 Davis Center Circle 5:00-8:00pm | Davis Center Block Party Community wide event celebrating the beginning of the new academic year and the diversity of our campus and wider community. There will be plenty of fun: and food! Meet one of the many Minority Coalition (MinCo) groups who will be recruiting as well as many of the DC's neighbors, who have their own fun and games planned. EVERYONE is welcome! (Families too!) | |
| Friday, September 13 Chapin Hall 8:00pm | Jamboree Join your peers for this exciting annual event! Over 25 student performance groups will take to the stage to showcase all the different ways you can get involved in the arts at Williams! There will be Theatre, Dance, Acapella, Comedy and More! You never know who will come on the stage at Jamboree! | |
| Saturday, September 14 Chandler Gym 8:00pm | Purple Key Fair Explore and find your next passion! Join over 190 Student Organizations as they highlight all the great work they do! Ask questions, learn new things and discover all the great Student organizations Williams has to offer! |