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Williams-Mystic The Coastal & Ocean Studies Semester of Williams College and Mystic Seaport. Learn more at mystic.williams.edu! Learn more and apply now at mystic.williams.edu.

Undergraduates of all majors from all accredited colleges and universities are welcome to apply. At Williams-Mystic, you'll spend our 17-week semester rediscovering three-quarters of your world. You'll learn about America's oceans and coasts firsthand: By traveling to field sites on all three of America's coasts, by spending 10 days sailing on the open ocean, and by producing original research in policy, science, literature, and history. We welcome undergraduates of ALL majors from all accredited colleges and universities. We also meet 100% of our students' financial need.

First day of Marine Ecology class, and straight to the Mystic River!Fall 2026 Williams-Mystic students surveyed a submer...
09/23/2026

First day of Marine Ecology class, and straight to the Mystic River!

Fall 2026 Williams-Mystic students surveyed a submerged line at the site of a new living shoreline at the Mystic River Boathouse Park, home of the newly opened Stonington Community Rowing Center, searching for ribbed mussels before the line is moved into newly planted marsh grass, Spartina.

The two organisms make good coastal neighbors: Spartina gives the mussels shade and habitat, while mussels add nutrients to the sediment and help hold the mud around the grass roots in place. This mutualistic relationship can help a new salt marsh get established.

09/21/2026

Williams-Mystic students have the option to take on a paid student job during their semester here, and one that’s always popular is working in the Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport Museum. Take a look at early morning shifts at the shipyard with S96 student, Leah!

"Well-rounded is too pale a term for Maile Rachel Hale," began her official New York Times obituary, written twenty-five...
09/11/2026

"Well-rounded is too pale a term for Maile Rachel Hale," began her official New York Times obituary, written twenty-five years ago by a Williams-Mystic alum journalist. "Her heart was in dancing: ballet and, later, modern. She was a chemistry major in college. And at 26, she was the chief operating officer and vice president of Boston Investor Services, overseeing the management of billions of dollars."

On Sept. 11, 2001, Maile was in New York for a conference, beginning that morning with a breakfast at Windows on the World, and died in the terrorist attacks.

Maile was a Williams-Mystic student in the fall of 1995, a shy Wesleyan chemistry major from Hawaii with a love of chocolate and dance. With her class, she traveled offshore on Atlantic waters, ventured to the rapidly disappearing island of Nantucket (where she participated in the WM Student Erosion Index, an unofficial measurement of Nantucket's shifting shores) and was in the second WM group to travel cross-country on a field seminar to California.

Today, a bench by the river at Mystic Seaport Museum honors her, and the thousands of other 9/11 victims, with a plaque reading, "We shall never forget the beauty of life and those lost and injured on that day."

Williams-Mystic alumni, your contributions wanted!Fall 2026 arrives on our fair shores next week, and we want to start ...
09/03/2026

Williams-Mystic alumni, your contributions wanted!

Fall 2026 arrives on our fair shores next week, and we want to start them off with a few tips and words of wisdom from our WM alumni body.

What should they absolutely not miss in the Mystic area or at Mystic Seaport Museum? What advice would you give to someone just starting a WM semester? What should they make for dinner?

Drop your advice in the comments, and then come on over to www.instagram.com/williamsmystic and answer our questions in the stories. Thank you wise ones!

Providence, it's your turn for a WM alumni swizzle!Williams-Mystic alumni, family and friends are warmly invited for a S...
08/20/2026

Providence, it's your turn for a WM alumni swizzle!

Williams-Mystic alumni, family and friends are warmly invited for a September sunset cruise on Rhode Island's Upper Narragansett Bay with Save The Bay. We’ll spend an hour on the water exploring some of the most pressing climate issues facing the bay, and how its natural history and geology have shaped the communities, industries, and policies along its coastline.

Our guides include Katy Robinson Hall S84, Save The Bay’s staff attorney, along with members of Save The Bay’s science and policy team. And yes, there will be WM snack onboard!

RSVP at mystic.williams.edu/providenceswizzle

📅 Thursday, September 24
⏰ 5:15 PM check-in and departure
📍 Save The Bay Center at Fields Point, Providence, RI
🎟️ $20 per person
💧 BYO reusable water bottle

After the cruise, gather for an optional gathering at a nearby brewery to keep the conversation going over food and drinks.

Hosted by WM alumni Christopher Riely S99, Katy Robinson Hall S84, and Williams-Mystic. Family and friends are very welcome. Parking and detailed directions will be shared upon RSVP.

Ready to compete for glory? LAST CALL to sign up for the annual WM Fantasy Football League, open to WM alumni and friend...
08/20/2026

Ready to compete for glory? LAST CALL to sign up for the annual WM Fantasy Football League, open to WM alumni and friends who love touchdowns, trash talk and supporting WM.

WM Fantasy Commish Tim Pusack, also known as the WM Marine Ecology prof, has announced four remaining spots, will you be victorious this year? Sign up by August 26, draft to be scheduled when roster is complete!

mystic.williams.edu/wm-fantasy-football/

08/11/2026

Fall 2026, it's less than a month before you arrive in Mystic, and as you can see, we're all looking forward to your arrival!

Join Williams-Mystic faculty, staff, alumni and friends for a happy hour potluck swizzle at Williams-Mystic on Wednesday...
07/31/2026

Join Williams-Mystic faculty, staff, alumni and friends for a happy hour potluck swizzle at Williams-Mystic on Wednesday, August 5 from 5 to 7 pm. Enjoy snacks, drinks, lawn games and good company at this summertime swizzle.

Bring a snack or libation to share (sign up in the RSVP).

Want to get out on the water or check out the latest at Mystic Seaport Museum? Arrive early to take a trip on Sabino (ticket purchased separately), captain a rowboat, sailboat or paddle boat from the Boathouse (free with admission; closes at 4pm). While you're here, don't forget to check out the new Brickwrecks Lego exhibit.

Has your Mystic Seaport membership lapsed? Support WM's home campus by becoming a member today, and recieve free admission and special opportunities all year!

RSVP here! Family and friends welcome, too.
➡ tinyurl.com/WMSummer26

07/17/2026

We spy WM alumni Nico, Avital, AJ and Amanda, along with former literature professor Mary K in this Mystic Seaport Museum breeches buoy video!

Pride is for everyone, every day! Do you need a WM pride sticker? We have three different pride stickers to choose from-...
06/29/2026

Pride is for everyone, every day! Do you need a WM pride sticker? We have three different pride stickers to choose from--message us with your mailing address at [email protected] and we'll send one (or all three!) your way.

And, take a look at our online shop at Zazzle (zazzle.com/store/williamsmystic)with special-edition WM pride totes, stickers and tees, as well as a sampler of WM logo merch.

Have suggestions for our virtual shelves? Whether it's a design you've dreamed up or gear we ought to add—drop us a line and tell us about it!

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75 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic, CT
06355

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