what happened to William and Mary??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is more akin to Delaware than Ohio State. Both lovely smaller state schools with above average academics - I wouldn’t hesitate to send my kid to either W&M or UD if there was interest.. peer schools imo

LOL. Delaware undergrad enrollment is close to 3x larger than at W&M. In fact, the percentage undergrad size difference between W&M and Delaware is about the same as between Delaware and Ohio State.

Delaware is more similar in undergrad enrollment to UVA and JMU, not W&M.

[Anonymous]

Today I saw a minivan with both a William and Mary bumper sticker and an Ohio State bumper sticker. Ha!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a top tier school in academics but not athletics. Think Ivy League type sports where you have true student athletes.

Major difference is grading structure. Unlike schools like Yale, Stanford, Harvard, etc., students need to earn their grades. A’s are not given to everyone so the average GPA at graduation regardless of effort is not 3.8+.

W&M students need to earn their A’s through stellar academic performance.

Why would someone choose William and Mary over the automatic A schools if an A is going to be harder to come by? Why risk a lower GPA and endanger grad school admission?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a top tier school in academics but not athletics. Think Ivy League type sports where you have true student athletes.

Major difference is grading structure. Unlike schools like Yale, Stanford, Harvard, etc., students need to earn their grades. A’s are not given to everyone so the average GPA at graduation regardless of effort is not 3.8+.

W&M students need to earn their A’s through stellar academic performance.

Why would someone choose William and Mary over the automatic A schools if an A is going to be harder to come by? Why risk a lower GPA and endanger grad school admission?

Because not every really great student gets into Ivies (as discussed ALL over this board). Ivies give out A's more easily than a lot of other schools, but a lot of qualified kids don't get in so they go to other good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a top tier school in academics but not athletics. Think Ivy League type sports where you have true student athletes.

Major difference is grading structure. Unlike schools like Yale, Stanford, Harvard, etc., students need to earn their grades. A’s are not given to everyone so the average GPA at graduation regardless of effort is not 3.8+.

W&M students need to earn their A’s through stellar academic performance.

Why would someone choose William and Mary over the automatic A schools if an A is going to be harder to come by? Why risk a lower GPA and endanger grad school admission?

The reality is W&M now has a very high average undergraduate GPA of about 3.5. That is definitely higher than most universities. But the PP is correct about Ivy grading, where the average at Brown is nearing 3.8 and Yale is at 3.7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:USNWR now emphasizes total cost of attendance. UVA and William and Mary are both very expensive public schools for instate and out of state. That dragged down their ratings.

This change makes the ratings more valuable
To the vast majority of families who care about total cost. Not so much if you’re comfortably full pay.

UVA’s ranking did not drop in the new rankings, and while W&M’s did it had been slowly dropping for the last several years.

In other words, you’re wrong.

UVA dropped two spots from last year. W&M's drop this year was comparable to its peer Wake Forest's ranking drop.

Dropping 2 spots is just statistical noise. Not a real drop.

UVA actually went up by one spot; however, I agree with you.

None of the changes are real drops or increases for any of the schools. If you change the metrics on which you are evaluating the schools - I.e. the inputs - the results are going to change. Essentially, it’s a different survey. I looked it over pretty closely in terms of the metrics and it really no longer focuses on things that are a particular priority as I help my kids evaluate schools. Not that being accessible and having students with Pell grants isn’t good - it is - it’s just not how my kids are picking schools. I’m concerned about things like class size and access to advising. I don’t know why some random publication is given so much credence in determining school reputation.

Do you really think Ohio State is “better” than W&M whatever “better” even means? I actually don’t think one is even necessarily “better”? It’s really a question of what the student is seeking and where they will most likely be happy and successful. For my DC W&M is going to be a much better fit than Ohio State. I’m not letting USNWR do our thinking for us.

William and Mary is unequivocally better than the likes of Ohio State. US News is wacky. It should go without saying that it may or may not be a better fit for an individual student.

Unequivocally better? Hardly. Ohio State has more majors, educates more kids, and is stronger in the sciences.

I know you want people to think of W&M as a public version of Williams or Amherst, but it’s not, so let’s not get carried away with the attacks on other schools.

Among public national universities in the top 100 in USNWR, W&M is closest to Williams and Amherst in terms of undergraduate teaching ranking (UWNWR), student-to-faculty ratio, undergraduate enrollment, academic rating (Princeton Review), % of graduates that go on to earn PhDs, etc. Certainly W&M is still significantly larger than Williams and Amherst and lags in endowment per student, but one could still argue it is the closest and is public, and that is why it appeals to some people.

I am a new poster and didn't attack any other schools. I believe people should pick colleges that fit what they are looking for and they can afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only idiots live and die by USNWR

And people who refer to any high school as “top.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W&M is more akin to Delaware than Ohio State. Both lovely smaller state schools with above average academics - I wouldn’t hesitate to send my kid to either W&M or UD if there was interest.. peer schools imo

Delaware IS NOT academically akin to W&M.

[Anonymous]

William died from complications following a riding accident and Mary of smallpox.

[Anonymous]

W&M is looked upon very highly by grad schools
To answer OPs question - nothing happened to W&M - it is a wonderful school in so many respects. Top notch academics taught by full time profs not TAs, the sweet spot for many in terms of undergrad enrollment size, stunning campus, low key student body that is serious about their studies but love a good time and show school spirit, shops and restaurants surround campus.
Love it

[Anonymous]

OP here - thx for the good bad and the ugly (u del??) - let’s retire this string, i’m good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a top tier school in academics but not athletics. Think Ivy League type sports where you have true student athletes.

Major difference is grading structure. Unlike schools like Yale, Stanford, Harvard, etc., students need to earn their grades. A’s are not given to everyone so the average GPA at graduation regardless of effort is not 3.8+.

W&M students need to earn their A’s through stellar academic performance.

Why would someone choose William and Mary over the automatic A schools if an A is going to be harder to come by? Why risk a lower GPA and endanger grad school admission?

Because not every really great student gets into Ivies (as discussed ALL over this board). Ivies give out A's more easily than a lot of other schools, but a lot of qualified kids don't get in so they go to other good schools.

DP. Citation for this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a top tier school in academics but not athletics. Think Ivy League type sports where you have true student athletes.

Major difference is grading structure. Unlike schools like Yale, Stanford, Harvard, etc., students need to earn their grades. A’s are not given to everyone so the average GPA at graduation regardless of effort is not 3.8+.

W&M students need to earn their A’s through stellar academic performance.

Why would someone choose William and Mary over the automatic A schools if an A is going to be harder to come by? Why risk a lower GPA and endanger grad school admission?

The reality is W&M now has a very high average undergraduate GPA of about 3.5. That is definitely higher than most universities. But the PP is correct about Ivy grading, where the average at Brown is nearing 3.8 and Yale is at 3.7.

DP. It would be great if you could back up your wacky claims with actual citations. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W&M is looked upon very highly by grad schools
To answer OPs question - nothing happened to W&M - it is a wonderful school in so many respects. Top notch academics taught by full time profs not TAs, the sweet spot for many in terms of undergrad enrollment size, stunning campus, low key student body that is serious about their studies but love a good time and show school spirit, shops and restaurants surround campus.
Love it

Regarding the bolded, are you absolutely sure about that?

This handbook contains helpful information to prepare grad students to step into the classroom as an instructor for the first time, or for the hundredth time. It offers practical advice about teaching relevant for TAs and TFs.

These sessions also help prepare students to be successful teachers and mentors in the classroom with discipline-specific advice about classroom management and pedagogy.

Participate in the Graduate Teaching Project
The Graduate Teaching Project (GTP) is offered as a zero credit, free course for grad students in Arts & Sciences. It is offered once each year and is particularly helpful for students preparing to teach their own course or looking to improve their teaching effectiveness.

https://www.wm.edu/as/graduate/studentresources/resources-teaching/
https://guides.libraries.wm.edu/teaching/getting-ready/what-to-expect
https://guides.libraries.wm.edu/teaching/getting-ready/being-in-front
https://guides.libraries.wm.edu/teaching/whats-next

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thx for the good bad and the ugly (u del??) - let’s retire this string, i’m good

Well, that was rude. What's wrong with UDel?