What do you love about William & Mary?
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Anonymous
| I'm trying to convince my son to consider William & Mary instead of going out of state. William & Mary is the only in-state school that he applied to. Outside of costs (we'll be in-state) and program/major (data science), what do you love about William & Mary? |
Anonymous
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I am an alum. I loved:
Size was not too big and not too small Beautiful campus with places to walk around Easy to access home. Train and drive 2-3 h. Small classes past intro level Professors cared and taught Good selection of majors and minors Not too expensive Good reputation in DC job market Academics important. People studied. Just a good mix of everything! Sports, party, academics, job prep, etc.! DD was admitted and we wanted her to attend but she picked a PA SLAC. Good luck to your son! Really don’t see how you can beat W&M unless you want a special major that isn’t offered. |
Anonymous
| This doesn't directly answer the question, but go to admitted students day. Make sure to talk to the professors. They have booths for each department and the professors are there to chat. They're really interesting and sell the place. Check out the club tables. Talk to other kids. Everyone is super friendly. W&M puts on a great admitted students day and it will either be a fit, or not. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| I had a wonderful experience at W&M. I think the best thing about it was the relationship with the professors. Sure I had some larger introductory classes, but I also had seminars and higher level courses that were small and allowed us to really get to know and work with the professors. I was even invited to dinner parties at professors’ houses. There was a commitment to academics and learning that I really loved, and being a liberal arts college, I could relax taking courses way outside my STEM major, like art, the history of languages and philosophy, without feeling like I was holding myself back. I also liked the location and being able to drive home easily if I missed my family or needed a relaxing/quiet weekend at home. |
Anonymous
| Sweet spot in terms of size - for many it’s the ideal size like Villanova and Vandy |
Anonymous
100% to all above. My DS is a recent grad and loved W&M and would agree with everything posted. Even as a freshman, he made connections with his professors. He only had a couple of classes with more than 50 students. He found the alumni network extremely helpful in his career search. Currently, W&M is ranked #9th in the country for happiest students. It is #1 in the country among public universities for alumni giving - another indicator of satisfaction with the school. |
Anonymous
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Can respond based on the perspective of DS who is a 22 grad. Goldilocks size, you don’t need Greek life to have a social life, ability to participate in club sports, small classes taught by professors, students genuinely care and support one another. W&M investing heavily in data science and science in general. Also building new dorms and improving on campus dining experience.
Had other “higher ranked” options but basically after attending accepted student days a few places just felt more at home at W&M. DD is also there as a junior and chose W&M for many of the same reasons. |
Anonymous
| My son loves it - small size allows for lots of interaction with professors and research opportunities; he has made a great group of friends; lots of clubs and activities on campus. |
Anonymous
| Your son is probably balking because W&M isn’t cool with a certain type of kid, especially boys. They’ll say there isn’t enough happening in the surrounding area, that Colonial Williamsburg is a little weird, that kids are quirky and too focused on academics, and there’s not enough rah, rah sports and school spirit. If your kid really thinks this or believes that the opinions of his friends are important, you may have a tough sell. However, if your kid likes what W&M offers, but doesn’t want the snark from his friends, tell him to go with his heart. In the end, he has to live with his choice, and it’s much better to live your own dream than someone else’s. W&M is an awesome school for the right kid. |
Anonymous
| W&M has a great data sci program |
Anonymous
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Another alum here. I'll add that the alumni community really looks out for each other. Almost everyone who graduates from there believes the school is special and has a respect for the rigor of the coursework. So when you see a fellow William and Mary grad in the resume pile, you know what to do.
It was also a place where the smart kids get to be cool if that makes sense? Like you are in a sea of other smart kids and you don't have to diminish that to try to fit in. Kids who were sort of lumped in with all of the achievers in high school get to come and be party people, frat people, music people, creative people... something other than just "smart." |
Anonymous
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I have a kid there. And honestly Op— if your kid doesn’t want to attend, do him and the WM community a favor and don’t force it. WM works very hard in admissions, and put so much emphasis on demonstrated interest and ED, because it wants to create a cohesive community of kids who love where they are. WM is consistently rated in the top 10 schools in that ion for happiest students, and the kids I know at WM do love being there. And I believe this is because WM considers fit and desire to attend in the admissions process “Who comes here belongs here” is a big deal at W&M. If you kid doesn’t think it’s a good fit, listen to him.
If he’s unsure, that’s natural. Go to DFAS and then let him decide. Because in the end, what makes WM special isn’t the traditions, or the Hogworts Express (a favorite of mine) or the class size, or even the professors. It’s the students. An incredibly kind, accepting, hard working but still looking for fun group of kids. Definitely the peer group I want for my student as the navigate newly minted adulthood making decisions without parents looking over their shoulder for the first time. I just love the personal growth and great decision making I’ve seen from my kid. |
Anonymous
| If he applied to W&M and not UVA, ask him why? If it was because he likes the atmosphere at W&M better, remind him of that. I don’t know of another public that offers the size and rigor of W&M; it is singular. |
Anonymous
OP here - another reason why I want my son to go to William & Mary is because I went there (ions ago - so I am sure things are different now). So there is something endearing in seeing my kid go to the same school that I did. However, if I am being honest, he really wants to go to University of Florida - he wants the big SEC, rah rah college experience; and he wants to get out of Virginia (been here his entire life) where he can meet all new people. While he liked his high school classmates, he just doesn't want college to be a "high school 2.0 experience" (his words not mine). I get where he is coming from, but I can't help but think that he is giving up an excellent school (not to the say that UF is terrible by any means). Also, he thinks that W&M isn't known for data science, but more for its humanities (which I suppose is true). In the end, I understand that it is his choice and we will support him in whatever he chooses. I just wanted him to be able to see how awesome W&M is before he makes his final decision. |
Anonymous
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Stop trying to sell him on w&M, OP. Those are two very different schools and if he thinks he wants the UoF vibe then W&M definitely is not the right spot for him.
- alum from eons ago too who also hopes DC1 will go there (but that is up to DC). |