William & Mary and Tulane Choice

[Anonymous]

DS attends school in California, where Tulane and William & Mary aren’t really known. We’re hoping to tap into the collective experience here to better understand the differences between the two, beyond general labels, and help assess fit.

He’s laid-back and a bit introverted but really enjoys hanging out with friends. Not into Greek life or drinking (though we know that could change). He’s a diligent student who prefers to get the work done and then enjoy life. Bright (1570 SAT, etc.) and is looking for a community of similarly smart, kind kids with an active social scene. Likely leaning toward Econ, though he’s not fully decided. He does have a bit of a prestige hang-up, but he’s starting to come to terms with that after seeing how brutal admissions can be.

He was pretty heartbroken to be waitlisted at Notre Dame and Georgetown but was happy to be accepted to both W&M and Tulane in regular decision. Both schools clearly attract smart kids.

We’d love any insight on how these two compare in terms of academic culture, student body, and social life for someone like DS. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

My instinct is W&M - I feel like it’s the more academically serious school - esp given the way you described your kid - but visit

W&M is the second oldest school in the U.S. and is universally respected

[Anonymous]

Independent of the universal respect, I feel like I've seen a number of posts about academics-oriented students going to Tulane and feeling rug-pulled by how unserious and party-focused the rest of the student body was. Will post a link if I find one.

We are also in California, with kid choosing between William & Mary and Carleton; I believe William & Mary will get the nod. It is absolutely jam-packed with the smart, kind kids your son is looking for.

[Anonymous]

The way you describe your kid socially— classic W&M. The schools are very different socially and your kid definitely fits the W&M “profile” Their economics department is also excellent.

I would get your kid to DFAS if humanly possible.

[Anonymous]

William and Mary. Sounds like a good fit for your kid. My kid attended the admitted student day last year- try to go if you can

[Anonymous]

I'm the 11:34 poster, back with a few links.

The one I was thinking of was this one — https://www.reddit.com/r/Tulane/comments/1c9ushz/thoughts_on_tulane_as_someone_who_experienced_a/ — with the key excerpt being "Tulane definitely wasn’t what I expected it to be. In all honesty, I did expect it to be a little more academic/intellectually focused. Party culture is very, very strong here, and if you aren’t at all into party culture, it can be very, very isolating at times. People go out on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, sometimes Wednesday or other nights. That was a very big culture shock for me. I knew people partied in college, but the scale most certainly shocked me. The hallways in the dorms very frequently smell like weed. Coming from a mid-sized to smaller town, I was completely unfamiliar with party culture (other than pasture parties), weed culture, pre-game culture, and darties (that was a word I learned at Tulane). The culture shock was a lot. I’d like to add that I don’t have an issue with partying inherently as long as people do it safely, but Tulane’s party culture truly, truly shocked me. If you’re considering coming to Tulane, that is something to be aware of here."

There's also this post — https://www.reddit.com/r/Tulane/comments/1c0tti8/where_do_tulane_students_go_out_is_tulane_a_party/ — which asks in the title "Is Tulane a party school?" and then gets so distracted doing reviews of different bars and noting "I have been given drugged vat a few times at Ksig (although sometimes they hand out pancakes, which I do appreciate)" that they never actually get around to answering the "Is Tulane a party school?" question.

As a counterpoint, there's this post — https://www.reddit.com/r/Tulane/comments/1bs0m7j/can_academicnonpartying_kids_enjoy_tulane/ — with a couple of people noting their ability to navigate the scene. But in light of the other two links, if I were advising a friendly, academicky kid on the two schools, I would 100% steer them towards William & Mary.

[Anonymous]

SOunds like a perfect fit for William and Mary.

[Anonymous]

We visited both and know kids going to Tulane. I can see why both schools were on his list, but the vibe is very different. The kids who we know at Tulane are all smart, but they are also ALL partiers. We loved what we learned from school marketing, but when we visited, DC realized it wasn't for them.

I feel like everything you told us about your son says W&M. It's much better for an introvert who isn't too big into the party scene. If your son wants to party, he definitely can, but it's such a smaller part of the experience at W&M. It honestly sounds perfect for your kid. Congrats!

[Anonymous]

W&M

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My instinct is W&M - I feel like it’s the more academically serious school - esp given the way you described your kid - but visit

W&M is the second oldest school in the U.S. and is universally respected

Agree. Pick W&M. Tulane is a party school and does not attract many serious academic kids.

[Anonymous]

Attend DFAS at W&M if you can.

[Anonymous]

I think this is the easiest This or That college choice DCUM has ever seen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is the easiest This or That college choice DCUM has ever seen.

Yep! W&M it is!

[Anonymous]

What’s the story behind W&M’s admit rate and yield? The admitted student stats and other attributes seem out of sync with those numbers.

Seems like a hidden gem, particularly with the new capital investments. UVA is awesome but surprised there isn’t more demand overlap.

[Anonymous]

The other POV. There’s not much there there at W&M. The campus doesn’t make up for the unfun of Williamsburg. It’s needlessly “rigorous” and therefore unnecessarily competitive. Obviously many love it. It’s a self-selecting group.