What’s wrong with William & Mary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:My DC is a senior at W&M. Accepted at 10 highly rated schools including UVA. I honestly do not think DC could have had s better experience at any other college.
Accepted W&M partly because very generous scholarship/ aid package.
Being frankly a bit less competitive than UVA DC rose to the top of everything (something that would not have happened at a bigger school) This led to many awards competitions internships etc etc. Good overseas programs too.
Also DC very happy there and sad to leave.
We had our doubts but a lot of information about W&M either outdated or inaccurate.
Suicide school for example. No same as any other school but they have a new student mental health center.
On the contrary I think W&M is rising not falling in stature.

Grading is less competitive than at UVA? Wow...lots had changed since the 90s.

I wouldn’t say grading is less competitive but UVA is a very large school. They can’t be everything for everyone.

The average GPA at W&M is the same as UVA now.

Both are relatively high at about 3.3 for graduates, but well below schools like Brown that are about 3.7-- almost all As.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is a senior at W&M. Accepted at 10 highly rated schools including UVA. I honestly do not think DC could have had s better experience at any other college.
Accepted W&M partly because very generous scholarship/ aid package.
Being frankly a bit less competitive than UVA DC rose to the top of everything (something that would not have happened at a bigger school) This led to many awards competitions internships etc etc. Good overseas programs too.
Also DC very happy there and sad to leave.
We had our doubts but a lot of information about W&M either outdated or inaccurate.
Suicide school for example. No same as any other school but they have a new student mental health center.
On the contrary I think W&M is rising not falling in stature.

Grading is less competitive than at UVA? Wow...lots had changed since the 90s.

I wouldn’t say grading is less competitive but UVA is a very large school. They can’t be everything for everyone.

The average GPA at W&M is the same as UVA now.

Both are relatively high at about 3.3 for graduates, but well below schools like Brown that are about 3.7-- almost all As.

Most of the Ivy League schools have grades like that sadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is a senior at W&M. Accepted at 10 highly rated schools including UVA. I honestly do not think DC could have had s better experience at any other college.
Accepted W&M partly because very generous scholarship/ aid package.
Being frankly a bit less competitive than UVA DC rose to the top of everything (something that would not have happened at a bigger school) This led to many awards competitions internships etc etc. Good overseas programs too.
Also DC very happy there and sad to leave.
We had our doubts but a lot of information about W&M either outdated or inaccurate.
Suicide school for example. No same as any other school but they have a new student mental health center.
On the contrary I think W&M is rising not falling in stature.

Grading is less competitive than at UVA? Wow...lots had changed since the 90s.

I wouldn’t say grading is less competitive but UVA is a very large school. They can’t be everything for everyone.

The average GPA at W&M is the same as UVA now.

Both are relatively high at about 3.3 for graduates, but well below schools like Brown that are about 3.7-- almost all As.

Most of the Ivy League schools have grades like that sadly.

Princeton tried to push back against ongoing grade inflation for a bit, but they gave in to pressure. People don't want to spend that kind of money to have Jr. come out with a 2.6. B

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP, my two sport, 4.0+ freshman son has walked through UVA, W&L and W&M. After our quick walkthrough his initial impression is W&L is too small and hilly(?). It was 95 degrees. UVA was dirty (??). Don't know what that means and W&M was AWESOME. One dumb kid's perspective!

W&L campus is pretty flat. But hey, gotta narrow it down somehow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP, my two sport, 4.0+ freshman son has walked through UVA, W&L and W&M. After our quick walkthrough his initial impression is W&L is too small and hilly(?). It was 95 degrees. UVA was dirty (??). Don't know what that means and W&M was AWESOME. One dumb kid's perspective!

All three are very nice campuses (but you have to like brick). UVA dirty? Pretty sure W&L has bridges over the steep ravine there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP, my two sport, 4.0+ freshman son has walked through UVA, W&L and W&M. After our quick walkthrough his initial impression is W&L is too small and hilly(?). It was 95 degrees. UVA was dirty (??). Don't know what that means and W&M was AWESOME. One dumb kid's perspective!

All three are very nice campuses (but you have to like brick). UVA dirty? Pretty sure W&L has bridges over the steep ravine there.

Frats are dirty. Perhaps walked by them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP, my two sport, 4.0+ freshman son has walked through UVA, W&L and W&M. After our quick walkthrough his initial impression is W&L is too small and hilly(?). It was 95 degrees. UVA was dirty (??). Don't know what that means and W&M was AWESOME. One dumb kid's perspective!

More women to choose from ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is a senior at W&M. Accepted at 10 highly rated schools including UVA. I honestly do not think DC could have had s better experience at any other college.
Accepted W&M partly because very generous scholarship/ aid package.
Being frankly a bit less competitive than UVA DC rose to the top of everything (something that would not have happened at a bigger school) This led to many awards competitions internships etc etc. Good overseas programs too.
Also DC very happy there and sad to leave.
We had our doubts but a lot of information about W&M either outdated or inaccurate.
Suicide school for example. No same as any other school but they have a new student mental health center.
On the contrary I think W&M is rising not falling in stature.

Grading is less competitive than at UVA? Wow...lots had changed since the 90s.

I wouldn’t say grading is less competitive but UVA is a very large school. They can’t be everything for everyone.

The average GPA at W&M is the same as UVA now.

Both are relatively high at about 3.3 for graduates, but well below schools like Brown that are about 3.7-- almost all As.

Most of the Ivy League schools have grades like that sadly.

Princeton tried to push back against ongoing grade inflation for a bit, but they gave in to pressure. People don't want to spend that kind of money to have Jr. come out with a 2.6. B

And honestly, when you look at it, the kids getting into these schools are generally top notch students. Would an Ivy League kid getting a 3.7 at Princeton get a similar 3.7 at a school like VCU? Probably would do even better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is a senior at W&M. Accepted at 10 highly rated schools including UVA. I honestly do not think DC could have had s better experience at any other college.
Accepted W&M partly because very generous scholarship/ aid package.
Being frankly a bit less competitive than UVA DC rose to the top of everything (something that would not have happened at a bigger school) This led to many awards competitions internships etc etc. Good overseas programs too.
Also DC very happy there and sad to leave.
We had our doubts but a lot of information about W&M either outdated or inaccurate.
Suicide school for example. No same as any other school but they have a new student mental health center.
On the contrary I think W&M is rising not falling in stature.

Grading is less competitive than at UVA? Wow...lots had changed since the 90s.

I wouldn’t say grading is less competitive but UVA is a very large school. They can’t be everything for everyone.

The average GPA at W&M is the same as UVA now.

Both are relatively high at about 3.3 for graduates, but well below schools like Brown that are about 3.7-- almost all As.

Most of the Ivy League schools have grades like that sadly.

Princeton tried to push back against ongoing grade inflation for a bit, but they gave in to pressure. People don't want to spend that kind of money to have Jr. come out with a 2.6. B

And honestly, when you look at it, the kids getting into these schools are generally top notch students. Would an Ivy League kid getting a 3.7 at Princeton get a similar 3.7 at a school like VCU? Probably would do even better.

At 3.7, the kid would be down to only .3 to "do even better" The kids in the Ivy League been top notch students for quite a while. There is little to distinguish them anymore because almost all of them get great GPAs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP, my two sport, 4.0+ freshman son has walked through UVA, W&L and W&M. After our quick walkthrough his initial impression is W&L is too small and hilly(?). It was 95 degrees. UVA was dirty (??). Don't know what that means and W&M was AWESOME. One dumb kid's perspective!

More women to choose from ?

UVA and W&L most recent classes were 57% female. W&M was 59%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP, my two sport, 4.0+ freshman son has walked through UVA, W&L and W&M. After our quick walkthrough his initial impression is W&L is too small and hilly(?). It was 95 degrees. UVA was dirty (??). Don't know what that means and W&M was AWESOME. One dumb kid's perspective!

W&L campus is pretty flat. But hey, gotta narrow it down somehow.

Not going to a school with the name “Lee” in it is always a prudent move.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Applications could be falling because W&M is expensive.

Has it gotten more expensive? More so than every other college?

Certainly not with “every other college.” Tuition gets frozen after you’re in, which is nice, but entering students get a not insignificant increase. Good return on investment, in state, in my view. And pretty good out of state still, I think, if we’re pretty much talking about a core group of out of state students from NJ/NY who didn’t want to go to their bad state schools and were rejected by Ivies (or Duke Duke-like places).

W&M uses high tuition to provide relatively high aid. If you look at average graduate debt, W&M is about the same as UVA and lower than VT, JMU, and GMU.

And it’s been fairly successful at “buying” top students with scholarships or partial scholarships.

The increase in aid from tuition goes to financial aid, not merit aid. The merit aid scholarships are privately funded (e.g. 1693 Scholars).

OK, but so what?

[Anonymous]

We did the college tour with my DD. public and private. On the way home I told her I was tired of looking at schools and did not want to stop at WM. Decided at last minute, what the heck. She loved it. She did not like UVA, too big, JMU, too big, She loved WL but I wanted her to apply to a public school. She also loved Univ. Of Richmond. Univ of Penn, and Mary Washington. She decided to only apply at WM and was accepted for early decision. She is there this weekend meeting up with a few others that were picked for early decision. She loves the size, loves that she will get a great education and it isn't all about the party. . She is a very serious student and she wanted to be around like minded people. My son is a junior and is total opposite. He will love UVA. big school, lots of people and plenty of parties. He is smart also but different person. To each their own. Thankfully in Va, we have great choices for all kinds of people. Cheers to all the kids headed out the door next fall for their next adventure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did the college tour with my DD. public and private. On the way home I told her I was tired of looking at schools and did not want to stop at WM. Decided at last minute, what the heck. She loved it. She did not like UVA, too big, JMU, too big, She loved WL but I wanted her to apply to a public school. She also loved Univ. Of Richmond. Univ of Penn, and Mary Washington. She decided to only apply at WM and was accepted for early decision. She is there this weekend meeting up with a few others that were picked for early decision. She loves the size, loves that she will get a great education and it isn't all about the party. . She is a very serious student and she wanted to be around like minded people. My son is a junior and is total opposite. He will love UVA. big school, lots of people and plenty of parties. He is smart also but different person. To each their own. Thankfully in Va, we have great choices for all kinds of people. Cheers to all the kids headed out the door next fall for their next adventure.

He should have a backup plan, given the fierce competition.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that it doesn’t really have a bright future as a public school. In a time of increased popularity for many Virginia public universities, William & Mary seems to be caught in a downward spiral. Its application numbers are stagnant, its female-male ratio is ridiculous, its acceptance rate has increased to almost 40 percent, its yield rate is terrible, it’s poorly positioned in terms of tech growth, it’s very expensive, and it’s now looking to increase (?) enrollment because it needs the bucks. Discouraging my kid from applying. Is it time for the school to consider becoming a private college or to affiliate with Tech or something?

UNC and Emory have the same gender balance.

Most colleges have this gender balance. More women than men attend college— on average colleges are almost 2/3 female.

Off topic question: does this imbalance in any way benefit male applicants over females?

Yes. The admission rate is 8-10% higher for men. (IDK exact numbers, but is something like 33% acceptance for women and 41% for men’. Unless the men really javemstats that are that much higher. It’s easier for men to get in. That dynamic is not at all uncommon at SLACs. Girls get an edge in many engineering programs and boys get an edge in SLACs.

For the fall of 2018, women had a 34% acceptance rate and men had a 42% acceptance rate.