William and Mary feedback

[Anonymous]

My kid is there now as a second semester freshman majoring in biology. DC said the science classes are challenging but there is a collaborative atmosphere—not cut-throat at all. She has done very well coming from a Nova public.

There is no party scene to speak of. And Williamsburg is pretty low key. But that’s what she was looking for.

[Anonymous]

Any idea about dorms? do freshmen get to choose which dorm they want?

[Anonymous]

My son (HS class of 2020) was accepted and really liked it. It is small school with very bright students. He is a business major. In our case, we live in MD and OOS almost no merit aid (I think maybe a handle of students), he decided that the honors college/smith school at UMD probably made most sense. I think it it was not in the middle of lockdown, he would have picked William and Mary.

[Anonymous]

My son (HS class of 2020) was accepted and really liked it. It is small school with very bright students. He is a business major. In our case, we live in MD and OOS almost no merit aid (I think maybe a handful of students), he decided that the honors college/smith school at UMD probably made most sense. I think it it was not in the middle of lockdown, he would have picked William and Mary.

[Anonymous]

My kid is there and is not particularly nerdy, is in a frat, parties regularly (though not overboard) and loves it. So I wouldn't go with the overall stereotype. It's definitely a school where many types will feel at home.

The dorms vary widely--the one they show on the tour is about the worst one available--but they are fine. There are some really nice ones. If your kid has allergies/asthma or other medical need they can request an air-conditioned dorm which tend to be nicer.


The kids work very hard to get good grades. My kid who got A's in all tough APs (e.g., AP Multivariate, APUSH, AP Lit) without much effort had a big wake up call when he started there--he got B, C's and D's on exams and papers that he actually put work into. His grades improved as he's figured out much he has to study and the level of writing/argument/research expected on papers. The overall GPA may be high, but it's because there's a strong work culture there of really smart kids.
He's had regular research experiences that really have helped him figure out what he's interested in (Environmental Science /Chem focus). They have good pre-med admittance rates and advising. He's grown a lot.

[Anonymous]

It’s very difficult to get in from nova

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Heard it’s where fun goes to die

It is highly ranked (based on student feedback) in Princeton Review for "Happy Students", "Great Quality of Life", and "Most Loved Colleges".

https://www.princetonreview.com/college/william---mary-1022846

[Anonymous]

I have a kid who is a sophomore there. There is a parent Facebook page ("Conservative Families of William and Mary") where posters have been grossly unhappy with WM's COVID policies. Can't tell how big a group they represent (I suspect not big), but there is a cohort who(se parents) aren't happy with the school.

My kid is not crazy about the COVID policies - he probably spent 22 hours a day in his room during his freshman year - but he's generally a rule follower, so he's doing what he's asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've got a kid who is currently a sophomore there, and largely agree with the previous 3 posts. He went in planning to double major in Computer Science and Spanish (Hispanic Studies), but has ditched the Spanish major in favor of Math. Its relatively expensive for a state school, but still cheaper than private. He has had good direct interaction with several professors in different departments, which I think is a hallmark of the WM experience.

DS is a rising senior in FCPS interested in WM, Tech and VCU in state for CS. No interest in UVA. Other schools are all "up north". May be early, but hass your student mentioned the availability of internships and job recruitment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've got a kid who is currently a sophomore there, and largely agree with the previous 3 posts. He went in planning to double major in Computer Science and Spanish (Hispanic Studies), but has ditched the Spanish major in favor of Math. Its relatively expensive for a state school, but still cheaper than private. He has had good direct interaction with several professors in different departments, which I think is a hallmark of the WM experience.

DS is a rising senior in FCPS interested in WM, Tech and VCU in state for CS. No interest in UVA. Other schools are all "up north". May be early, but hass your student mentioned the availability of internships and job recruitment?

There are definitely resources available through the University. He applied for dozens and dozens of summer internships. When he finally secured one (with a Long Island manufacturing company), he had been rejected from many, many places, and was still in the pipeline for some. I will be curious to see how he does for next summer, when he will be less than a year away from graduation and will have practical work experience under his belt. Although he has done very, very well in all his classes (straight A's through 3 semesters), including his CS and Math classes, he doesn't have much "real world" experience yet in the field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid who is a sophomore there. There is a parent Facebook page ("Conservative Families of William and Mary") where posters have been grossly unhappy with WM's COVID policies. Can't tell how big a group they represent (I suspect not big), but there is a cohort who(se parents) aren't happy with the school.

My kid is not crazy about the COVID policies - he probably spent 22 hours a day in his room during his freshman year - but he's generally a rule follower, so he's doing what he's asked.

As a parent of a kid there, this seems WAY overboard--there's no guidance that tells you to stay in your room! Most kids are outside hanging out together with all the outdoor gathering spaces available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've got a kid who is currently a sophomore there, and largely agree with the previous 3 posts. He went in planning to double major in Computer Science and Spanish (Hispanic Studies), but has ditched the Spanish major in favor of Math. Its relatively expensive for a state school, but still cheaper than private. He has had good direct interaction with several professors in different departments, which I think is a hallmark of the WM experience.

DS is a rising senior in FCPS interested in WM, Tech and VCU in state for CS. No interest in UVA. Other schools are all "up north". May be early, but hass your student mentioned the availability of internships and job recruitment?

DP: There are ton of research opportunities on campus, and the Cohen Career Center is very helpful for looking for internships, job recruitment etc. It's been weird in the pandemic with many common internships cancelling/going virtual but they have been really good with identifying alternative options, retooling etc.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from WM about 10 years ago and thought I'd chime in.

- Yes, lots of people are very nerdy and it's not a party school, but it's a really community-based environment. Because there's not a lot to do in Williamsburg, everyone hangs out with other students, goes to similar parties and sees each other regularly. I loved that about WM and don't think I would like to have gone to a school in a city where people have 20+ bars to go to. That being said, those students who like to party will probably complain about the lack of a party scene often which can wear on some people. I will say, that I returned recently and looks like there are a ton of cool breweries and restaurants that have popped up in the area since i've been there.
- Getting good grades is very tough. I was a very hard-working student (as are many of my friends) and we all worked our butt off..that being said, I feel like every WM student has at least one C on their transcript if they took anything remotely challenging. In my field, that did not impact my job prospects, but I would definitely factor that in if grades matter for med school admission or employers.
- The professors are amazing. In my 4 years, I maybe had one class taught by a TA. Every professor I met was incredibly kind and went above and beyond for us students. I owe my career to a WM professor and I will never forget that.

I had a great experience but college is different for everyone. Definitely visit and have your DC talk to as many current students as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've got a kid who is currently a sophomore there, and largely agree with the previous 3 posts. He went in planning to double major in Computer Science and Spanish (Hispanic Studies), but has ditched the Spanish major in favor of Math. Its relatively expensive for a state school, but still cheaper than private. He has had good direct interaction with several professors in different departments, which I think is a hallmark of the WM experience.

DS is a rising senior in FCPS interested in WM, Tech and VCU in state for CS. No interest in UVA. Other schools are all "up north". May be early, but hass your student mentioned the availability of internships and job recruitment?

I have a senior at W&M, who is in the business school, and he secured a job in the fall of '21. He will be starting his career in late summer of '22 with a fantastic company back here in NOVA and higher than the average starting salary for W&M undergrads. The Cohen Center was extremely helpful to him. And one of his professors was super helpful as well. He did mock interviews with the professor. With that being said, my DS told me that the student has to be proactive. They need to go into the career center and make an appointment with a counselor. The student needs to be checking the job postings and signing up for career fairs and other events that the career center offers. No one is going to tell a student - its time to come in and see us.

My DS has around a 3.3 GPA (i'm not exactly sure what it is!) He is in a fraternity, does a club sport, is active with the business school (they put on events he attends) and has a part time job off campus. He never secured an internship but worked in a small, family owned retail shop every summer. The family gave him extra opportunities which he highlighted on his resume.

[Anonymous]

Another parent of an interested junior here. Lots of comments along the lines of “not a party school” and “not much to do in Williamsburg” - my kid is not a partier but I would like to think of him enjoying himself in college so would love to hear what are some common socializing options - eg, are there a lot of school-sponsored performances, do kids frequently go to the movies, are intramurals popular, is there a big weekend board game culture, etc. Thanks!