College of William and Mary

[Anonymous]

I also think many people aren't interested in a huge nightlife but having a few bars and other nighttime activities that are open late would be helpful to bring up the vibe of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP and PP with a current student, our Dd is seriously considering W&M. Do you have any sense of what campus life is like for a student who would not be looking to join a sorority? Are clubs difficult to get into?

There are a tremendous number of opportunities to join clubs or find your niche or people if you decide not to go Greek. It's a very welcoming and open community for all. I found my niche without joining Greek life. Check the college website. The number of clubs are in the 100's.


OP

[Anonymous]

Does William and Mary have a bar and dance hall where bands come and play? The school I went to was similar in size and pretty classic but had several indoor and outdoor concerts that livened up the night scene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP and PP with a current student, our Dd is seriously considering W&M. Do you have any sense of what campus life is like for a student who would not be looking to join a sorority? Are clubs difficult to get into?

My daughter was not in a sorority, but was still very involved with various activities and clubs. Clubs are not exclusive like at other schools. Certain performance groups will have auditions, but generally you can participate in what you would like. The school has a club fair during orientation where you can sign up for groups of interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does William and Mary have a bar and dance hall where bands come and play? The school I went to was similar in size and pretty classic but had several indoor and outdoor concerts that livened up the night scene.

Yeah Daddy-O, it’s where all the cool cats hang. Can you dig it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP and PP with a current student, our Dd is seriously considering W&M. Do you have any sense of what campus life is like for a student who would not be looking to join a sorority? Are clubs difficult to get into?

DP; alum and parent of prospective students here.

Others have answered as I was going to, about it being easy to get involved in campus life even without getting involved in Greek life, so I'll just add another note in that vein. The idea of "belonging" is central to the W&M experience. In fact, it's the very first item in their statement of values. Cynics, I know, probably chafe at something as pedestrian as a statement of values, but I'm happy to report that cynicism doesn't really find a home at W&M. It's a place of earnest, genuine, happy, thoughtful people.

We're OOS, so the numbers might not end up working out for our family, but we're really hoping that W&M works out for our twins. To give some context, our oldest is a junior at UC Berkeley and is having about as good an experience as one could hope for — she's taken a number of interesting undergrad and grad-level courses, has been able to teach a 1-credit course several times, has held a campus job where she directed other students in research, is in a promising internship right now, and has received travel grants to travel and study across Europe. So by all measures, it's going well. But when it came time for our class-of-2025 twins to apply to schools this past fall, they didn't even bother with Cal, as the more engaged, more undergraduate-teaching-focused W&M experience was far, far more appealing to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does William and Mary have a bar and dance hall where bands come and play? The school I went to was similar in size and pretty classic but had several indoor and outdoor concerts that livened up the night scene.

There is Kaplan Arena, Unity Hall and Matoaka Amphitheater where performances can be held. William and Mary AMP (Alma Mater Productions) is responsible for a lot of the extracurricular programming on campus. My son has been to a couple of concerts brought to campus by them. In the old days, I got to see the Police for $15! Several bars near campus also have live music.

[Anonymous]

OP thanks for sharing. I didn’t need another reason to be on the edge of my seat waiting for news from W&M. But now I have several more.

[Anonymous]

Here is some additional info on renovation projects being done on campus.

https://www.wm.edu/offices/architect/design-construction/currentprojects/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also think many people aren't interested in a huge nightlife but having a few bars and other nighttime activities that are open late would be helpful to bring up the vibe of the school.

There are 4 bars across the street from campus. Campus bands play at them occasionally, and they also have a number of events during the week like karaoke, trivia, senior mug night, etc.

[Anonymous]

Thank you OP for your post. My DC will be attending WM in the fall and is really excited. Was always the first choice. After touring, it truly seems like a gem of a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you OP for your post. My DC will be attending WM in the fall and is really excited. Was always the first choice. After touring, it truly seems like a gem of a school.

Congratulations!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you OP for your post. My DC will be attending WM in the fall and is really excited. Was always the first choice. After touring, it truly seems like a gem of a school.

It is! Congrats! They'll have an incredible time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP and PP with a current student, our Dd is seriously considering W&M. Do you have any sense of what campus life is like for a student who would not be looking to join a sorority? Are clubs difficult to get into?

My daughter was not in a sorority, but was still very involved with various activities and clubs. Clubs are not exclusive like at other schools. Certain performance groups will have auditions, but generally you can participate in what you would like. The school has a club fair during orientation where you can sign up for groups of interest.

Thank you, PP. In fact, my DD is very interested in the performance groups. Hopefully, she’ll find a place!

Since this is nominally DC, I have a follow up question:

How have you/your student found the academic advising?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you email the board of visitors instead of word vomiting to an anonymous forum, which accomplishes nothing?

Why don't you sit down? My kid will be applying next year, and I find this post very helpful. Thank you OP!