William and Mary: Academic rigor?

[Anonymous]

My kid is at a T-25 but I was still hoping they’d pick W & M (we’re not from VA)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are new to VA. Curious about the academic rigor for W&M. Anyone with experience watching their kid from NoVa go there and feel successful, supported academically? Is it competitive? Is it a grind culture? Our tour was rather flat on academics, more look see / ooh aah to the campus & the fixation on the new building/ stem programs. Our DC might not even get in, given stats, but would like to know what the learning and study culture is like. TIA

If you think your kid’s stats might not be enough to get in, then the level of rigor is more than sufficient for them.

OP’s concern seems to be the opposite — wanting to be sure it’s not overly grindy or cutthroat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are new to VA. Curious about the academic rigor for W&M. Anyone with experience watching their kid from NoVa go there and feel successful, supported academically? Is it competitive? Is it a grind culture? Our tour was rather flat on academics, more look see / ooh aah to the campus & the fixation on the new building/ stem programs. Our DC might not even get in, given stats, but would like to know what the learning and study culture is like. TIA

If you think your kid’s stats might not be enough to get in, then the level of rigor is more than sufficient for them.

Correct.

They deflate more than elite schools for sure, and the courses themselves are challenging. The professors give more C range grades than are given at elites but they remain the minority often around 1/3 of any given stem course. There is no regurgitation of homework problems to get an A and one must invest a lot of time studying for the more difficult courses.
Anyone who is borderline to get in should expect 3.5 Gpa and that will be with hard work.

This may have been true a decade ago but I believe over half of the student body makes deans list (3.6+) each semester so I would say there is definitely inflation there like at pretty much every school.

[Anonymous]

I have one that graduated from W&M and one that is currently a rising senior at W&M. Both have said that yes, the courses are challenging, but students are not out "to get each other." Students are very supportive of each. There is a culture that it is ok to study. There are very few large lecture classes. A large class is probably 50 students. The largest lecture hall on campus only holds 300 students. Professors are very approachable. W&M is ranked #2 in the country for undergraduate teaching among public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have one that graduated from W&M and one that is currently a rising senior at W&M. Both have said that yes, the courses are challenging, but students are not out "to get each other." Students are very supportive of each. There is a culture that it is ok to study. There are very few large lecture classes. A large class is probably 50 students. The largest lecture hall on campus only holds 300 students. Professors are very approachable. W&M is ranked #2 in the country for undergraduate teaching among public schools.

OP here, thank you, this is helpful.

[Anonymous]

More rigorous than Bucknell or Wake?

[Anonymous]

Definitely ED if it becomes first choice. The motto those that come here, belong here rings true and it is a self selecting group for admissions. My kid is headed there this fall and we had many of the same concerns due to a less than inspiring high school. It is a highly academic institution but I think it has evolved from the quirky/nerdy vibe to much more supportive and mainstream while remaining very inclusive. So far we have been very impressed with the process, the admitted student day, what we have heard anecdotally, and we look forward to DC being part of The Tribe. FWIW my older son was WL RD despite being admitted to several more selective schools, which led to ED for kid 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are new to VA. Curious about the academic rigor for W&M. Anyone with experience watching their kid from NoVa go there and feel successful, supported academically? Is it competitive? Is it a grind culture? Our tour was rather flat on academics, more look see / ooh aah to the campus & the fixation on the new building/ stem programs. Our DC might not even get in, given stats, but would like to know what the learning and study culture is like. TIA

If you think your kid’s stats might not be enough to get in, then the level of rigor is more than sufficient for them.

Correct.

They deflate more than elite schools for sure, and the courses themselves are challenging. The professors give more C range grades than are given at elites but they remain the minority often around 1/3 of any given stem course. There is no regurgitation of homework problems to get an A and one must invest a lot of time studying for the more difficult courses.
Anyone who is borderline to get in should expect 3.5 Gpa and that will be with hard work.

This may have been true a decade ago but I believe over half of the student body makes deans list (3.6+) each semester so I would say there is definitely inflation there like at pretty much every school.

I’m a hiring manager at a major consulting firm in the DC area and I can tell you grades don’t really matter as long as they are not many Cs. What does matter is how they think, how they present themselves, how they problem solve, original thought and not regurgitation, etc. We have a very rigorous interview process. And we also have an unofficial “snowflake test” to screen out individuals who will most likely become a legal problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M's excellent academic reputation is well known beyond Virginia. The tour guide shouldn't need to convince you that they have an excellent academic experience there.

Oh, absolutely! OP here - I want to know what this means in terms of grind for kids who are the AP, intellectually curious type from NOVA & whether the students there feel in competition with one another. Others seem to indicate that culture doesn't exist, but kids do get challenged academically. Again, no way to know if DC could make the admissions, but we worry about burn out. We see kids in junior year burning out and we don't want our kid to feel this way in college.

Whether it’s rigorous will depend on your kid. If they’re not a clear admit, it might be rigorous. But it’s not cutthroat. The kids are very collaborative and the school has free tutoring because of a generous donation. Professors have been so accessible and helpful. And there are lots of opportunities to do research with professors. It’s an amazing school. - parent of two current students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are new to VA. Curious about the academic rigor for W&M. Anyone with experience watching their kid from NoVa go there and feel successful, supported academically? Is it competitive? Is it a grind culture? Our tour was rather flat on academics, more look see / ooh aah to the campus & the fixation on the new building/ stem programs. Our DC might not even get in, given stats, but would like to know what the learning and study culture is like. TIA

If you think your kid’s stats might not be enough to get in, then the level of rigor is more than sufficient for them.

Correct.

They deflate more than elite schools for sure, and the courses themselves are challenging. The professors give more C range grades than are given at elites but they remain the minority often around 1/3 of any given stem course. There is no regurgitation of homework problems to get an A and one must invest a lot of time studying for the more difficult courses.
Anyone who is borderline to get in should expect 3.5 Gpa and that will be with hard work.

This may have been true a decade ago but I believe over half of the student body makes deans list (3.6+) each semester so I would say there is definitely inflation there like at pretty much every school.

I’m a hiring manager at a major consulting firm in the DC area and I can tell you grades don’t really matter as long as they are not many Cs. What does matter is how they think, how they present themselves, how they problem solve, original thought and not regurgitation, etc. We have a very rigorous interview process. And we also have an unofficial “snowflake test” to screen out individuals who will most likely become a legal problem.

good

[Anonymous]

Remarkable and serious school. We lament our DC chose a different path, but he has very smart and kind friends in the Monroe program who are loving life there. They feel supported by classmates and challenged by faculty.