William & Mary and Tulane Choice

[Anonymous]

Any school has competitive types, but WM isn't stressfully competitive, at least not for mine. He's in the business school and is as laid back as they come. Doesn't care what anyone else's grades are, doesn't worry excessively about his. I'm sure certain groups like the pre-meds put more stress on themselves, but it's not really the pervasive culture currently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:P&Q 2025 Rankings:

Outcomes
#33 William & Mary
#72 Tulane

Overall
#20 William & Mary
#35 Tulane

Both are solid for business but William & Mary has better outcomes. Tulane's B School has a lower acceptance rate but not as good salaries, employment rates, or internships.

As for overall school rankings, US News has the two schools relatively close in ranking while Forbes has them a bit further apart. For 2025, Forbes has William & Mary at #55 and Tulane at #147.

It seems like William & Mary is the clear choice for fit and opportunity here.

Kid wants ECON not business. Econ dept of Tulane is way ahead of W&M.

Source?

William Mary Econ dept is basically non existent …..they barely publish. a PP showed a list. Comparing apples to nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I wouldn't say it's competitive at all. I don't think people compete against each other.

+1. That’s not the culture. This is someone with No WM first hand knowledge. And fundamentally, I question “needlessly rigorous”. It is, rigorous, but like many schools that can be major dependent. But, I thought you went to college to get an education? It isn’t like all classes are curved or something.

It's not for everyone, right? This is a view from people who did not find W&M a good fit.

It's not for everyone, but every single commenter in this thread who knows W&M and who read the OP's description of their kid has said "this kid is a W&M kid". Nobody has said "every single student is a good candidate for W&M". The scope of this conversation is the singular kid described at the top of the thread; people for whom W&M wasn't a good fit should probably contribute on other threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I wouldn't say it's competitive at all. I don't think people compete against each other.

+1. That’s not the culture. This is someone with No WM first hand knowledge. And fundamentally, I question “needlessly rigorous”. It is, rigorous, but like many schools that can be major dependent. But, I thought you went to college to get an education? It isn’t like all classes are curved or something.

It's not for everyone, right? This is a view from people who did not find W&M a good fit.

WRONG. I a comment WM was a good fit for one of the my kids. The other kid got it, did not think it was a good fit and went elsewhere, which was a great choice for them. For other kid, who wanted almost exactly the same things as OP’s kid, WM has been amazing. I based my comments how Op described their kid and what they want. Not “which school is best for every kid”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I wouldn't say it's competitive at all. I don't think people compete against each other.

+1. That’s not the culture. This is someone with No WM first hand knowledge. And fundamentally, I question “needlessly rigorous”. It is, rigorous, but like many schools that can be major dependent. But, I thought you went to college to get an education? It isn’t like all classes are curved or something.

It's not for everyone, right? This is a view from people who did not find W&M a good fit.

It's not for everyone, but every single commenter in this thread who knows W&M and who read the OP's description of their kid has said "this kid is a W&M kid". Nobody has said "every single student is a good candidate for W&M". The scope of this conversation is the singular kid described at the top of the thread; people for whom W&M wasn't a good fit should probably contribute on other threads.

"every single commenter"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:P&Q 2025 Rankings:

Outcomes
#33 William & Mary
#72 Tulane

Overall
#20 William & Mary
#35 Tulane

Both are solid for business but William & Mary has better outcomes. Tulane's B School has a lower acceptance rate but not as good salaries, employment rates, or internships.

As for overall school rankings, US News has the two schools relatively close in ranking while Forbes has them a bit further apart. For 2025, Forbes has William & Mary at #55 and Tulane at #147.

It seems like William & Mary is the clear choice for fit and opportunity here.

Kid wants ECON not business. Econ dept of Tulane is way ahead of W&M.

Source?

William Mary Econ dept is basically non existent …..they barely publish. a PP showed a list. Comparing apples to nothing.

Publishing is of little importance for undergraduate economics education. It is more important for graduate programs. The two schools have departments with the same number of faculty. W&M produces more students that go on to earn PhDs in economics. Bachelors in economics salaries are similar.

https://www.highereddatastories.com/2024/12/doctoral-recipients-by-undergraduate.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

My son is at William and Mary now and very active in AMP (Alma Mater Productions). Check it out on Instagram (ampwm). They put on a ton of school events-- more than I've seen at any other school-- and it's a big reason he chose it over his other options. Last weekend they had Spa Night at the Student Union and a watch party for the women's basketball team NCAA tournament game. During the week they also brought in Jeannette Walls (Glass Castle author) and had a bunch of student rock bands perform. That's just this week, and those are only the things he mentioned to me. Every week and weekend there are multiple choices of things to do beyond just fraternity/sorority parties, club parties and events, and whatever kids might just want to do with their friends. It is really great. And Williamsburg is right there at the edge of campus, and has lots of modern shops, bars and restaurants in addition to the colonial part. He loves it, it's a great fit for him. Smart, kind kids, small classes, and a great liberal arts feel but bigger than the usual liberal arts school. And we're out of state, but it's still a bargain compared to most private liberal arts schools.

100%. Rigorous, sure but definitely not needlessly so.

[Anonymous]

OP here

Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful insights. Our son is fortunate to have this choice between two very good schools, and the clear consensus on W&M’s fit has been incredibly helpful.

He may end up in Econ, maybe finance, or maybe something else entirely. We know he’ll thrive as long as he finds his people and loves the life he’s living.

We’ll be heading to Williamsburg in a few weeks which will hopefully give him the experience he needs to feel excited and make the choice that’s right for him.

Impressed by your public schools, VA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here

Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful insights. Our son is fortunate to have this choice between two very good schools, and the clear consensus on W&M’s fit has been incredibly helpful.

He may end up in Econ, maybe finance, or maybe something else entirely. We know he’ll thrive as long as he finds his people and loves the life he’s living.

We’ll be heading to Williamsburg in a few weeks which will hopefully give him the experience he needs to feel excited and make the choice that’s right for him.

Impressed by your public schools, VA!

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here

Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful insights. Our son is fortunate to have this choice between two very good schools, and the clear consensus on W&M’s fit has been incredibly helpful.

He may end up in Econ, maybe finance, or maybe something else entirely. We know he’ll thrive as long as he finds his people and loves the life he’s living.

We’ll be heading to Williamsburg in a few weeks which will hopefully give him the experience he needs to feel excited and make the choice that’s right for him.

Impressed by your public schools, VA!

Good luck.

+1. And Welcome to the Tribe!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:P&Q 2025 Rankings:

Outcomes
#33 William & Mary
#72 Tulane

Overall
#20 William & Mary
#35 Tulane

Both are solid for business but William & Mary has better outcomes. Tulane's B School has a lower acceptance rate but not as good salaries, employment rates, or internships.

As for overall school rankings, US News has the two schools relatively close in ranking while Forbes has them a bit further apart. For 2025, Forbes has William & Mary at #55 and Tulane at #147.

It seems like William & Mary is the clear choice for fit and opportunity here.

Kid wants ECON not business. Econ dept of Tulane is way ahead of W&M.

Source?

William Mary Econ dept is basically non existent …..they barely publish. a PP showed a list. Comparing apples to nothing.

Tulane is 71st on RePEc. Don’t get too excited. Neither of these are apples when it comes to research.

[Anonymous]

Best wishes to your DS, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:P&Q 2025 Rankings:

Outcomes
#33 William & Mary
#72 Tulane

Overall
#20 William & Mary
#35 Tulane

Both are solid for business but William & Mary has better outcomes. Tulane's B School has a lower acceptance rate but not as good salaries, employment rates, or internships.

As for overall school rankings, US News has the two schools relatively close in ranking while Forbes has them a bit further apart. For 2025, Forbes has William & Mary at #55 and Tulane at #147.

It seems like William & Mary is the clear choice for fit and opportunity here.

Kid wants ECON not business. Econ dept of Tulane is way ahead of W&M.

Source?

William Mary Econ dept is basically non existent …..they barely publish. a PP showed a list. Comparing apples to nothing.

Tulane is 71st on RePEc. Don’t get too excited. Neither of these are apples when it comes to research.

True…one is Orange and the other has no color….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

What? I attended Tulane with plenty of people from CA.

[Anonymous]

My kid really enjoyed admitted student weekend at William and Mary and liked a lot of things about it. They ended up going somewhere else but it was a very tough decision! Good luck to your son!