William and Mary - What do you think?

[Anonymous]

They have an excellent premed track, though undeniably tough. Women's athletics are top notch and some men too. The Greek system is a bit too popular due to lack of nightlife elsewhere in town. The chemistry and biology programs are in a new building and fairly strong. The business school is in a new building and offers undergrads access to great classes. The law school while not part of the undergrad campus may be a nice long term track if that is what he/she is interested in. It was nerdy back in the day but I've met a lot if recent grads and they are hip.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from Bill & his Bitch almost 20 years ago, and while I didn't appreciate it then (especially the rigorous academics!) I now appreciate the education I received. It has certainly served me well in the workplace. I also appreciate that the student body was diverse, and I met kids from many different backgrounds, walks of life and countries. Still in touch with some of them, and we've all done well, in the broad sense. In other words, we're doing meaningful work that inspires us. It's not just about the salary figures, although some have chosen lucrative careers. W&M conveys a real sense of commitment and responsibility to give back to your community, however you choose to define it. Would be pleased if my DD went there, but I would worry about the pressure cooker atmosphere being a bad fit for her personality.

[Anonymous]

The College of Knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relative of mine in NoVa had a 3.96, 2200 SAT/33 ACT and was wait listed at W and M. Was accepted at UVa and went there, but I actually think would have been a better fit at W and M. It's very, very competitive for the the top Virginia schools.

This doesn't sound right...I know MANY NOVa students with lesser stats who were accepted to W&M (caution...when I say "lesser" stats...not meaning low grades/scores but certainly less that those quoted by PP) Most be more to this story

One thing W & M admissions seem to look very closely at is rigor of course load, so perhaps student didn't challenge self enough with classes. There's no grade inflation at W&M, so they're not afraid to accept kids with a lower GPA perhaps, but harder classes, since these kids are often in it for the knowledge, not the grade.

Well, we were surprised. And yes, she had a rigorous course load: lots of AP classes including physics and Calc AB (4s and 5s on the exams), four years of foreign language, and participation in high level athletics. Our family thinks that it is just a tougher admit for girls.

It is such a crapshoot. But high-level athletics sounds like a more of a fit for UVA than W&M?

[Anonymous]

The W&M women's soccer and cross country teams have long been high level teams, to take two examples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relative of mine in NoVa had a 3.96, 2200 SAT/33 ACT and was wait listed at W and M. Was accepted at UVa and went there, but I actually think would have been a better fit at W and M. It's very, very competitive for the the top Virginia schools.

This doesn't sound right...I know MANY NOVa students with lesser stats who were accepted to W&M (caution...when I say "lesser" stats...not meaning low grades/scores but certainly less that those quoted by PP) Most be more to this story

One thing W & M admissions seem to look very closely at is rigor of course load, so perhaps student didn't challenge self enough with classes. There's no grade inflation at W&M, so they're not afraid to accept kids with a lower GPA perhaps, but harder classes, since these kids are often in it for the knowledge, not the grade.

Well, we were surprised. And yes, she had a rigorous course load: lots of AP classes including physics and Calc AB (4s and 5s on the exams), four years of foreign language, and participation in high level athletics. Our family thinks that it is just a tougher admit for girls.

Definitely harder for girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relative of mine in NoVa had a 3.96, 2200 SAT/33 ACT and was wait listed at W and M. Was accepted at UVa and went there, but I actually think would have been a better fit at W and M. It's very, very competitive for the the top Virginia schools.

This doesn't sound right...I know MANY NOVa students with lesser stats who were accepted to W&M (caution...when I say "lesser" stats...not meaning low grades/scores but certainly less that those quoted by PP) Most be more to this story

One thing W & M admissions seem to look very closely at is rigor of course load, so perhaps student didn't challenge self enough with classes. There's no grade inflation at W&M, so they're not afraid to accept kids with a lower GPA perhaps, but harder classes, since these kids are often in it for the knowledge, not the grade.

Well, we were surprised. And yes, she had a rigorous course load: lots of AP classes including physics and Calc AB (4s and 5s on the exams), four years of foreign language, and participation in high level athletics. Our family thinks that it is just a tougher admit for girls.

What year did your DD take AP Physics and AP Calc AB -- junior or senior year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The W&M women's soccer and cross country teams have long been high level teams, to take two examples.

And lacrosse too.

[Anonymous]

Lots of transgenders.

Google "suicide epidemic at W&M "

[Anonymous]

^^If you do google this, you'll see that W&M did unfortunately experience 3 suicides in 2010, and since then has done a lot to reach out to kids with depression before something happens. One would hope any parent/child interested in W&M would be smart enough to do the research that shows suicides have increased in college students in general and a number of top colleges, including MIT, Cornell, NYU and Penn (track star who jumped off a parking garage last fall) have all had problems.

As for the transgender comment? So? Seems like tolerance would be something nice to encounter on a college campus.

BTW, all the kids I know who go to W&M love it. It all depends on fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The W&M women's soccer and cross country teams have long been high level teams, to take two examples.

And lacrosse too.

Yes, but walking around the campus, the jock presence isn't as obvious as it is at other state schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W&M is ultra underrated IMO. Virginians should consider themselves lucky to have such a school be a public in-state school for them.

True, but it is almost impossible to get in if you are applying from NOVA. I think it is far more difficult to get in from NOVA than as a full-freight OOS.

[Anonymous]

True, but it is almost impossible to get in if you are applying from NOVA. I think it is far more difficult to get in from NOVA than as a full-freight OOS.

not impossible. Excellent grades and test scores help-as does a tough schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

True, but it is almost impossible to get in if you are applying from NOVA. I think it is far more difficult to get in from NOVA than as a full-freight OOS.

not impossible. Excellent grades and test scores help-as does a tough schedule.

It is much harder for girls to get accepted. Fewer boys apply, so the competition is far less intense. I've heard lots of stories of extremely well-qualified girls who were not accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

True, but it is almost impossible to get in if you are applying from NOVA. I think it is far more difficult to get in from NOVA than as a full-freight OOS.

not impossible. Excellent grades and test scores help-as does a tough schedule.

It is much harder for girls to get accepted. Fewer boys apply, so the competition is far less intense. I've heard lots of stories of extremely well-qualified girls who were not accepted.

It is true that more girls apply, but competition is intense for boys as well. This is one of the top VA colleges and to get in from NOVA is tough, period.

As a PP noted, taking challenging courses in HS helps. They want kids who want the intellectual challenge and won't take the easy way out to boost GPA.