Please help me find something similar to W&M as backup?

[Anonymous]

Check out Clark University in Worcester, MA. Quirky intellectual vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you considered Amherst?

Amherst College is not an appropriate backup/safety for W&M. Did you mean UMass Amherst? It's a lot bigger and further away for anyone within a few hours' drive of Williamsburg, but I agree OP's kid could find quirky DnD folks there even if it's not the dominant culture. Food is supposed to be really good there, and with Hampshire nearby there's plenty of quirk a short bus ride away!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi Friends- my son has a 34 and a 4.6W/3.8 UW from a public school. 12 AP's and acceptable (nothing noteworthy) extracurriculars. He LOVES W&M (we are out of state for VA) and wants to ED there. Naviance says he is in the range but we need a plan B and C. What he loves about W&M is the size, proximity to home (within a few hours), smart peers, and the quirky/artsy/geeky quality of a lot of the students. He needs a school with academic rigor and a robust D&D kid acceptance! He won't fit in somewhere overly fratty or sporty. His intended major is Econ but he LOVES creative writing. Can you suggest any schools that might be a good backup plan?

Rhodes College (although a bit farther) from home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agreeing with the poster above me — I feel like your kid has an excellent, excellent shot at getting in ED. Enough that I wouldn't stress too much about backup plans, and I tended to be overly conservative on planning with ours. (Our twins are going to W&M from OOS in the fall and are really excited about it.)

While we avoided terms like "safety", the "more likely" school ours both liked was St. Olaf. Similarly warm, friendly. It's in the same town as Carleton (which ended up as our kids' #2 school), but has a much higher admit rate. It's not at the same academic level as W&M or Carleton academically, but as you're looking for "more likely" options, I'd give it a look. St. Olaf offered really great merit aid.

One additional thing to think about doing would be to apply in August, via rolling admission, to Pitt. I _don't_ think that the school itself will appeal to your kid, but because of their admissions timeline, an application submitted by the end of August will have an acceptance (possibly, in your kids' case, with merit / honors college admittance) by late September, and having an acceptance in hand that early can be a big psychological relief during The Big Wait.

But back to my original point, congrats to your kid on finding a great school that he's so excited about. It's an absolutely wonderful place; he'll love it.

Pitt is nice and not too too big. But I would only go there out of state with a good aid package. It’s very costly.

[Anonymous]

The word I think of most when I think of W&M students — and I've known many over the years — is kind. To a person, they've all been really thoughtful, genuine, earnest, and friendly. Glennon Doyle has a great quote — "The world doesn't need more 'cool' kids. The world needs warm kids. Kids who are kind and brave and willing to include others. Be warm." When I think of William & Mary, I think of a place full of those 'warm' people. To the extent that there are "quirky" people there, I think it's more a testament to W&M being a place where everyone is treated as a friend.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, the following are all higher acceptance rates schools which are known for something your kid is seeking, either rigor through senior project/thesis, strength in creative writing, or smart/quirky students.
St. Olaf
College of Wooster
Lawrence
Beloit
Kalamazoo
Hampshire

[Anonymous]

For schools that are mid/large and could fit his needs:
U Rochester
Brandeis
UVM
Pitt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The word I think of most when I think of W&M students — and I've known many over the years — is kind. To a person, they've all been really thoughtful, genuine, earnest, and friendly. Glennon Doyle has a great quote — "The world doesn't need more 'cool' kids. The world needs warm kids. Kids who are kind and brave and willing to include others. Be warm." When I think of William & Mary, I think of a place full of those 'warm' people. To the extent that there are "quirky" people there, I think it's more a testament to W&M being a place where everyone is treated as a friend.

Glennon Doyle was a cool kid in high school and she went to JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The word I think of most when I think of W&M students — and I've known many over the years — is kind. To a person, they've all been really thoughtful, genuine, earnest, and friendly. Glennon Doyle has a great quote — "The world doesn't need more 'cool' kids. The world needs warm kids. Kids who are kind and brave and willing to include others. Be warm." When I think of William & Mary, I think of a place full of those 'warm' people. To the extent that there are "quirky" people there, I think it's more a testament to W&M being a place where everyone is treated as a friend.

Glennon Doyle was a cool kid in high school and she went to JMU.

That's great for her! I hope she loved it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:My kid who didn't get into W&M had Pitt as her next best choice.

There are a handful of less quirky kids at W&M that could hack it at Pitt. The D&D kids would do better at LAC’s.

Yeah, I am the parent of a WM student who is a little geeky but has never played D&D and says he’s never heard of anyone playing it at WM. I’m sure it is there for the OP’s son but it is by no means the dominant culture. Good news is that OP’s son is extremely likely get in ED. (Make sure to do the supplemental essays which are not really optional)

What is a D&D kid

If you have to ask you wouldn’t fit in with the dominant culture at W&M

In what world is D&D the "dominant culture" at W&M - someone has gotta do something about the trolling on here

Does D&D mean Dungeons and Dragons?

NP. Yes. And I don’t doubt that a D&D (or DnD if you’re old school) kid could find his people at W&M, but

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mary Washington?

no !

yes !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mary Washington?

no !

yes !

DP here. It is one of three VA public schools rated as having some viability risk.

https://jlarc.virginia.gov/pdfs/reports/Rpt593.pdf

[Anonymous]

Daughter will starting at W&M in the Fall. Also had a lot of trouble putting together a list of alternatives since nothing really compared to W&M. She landed on: Davidson, Haverford, University of Vermont, St. Olaf (never visited, but went on reputation). She also considered Brandeis.

Another alternative is to consider Spring Pathways (guaranteed acceptance for waitlisted students for the Spring semester with a min GPA (and credit hours) at a community college or study abroad Verto Education. W&M has a high number of waitlisted students every year. If my daughter had been waitlisted, I am almost positive she would have chosen this path.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Beloit College. It has BSFFA, the Beloit Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, a club & special interest house where kids play DnD, watch Dr. Who, all those good things. It's been around for well over 30 years, which speaks to Beloit's 'weirdness' over time. Very strong school for creative writing, too. Overall a quirky, kind student body that's very accepting and smart. Pretty campus and only an hour and a half from Chicago. Would be a great likely admit for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For schools that are mid/large and could fit his needs:
U Rochester
Brandeis
UVM
Pitt

Agreed, our W&M kid did have U Rochester as a runner-up and had also submitted to Brandeis and CMU (fit the size even if the location could not be more different). Bio major.