Has the rest of the country heard of William & Mary or does VA Tech have more recognition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say VA Tech and W&M have similar levels of name recognition. I think most people would think, "Oh, yeah, they're state schools in Virginia."

A fair number of people think W&M is private, especially if they are not Virginia residents.

[Anonymous]

At this level, its rather dumb to worry about the "name recognition" of Virginia Tech vs. W&M. Both are very unrecognized schools nationally, and perhaps decently known regionally.

Most people haven't even heard of Dartmouth, until you tell them that it's in the Ivy League.


Have you heard of Case Western? Wake Forest? Colorado School of Mines? Would you really be impressed if you met a student from one of these schools, or would you either think its a random school you've never heard of, or that perhaps this student is potentially above-average in intelligence? Same goes for Michigan State, NC State, Texas A&M if in engineering.


In industry, Virginia Tech is going to be more well-recognized for engineering, but its no where close to the national/international reputation of schools like Purdue.

Perhaps W&M would help in DC politics/government jobs or graduate studies in the liberal arts and may have a very slight edge for law school.

In terms of regional reputation, W&M students are generally considered smarter in DC-metro area since its a much smaller school, unless its VT engineering.

But nationally, both schools are relatively unknown.

So considering their national reputation for both is so-so, and ignoring size/location/fit, the general advice holds:

Liberal arts, politics, perhaps graduate/medical/law school since smaller school grants better recommendation letters -> W&M
Any Engineering -> Virginia Tech

Business -> Neither, aim for UVA or Georgetown

[Anonymous]

I had never heard of William and Mary prior to moving to Virginia. It wasn't until this thread that I learned it is a public college. I grew up in the West.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At this level, its rather dumb to worry about the "name recognition" of Virginia Tech vs. W&M. Both are very unrecognized schools nationally, and perhaps decently known regionally.

Most people haven't even heard of Dartmouth, until you tell them that it's in the Ivy League.


Have you heard of Case Western? Wake Forest? Colorado School of Mines? Would you really be impressed if you met a student from one of these schools, or would you either think its a random school you've never heard of, or that perhaps this student is potentially above-average in intelligence? Same goes for Michigan State, NC State, Texas A&M if in engineering.


In industry, Virginia Tech is going to be more well-recognized for engineering, but its no where close to the national/international reputation of schools like Purdue.

Perhaps W&M would help in DC politics/government jobs or graduate studies in the liberal arts and may have a very slight edge for law school.

In terms of regional reputation, W&M students are generally considered smarter in DC-metro area since its a much smaller school, unless its VT engineering.

But nationally, both schools are relatively unknown.

So considering their national reputation for both is so-so, and ignoring size/location/fit, the general advice holds:

Liberal arts, politics, perhaps graduate/medical/law school since smaller school grants better recommendation letters -> W&M
Any Engineering -> Virginia Tech

Business -> Neither, aim for UVA or Georgetown

Less than 1/3rd of all U.S. citizens can name the three branches of government. Kyrie Irving, a person admitted to Duke University believes the earth is flat. I don't think what most people don't know is the best way of looking at it.

And by the way, I am familiar with Case Western, Wake Forest, and Colorado School of Mines and know they are all very good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not from this area and I heard of William and Mary well before I heard of VT. (Actually I think the first time I heard of it was probably after the shooting.)

+1

[Anonymous]

William & Mary is an oddly humble school. Jen Psaki, James Comey, and Jon Stewart went there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't W&M is the only college in US named after a UK king and Queen?

only school with a royal charter? Oldest academic building still in use. One of the prettiest campuses on the planet, in my view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary is an oddly humble school. Jen Psaki, James Comey, and Jon Stewart went there.

Alma Mater of America. Founding fathers disproportionately went there. TJ, Washington (surveying), Monroe, and Tyler.

[Anonymous]

I knew of W&M back in the early 90s when I was applying to college; I’m from CT. Even then it was seen as hard to get into for undergrad from OOS; the equivalent to UNC-Chapel Hill in difficulty for non-residents. I never heard of VT until I actually moved to VA to attend W&M for law school and even then I thought it was a technical school for going into the trades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary is an oddly humble school. Jen Psaki, James Comey, and Jon Stewart went there.

Alma Mater of America. Founding fathers disproportionately went there. TJ, Washington (surveying), Monroe, and Tyler.

pete snyder too!

[Anonymous]

Glenn Close is an alum of W&M

[Anonymous]

The two schools are so different, it is ridiculous to compare them. But of course, W&M is far more prestigious. It’s like arguing if UMass or Harvard is more prestigious (not saying at all W&M is comparable to Harvard either, but cmon this is a silly conversation).

[Anonymous]

Pretty silly to say no one outside Virginia has heard of William and Mary... for goodness sake, our founding fathers went to school there. That said, I did not know until I moved here that it's a public school. Only heard of Tech due to the shootings, otherwise had no idea of it until i came here and everyone and their brother is an alum.

[Anonymous]

Yet another vote for W&M. I graduated from HS in '89 on Long Island, and everyone knew W&M. I applied and didn't get in, but was accepted at Georgetown. Only reason I knew Va Tech was because I had a friend attending for architecture. (and I was destined to move South.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The two schools are so different, it is ridiculous to compare them. But of course, W&M is far more prestigious. It’s like arguing if UMass or Harvard is more prestigious (not saying at all W&M is comparable to Harvard either, but cmon this is a silly conversation).

Dumb analogy. Harvard is world-renowned and perhaps the best-known school in the world after Oxford.

UMass is a regional school

VT is a regional school

W&M is a regional school