William and Mary experience for NOVA kids
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Anonymous
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DS just got a postcard from William and Mary indicating he will likely be accepted. He's already been accepted to UVA early action and a few other schools out of state, but he leans towards William and Mary. He likes history, likes the size of the place, got a good feel when he visited, really liked the guy he interviewed with and the class he observed. He knows UVA is a great school and liked his visit there, but it just didn't click quite as much for him. The few people he has talked to who have gone to William and Mary have loved it (2 girls and 1 guy), but he also gets the message--mainly from those who haven't gone--that it's a real grind. He's not a nerdy kid or particularly "driven" beyond the typical reasonably high-achieving NOVA kid--generally studious and athletic with several strong social groups. He works hard but likes to go out with friends, have down time etc . His GPA and test scores put him around the upper quarter of both schools, but some of his acquaintances have expressed surprise that he wouldn't choose UVA. My advice to him is to go with his own gut, but I would like some feedback from parents of kids--especially boys-- at William and Mary on whether it's significantly harder than other similarly ranked schools and whether their kids feel like they are having fun. He will be going to both "accepted student days" before his decision, so this is more I think for my own reassurance.
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Anonymous
LOL! |
Anonymous
Why is this funny? It's their practice--they send out postcards to some students they know they are going to admit. Many colleges send similar "likely letters" so that students don't commit to another school. |
Anonymous
You just made an ass of yourself. It's a real thing that W&M does. Do some research before trying to be the funniest person in the room. |
Anonymous
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Just pump the brakes a bit and let him visit and do his own research. He has until May 1 to make the decision. Anonymous people on the internet can position themselves as experts even when they aren't.
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Anonymous
+1,000 |
Anonymous
| My nephew's experience is that the "grind" thing has been overplayed. Maybe because it's a public institution, some people go in thinking it's going to be a like a large state U in terms of workload and expectations. The reality is that it's more like a liberal arts school - but that the workload is in no way prohibitive, and that the stress level is lower than when he was grinding through almost a dozen APs at McLean HS. |
Anonymous
+10000000 And as for you, Mom. Beyond encouraging him not to choose UVA just because others might have chosen it, and being willing to drive down for additional visits, keep your mouth shut!!!! Yeah, it is hard for us to do that, but even if your kid says some odd reasons to support one or the other, know he's just trying on the "feel" of the words and not really meaning it. |
Anonymous
| Your DS undoubtedly knows kids who are attending these schools - their experiences and advice would be more valuable to him that the advice of a bunch of anonymous folks on DCUM. Congrats to him on getting in to both schools. |
Anonymous
OP here: Thanks, this is I think what is getting to me. He was so self-reflective and sensible in his thinking when it was mainly him thinking about his options himself but now that everyone in HS is going through the same maelstrom he seems like he's losing his sense of his own perspective and it's even contagious to me (posting I think prevents me from nagging him about it). We're fairly recent transplants (3 years ago) to this area and so I feel like there may be some "secret knowledge" about in-state schools that we're not privvy to. (Though I have to say I am THRILLED with the quality of in-state options here and think he couldn't go wrong selecting any--it's really remarkable compared to other states we've lived in). But I guess I just have to trust that he'll figure it out --and make a few more drives down state... |
Anonymous
| You’re over thinking this OP. If you’re in the position to choose for fit, then let him decide what feels right. UVA and W&M have similar outcomes, no need to stress. |
Anonymous
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The "secret" is that we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to college options in Virginia. A student with admission from UVA and W&M is in the cat bird seat. UVA is large enough to have interesting opportunities and variety to be a nice home for many students. W&M is smaller, but known to be just as strong when it comes to academics.
On top of that, both schools have transfer processes that are much less competitive than freshman admissions process. If a student picks one and realizes it wasn't right, they can always apply to move to the other school. |
Anonymous
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My DS is a freshman at W&M from NOVA (FCPS school) and loves it. He was a little hesitant to go because he thought it wouldn't be a fun school. He has found the workload to actually be a little easier than high school. Part of that might be because he has a lot more free time than he had in high school. He's gotten involved in campus activities. He pledged a fraternity, is very active in a club sport and has just started working at a campus job. He thought the orientation program at the beginning of the school year was great and helped him bond with his dorm mates.
He loves the campus traditions. Today is Charter Day (326 years ago the college received its charter from the Crown) and he was looking forward to going to the ceremony. The first day of classes they have a convocation ceremony. Then right before the holiday break there's a Yule Log ceremony. These events are all very well attended by the students. The professors he's had so far have all been approachable and helpful. Last semester a couple of his professors held optional study sessions before exams. He's taking Calculus this semester and was a little concerned about the material (math is not his strongest subject.) Several of his dorm mates and fraternity brothers offered to help if he struggles at all during the semester. So he has found his classmates to be helpful and not cut-throat. His biggest complaint is the lack of great sports teams. My DS loves watching sports and wishes he could cheer for a winning football or basketball team. His dorm is right across the street from the Kaplan Arena and he can just walk into a basketball game in the middle of the game and sit in the front row. He's been told that at UVA, it's really difficult to even get tickets to a basketball game. |
Anonymous
OP here--thanks for this --this is really helpful! |
Anonymous
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I have a DD at W&M who'll be graduating this year. She has loved her experience there. I agree with the other PP who posted above - the professors are very good and extremely helpful, and the atmosphere among the students is not cutthroat. DD is a STEM student and she's been working with professors and in labs since 2nd semester freshman year. She wants to get a PhD and by the time she graduates she'll have her name on 3 published papers. I have another kid who went to a top private SLAC, and the quality of education at W&M is comparable.
She also got into both UVA and W&M, and after visiting both a couple of times, she was sure that W&M was the right place for her. She was right. |