Anyone else surprised by a lack of interest in William & Mary?

[Anonymous]

W&M seems to have so much going for it--well regarded academically, smaller, historic, located in quaint town, and cost-effective if in-state VA. But my in-state DC (with stats to get in) has no interest, and none of their friends do either. They consider it high pressure, low fun. They have heard that it's cutthroat among students. They find the campus old and dated.

DC is applying to Wake Forest, Davidson, and W&L, among a few others. It seems to me that W&M should be right in that mix.

Does W&M have a branding problem? Or is there some truth to the perceptions? I'm pretty much going to insist that DC apply there, to have an in-state LAC option.

[Anonymous]

Heard grading is hard from several folks. We are looking at it for DS only because not many comparable options. Good academics and cost is right but honestly not a top choice. DS wants to go to grad school so grading makes a difference. Also, if you want to transfer out, hard to do with lower grades.

[Anonymous]

It has a great reputation in many ways, but it also has a reputation for being a grind.

Either that is attractive or it isn't.

Not a branding problem, but self-selection. The rah rahs can go to UVA if they want.

[Anonymous]

Huh? We have two kids at W&M and several kids from their respective classes at two different HS chose it as well. They both love it. I guess it's true to say that Williamsburg is dated, but that's kind of the point.

[Anonymous]

It's a good fit for the right kind of student. If big parties Wed-Sun and easy As are at the top of the must-have list, it's not the right place.

[Anonymous]

It's a good place for brainy kids who aren't into getting drunk several times a week. My Kid who went there liked to go hiking and camping, went to parties occasionally but preferred hanging out with friends, playing games or watching movies. I think my kid wished Williamsburg was more of a college town, like Charlottesville, but he was turned off by the fratty UVA culture.

[Anonymous]

I think it just appeals to different types of kids. My DC loved UVA but did not like W&M.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a good place for brainy kids who aren't into getting drunk several times a week. My Kid who went there liked to go hiking and camping, went to parties occasionally but preferred hanging out with friends, playing games or watching movies. I think my kid wished Williamsburg was more of a college town, like Charlottesville, but he was turned off by the fratty UVA culture.

OP here: did your kid find it cutthroat and overly intense and competitive among students? Did they experience grade deflation?

[Anonymous]

Save your $$ and have them go to W+M ...it is just as good or better than any of those other schools you mentioned OP

[Anonymous]

It's very difficult to get accepted if you're OOS and getting aid is even harder, so any student who could get in is probably looking at higher profile schools anyway.

[Anonymous]

The campus IS old. That's a feature.

High pressure, low fun depends on the student's personality. It can be intense because classes are hard, but I wouldn't call the students cutthroat with each other. If anything, my general impression is that it's more of a "studying sucks but we're all in it together" type atmosphere.

If fun=party every single night, then sure, low fun is a fair characterization.

[Anonymous]

I had three kids (all girls) apply to William & Mary at my insistence. None went. Two ended up at UVA, and the other went to a SLAC that offered lots of merit aid.

My oldest joked: "What do they do there on weekends? Make candles?"

I'm now seeing that only 1/3 of admitted in state applicants end up choosing William & Mary, whereas at UVA well over half end up going. Clearly UVA is the more popular choice.

[Anonymous]

I got into both. I chose UVA because:

It gave me more credit for the same AP exams.

I didn’t have to take a philosophy or ethics course.

There was a better gender balance.

And yes, it had a reputation for being slightly easier. But the other three reasons were more important to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The campus IS old. That's a feature.

High pressure, low fun depends on the student's personality. It can be intense because classes are hard, but I wouldn't call the students cutthroat with each other. If anything, my general impression is that it's more of a "studying sucks but we're all in it together" type atmosphere.

If fun=party every single night, then sure, low fun is a fair characterization.

+1

The description above is exactly what I think DD's friends who now are at W&M would say about it. They all tell her it's tough but they knew that going in and they seem much more collaborative than competitive. "We're all in this together" is a good summation of the feel for the kids who self-selected and wanted to go there (as opposed to going because parents insisted). Interesting to hear them talk and compare schools with DD who is at an out of state SLAC that is also tough grading with a collaborative vibe.


.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got into both. I chose UVA because:

It gave me more credit for the same AP exams.

I didn’t have to take a philosophy or ethics course.

There was a better gender balance.

And yes, it had a reputation for being slightly easier. But the other three reasons were more important to me.

This is definitely true.