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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have a WM kid. He  is majoring in IR.  Foreign Policy magazine ranks WM as one of the top 20 IR programs in the world (not just US).  I have been surprised at just how rigorous the major is, vs what it would take for my kid at a similarly ranked college to get an IR major.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/top-fifty-schools-international-relations-foreign-policy/

On the humanities side, it’s hard to top WM in IR, government,  economics or history.  The business school is highly competitive and DS says that lots of kids are pre-law. Being that NOVA sends so many kids, there are also a number of kids who want to be foreign policy wonks in government, think tanks, etc.

[b]I know WM does well in some STEM areas and is beefing up data science.  But I don’t know where it shines.  [/b]

The school is a great size. Not too insular and not huge. DS has had one class of 60-80 3 of first 4 semesters and has one more large class to take.  Everything else has been under 40 kids. And these are 100/200 level classes.

He loves it, is involved in some interesting and unusual activities, has great friends  and is working hard, but doesn’t usually seem stressed or overloaded. It is a fantastic fit for my kid.

Unlike WM and Swat boosters, I believe  there is no one correct answer (and my other kid just graduated from a Swat caliber LAC, which was excellent for her).  Your kid needs to get on campus and look at size, fit and the quality of the academics not just in general, but in their area of interest.

WM is nice in that Greek life exists, but it doesn’t take over campus culture.

The reputation of a TWAMP (typical WM kid) is introverted, intellectual, motivated and kind.  Is that your kid? And do they want a major where WM shines? [/quote]

In undergraduate STEM, W&M is very strong in core sciences like Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Geology, and also interdisciplinary areas like Neuroscience.  Almost all science undergraduates do mentored research with faculty.  W&M is good in Computer Science, but got a bit of a late start on it.  The focus now is on Data Science, which again tends to be an interdisciplinary field, which is where they think they shine.  They have worked to house the sciences in an integrated science center for this reason.  [/quote]

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