I grew up in Fredericksburg and went to UMW. Good school, dedicated professors, pretty campus. Fredericksburg itself is limited...not a lot of high quality restaurants or shopping options. We always drove to NoVa a couple times a month for that stuff. A car is a necessity.

UMW alum here: loved my four years there. The campus and buildings are just beautiful; the quintessential classic college campus. After touring several other schools, I knew when I first laid eyes on Mary Washington and walked around that it was the place for me. Yes, it's a small school, though bigger than many other SLACs. It's true there is no Greek system whatsoever, which is one of the main reasons I chose it. Parties were open to everyone and usually just organized within dorms or at off-campus apts. One thing I loved about the school was that everyone was friends with everyone else and you always recognized someone in your classes or around campus. I didn't want to go to an enormous university where I would just have been one among many anonymous students. The old town area of Fredericksburg is adorable, lots of antique stores and restaurants. My friends and I used to meet up for brunch downtown sometimes on the weekends. As for the male/female ratio, I never, ever felt that there were too few guys there. When you're actually going to the school, it isn't particularly noticeable that there are more female students, at least it wasn't to me. Lots of great friendships with the guys, as well as several boyfriends during my time there. I had some incredible professors who opened my mind to all kinds of different ways of looking at the world. I made lifelong friends at Mary Washington and hope that one of my kids will want to go there someday as well. Highly recommend this school.

Reputation is that it has a heavy workload. Some kids like that.

Wonderful, lovely, small liberal arts college, originally the detached Mary Washington Women's College of UVA (it was a single-sex branch campus). It is very much a worthwhile college for a student who wants a SLAC, not a major university, and not a city school. F'burg is so achingly quaint that your teeth will hurt. If your DC would just love a big school like UVA, or a City school like VCU, UMW is not the right pick.

Anonymous wrote:WM is more female and I have heard that the number difference is obvious. There is -among girls interested in dating/having a boyfriend- a much more intense competitive atmosphere resulting in less inhibitions and more reckless behavior to attract the attention of the limited supply of men.

Just sayin'

The ratio is about the same as JMU. But the student population is greater at JMU.

WM is more female and I have heard that the number difference is obvious. There is -among girls interested in dating/having a boyfriend- a much more intense competitive atmosphere resulting in less inhibitions and more reckless behavior to attract the attention of the limited supply of men.

Just sayin'

Pull-up the online Undergraduate Catalog. Lots of good info. Parents/students should look at what classes are needed to complete any major. I have friends' kids who ran into problems with the foreign language requirement at MW.

Anonymous wrote:It's a beautiful school, with great academics - small classes, amazing professors. Not a huge party school either, which i liked. I hated Fredericksburg itself - very small, very southern town. I graduated almost 15 years ago, though, so not sure how much has changed (and how did I get so old!?)

Fburg has got a nice small liberal community but you have to know where to look. I found it at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. But still that's not probably a big draw for a college student.

Also - check out the % male / female

Thank you, these replies are really helpful!

I graduated about 10 years ago. It's very small. In retrospect it's probably too small for me. I enjoyed it. Had a small group of friends whom I still keep in touch with. Because it is small and there is no greek life, social groups are based on sports or interest groups primarily. As far as I remember there is little off-campus housing stock, but this may have changed in the many years since I've been back.
If your child is interested in a smaller liberal arts school, it's a wonderful choice with great academics and solid, approachable professors.

It's a beautiful school, with great academics - small classes, amazing professors. Not a huge party school either, which i liked. I hated Fredericksburg itself - very small, very southern town. I graduated almost 15 years ago, though, so not sure how much has changed (and how did I get so old!?)

Thank you for the reply, that is interesting. Just curious, what did they not like about it? My child thought the campus was pretty, kind of like a small UVA. Thanks!

The University of Mary Washington is a great choice if your kid visited and liked it. We have family friends whose stellar kid graduated from UMW and is doing very well. My own kids wouldn't get out of the car for the tour -- it wasn't for them.

Would love to hear any thoughts about Mary Washibgton College? Admissions, student body, etc - any insight from alumni or parents of current students. I have a child who visited and really liked it, but we don't know anyone there and I don't have any friend's who went there so I feel clueless. Thank you!