Anonymous wrote:Spring admit no big deal. Take that option. Great school!

My DC was turned off by it because when you tour the school, almost every person who is asked about their favorite memories or traditions at W&M named things that happen in Fall of freshman year. It was really off-putting. Ultimately got off the WL, but chose to go elsewhere.

What’s the genersl risk here? Social? Not meeting the Wise or Spring Pathway criteria? These arrangements sound too good to be true. The whole world wants in at UVA and W&M is great too.

Even before submitting ED application to W&M, DC's plan B was doing Spring Pathways if waitlisted

DC thought both options were good:
-Study abroad, even though the Verto classes seemed a bit limited (but hey, that would be fun to be abroad)
--Do first semester at home online with a community college (stay home, sleep in, free laundry, and really, first semester will just fly by, it's only ONE semester... will miss the Fall events but not a big enough deal).

Is WISE for the first 2 years? That's a bit too long IMO.
Also, I was a bit turned off with how Dean J describes Wise as "not really UVA" or something not so integrated like that.

Is JMU a consideration?

OP you and your kid need to go to Wise in order to make the decision. It’s in a remote area and there’s not much there, unless your kid is super outdoorsy. Many of the students are from that area so it can feel very homogeneous. It won’t even feel like a pathway to Charlottesville because the 2 locations are radically different.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she likes it, I would not let the spring start deter! It’s just a couple months and it will go by fast.

Must the community college classes be taken at a Virginia CC? Or can we take at Montgomery College in Maryland??

The FAQs don’t specify that it has to be Virginia just that it is an accredited community or junior college. However it’s always good to make verify and make sure you have all the details including classes that will tansfer, and what date all the steps need to be done so there isn’t a costly misstep. It also looks like there will be info sessions about the Spring Pathways.

https://www.wm.edu/admission/undergraduateadmission/how-to-apply/waitlistfaqs/guaranteed-admission-pathway/index.php

Anonymous wrote:If she likes it, I would not let the spring start deter! It’s just a couple months and it will go by fast.

Must the community college classes be taken at a Virginia CC? Or can we take at Montgomery College in Maryland??

One of my DC's friends did the fall semester in Spain thru a W&M- approved program and then started at W&M in the spring. It was a great experience, plus they met other students in Spain who were doing the same thing, so when they started the spring semester they had a group to hang out with.

Spring admit no big deal. Take that option. Great school!

If she really likes W&M I say go for spring admit. Do something meaningful in fall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD also waitlisted at W and M. I have also told her to consider the spring option if she REALLY wants to go. She was admitted to Pitt, Florida, Maryland , Indiana. She lives the size of W & M. I think it is not so overwhelming.

I think Florida is good. Tuition is almost the same as W&M.

Those schools are all very large and the DD likes the size of W&M

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD also waitlisted at W and M. I have also told her to consider the spring option if she REALLY wants to go. She was admitted to Pitt, Florida, Maryland , Indiana. She lives the size of W & M. I think it is not so overwhelming.

I think Florida is good. Tuition is almost the same as W&M.

Florida is huge though, may not be the best fit for a kid that wants w and m. Spring option sounds reasonable, and perhaps she will get off waitlist.

Anonymous wrote:DD is grateful that she has other options, but she’s seriously considering UVA’s Year in Wise or W&M’s spring pathway. Anyone else?

My kid briefly considered this last year for us but their next alternative was a somewhat similar type of school (liberal arts college), maybe a slightly less rigorous program but still good, with merit that made it less than W&M OOS. There were also other things that would have made a spring start challenging for them no matter the school, but if we had been in-state or if there wasn’t another liberal arts college and/or program that was close in strength -probably would have pursued this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is grateful that she has other options, but she’s seriously considering UVA’s Year in Wise or W&M’s spring pathway. Anyone else?

When you join after a semester or a year, how do they handle the incoming students? Do they get housing? Do they put them together or intersperse them with others?

Speaking for W&M. Yes, all freshman (fall & spring starts) have guaranteed and mandatory housing on campus (freshman & sophomore years). They will likely get a roommate who has been there since fall and can serve as a mentor. I say likely as it could also be 2 spring starts housed together.

At that point the fall start kids are not all settled in yet in either.

So at W&M you are housed with other Freshmen or are you taking a spot of someone who is doing a semester abroad?

Nobody here will be able to give you an 100% answer to this as the number of kids accepting, studying aboard and choosing the pathway will vary from year to year. So a spring entry kid could be housed with a freshman or sophomore. They will place them where there is space in dorms, but they will be in dorms guaranteed.

The freshman retention rate is 95%

Anonymous wrote:My DD also waitlisted at W and M. I have also told her to consider the spring option if she REALLY wants to go. She was admitted to Pitt, Florida, Maryland , Indiana. She lives the size of W & M. I think it is not so overwhelming.

I think Florida is good. Tuition is almost the same as W&M.