Students tend to use CW for running/walks and restaurants/taverns. It certainly isn't their main source of entertainment. WM looks for students who will contribute to campus life which makes for a very vibrant campus community with a lot to do. My son is in a fraternity, but spends the majority of his extracurricular time in the arts complex. There are plenty of frat parties when he wants that. And if you haven't been to campus in a while, you might be surprised how great the facilities are now. New dorms and new educational spaces. My son also was accepted to Wake and did like it. But cost wise, WM was the winner, and he's getting a fantastic education.

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Anonymous wrote:Have had kids at both of these schools. Similar in size, but that’s about it. In terms of facilities and buildings, William & Mary is leaps & bounds behind Wake- it’s where you can tell the difference between a public and a private school. Whoever said Wake is more country club is spot on. Lots of wealth on that campus, whereas W&M is more economically balanced as a state school. Campus populations reflect that- not a lot of folks at W&M is wearing Golden Goose and driving Land Rovers, which seems to be the standard at Wake.

Not a lot to do for social scene at W&M with no sports teams that are great and bars in the Burg not liking college kids.

Both academically rigorous.

You can't walk anywhere from the Wake campus to stuff though. W&M has four bars right next to the stadium that are packed full of students every Thurs-Sat.

There is a bar called the Filling Station walking distance from upper classmen housing and of course, Reynolda Village across the street from Wake with a restaurant, doughnut place, coffee, ice cream, etc . And there is a huge development going up right now next to Wake’s stadium called the Grounds which will add more restaurants, bars and apartments within walking distance of campus. It will be complete within the next year or so. Winston Salem is also a small city, there are plenty of bars and restaurant downtown or elsewhere around town that are less than a 10 minute uber ride away.

I looked up the bar and it looks like it closes at 10pm. Not really true nightlife. If you have to Uber to the next city over I feel like that doesn't really scream "hopping college town" which is fine but certainly not the way you described it. Safety wise there are for sure benefits to bars and clubs not requiring a drive to get to.

You sound a bit clueless, Wake is in Winston Salem, a city with a population in excess of 250,000. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the SAME city. If you are trying to argue that there is a better social life at William and Mary, good luck to you, no one is buying that.

Wake up. Wake is in the middle of a sleepy suburban area. If you have to drive everywhere it doesn't count. Is George Mason a super fun social college because it's in a county of 1 million?

Good college towns have fun things to go within WALKING distance of campus. Do you think UVA would be just as fun if everyone had to go downtown instead of having the corner? You can't even get to the Wake football stadium on foot.

Ah, yes, good old colonial Williamsburg, well known bastion of fun.

You can indeed get to the Wake football stadium on foot.

You're right, there's absolutely nothing other than colonial Williamsburg 🙄.

There's a gazillion cafes and restaurants, a bunch of bars and breweries, a bookstore, ice cream shop, Lululemon, thrift store, boutiques, two art museums, a lake with free kayaking, and miles of hiking trails all within a mile of campus. Don't have to step one foot into colonial town. 15 min bus ride gets you to the outlet mall and Busch Gardens. Does WF even have public transit or are "the poors" without cars stuck in their dorm all day?

You have a strange chip om your shoulder, both schools can be good. Wake runs shuttles to downtown, where they have research buildings and a medical school (also an academic medical center which is nice for premed students), at least once an hour from the main quad. Also has a very active outdoors club that offers hikes and climbs in nearby Pilot Mountain, white water kayaking trips, local mountain biking trips and more. There is both art and anthropology muesems on campus. W-S has its own symphony which performs downtown, and of course Wake has ACC sports. Football team went 9-4 this year and won its bowl game.

Williamsburg has a population of 16,000 and W-S has a population of 255,000, so there is obviously going to be many more stores and restaurants in W-S.

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Anonymous wrote:Have had kids at both of these schools. Similar in size, but that’s about it. In terms of facilities and buildings, William & Mary is leaps & bounds behind Wake- it’s where you can tell the difference between a public and a private school. Whoever said Wake is more country club is spot on. Lots of wealth on that campus, whereas W&M is more economically balanced as a state school. Campus populations reflect that- not a lot of folks at W&M is wearing Golden Goose and driving Land Rovers, which seems to be the standard at Wake.

Not a lot to do for social scene at W&M with no sports teams that are great and bars in the Burg not liking college kids.

Both academically rigorous.

You can't walk anywhere from the Wake campus to stuff though. W&M has four bars right next to the stadium that are packed full of students every Thurs-Sat.

There is a bar called the Filling Station walking distance from upper classmen housing and of course, Reynolda Village across the street from Wake with a restaurant, doughnut place, coffee, ice cream, etc . And there is a huge development going up right now next to Wake’s stadium called the Grounds which will add more restaurants, bars and apartments within walking distance of campus. It will be complete within the next year or so. Winston Salem is also a small city, there are plenty of bars and restaurant downtown or elsewhere around town that are less than a 10 minute uber ride away.

I looked up the bar and it looks like it closes at 10pm. Not really true nightlife. If you have to Uber to the next city over I feel like that doesn't really scream "hopping college town" which is fine but certainly not the way you described it. Safety wise there are for sure benefits to bars and clubs not requiring a drive to get to.

You sound a bit clueless, Wake is in Winston Salem, a city with a population in excess of 250,000. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the SAME city. If you are trying to argue that there is a better social life at William and Mary, good luck to you, no one is buying that.

Wake up. Wake is in the middle of a sleepy suburban area. If you have to drive everywhere it doesn't count. Is George Mason a super fun social college because it's in a county of 1 million?

Good college towns have fun things to go within WALKING distance of campus. Do you think UVA would be just as fun if everyone had to go downtown instead of having the corner? You can't even get to the Wake football stadium on foot.

Ah, yes, good old colonial Williamsburg, well known bastion of fun.

You can indeed get to the Wake football stadium on foot.

You're right, there's absolutely nothing other than colonial Williamsburg 🙄.

There's a gazillion cafes and restaurants, a bunch of bars and breweries, a bookstore, ice cream shop, Lululemon, thrift store, boutiques, two art museums, a lake with free kayaking, and miles of hiking trails all within a mile of campus. Don't have to step one foot into colonial town. 15 min bus ride gets you to the outlet mall and Busch Gardens. Does WF even have public transit or are "the poors" without cars stuck in their dorm all day?

My son did a zoom interview with W&M summer before senior year. Was with an upperclass student if I recall (or young alumni?). It was low key, really more of a conversation. It's helpful for establishing demonstrated interest - check their website for when those will begin for this summer as they book out quickly. Easy way to build DI. He'd also visited/toured in junior year Spring.

All of his admissions decisions came by mid-Feb (EA) and he only had W&M left - in the time waiting for their late March RD decision, he mentally committed elsewhere and I couldn't get him to go back and visit W&M again upon getting accepted. Was kind of salty about it, especially because he said he couldn't remember that much from our W&M visit. But he is happy where he landed.

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Anonymous wrote:Have had kids at both of these schools. Similar in size, but that’s about it. In terms of facilities and buildings, William & Mary is leaps & bounds behind Wake- it’s where you can tell the difference between a public and a private school. Whoever said Wake is more country club is spot on. Lots of wealth on that campus, whereas W&M is more economically balanced as a state school. Campus populations reflect that- not a lot of folks at W&M is wearing Golden Goose and driving Land Rovers, which seems to be the standard at Wake.

Not a lot to do for social scene at W&M with no sports teams that are great and bars in the Burg not liking college kids.

Both academically rigorous.

You can't walk anywhere from the Wake campus to stuff though. W&M has four bars right next to the stadium that are packed full of students every Thurs-Sat.

There is a bar called the Filling Station walking distance from upper classmen housing and of course, Reynolda Village across the street from Wake with a restaurant, doughnut place, coffee, ice cream, etc . And there is a huge development going up right now next to Wake’s stadium called the Grounds which will add more restaurants, bars and apartments within walking distance of campus. It will be complete within the next year or so. Winston Salem is also a small city, there are plenty of bars and restaurant downtown or elsewhere around town that are less than a 10 minute uber ride away.

I looked up the bar and it looks like it closes at 10pm. Not really true nightlife. If you have to Uber to the next city over I feel like that doesn't really scream "hopping college town" which is fine but certainly not the way you described it. Safety wise there are for sure benefits to bars and clubs not requiring a drive to get to.

You sound a bit clueless, Wake is in Winston Salem, a city with a population in excess of 250,000. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the SAME city. If you are trying to argue that there is a better social life at William and Mary, good luck to you, no one is buying that.

Wake up. Wake is in the middle of a sleepy suburban area. If you have to drive everywhere it doesn't count. Is George Mason a super fun social college because it's in a county of 1 million?

Good college towns have fun things to go within WALKING distance of campus. Do you think UVA would be just as fun if everyone had to go downtown instead of having the corner? You can't even get to the Wake football stadium on foot.

Ah, yes, good old colonial Williamsburg, well known bastion of fun.

You can indeed get to the Wake football stadium on foot.

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Anonymous wrote:Have had kids at both of these schools. Similar in size, but that’s about it. In terms of facilities and buildings, William & Mary is leaps & bounds behind Wake- it’s where you can tell the difference between a public and a private school. Whoever said Wake is more country club is spot on. Lots of wealth on that campus, whereas W&M is more economically balanced as a state school. Campus populations reflect that- not a lot of folks at W&M is wearing Golden Goose and driving Land Rovers, which seems to be the standard at Wake.

Not a lot to do for social scene at W&M with no sports teams that are great and bars in the Burg not liking college kids.

Both academically rigorous.

You can't walk anywhere from the Wake campus to stuff though. W&M has four bars right next to the stadium that are packed full of students every Thurs-Sat.

There is a bar called the Filling Station walking distance from upper classmen housing and of course, Reynolda Village across the street from Wake with a restaurant, doughnut place, coffee, ice cream, etc . And there is a huge development going up right now next to Wake’s stadium called the Grounds which will add more restaurants, bars and apartments within walking distance of campus. It will be complete within the next year or so. Winston Salem is also a small city, there are plenty of bars and restaurant downtown or elsewhere around town that are less than a 10 minute uber ride away.

I looked up the bar and it looks like it closes at 10pm. Not really true nightlife. If you have to Uber to the next city over I feel like that doesn't really scream "hopping college town" which is fine but certainly not the way you described it. Safety wise there are for sure benefits to bars and clubs not requiring a drive to get to.

You sound a bit clueless, Wake is in Winston Salem, a city with a population in excess of 250,000. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the SAME city. If you are trying to argue that there is a better social life at William and Mary, good luck to you, no one is buying that.

Wake up. Wake is in the middle of a sleepy suburban area. If you have to drive everywhere it doesn't count. Is George Mason a super fun social college because it's in a county of 1 million?

Good college towns have fun things to go within WALKING distance of campus. Do you think UVA would be just as fun if everyone had to go downtown instead of having the corner? You can't even get to the Wake football stadium on foot.

Ones in Virginia and the other is in North Carolina

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Anonymous wrote:Have had kids at both of these schools. Similar in size, but that’s about it. In terms of facilities and buildings, William & Mary is leaps & bounds behind Wake- it’s where you can tell the difference between a public and a private school. Whoever said Wake is more country club is spot on. Lots of wealth on that campus, whereas W&M is more economically balanced as a state school. Campus populations reflect that- not a lot of folks at W&M is wearing Golden Goose and driving Land Rovers, which seems to be the standard at Wake.

Not a lot to do for social scene at W&M with no sports teams that are great and bars in the Burg not liking college kids.

Both academically rigorous.

You can't walk anywhere from the Wake campus to stuff though. W&M has four bars right next to the stadium that are packed full of students every Thurs-Sat.

There is a bar called the Filling Station walking distance from upper classmen housing and of course, Reynolda Village across the street from Wake with a restaurant, doughnut place, coffee, ice cream, etc . And there is a huge development going up right now next to Wake’s stadium called the Grounds which will add more restaurants, bars and apartments within walking distance of campus. It will be complete within the next year or so. Winston Salem is also a small city, there are plenty of bars and restaurant downtown or elsewhere around town that are less than a 10 minute uber ride away.

I looked up the bar and it looks like it closes at 10pm. Not really true nightlife. If you have to Uber to the next city over I feel like that doesn't really scream "hopping college town" which is fine but certainly not the way you described it. Safety wise there are for sure benefits to bars and clubs not requiring a drive to get to.

You sound a bit clueless, Wake is in Winston Salem, a city with a population in excess of 250,000. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the SAME city. If you are trying to argue that there is a better social life at William and Mary, good luck to you, no one is buying that.

DP. Both are pretty sleepy towns.

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Anonymous wrote:Have had kids at both of these schools. Similar in size, but that’s about it. In terms of facilities and buildings, William & Mary is leaps & bounds behind Wake- it’s where you can tell the difference between a public and a private school. Whoever said Wake is more country club is spot on. Lots of wealth on that campus, whereas W&M is more economically balanced as a state school. Campus populations reflect that- not a lot of folks at W&M is wearing Golden Goose and driving Land Rovers, which seems to be the standard at Wake.

Not a lot to do for social scene at W&M with no sports teams that are great and bars in the Burg not liking college kids.

Both academically rigorous.

You can't walk anywhere from the Wake campus to stuff though. W&M has four bars right next to the stadium that are packed full of students every Thurs-Sat.

There is a bar called the Filling Station walking distance from upper classmen housing and of course, Reynolda Village across the street from Wake with a restaurant, doughnut place, coffee, ice cream, etc . And there is a huge development going up right now next to Wake’s stadium called the Grounds which will add more restaurants, bars and apartments within walking distance of campus. It will be complete within the next year or so. Winston Salem is also a small city, there are plenty of bars and restaurant downtown or elsewhere around town that are less than a 10 minute uber ride away.

I looked up the bar and it looks like it closes at 10pm. Not really true nightlife. If you have to Uber to the next city over I feel like that doesn't really scream "hopping college town" which is fine but certainly not the way you described it. Safety wise there are for sure benefits to bars and clubs not requiring a drive to get to.

You sound a bit clueless, Wake is in Winston Salem, a city with a population in excess of 250,000. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the SAME city. If you are trying to argue that there is a better social life at William and Mary, good luck to you, no one is buying that.

But obviously if you're rich enough maybe hundreds of dollars a semester in Uber rides is just a write off

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Anonymous wrote:Have had kids at both of these schools. Similar in size, but that’s about it. In terms of facilities and buildings, William & Mary is leaps & bounds behind Wake- it’s where you can tell the difference between a public and a private school. Whoever said Wake is more country club is spot on. Lots of wealth on that campus, whereas W&M is more economically balanced as a state school. Campus populations reflect that- not a lot of folks at W&M is wearing Golden Goose and driving Land Rovers, which seems to be the standard at Wake.

Not a lot to do for social scene at W&M with no sports teams that are great and bars in the Burg not liking college kids.

Both academically rigorous.

You can't walk anywhere from the Wake campus to stuff though. W&M has four bars right next to the stadium that are packed full of students every Thurs-Sat.

There is a bar called the Filling Station walking distance from upper classmen housing and of course, Reynolda Village across the street from Wake with a restaurant, doughnut place, coffee, ice cream, etc . And there is a huge development going up right now next to Wake’s stadium called the Grounds which will add more restaurants, bars and apartments within walking distance of campus. It will be complete within the next year or so. Winston Salem is also a small city, there are plenty of bars and restaurant downtown or elsewhere around town that are less than a 10 minute uber ride away.

I looked up the bar and it looks like it closes at 10pm. Not really true nightlife. If you have to Uber to the next city over I feel like that doesn't really scream "hopping college town" which is fine but certainly not the way you described it. Safety wise there are for sure benefits to bars and clubs not requiring a drive to get to.

W&M is nerds, Wake is rich kids.

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Anonymous wrote:How about Richmond?

Probably more like Wake than W&M.

Richmond is about half the size.

I believe Wake and W&M consider each other mutual peers. Richmond considers both of them its peers but neither have it listed. But UofR is an actual liberal arts college and the other two are research universities with a liberal arts focus.

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Anonymous wrote:Have had kids at both of these schools. Similar in size, but that’s about it. In terms of facilities and buildings, William & Mary is leaps & bounds behind Wake- it’s where you can tell the difference between a public and a private school. Whoever said Wake is more country club is spot on. Lots of wealth on that campus, whereas W&M is more economically balanced as a state school. Campus populations reflect that- not a lot of folks at W&M is wearing Golden Goose and driving Land Rovers, which seems to be the standard at Wake.

Not a lot to do for social scene at W&M with no sports teams that are great and bars in the Burg not liking college kids.

Both academically rigorous.

You can't walk anywhere from the Wake campus to stuff though. W&M has four bars right next to the stadium that are packed full of students every Thurs-Sat.

There is a bar called the Filling Station walking distance from upper classmen housing and of course, Reynolda Village across the street from Wake with a restaurant, doughnut place, coffee, ice cream, etc . And there is a huge development going up right now next to Wake’s stadium called the Grounds which will add more restaurants, bars and apartments within walking distance of campus. It will be complete within the next year or so. Winston Salem is also a small city, there are plenty of bars and restaurant downtown or elsewhere around town that are less than a 10 minute uber ride away.

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Anonymous wrote:How about Richmond?

Probably more like Wake than W&M.

Richmond is about half the size.