We have close friends whose DD chose UMW over all other VA schools and U Chicago. She says she was tired of the constant cut throat atmosphere she experienced in her IB program. She was a superstar at UMW and says it was really life-changing. So yeah, not everyone wants to go to W&M or UVA. It's also a 17 yr old making the decision.

Anonymous wrote:What is it - 1 person on here advocating for Mary U

Wondering where you got that from?

What is it - 1 person on here advocating for Mary U

Anonymous wrote: ^ and you have a nice chip on your shoulder, or something. What is the point of this thread?

The point of this thread is answering the OP's questions regarding Mary Washington College. Getting a little sick of people who know zero about this school getting on forums like these and spewing out what they "think" about this school vs. another school. If you haven't actually gone there yourself, and have no actual experience with life during and after Mary Washington, then why share what you "think" about it? It serves no purpose to those who are here looking for concrete experiences to help them and/or their kids with the college search. It would be like me sharing my experience traveling to Tanzania over on the Travel forum: never been there, so I have nothing to contribute.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the Greek scene at W&M is very intense. I could see some people not wanting to attend a school with any fraternities or sororities, but not many who'd consider it enough of an issue to turn down W&M for UMW. I do think you can get a good education at UMW, but a W&M degree is more of an asset when job-hunting.

That's the great thing about choice; you can choose what works for you and I can do the same for myself. I had no problem getting into a great grad school and from there, networking and fulfilling employment. I'd do it all again in a second and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent, smaller school.

I don't think the Greek scene at W&M is very intense. I could see some people not wanting to attend a school with any fraternities or sororities, but not many who'd consider it enough of an issue to turn down W&M for UMW. I do think you can get a good education at UMW, but a W&M degree is more of an asset when job-hunting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But students who get into James Madison or Virginia Tech, choose James Madison or Virginia Tech, not Mary Washington. Better students UVA, WM or leave the state ~ I'm generalizing

Yes, you certainly are. I was accepted to both UVA and W&M and CHOSE Mary Washington. Why is that so very hard to believe? MW was a much better fit for me. Period.

NP here. That is hard to believe, to be honest. I understand why some people would decide U. Va. is not for them, but for those who prefer a smaller, quieter alternative I'd guess that 9/10 would opt for W&M over UMW. Could you explain why UMW was a much better fit? Was it a question of preferring a school where the other students would be less accomplished (bigger fish in smaller pond), or were there other reasons?

I did not want a school with a Greek system. My parents insisted I apply to UVA and W&M (and James Madison, Tech, etc.), even though I was very clear about wanting a totally independent school. I wound up getting accepted to all of them, so was lucky enough to be able to choose where I wanted to go. Mary Washington offers excellent academics, a SLAC feel, and a beautiful campus. That's what I wanted and I was thrilled to be able to spend four years there. And it definitely wasn't the bigger fish/smaller pond scenario. Mary Washington is full of very accomplished students and I worked hard to be one of them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But students who get into James Madison or Virginia Tech, choose James Madison or Virginia Tech, not Mary Washington. Better students UVA, WM or leave the state ~ I'm generalizing

Yes, you certainly are. I was accepted to both UVA and W&M and CHOSE Mary Washington. Why is that so very hard to believe? MW was a much better fit for me. Period.

NP here. That is hard to believe, to be honest. I understand why some people would decide U. Va. is not for them, but for those who prefer a smaller, quieter alternative I'd guess that 9/10 would opt for W&M over UMW. Could you explain why UMW was a much better fit? Was it a question of preferring a school where the other students would be less accomplished (bigger fish in smaller pond), or were there other reasons?

^ and you have a nice chip on your shoulder, or something. What is the point of this thread?

Anonymous wrote:But students who get into James Madison or Virginia Tech, choose James Madison or Virginia Tech, not Mary Washington. Better students UVA, WM or leave the state ~ I'm generalizing

Yes, you certainly are. I was accepted to both UVA and W&M and CHOSE Mary Washington. Why is that so very hard to believe? MW was a much better fit for me. Period.

But students who get into James Madison or Virginia Tech, choose James Madison or Virginia Tech, not Mary Washington. Better students UVA, WM or leave the state ~ I'm generalizing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College name matters very little once you go to grad school.

Yup, but where you can get into grad school depends in part on where you went to college, so if you didn't go to a top 50 or 100 college, you can go to a low-rank grad school, rask up $300,000 in loans, and still keep your job at Au Bon Pain.

Nah, not really. I went to an average state school, but since I score a 174 LSAT, I had my pick of top 14 law schools. It would have made no difference where I went to undergrad, so long as the school is accredited regionally.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on who you know in the workforce really

Mary Washington is a great school. It attracts a similar student as James Madison or Virginia Tech, but its real distinction is that it is much more cozy in size and has the feel of a LAC.

All the haters aside, Mary Washington is well respected by those who actually know colleges and universities. To pretend otherwise, simply because some meathead at a Sport Bar has never heard of it is silly.

It depends on who you know in the workforce really

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College name matters very little once you go to grad school.

Yup, but where you can get into grad school depends in part on where you went to college, so if you didn't go to a top 50 or 100 college, you can go to a low-rank grad school, rask up $300,000 in loans, and still keep your job at Au Bon Pain.

I'm the PP who went to Mary Washington and then Georgetown for grad school, and I certainly wasn't alone. Most of my peers went on to well-regarded grad schools as well. You really don't know what you're talking about.