A curious question for "average" performing students looking to go to WM

Hello everyone! I was wondering about something and hoped to get some input from you regarding admission to WM. I am pretty new to the forums, but have been a longtime supporter of gaining resourceful information from College Confidential. In most of the posts that I have come across, it seems as though there are extremely high performing students who are looking to be admitted to WM, and this is great, but are there any average-performing students who have actually been accepted out there? And when I say “average”, I am comparing my students who are at the 3.7ish gpa range with an SAT score of 1200 (which to me is actually pretty darn great IMO) vs. the 4.something-ish gpa students with higher SAT scores who are seeking admission. If you are out there, or if anyone has any special advice or success stories to share, I’d love to hear from you! I am truly hoping that this amazing college looks beyond gpas and also focuses on the prospective student holistically, i.e. community involvement, student leadership, etc Thanks everyone!

I don’t have specific W&M admission examples, but use the 2019/20 common data set (CDS) to get a sense of the matriculated student stats. https://www.wm.edu/offices/ir/cds/index.php

W&M does have a holistic admission review, but GPA, rigor, and test scores are very important (section c7 of cds), along with essays and LoRs.

Class of 2023 W&M matriculants had a 4.27 average gpa (section c12). This number isn’t so meaningful given the variability of how high schools report gpas. Clearly W&M didn’t recalculate GPAs on a 4 pt scale. But many W&M successful applicants do tend to have high rigor, and more As than Bs in their academic records.

Regarding the freshman class SAT, mid 50% scores were 1320-1510 (C9). Many of the students below the 25%ile of 1320 will be hooked in some way(s): athletic recruit, URM, low SES, legacy, etc. Just under 6% of freshman had an SAT score below 1200.

W&M would be a reach for a student as you describe. In addition to a couple of reaches, make sure to have a college list that includes a handful of target/match schools, and at least one safety that is certain to be affordable that you would be happy to attend.

Thank you so much for your response Mwfan1921. It really helps to put things in perspective for me so that I can guide my particular student in the right direction. This particular student has an amazing leadership and community service background, is currently in early college, has had several AP courses, is an active member of several honor societies and has interviewed with WM, but it’s just that the GPA and SAT scores are lower than what I’ve been seeing. Oh! She is also a legacy. I was just hoping that there was a small percentage of folks out there that did not fit into that common mold and who were actually accepted, and you did share that with me. Thank you again for your help!

The College of William & Mary has a reputation for being academically intense.

@BeachLife4 If it helps at all, I applied ED1 in-state with a 3.6 UW gpa and a 1540 SAT score and I was deferred. I have taken 4 AP courses and do not have too many ECs, but I have great leadership, service, and outside job experience. I still hope to get in and I hope this helps you and your student out.

Academics are definitely demanding. Some high-stats students have a rough first semester because they are accustomed to being the smartest kid in the class without needing to study very much. I would say it’s maybe not a good match for a student who gets reasonably good grades in high school but has to work very hard for them.

Thank you so much @htsardi and @prodesse for your replies! This is so helpful. Also, @htsardi to me, your academic qualifications are AMAZING and I am wishing you all of the best. Do you have any idea about another college choice just in case?

In state? So many! Virginia students have probably the best range of in-state options in the country!

Over 40 years ago, I was a similar average student, with both SAT and GPA at the lower end for William and Mary, an OOS applicant, and was accepted and graduated with a higher GPA than high school. I was a first generation student and attended a rural high school. William and Mary was My dream school, following a family vacation to Williamsburg.

My parents were concerned that the academics would be too rigorous for me, since I was not a top student at my public high school. I worked hard, had a work study job, and had fabulous teachers who helped me excel and do my best.

Go for it!!!