A Good Fit?

<p>Hi.</p>

<p>I stumbled upon Mary Washington a couple of nights ago. I was wondering if any current or former students (or parents of students) could give me an idea of what the school is like.</p>

<p>A little bit about myself: I'm a student from northern New Jersey. I'm looking at a bunch of private liberal arts colleges, but almost all are out of my price range. I've been trying to find some affordable schools that offer the courses I'm interested in. I intend to major in political science and go into law. I have a 3.5 weighted GPA and an 1890 SAT super-score. I'm interested in going to a relatively small school where I won't get lost in the crowd. I'm also interested in a school that has difficult, but not impossible courses. Is Mary Washington a good fit for me? What about Fredericksburg? I've heard it has some serious crime problems. And do students at UMW have access to internships in Washington?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>Hi Stumpted,
My daughter is a junior at UMW. I will try to be as honest as I can. The campus is beautiful…probably one of the most beautiful campuses we have ever seen. The professors for the most part have been wonderful. If you put a little effort in getting to know them, they are more than happy to get to know you. My daughter is a poli sci and english major. Her classes have been very challanging. It is said the UMW is easy to get into, but very hard to stay into. This is very true. The professors expect alot from their students and the students need to realize that. UMW is a very well known school in the DC area. Internships are available for those that want them. My daughter was between UMW and American when she was making her final decision. Obviously, American is well known and in the heart of DC. I have asked her if she has ever regretted her decision…her answer…NO. I don’t think that the education that she would have received at American would have been any better. I think that UMW offers a wonderful education for a very reasonable price. At the very least you should consider it.</p>

<p>If you look at the Common Data Set for UMW ([University</a> of Mary Washington | 2009 Common Data Set](<a href=“http://www.umw.edu/iae/institutional_research1/cds/2009_common_data_set.php]University”>http://www.umw.edu/iae/institutional_research1/cds/2009_common_data_set.php)), your stats are definitely in the ballpark–the average GPA is 3.58, and the 75th percentile for the SAT is 1900.</p>

<p>A good way to find out what’s happening on campus is to read the student newspaper, The Bullet ([The</a> Bullet ? The University of Mary Washington Student Newspaper](<a href=“http://umwbullet.com%5DThe”>http://umwbullet.com)).</p>

<p>My son is in his second year at UMW, and he’s happy there.</p>

<p>I’m applying to UMW as well. I have a 32 Combined ACT and a 3.4 unweighted gpa. What are the chances that I qualify for some merit aid? I couldn’t find any specific scholarship requirements on their website. Also, what do you know about UMW’s biology program? Thanks for any help you can offer!</p>

<p>My son had stats similar to yours and received $1000, but lost it after the first year because he didn’t maintain a 3.0 GPA. Make sure you apply before January 15 so you can be considered for honors admission–it doesn’t guarantee merit aid, but you may have a better chance of getting it. I think most financial aid is need-based.</p>

<p>My son didn’t take biology, so I can’t help you there.</p>

<p>Do not let the “Sticker price” at private LAC<code>s scare you away. My son also applied and was accepted at Mary Washington but decided to attend Hamilton College in NY. The FA package from Mary Washington compared to Hamilton was like night and day,it would of cost me about 15k more per year to send him to MWU. The same held true for Washington & Lee, Haverford, and Union College.There is alot of aid being offered by plenty of private LAC</code>s.</p>

<p>Good point. Mary Washington is an outstanding value for Virginia residents. For those from out of state–not so much. Need-based aid for OOS is generally limited to loans; I don’t know about merit aid.</p>