Academic challenge, happiness of students

<p>ive heard from numerous people that visited and whatnot that william and mary is very academically greuling and intense and the students overall are not entirely happy. can anyone else comment on this? agree/disagree etc..</p>

<p>Okay, they visited and whatnot - but if the “whatnot” doesn’t include attending, I wouldn’t put much faith in their comments. Yes, there’s a lot of work at W & M - and at pretty much every comparable institution, and even at lesser institutions. It shouldn’t be easy to earn a college degree, should it? W & M’s average GPA for all students was 3.26 in 2008; that means people have to exert themselves for an A.</p>

<p>The academics may be intense, but I wouldn’t call them grueling. W & M students are smart people who, for the most part, know how to work hard and don’t mind doing so. Not a bad formula for success. My kids have noted an appreciable cooperative sense on campus regarding academics - it’s not a cut-throat atmosphere.

Well, it’s the word “entirely” that makes it tough, isn’t it? You won’t find entirely happy students anywhere. W & M’s freshman retention rate was 94%, per the most recent common data set. I’m sure there are unhappy students on campus, and some who have a tough time with the workload. But the clear majority is happy enough to keep coming back for more. :)</p>

<p>W&M is a top-50 college of our country. I would be upset if the academics were not tough.</p>

<p>There is a sufficient workload, but like frazzled1 said it is college after all. In terms of cut-throat, a cut-throat mentality does not exist at WM. I never took one class there that was graded on a curve whereas in law school people are competing directly against each other for class ranking based on the curve system. I’ve read where WM gives out something like 33% grades in the A and A- range, 38% in the B+ B B- range (these are near approximations of what I remember on my transcript). At my law school the people who actually get A’s and A-'s are around 15%, while the number in the B+ and B range is around 25%. That’s a huge difference from my WM undergrad experience. I had fun at WM, did the work when it needed to be done, and did well grade-wise. Looking back, I would say that WM could be challenging, there was a good amount of work at times, A’s did not come easy there, and I’m certain the standards were higher than many colleges - But fewer times did I feel the kind of pressure that is constant in law school. The only times I felt anxiety at WM were if I had 4 term papers to write or perhaps final exam time which is natural for most people. Be positive - many have come before you and succeeded, some with markedly less ability than you.</p>

<p>W&M is one of the best schools in the country, and unlike some of the schools that it is ranked with (and are ranked higher), W&M earns its ranking from the undergrad education, and not from grad schools. W&M professors prioritize teaching a lot more than many comparable schools.</p>

<p>Classes can be difficult, and A’s can be hard to get sometimes.</p>

<p>I don’t think it’s fair to say that W&M students aren’t happy. W&M students demand a lot from themselves, and participate in activities that sometimes put a strain on their time for schoolwork, which can result in grades that are lower than they would’ve liked, which can result in complaining. Most W&M students leave high school with GPAs near 4.0, and they can freak out sometimes if they get a ‘C’ on something.</p>

<p>As was already pointed out, W&M has excellent freshmen retention rate, so they are doing something right. But, generally, when you are studying for a test, you are “not happy” and when you have free time and chill with your friends, you are “happy”. There are definitely stressful times in the semester, mostly during midterms and finals.</p>

<p>I don’t think it’s fair to say that W&M students are “not happy” on the whole.</p>

<p>This is a common myth told by UVa & Tech kids every year. Its not Animal House but it is a lot of fun. Thats why apps have almost doubled over the past 10 years.</p>

<p>My daughter is transferring as a sophomore and is trying to decide which to attend. Yes, Richmond is more expensive, but all things being equal, which is the better choice? We are from the Northeast. Thank you all!</p>

<p>If she isn’t getting money from Richmond, go to WM no contest.</p>

<p>if i was in that position i would choose william and mary</p>

<p>Actually, as an overeager mother, I am putting the cart before the horse (and being the eternal hopeful optimist). She is still on the W&M waitlist but has firm acceptance at Richmond. I have paid the non-refundable deposit but, if she is accepted at W&M, I want to be sure it would be the best choice.</p>

<p>One of the problems with Bethlehem, PA is that the students are pretty much trapped on campus in a bad neighborhood and the once concert venue, while excellent, focuses on the community and is too expensive for most students to attend. Lehigh’s reputation as a hard work/hard play school is deserved, and that scene got very old, very quickly.</p>

<p>I am keeping fingers, eyes, toes, etc. crossed.</p>