Hello!
I am a high school senior who was admitted to W & M out of state, and it is currently one of my top choices. I really love history and loved the school when I visited. I have heard, however, that the school is very academically rigorous, and there can be a lot of pressure on students. I was wondering if any current students or parents could speak to that and how the academics felt to them?
Thank you so much!
Hey, congrats on getting in! I’m a freshman at W&M, and I’m only one person, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I’m happy to answer any questions.
Yes, William and Mary is a difficult school and professors might not curve as much as they do at other institutions. You’ll definitely have to work harder than you did in high school, and if you were a straight-A (or close to it) student, DO NOT expect that at W&M; it’s certainly possible, but not easy. This is an extremely intelligent student body, and the average GPA is around 3.2. In my opinion, a lot of the stress comes from people used to getting top-notch grades in high school, only to realize that it’s very hard to do so here.
That being said, I love it here and definitely don’t think the academic pressure is as bad as the reputation would have you believe. I think the school tends to attract a lot of high-strung individuals, so some of the pressure is internal rather than applied by the college. There is a good mix of different people, though. There’s probably a higher proportion of high-strung students here than in other colleges, but you’ll find plenty of the more relaxed, laid-back type, as well as every other type of person.
Additionally, my professors have been great, thoughtful, and happy to help whenever I need some. This can really take away some of the stress.
So if you plan on coming here, be prepared to work hard, expect some missteps and lower-than-expected grades here and there, and keep everything in perspective; one bad grade isn’t the end of the world! If you’re able to do all that, I think you’ll have a great time here. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Good luck and go Tribe!!
Thank you so much! 
That was super helpful and informative.
Sure thing, let me know what you decide on!