After being accepted to both UVA and William and Mary, I don’t know how to decide (May 1 is fast approaching!). I have visited both schools, and was a little put off by my experiences at both places. At W&M, which I was told was the land of bookworms, a lot of people in the third-year small class I sat in on seemed disengaged (on their phones, on facebook, etc.) - not much class discussion for a philosophy seminar. Probably an exception, but it gave me pause, as I’m considering a philsophy major. I honestly found a similar vibe at times when I visited UVA (a lot of people said they had never been to the library, or otherwise weren’t super engaged in academics).
I don’t want to be a pretentious tool, but can anyone advise on this? I want to be social wherever I go, but learning and feeling/being engaged is really important to me. I would love to meet a variety of different types of people, but I’d also hope to find like-minded people I can really talk to (I like politics, space/astronomy, the arts, activism, etc.).
I am also really into music, so I loved Charlottesville for its scene and band-forming potential. W&M seemed to have less of that. Having a spiritual (as opposed to religiously affiliated) community is also important to me, as exploring different philosophies and theologies is something I’m looking forward to in college, what with the massive library resources. Does anyone have any insight on this? I guess I’m trying to figure out which place will be better for growth, connection, and exploration in all areas, not just academic or just social.