<p>My daughter is starting to apply to colleges. She has a shot at W&M but doesn't want to consider it. She thinks that the work load is just a killer and intense pressure constantly. She says she doesn't want to live like that for another four years. She's got a point. What's the truth? She would probably major in psych.</p>
<p>My daughter had way more free time her freshman year than ever imagined. And she maintained a fantastic grade point average. Organization was the key....know your coursework and what is due and when. Very few of her friends were all study, no play. D2 is looking into colleges, as well. We are hoping to have two enrolled.</p>
<p>Honestly, it depends on, A) How intelligent she is, and B) What kind of GPA she would want.</p>
<p>If you are pretty intelligent, getting a 3.6 isn't terribly taxing, provided you budget your time properly. If you are on maybe the lower side of things intellectually it might take a lot of work to get even a 3.6</p>
<p>Secondly, if she's fine with a mid-3 or slightly higher GPA, then again, it shouldn't be 'intense pressure.' Once you start shooting for between a 3.8 and a 4.0 (over the course of 4 years), things start to get quite a bit more difficult, since you don't have much room to play with.</p>
<p>I've gotten two A-'s in my two years here, and it requires quite a bit of work to do so. Midterms and finals are not pleasant times, but the in-between stages aren't so bad, I have plenty of time to do whatever I please.</p>
<p>No offense but her intended major is not difficult. I am a rising senior at William and Mary. I too was a bit worried about the level of difficulty. I heard horror stories about William and Mary being like bootcamp. </p>
<p>WRONG! If you have the grades and SAT's and rigorous course load to get into William and Mary, you will be fine. I have to admit that I didn't really "hit my stride" until Sophomore year GPA wise. It took some time to balance the amount of studying I had to do with being social. Now I'm on the deans list and have a great time. I was not that stellar of an applicant either. But, I'm a stellar student there now!!!</p>
<p>I just love William and Mary! I can't believe how fast three years have gone by.</p>
<p>At William and Mary expectations often have to be adjusted. The longtime V-P of student affairs, Sam Sadler, had a routine he did with parents at orientation: “This” (holding up pinched fingers to show the top percentile of a high school class) becomes “THIS” (holding hands apart to show a wide grade distribution). (See Attitude</a> adjustment: “this” becomes “THIS” at wmparents.com) Regular classes at William and Mary have a wide distribution of grades from A’s and B’s to . . . well, those other grades. But most of the people in the class were at the very top of their high school classes. Therefore there are thousands of students every fall who get, their first semester, the lowest grades of their life. If they understand this and recognize that at William and Mary a B is a pretty good grade and C isn't awful, they do fine. Type-A students who have to achieve at the top of the class feel the pressure. For others, it doesn't seem that bad.</p>
<p>It's easy to pull off B's. Just turn in all the required work, do a decent job on it, and study for tests. </p>
<p>It's difficult in many classes to get A's, though if she enjoys what she's studying she should be able to get at least one or two a semester if she's trying. </p>
<p>Thus the question is, is she okay with a 3.0-3.3 GPA? if so, school shouldn't be stressful for her. Getting even in the 3.6 range is not stressful for someone who is very organized and manages their time properly.</p>
<p>School is most stressful for people who are disorganized and can't manage their time... because they end up having to stay up all night typing papers or studying for a test.</p>
<p>edit: also i've heard that psych is one of the easier majors. ;) fascinating stuff, though.</p>
<p>There's another point that, as a parent, you hope you won't have to deal with -- that your son or daughter may have all the ability to do the work but fall into substance abuse or other problems and simply not go to class. This can be serious, of course. I've heard that the William and Mary Counseling Center is very good in working with these students. There's something of a divide between Admissions and Counseling attitudes on all this. Admissions is hard-nosed about who gets in, and has to be given the quality of the applicant pool. Among those admitted, however, the College tries to help everyone succeed, and the Counseling Center is a major resource for those who struggle (including, by definition, some very bright young men and women). I've never seen any hint that William and Mary would just write off people who fall into behavioral problems.</p>
<p>there is not a single student at WM who can't handle the work. Period.</p>
<p>there is no pressure from other students, in my experience. When people are overly stressed out, they are stressed out b/c of the pressure that they put on themselves.</p>
<p>your daughter will have tons of free time.</p>
<p>Even if you go to class 4 hours a day, and study 4 hours a day, that still leaves 8 hours to hang out and do other things (assume 8 for sleeping).</p>
<p>The biggest thing you have to learn is... getting a C on an exam or paper is not the worst thing that could happen and will not ruin your future. Neither is a C on your transcript. Seriously, it doesn't matter that much.</p>
<p>Everyone else has already said all that needs to be said. If you get in, you can handle the workload. Your daughter will probably find her freshman year of college to be far easier than her senior year in high school.</p>
<p>In my experience, I've found that any drop in grades can usually be attributed to one of four things:
-Number of classes slept through (and believe me, with those 8:00 classes on the other side of campus, it's tempting sometimes)
-Number of Government courses taken with Clay Clemens
-Number of beers consumed in the average week
-Number of hours of Mario Kart played in the average week</p>
<p>But seriously, your daughter will be fine.</p>
<p>But, let's not forget, any decrease in happiness one experiences from an increase in the above 4 things is more than made up by the happiness one derives from experiencing it. Especially a class with Clay Clemens.</p>
<p>The "super-killer workload, no fun zone" is just a myth started by UVA students. W&M students are by and large serious about their work and it isnt Animal House by a long shot. But it isnt an overwhelming experience if you stay organized. If youre daughter is serious about schools, go visit and see for yourself.</p>
<p>My experience as a student at W&M was 25+ years ago, but my son is there now (2 years down, 2 to go). He does study quite a bit - a lot of reading (English/anthropology double major) - but also has time to spend 30-40 hours a week working on the Flat Hat, which is his real passion. So there is time for interests other than going to classes and studying, whether it's the newspaper, soccer, fraternity/sorority, or "just chillin'." </p>
<p>I do take issue, though, with the earlier post that suggested that a GPA below a 3.6 would be indicative of someone on the lower side of things intellectually. That is the sort of point of view that tends to ratchet up the pressure and stress on the vast majority of students who are bright and creative, work hard and are learning and growing, but don't have that particular skill that allows them to pull straight A's. I'm sure the poster was trying to be helpful but just expressed his/her view awkwardly.</p>
<p>Everyone who gets accepted to William & Mary is bright enough and capable enough to do the work, whether at a 2.01 GPA or a 3.99 GPA, or anything in between, and to have time to pursue whatever other interests that will round out their education. My son has the newspaper, I had the yearbook (that was back in the days when yearbooks were important), my fraternity brother Jon Liebowitz (Jon Stewart) pursued soccer and . . . what was her name? Dana? Donna? I know Liebo and I didn't graduate with 3.8 GPAs (I was happy to hit 3.0 -- okay, okay, not quite 3.0 but it rounds up to 3.0 and I graduated dead in the middle of the Class of '83). My son is learning and is happy and is getting what he needs between classes and the newspaper that he will be able to get into journalism. His GPA is better than mine ever was, but whether he finishes with a 3.28, 3.37 or 2.85 (okay, for the car insurance good student discount he needs to keep it over 3.0) is a minor concern. As Sam Sadler liked to demonstrate (BTW he was there when I was a student!), the fingers get further apart again after graduation. </p>
<p>Good luck - I hope you can get her to look at W&M. If it is the right fit for her, she will know just walking onto the campus.</p>
<p>I think the point I was trying to get at was a baseline of straight GPA before you factored in work, interest, etc. Almost everyone is capable of getting a high gpa, but a good majority have made a reasoned decision to spend their time doing other things, be it extra curricular activities, sports, or sleeping.</p>
<p>Before it gets too politically correct, it is a fact that there are going to be more and less intelligent people, and I find it hard to believe anyone would argue it would be just as easy for a less intelligent person to do well as it would for a very intelligent person.</p>
<p>My daughter picked WM because she wanted to be challenged and she is but not overwhelmed. She has plenty of time for her sorority and other clubs.</p>
<p>I think it's great that there isn't grade inflation at WM. These kids are learning that an A is for perfect work. Most kids that were 4.0 students in high school do not have a 4.0 at WM....welcome to the real world.</p>
<p>Most of my daughters friends say their colleges aren't any harder than high school. All of the schools have excellent reputations. So if your daughter doesn't want to work harder than high school there are plenty of other schools.</p>
<p>It's all about fit. She will find the school that right for HER. My daughter loves WM and couldn't see herself at any other school.</p>
<p>Good Luck!!</p>