<p>I am a Junior with a 3.7. Freshman year was different for me because I didn't have to work very hard in highschool...............I had to learn how to manage my time and study more efficiently. However, as I mentioned before, I hit my stride and get mostly A's now. I am in the business school and take a lot of really hard classes. William and Mary is tough, no doubt. You would not have been admitted if you didn't have the potential to do well here. I have a full social life as well.</p>
<p>"does your orientation info still say the average freshmen gpa is 2.9?"</p>
<p>I don't remember. My orientation info is in my dorm and I'm still at home on winter break. If I remember to check for you when I go back, I'll post it.</p>
<p>That sounds about right, Datkid. Don't be afraid of the course load at William and Mary.</p>
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does your orientation info still say the average freshmen gpa is 2.9?
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<p>The most recent year I've found stats for is 2005, when the cumulative GPA was 3.2.</p>
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Malvenuto - wow. You're obviously exceptionally bright. Am I reading you correctly - did you miss a significant number of classes in all your courses?
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<p>I only missed 3 philosophy classes, and only after a significant tragedy in November I had trouble dealing with, but I missed a lot of my other classes consistently through the semester. </p>
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I realize that few college students will/care to achieve perfect attendance. Still, the faculty at W & M is one of its outstanding assets. It's hard to understand why a student would choose to limit attendance so drastically, even at in-state tuition rates - and especially when the student is at least "somewhat interested" in all his/her classes.
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<p>Well, it comes down to two things. It's much easier for me to learn from books and from working out problems on my own. I also lack a regular sleep schedule. Half the week my roommates and I wouldn't end up going to bed until 6 AM. Waking up 2 hours later, it's difficult to get out of bed, even for my very exciting 9AM chem class.</p>
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Is it possible that your physics and math courses were subjects you also covered in high school?
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<p>Physics, sort of. I took IBH physics in high school, but that only gives credit for "Physics for the Life Sciences." I'm a chem major, so I needed to take 101-102. There are a few new topics, like rotational motion, but mostly it's a waste of time, which is why I never went. </p>
<p>Never did linalg before, but I've been told it's the easiest math class offered beyond joke classes like powered flight, and my professor's lectures were all straight from the book, with the added bonus of a thick Russian accent.</p>
<p>Foundations of Math was all pretty much new, and hard, but it was early in the morning. I did not get into the section with the better professor, either.</p>
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I actually think that's a good idea for kids who graduate with AP credit, especially in the sciences. I hope my youngest d will do that next year, to at least get her first semester off to a strong start.
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<p>It probably is, GPA wise, but it can also be boring, which can in turn affect GPA. One of my roommates took Calc II again instead of starting with linalg or multivar, and ended up with a B-. He took Modern Physics his first semester, something only one other freshman attempted, and got an A-.</p>
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with the added bonus of a thick Russian accent
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Hey, my daughter had the same guy! Unless there are two who fit that description - and, from my d's experience, I hope there aren't. She has advised her younger sister to avoid him at all costs. Since the incoming freshman will be a history major, maybe that won't be too hard to do.</p>
<p>Thanks for the additional info, and congrats on a great GPA. :)</p>
<p>What was the name of this Russian professor?</p>
<p>Most students who get in to William and Mary find freshman year to be easier than senior year of H.S. 100 and 200-level intro courses aren't that tough, and even at a challenging school like W&M you have to really slack off to do poorly. You'll probably be taking intro courses almost exclusively for at least your first semester, if not your first year.</p>
<p>Once you hit sophomore and junior year and start taking all 300 and 400-level courses, the workload increases dramatically. (Unless you take a government course with Clay Clemens. Then be prepared to study your behind off even if it is an intro course.) But by the time you reach the intermediate and advanced courses, you should have already zeroed in on something that interests you, so it shouldn't be a problem.</p>