Ask a current freshman!

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of William and Mary
1

<p>Hi everyone - </p>

<p>I used to lurk at CC a lot this time last year. I remember being utterly lost most of the time, reading people's "CHANCE ME!!!1" threads and telling myself "oh my god, I don't have a chance!" Ugh, couldn't have been more wrong! </p>

<p>Please, ask away! I'll try and answer questions to the best of my knowledge. I want to help - really, all I wanted to do over fall break was go to my high school and run into all the classrooms and convince the class of 2009 to consider W&M and to come stay with me so I could show them what an amazing school this is. </p>

<p>A little background: </p>

<ul>
<li>I'm in state, white, female, family is fine financially, applied regular decision</li>
<li>Father got his MBA from W&M</li>
<li>Graduated 6th from my high school with a 4.6 weighted GPA, by my calculations it'd be about a 3.8 unweighted</li>
<li>Took a grand total of 5 AP classes in my entire high school career (APUS (4), government (4), french lang (5), calc (3) and environmental science(5)), everything else was honors level if and when available</li>
<li>SATs (including writing) was a 'terrible' 2040, out of 1600 it was a 1430</li>
<li>President of French Honor Society</li>
<li>Member of Nat'l Honor Society</li>
<li>Member of Mu Alpha Theta (math honor society)</li>
<li>French club officer senior year, member f/s/j</li>
<li>Hosted French exchange students twice, traveled once</li>
<li>Special High School Fellow at University of Richmond</li>
<li>Competitive horseback riding since age of 8</li>
<li>Brief volunteering stint at hospital (despised it, not gonna lie) </li>
</ul>

<p>I was accepted into the class of 2012! (I was also accepted to UVa, Washington and Lee and JMU.) </p>

<p>I live in the best dorm on campus if I do say so myself. I hope to major in French and possibly education but probably will end up doing business. I am on the equestrian team and I work for an online publication. I also am in a sorority on campus, something I would never have done were I anywhere else. (I would love to expand on W&M greek life and campus life in general for anyone interested!! Food too! I'm a hugely picky eater and the dining services here have definitely impressed me.) </p>

<p>Please, ask away. I'll keep it bookmarked and check it often. I hesitate to chance anyone, because from what I've read on here, I feel completely outshone by y'all. I had decent essays (the plight of the southpaws, the world of horseback riding - both humorous), shining recs, and great grades and came from a great public high school, but you all are impressive and one random person's opinion should not in any way stop you from applying here!!! TAKE THE CHANCE!!! It's worth it.</p>

2

<p>I'm really glad that you posted your stats because I have two specific questions!</p>

<p>First, I rode horses for years up until 8th grade when I had to stop because of time issues. I'm really interested in getting back into it at college--not at a competitive level, just because I really miss it. Is it possible to get involved in the equestrian program without competing on the team?</p>

<p>Second, I am really undecided on whether or not I want to join a sorority in college. Why did you join one at W&M but wouldn't have at another school?</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

3

<p>D very interested in W & M but discouraged from applying because of lack of merit scholarships. Any thoughts?</p>

4

<p>
[quote]
D very interested in W & M but discouraged from applying because of lack of merit scholarships. Any thoughts?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well, it's true, there've been rumors of merit scholarship sightings, but I'm beginning to think they belong in snopes as simply an urban legend. W&M is a small, state-supported school with a correspondingly small endowment - the way I see it, merit scholarships benefit very few, and have no real "return" to the school or the rest of the students. At the same time, there are plenty of opportunities to invest $$ in projects that will benefit all of the students, such as new science and business facilities, research programs, and so on. WIth limited budgets, I think the school tends to favor the latter. </p>

<p>The way I look at it as that if you're in-state, then the difference between your costs and what a similar private school are far greater than what any merit scholarship would provide. In my view, W&M's "merit" scholarships aren't found in tuition reductions, but in the small classes, quality of instruction, and quality of life. There are also significant numbers of undergrad research positions, including paid summer positions in many departments, experiences (and sometimes a stipend) that generally aren't as available as at other schools. </p>

<p>There is (it's alleged) more $$ for out-of-state students, but still, no one would ever say its "generous". In addition to merit aid offers, there are three primary "honors" programs that can provide some form of aid, either direct or indirect:</p>

<p>The Murray Scholars program is very competitive (around 5 per incoming class), and is applied for directly - I believe for an OOS student, a Scholar pays in-state tuition; while an in-state student pays none. </p>

<p>The William and Mary Scholar program provides 20-25 students a four-year scholarship for tuition - this isn't exactly an "honors" program, it's used to encourage enrollment of a student who'll bring some unique talent or experience to the university, so a perfect SAT won't do it.</p>

<p>Monroe scholarships provide research funding for students, ($1000/$3000) and is awarded to around 5-10% of the incoming classes, and isn't a separate application; it's not used to defray tuition, but instead funds a Freshman summer research project ($1000) and $3000 for another summer research project, each of the students own design and topic. </p>

<p>hope this helps.</p>

5

<p>Squiddy - thanks for the posts - I appreciate the detail. I get the need for other programs/buildings, just frustrated because my d is a very top student (although I'm sure all the kids there are super) and will likely get other merit offers, but really likes W & M.
We're like many families - caught between enough to get by (barely) but not enough to afford private oos tuition. Enjoy your time there - I think a lot of the school.</p>

6

<p>Justaddbling - You're in luck! You can get involved with riding either way, and to be honest, the only real difference between team and club is just the shows. Either way, you ride once a week - our trainer arranges lessons based on your schedule/someone being able to drive/skill level. Our program just moved to Carlton Farms which is about 5-10 minutes away. (It's directly across from the Jamestown settlement, if you know the area.) Team and club members ride together, too. Also, several new members to the team this year also haven't ridden in 5, 10 years, so you CAN be on the team if you want to. We have 4 shows a semester: two at Goucher in MD, our home show on November 2nd, and one at the University of Richmond on the 9th. </p>

<p>As for your other question, it really comes down to the fact that Greek life at W&M is a lot different - nothing like the TV show!! It's not stereotypical in the least, and it's not something you have to do in order to have a life on campus. (Whereas, for example, at W&L, it wouldn't have been a choice.) I believe we're 30% greek, so it's a presence but not overwhelming at all, and it's not an exclusive thing either. I'm still great friends with the girls on my hall, even though we're all in different sororities. It's as much or as little time as you want to commit, and you get that much and more back out of it. </p>

<p>What I would recommend, if you end up coming to W&M, is to go through the recruitment process (aka rush). It spans 2 weekends, and the first weekend is free. If you want to keep going onto the second weekend, it's $25; if you don't, you can try it again in the spring or your sophomore year. (More than half of my pledge class were sophomores.) It's a great system, designed to give you a pretty good feel from those first two/three days whether or not the idea of being in a sorority still appeals to you. </p>

<p>I've personally found that everyone is very down to earth, but that's not surprising - at the end of the day, we're all W&M students! It's a FABULOUS way to make a whole set of new friends, even if having to memorize 92 new names is a little daunting. (I still don't know them all.) It makes it impossible for me to go anywhere on campus without seeing someone I know, which is really nice in my opinion. </p>

<p>I can keep going on that subject if you want - I'm just trying to tone down the enthusiasm, hahaha.</p>

7

<p>There is (it's alleged) more $$ for out-of-state students, but still, no one would ever say its "generous".>>></p>

<p>I'm not sure what constitutes "generous," but DD had a $8K grant per year as an out-of-state student. We moved and she became in-state, so it was taken away, but it was part of the original financial aid package.</p>

8

<p>We found that as OOS the financial aid was very true to our FAFSA numbers. Starting with max amount on Stafford loans, then work study, then grant. But those amounts added up to meet around 75-80% of need. I'm not surprised that a grant was taken out after becoming instate. I'd take instate costs any day of the week!</p>

9

<p>Thanks so much LoveinPPR!
I am applying ED and am extremely excited. Your insight about riding and Greek life at W&M has made me really eager to find out whether or not I'm in. Thanks again!</p>

10

<p>loveinPPR: Curious as to why you applied to Wash. & Lee when you don't like sororities, yet realized that it would be a social necessity if you attended W & L?</p>

11

<p>ColdWind:
Sorry - I don't mean to give the impression that I dislike sororities! I wouldn't have rushed if that was the case! </p>

<p>I applied to W&L because it has a great reputation for really strong academics. I liked the campus, its location, and along with that and their honor code and traditions, I felt like it could be a really neat place to be. HOWEVER, upon my arrival at the accepted students' day, I just realized that it was not where I saw myself. </p>

<p>I was well aware from the start that, if I went there, I'd be going Greek if I wanted to do much of anything, but that wasn't a deciding issue - I would have been fine with it, especially the part where you get to live in a huge house with a personal chef! It was moreso just the feel I got from the people themselves, the (in my opinion, too) small size, and the professors that turned me off from the school. </p>

<p>Hmm - I'm not sure if I totally answered your question. Let me know. </p>

<p>Justaddbling:
I'm excited for you! I'll be sure to have my fingers crossed for you on - eek, December 1st, is it?</p>

12

<p>loveinppr - what was it about the W &L professors that turned you off? my daughter is also looking strongly at w&l - and we can't visit until she finds out about$$ thanks</p>

13

<p>miltonmom - Sent you a pm!</p>