<p>Hello all, I'm considering making W&M my college of choice for undergraduate education. I intend to pursue a major in IR. I've heard nothing but positive remarks about the school from current students and alumni.. well almost. Firstly, is the work load really barely manageable, even for someone who doesn't party or participates in EE's? Is achieving above a 3.5 really a near impossibility? Are the dorms bearable? </p>
<p>Thanks in advanced for your responses!</p>
<p>Well (I’m also a prospective student), from what I’ve heard, the work load is pretty hard, but entirely manageable, and even leaves you a fair chunk of time for EC’s! </p>
<p>I’ve also hard it’s rather difficult to maintain straight A’s, but maintaining a good GPA is also perfectly manageable as long as you study and do your work.</p>
<p>As for the dorms, well, I’ve visited, and though most of the dorms are efficient and nice, some of the freshman dorms are older buildings and lack AC. </p>
<p>The one that my tour group visited was unbearably hot (it was the middle of summer), and I was glad to know that students don’t live there in the summer. I’d never make it.</p>
<p>However, all the newer dorms have AC and are fairly nice. Upperclassmen have several different dorm opportunities.</p>
<p>Sadly, everything is decided by lots, so getting the nicer dorms depends on your number.</p>
<p>But I wouldn’t let the few dorms without AC dissuade you. </p>
<p>The campus is gorgeous and most of the buildings are really nice (at least from what I saw).</p>
<p>Anyway, this is all just my perception as a prospective student who has visited with interest toward the school.</p>
<p>I hope your final decision for top choice colleges comes to fruition! Best of luck! =)</p>
<p>For most people, it is relatively easy to get a pretty good gpa without doing more than an hour or two of work a day. Getting a higher or really high gpa is where it takes quite a bit more work, but it is still pretty reasonable. I really don’t think the workload is even close to being as hard as people make it out to be. Sure, I can churn out 8 hours of work a day + time spent in classes (10-11 hours), but that’s when I have big papers or exams; it’ll be like that everywhere.</p>
<p>I love the dorms, and most people do. Botetourt is a little questionable for Freshmen, but it’s in a really great location, and everyone bonds really well there, to the point that the smaller rooms don’t really matter anymore. Dorm life Freshman year has been without a doubt my favorite part of WM.</p>
<p>As a sophomore double majoring in IR and Enviro Policy, I expect to take a normal course load every year and study abroad at Oxford one semester and get well above a 3.5 gpa. I am extremely involved in ECs (its past midnight Sunday Night/Monday Morning and I’ve been in meetings since 7pm Sunday) - so there is definitely a lot of work, but it’s manageabal. I still get my weekends to relax :)</p>
<p>And the Profs really are amazing (and good cooks). The dorms are actually really nice. Some don’t have central AC, but its not hard to get a window unit for your room, and all the lounges have air, so the temperature isn’t bad during the first few weeks of school and the last week or so of Spring Semester. The dorm I’m in this year has a really huge plush lounge with the most comfortable couches and chairs you could imagine. I don’t go there to do readings because I would fall asleep they are so comfortable! The room is sizable and we have a large window despite being in the basement.</p>
<p>The opportunities at W&M are simply amazing too. The summer after my freshman year, I was doing research with a team of professors where much of what I did was the same as what a grad student at UMich was doing.</p>
<p>The buildings in Botetourt - where I’m currently living - are certainly not the best. They don’t have AC, which doesn’t matter most of the time. They are out of the way if you have classes on Old Campus, but they are close to the Caf. I still wouldn’t pick any other place to live, because I know everyone in the building and am really getting to know them which is impossible in Yates or Dupont. It’s cozy and we share our experiences with the cockroaches and humidity.</p>
<p>the workload is fine. You can choose to work as much as you want, honestly. You can go to class and hardly ever do your readings. You can skim your readings. You can read only before your exams. You can read before class, take notes on the reading, go to class, take notes on the lecture, then go to the library and combine your notes, and do research to fill in any holes that you missed. You can study some each day / review your notes. You can start studying a week+ before your exam. Or you can study the night before. It’s really up to you. I believe a 3.5 freshman year will put you in roughly the top 20% (based on the freshmen honor society numbers).</p>
<p>More than half of the undergrads at WM live on campus, so many students enjoy the dorm atmosphere.</p>