Hi I have been wondering what is the environment like at the College of William and Mary and how would it differ from school such as UVA, other than the size difference.
Also here are my stats what do you guys think I have a chance on getting into either school (I know it doesn’t have everything but here is just a rough outline)
SAT: 1950 (CR+M=1350)
SATII: Math Level 2 760 Biology M 650
Rank/GPA: School doesn’t tell tell fall of senior year
Classes: Mostly AP and Honors courses
Are you a Virginia resident? Look at the Common Data Set for these schools to see how you compare to admitted students - Section C. Example for W&M: https://www.wm.edu/offices/ir/documents/cds/cds_1415_part_c.pdf
Without knowing your class rank or GPA, its hard to get a good read. Does your school do Naviance? That would help. Just based on your SAT, W&M looks like a reach if you are in-state (and unlikely if you are OOS). But a 4.0 and top of your class might change that - especially if you significantly raise your test score on a retake.
To get a feel for what a school is like, pick up a few college guides and read up. That will give you a good overview.
Finally, if you want recs for other schools, it would be good to know more about what you are looking for, what you can afford, what you plan to study, etc…
@N’sMom I thought they just look at CR and Math and the average score was about 1260 to 1400 so I am in that range so shouldn’t I be good? Also, I am a instate student and I plan to study Biology in college. What college guides would you recommend?
Fiske’s Guide.
And go and visit both UVA and W&M; that should tell you what you need to know about their respective environments.
The problem with the middle 50% stats are that they don’t tell you how many applicants within that range the school rejected. And it’s often going to be many times the number who were accepted and enrolled.
Google their Common Data Set, look at section C7.
Just fyi, schools (including selective ones like W&M) generally want a well-rounded class. That means some kids are athletes, some are musicians, some volunteer/organize in their communities, some are artistic…it doesn’t mean that everyone does all of that, although lots of people dabble in lots of things as they try to figure out what excites and interests them - or they enjoy hanging with the people who do a particular activity, which is reason enough to do anything. And yes, there are always a few people who manage to really excel in more than one area of ECs and still have top grades/test scores - but that is not the norm nor is it required. In other words, if you are a good athlete, you don’t have to do volunteer work - unless its a graduation requirement for your school - but you can if you want to.
And yes, Erin’s Dad is right: The Common Data Set, Section 7, is your friend.
generally W&M is VERY holistic in its acceptances. My son Just graduated and in meeting his roomates/friends over the last 4 years I have seen so many different individuals and non you can say is the W&M “type” as you can at many other schools… That said they are all extremely intelligent and VERY mature, when you first meet and talk with them you would never think they are only 18 as freshmen.