Hi everyone –
Just last year I was in the same stressful position of the waiting game for college admissions. I am currently a freshman at the college and would love to answer any questions y’all may have. This can be anything from admissions to student life to whatever you can imagine. Hope I can help
Thanks for your offer to answer questions. What is your major? What are your favorite things about W&M? Least favorite? What do you wish you had known last year at this time?
Currently undecided but leaning toward Economics or the Business School. William and Mary has made the transition to college incredibly easy. A lot of support is put into place for readying you next year. From the first week I met the most incredible friends and they also made the adjustment to college awesome. The best thing is the sense of community you instantly gain. You can walk from class to class and see 20+ people you know and can strike a conversation up. I don’t think you could get that at a Virginia Tech or even UVA. Least favorite thing: If I would have prepared for the increased rigor from high school. Definitely not impossible but takes some adjustment to the testing format and finals week. Keep up the handwork and hope to see you next year!!!
@LLE2015 I’ve been accepted under early decision, and I’m hoping to major in Marketing. Will you apply to the business school at the end next year? And is it difficult to apply/be accepted into the program you want?
@alison16 Yes i will apply next year, possibly in the fall because of credits. But you must have met the pre req requirements before you can apply. (These being calc, stats, micro, macro, and accounting). Once you have done that you are free to apply whenever. Applying to the Business school is a competitive process as well and from what I’m told it is slightly difficult to get in. So best of luck to you
Hi! I just got accepted today. I’m curious about the social atmosphere at WM. I applied because I want a rigorous college experience and I want to be around people that care about their academics. That is, obviously, WM’s reputation. That being said, I do like going out and like to drink and party sometimes and would like that as an option. What has been your experience with this balance? Will I be judged for liking those things at WM? Thanks!
^^ bump!
Also, are you involved in Greek life and if so, what’s that like? I’ve heard that Greek life at W&M is a lot more chill and inclusive than at other schools (UVa, for example). Is that true?
Thanks for starting this thread, great idea!
What is the social like like at W&M? What do students do for fun? Are there activities during the week or mostly on weekends?
Hey, thought I’d throw in some input (can’t hurt to have a couple opinions).
@Beatofopinion You definitely will not be judged for being interested in alcohol. People are generally fine with whatever decisions you make (within reason, of course). The school for sure has an “academics-first” reputation, but plenty of people like to party on the weekends.
@xcgal17 I’m not involved in Greek life, but I’ve been to some parties and events. It’s probably more lax than some of the big southern schools, but it’s not completely inclusive. During rush week you’ll be able to get in practically everywhere, but after that it gets tougher to find a party (if you’re a guy, that is. If you’re a girl you’ll probably get in; this is true pretty much everywhere, I imagine). You’ll still be able to find a lot of open parties, or you might be close with someone in a frat, which would be your ticket in. But there will definitely be some weekends when you won’t be able to find a party if you’re not in Greek life.
@PAO2008 The social life is good. Colonial Williamsburg is always a good option if you want to take a walk with friends, and places like Busch Gardens are pretty popular. From what I’ve heard, night life (bars/clubs) can leave something to be desired. But if you’re not expecting a big state-school social life atmosphere, you’ll probably have a good time.
Feel free to message me if you guys have any other questions!
P.S. I’m a freshman and I’m only one person, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Everyone has different experiences.
Are there any issues of grade deflation? I have seen a couple of references to that. Thanks!
Otherwise know as less-of-grade-inflation-than-peers.
^ :>)
There probably is less grade inflation here than comparable schools, but it isn’t significantly less.
Hey how is the food like at W&M? I heard that it’s pretty bad but that was from reviews made a while ago. How is it like now? Are there a lot of healthy options?
I wouldn’t say the food is bad, but it’s not great. It’s fine though, and there are always salad bars, vegan options, etc.
@NickP96 Thanks for responding! How are the dorms?
@gq2016 no problem! Dorms are alright as well. A lot of freshman dorms don’t have AC and some can be sort of out-of-the-way, but the campus isn’t all that big so it isn’t too much of an issue. You won’t hear anyone lauding W&M housing, but the dorms are fine.
Since I have some free time, I thought I’d also take a stab at some of the questions in this thread so far:
@jedm417 Favorite thing about William & Mary: the community is amazing, the people here are some of the most passionate, caring, and intellectual people I have met. They are the people you can have 2 am philosophical conversations as well as are the ones that will support you in your times of need. There’s a “spark” that you can find among the students that is hard to describe, but you’ll know once you meet them. Least favorite thing about W&M: I do wish there were more surrounding cities or mountains closer by to venture of into, sometimes you just wanna get out of the college bubble and explore the real world a bit. What I wish I knew: Apply to the PLUS program if you get accepted. During the summer before you come here you get to go on escapades into Busch Gardens, DC trips, social outings, network with professors, get inside-tips on research/resources, for completely free. It’s a great experience.
@alison16 I was just accepted into the business school. Marketing is the most competitive majors to get into due to its popularity, but even if you don’t get in as a major you can always reapply or enter as a minor. Plus many people don’t officially choose until after their foundation semester, so you can always change it later. They haven’t released official estimates but I think about half the people that apply get into the b-school. Perhaps this is just because I have really high-achieving friends, but all of them that I knew that applied were able to get into the program they wanted.
@PAO2008 There’s always so much happening on campus. Many events do happen on the weekends, but there is a great deal going on during the week as well. These can range from comedy shows, dodgeball tournaments, sunset paddling, NERF gun battles, rock climbing trips, movie showings, culture nights, sports games, and anything you can think of. There are student-led committees that plan events, but also many club organizations that host things open to the entire campus. On many days, there are multiple events that I am interested in, so I actually have to pick and choose between them, while setting time aside for my responsibilities.
@xcgal17 Greek life is more relaxed here than at other schools. I think it’s one of the reasons why I have met people that I would have never expected to be in Greek Life as members. Most students are involved in many other things besides their Greek organization. Parties are less open after the rush period, but if you are good friends with members you can still get invites to events. That said, it is certainly not the only source of social activities either. Many clubs host social events including parties or mixers and even have their own bigs and littles systems as well. One of my favorites this past year was a mixer with the Salsa Dance Club and the Cheese Club dubbed Salsa con Queso.
@beatofopinion You will not be judged if you like going out and partying, just like you will likely not be judged if you choose not to partake in such activities. Actually a good amount of campus does it, more than how some on these forums would have you believe. That said, this is not a school where you will likely find people that many people going out in the middle of the week and even the people that go all out at parties likely take school seriously.
All other answers NickP96 pretty much summed it up pretty nicely.