<p>W&M is his first choice, but I worry that being a public school during state budget tightness means that dorms, food and facilities are sub par compared to private schools (Rice, Tufts, Colgate). We are out of state so we'll be paying about the same amount of money if he went private. Many dorms have no air conditioning, not all have cleaning services, food has been rated fairly low on other college sites ... should we be concerned? Can you tell me honestly about W&M's dorms, food and facilities? Are they worth the money we will be paying?</p>
<p>Hi YPTmom,
Our D is a freshman at W&M – so she’s been there just a couple of weeks now. </p>
<p>We are also out-of-state and were concerned about the lack of air conditioning in some dorms, since our daughter has never lived without it even up here in MA. My daughter was assigned to ‘Green & Gold Village’ – which has no air conditioning and a reputation for being less desirable housing (probably because it was frat housing prior to this year). Neither she nor her roommate had ‘medical need’ for an air conditioner, so all we could do was set her up with a big box fan in one of the windows and a smaller desk fan that she can direct where needed. The GOOD news is the heat really hasn’t been an issue and the ‘Village’ is probably the best place she could have wound up. </p>
<p>William & Mary did right by the incoming ‘Village’ freshman – their dorm rooms had all new furniture (wardrobe/nightstand/bed/desk/dresser) – AND they added new air-conditioning to the Green & Gold lounges – which gives the kids a place where it’s cool to socialize and escape the heat if necessary. The rooms and hall baths were immaculate when the kids moved in. (I’m pretty sure the common spaces are cleaned regularly – not sure what you’re referencing about no cleaning services - maybe the frats or sorority houses?). Plus the village is very convenient to the Rec Center (which is a gorgeous facility if you haven’t seen it) and Cafe. My D is very happy with her housing.</p>
<p>Both my kids are health conscious and were particularly concerned about the food choices at the schools we visited. My S is a sophomore at a school whose campus food is ranked very highly (4th or 5th I think) and he enjoyed their food at the beginning, but by midway through 1st year was complaining that meals were repetitive. So far my daughter has been enjoying the food at W&M – finding enough to choose from and a couple meals that she thought were ‘so good’! After just 2 weeks, though it’s hard to know whether that assessment will hold. . . </p>
<p>My daughter looked at many schools (including Tufts and Colgate – but not Rice!) before choosing W&M. In the end what made the difference for her was a longer visit to each of her top two potential schools. She shadowed a student for a day at W&M (visiting her classes/dorm room and lunching w/her) and sat in on a class and ate in the cafe w/students at the other school. In addition, we went back to just walk around both campuses in the evening, after classes, to get a more candid feel for the dynamics on campus. There was so much friendly positive energy at W&M, for her it was no contest. </p>
<p>Good Luck to your son in his decision!!</p>
<p>Thank you so much! I’m glad to hear all of this. Very reassuring. We’ve been there twice and the vibe is so friendly and happy and it seems like the best fit for him. I thought during one of our tours I heard no cleaning, but maybe it was the fraternities. I wish your daughter the best and maybe my son will join her next year if he gets in!</p>
<p>Hard to add too much more to what WellHello said, but we also have a D who is a freshman at W&M and she (and we) couldn’t be more impressed. She also lives in Green and Gold Village and LOVES it there…the rooms are spacious and everything is bright and clean. She has been raving about The Marketplace–which just opened up when school started–where she is able to get fresh sushi and other yummy foods on her dinning dollars. In addition, she’s enjoyed the rec center immensely and the library is really fantastic: W&M just replaced many of the desk chairs with beautiful ergonomically designed and environmentally friendly Herman Miller chairs, for instance. I went to Colgate (go gate!) and of course am a bit biased to that place, but have to admit that W&M is also very special(went back for my 25th reunion to the gate and while its still fantastic didn’t really notice its F,F,and dorms being that much above par from W&M). In the end, it is all about fit on so many levels…my D did two visits to her ultimate top three and The Tribe won on the goldilocks scale. I’ll ask her about the food again tonight when we talk and return here with a report if there is anything more to add. Big echoes as well on WH’s perception about friendly positive energy. D is so so so happy with new friends, classes, profs, the 'burg…it’s all good! Oh and we’re oos too.</p>
<p>You ask if the dorms, food, and facilities are worth the money you’ll be paying. The OOS cost differential is not in room and board costs, of course - all students pay the same amount for these, in or out of state. The extra money is what you pay if you think that W&M offers a worthwhile college experience, which we certainly did. Academically, the school is on par with many excellent private schools, and still $10-15K less per year in tuition costs than those institutions, even at the OOS rate. </p>
<p>Glad to hear that the Green and Gold housing residents have new furniture and spiffed-up bathrooms - a great move on W&M’s part, as the units were pretty awful. I agree that the school has made big improvements to housing and dining services. One of my ds was a student a decade ago and was assigned to what her orientation aide said was the smallest double on campus, in Hunt Hall. The furniture was in sad shape and the shared bathroom was not pretty; no air conditioning, either. Somehow that was of minor importance to the dorm freshmen. They became an incredibly tight-knit group of kids.</p>
<p>Another d just left campus in June after earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She benefited from the improvements, particularly the Rec. It’s hard to please college students on a continuing basis as far as food is concerned, but W&M has stepped this up considerably. And there are many inexpensive, off-campus options a short walk from campus, when on-campus options pall. We used to send our d WaWa gift cards, which were much appreciated!</p>
<p>Not all Green and Gold residents have new furniture. Ours moved into G&G and we were told the school “ran out of time” to dispense new furniture to the particular building our kid moved into. Only complaint I have about school - and it is not a complaint my kid shares and, frankly, that is the only opinion that counts!</p>
<p>i am a freshman at WM and the dorm does not have AC do everything in your power to get one. I am living in Botetourt this year and I am dying. The food is good and there a wide selection.</p>