Fears about W&M

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

I am a prospective transfer student, and I have visited W&M all my life as my family is alum, and everyone in my life says they could totally see me there and I’d be a great fit, but there are parts of me that are terrified of going here. I’m wondering if anyone could give their take on my apprehensions/ if anyone else is experiencing the same thoughts:

  • Worried about the academic rigor being too much to handle? how much time will i really have to spend studying? Will i even have weekends? -Greek life/party scene isn't super important to me, but I'm coming from a school known for its party scene, which is inevitably something I think is making me want to leave, however I still enjoy the opportunities of going out. is this still an option? -if I transfer in, will i have to room with a freshman/ in a freshman dorm? -is the student body happy? I know better than anyone that poor mental health can happen anywhere you are, and there are happy and unhappy people at any college, but a positive environment is really important to me.
  • What is the average W&M student like? whats the common weekend look like?

Just some of my thoughts as I play the waiting game with transfer decision day.

2

You might get better response if you identify your current school.

3

A lot depends on what kind of student you are. At Wiliam and Mary, as with many LACs, self-selection is key. William and Mary is a school for serious students who are a bit on the nerdy side but who like to participate in a lot of activities. Does this describe you?

W&M always ranks very highly in the Princeton Review’s list of “happiest students.” But that’s the self-selection. Students who don’t fit the description above wouldn’t be happy there.

The standard conversation-opener with two W&M students who haven’t met before is “What are you involved in?” It is the norm rather than the exception to be involved in quite a few clubs, causes, sports, activities, etc. As you have probably read, there are fraternities and sororities, but they do not dominate the campus or even the social lives of their members. (By contrast, I hear that some of the a cappella groups are practically cults.) Because the College is larger than the LACs with which is often compared, the student body can support the clubs that are there or are created.

W&M students talk a lot about the “stress culture.” In some ways, it’s self-selection again. Many students like that. They aren’t the “sittin’ on the dock of the bay wastin’ time” types. On the other hand, if you do not already have excellent study and organization skills, you’d better acquire some pretty fast. You have to expect to spend time studying on the weekends, but you’ll do other things too. There’s a certain amount of exaggeration feeding into the “stress culture.” A student might say “I spent eleven hours at Swem [the library] last Sunday,” and that would be true, but not all of that time would have been spent studying! Exam times are stressful. That’s true anywhere. At least the administration provides stress puppies!

My daughter, who is totally one with the W&M Tribe, says that the two factors that would improve the college are, first, better availability of mental health services, and second, better food. Regarding the former, there’s always a long waiting list for counseling appointments, and regarding the latter, there’s much better variety than my generation ever saw in a dining hall, so it’s all relative.

To the best of my knowledge, transfer students are housed in the upperclass dorms and not with freshmen.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck with your transfer application, and let us know what you decide!

4

honestly, everything about your statement sounds like me except stress driven. I am not someone that gets debilitated by a heavy workload, but I also am someone that finds it kind of ridiculous that a college has a student body that overwhelmingly complains about the mental health facilities, yet refuses to see the rigor as an issue. Is there too much pressure on grades? To me, a huge part of what draws me to a LAC is the intellect and perspective. I am someone that prides myself on my outlook on life and what is truly important, and I’m worried that may not line up with the principles of the average W&M student. I want to be a psychologist and go to grad school, its my biggest passion and I’m ready to put in the work, but I also have hit a point in my life and my outlook that the world is bigger than me if that makes sense.

5

also thank you so much for your response and advice i really appreciate it (: