Got FUll scholarship, should i still turn it down?

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of William and Mary
21

<p>mxitxi - I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write. I recognize that part of this is maternal anxiety. In retrospect, the distance is a bigger factor in my concerns than I ever dreamed it would be but hopefully we will figure that out. He had hoped that one of his classmates would also be attending but that has not panned out so it will be tough being far away and not knowing anybody! It's nice to hear it is a nurturing environment - it felt that way when we visited. </p>

<p>pedsox - I agree with you as well - here in the NE I think that UVA is better known but he didn't look at it and wasn't interested in the bigger schools. I don't think it is viewed as a second choice school at all but I don't meet a lot of people in the Boston area who know the school well. The feeling I get is that a lot of people here apply to UVA - not as many to WM.</p>

<p>WM - thank you also for your honest appraisal! I really hope you enjoy UVA - you've been very helpful by posting information about WM!</p>

22

<p>rileydog, I know how you feel as an out-of-stater, of course I am a lot closer in Maryland but still - I definitely am not in the same situation as most VAers, who know other people from their high school attending WM. the 33% of the studentbody from OoS doesn't seem like a substantial amount, but it really is - all of those students are going in not knowing a soul, most likely, and many in-state students will probably only know a few other students, whom they may not even stay in contact with. I hope your son still loves WM as much as he did when he applied ED in the fall, I know I do!, and I am sure he will have no problem acclimating to the WM community</p>

23

<p>Thanks undecided358 - I suspect you are right! Thanks for posting - it is making me feel better. Meanwhile, he is not worried but what does he know <g>!</g></p>

24

<p>Rileydog - my rising junior travels back and forth to CT on Amtrak and loves it. Its an easy walk from campus, and once he's on the train its a straight shot to New Haven (it continues on to Boston - don't know where you are). I do pay the extra $25 or so to upgrade him to 'business class' - a bit roomier and he can plug in his laptop. He has flown a few times and between travel to the airport and waiting for connecting flights, it takes almost the same amount of time as the train! </p>

<p>We discovered WM when looking at DC schools, U Va, and Richmond...took a side trip just for the heck of it - and like you guys, just fell for it. He has never regretted it and I've been thrilled with how he has grown and matured. Developed close relationships with profs, loves the small classes, made dean's list, is volunteering in the community, went to Cambridge for the summer after Fresh year, and now is headed to St. Andrews in Scotland for the fall semester...and he has fun! Intramural sports are HUGE...a very active, healthy student body.</p>

<p>Parents of incoming freshman , no need to worry...remember why you liked it when you decided to apply - nothing has changed.</p>

25

<p>ctmom- more thanks - I remember my son was very pleased that so many students were involved in intramural sports - I think he will be involved. I am aware of the train but thought it was such a long ride - still, getting back and forth to the airport and timing the non-stop flights looks like a challenge. What about Newport News Airport - have you tried that? There is one non-stop in and out of there a day on the Boston route? Puddle jumpers? The flight from there is only 1 and 1/4 hours! Do you find that you have to book things in advance re: train? Good tip for the Business class? Also, have you gone to family weekend?</p>

26

<p>Amen, ctmom, amen!</p>

27

<p>Hey people,</p>

<p>Allow me to add another ex-freshman voice to the chorus here.</p>

<p>Like wm_rocks, I attended the College for my freshman year and will be transferring to UVA this fall. UVA was my first choice school out of high school, and I was crushed when I didn't get in from my extremely highly thought of school in northern Virginia. I decided to attend W&M and said I'd make the best of it, though I probably was just kidding myself.</p>

<p>Given that I went into W&M already holding a grudge against it, I don't find it surprising that I didn't much like it. It takes a special kind of person to really enjoy William and Mary. People who are happy in general, excited to be there, and good at making their own fun will probably enjoy the atmosphere. The plus side is people there are very relaxed and nice, and I would say that the school lacks cliques (aside from some racial segmentation due to a lack of diversity that they are trying to improve). I, on the other hand, was not one of the people who could make the most of William and Mary. I found the school and town to be dead, the parties unappealing, and the alcohol policy stifiling and counterproductive in that it placed a heavy emphasis on punishment rather than education and prevention.</p>

<p>Believe wm_rocks when he says that W&M was a 'second choice' school for many in the class of 2008. I know that probably half of my friends at W&M, especially those in state, would have attended UVA had they been accepted. It was an odd year for Virginia admissions, as it seemed that many got into W&M and not UVA but not vice versa. My roommate last year is also transferring, as is a friend from my freshman hall; two girls who were in my orientation group are also transferring and two others left for personal reasons. Out of my 19 person orientation group seven will not be attending the school next year.</p>

<p>That is not to say I hated W&M. The school itself is fantastic; I loved every one of my classes and thrived in them. I just felt that the tradeoff was not worth it to me, and that I was not equipped to be happy at a place like William and Mary. The IM sports system, as someone mentioned, is excellent and I was employed as an official for much of the school year. The new constructions and renovations taking place hopefully mark a step forward in the College's evolution, along with the incoming President Nichol.</p>

<p>I have to run now, but I would be happy to answer any questions.</p>

28

<p>theslammer, I just want to say that you have an exceptionally mature attitude and you'll likely find success and happiness wherever you go. So often on these boards I read that a school/town/situation "sucks" - your statement that you "were not equipped to be happy at a place like William & Mary" is insightful and indicates a pretty sophisticated understanding of the way the world works. My middle d was recently considering several schools, including W & M and UVA, and would certainly agree that their atmospheres are profoundly different.</p>

<p>To those parents whose children are still at or just beginning at W & M - I envy you! Our oldest d graduated this past Sunday, and we were reminded all over again of everything we love about the school. The faculty is so committed and so talented; the student body is so bright and so focused (and so quirky); the campus is so completely beautiful. </p>

<p>(<em>starts sniffling all over again</em>)</p>

29

<p>Rileydog - 1 1/4 hour flight Newport News to Boston?? That doesn't sound right - but if it is, I'd do that... the kids can get a shuttle to the airport for $30 RT...and if its Thanksgiving or Christmas weekend , its easy to find someone heading home in that direction.
I do book his Amtrak seat online and then he just scans his credit card at the depot to get his ticket (like at the airport).
Family weekend - his 1st year they had to cancel all events due to the hurricane (campus was evacuated!), so we went down last year - it was very low key but fun...seems mostly parents of freshman attend.
We flew in to Richmond.</p>

<p>frazzled1- I DREAD graduation in 2 years!! We have so come to love the Williamsburg/WM people and environment we are considering retiring there eventually.</p>

30

<p>Thanks for the kind words, frazzled1.</p>

<p>The Boston-Newport News flight is indeed a great deal. Airtran, I believe, does roundtrip direct flights for something like $130 a ticket. All new planes and a quick flight.</p>

31

<p>an aspect that out of state students might overlook... is that northern virginia is an educational powerhouse (... likely goes along with high income levels...). It seems, from my point of view, that many students in northern virginia feel that UVA is the school for them. Why that is? I don't know. Maybe the larger population and bigger sports scene matches the close to DC attitude held by a lot of the kids up there. But I'd say about 15 kids from my HS applied early to UVA, me included, and 3 to W&M. There is definitely a significant (well, maybe like 10%) of the freshmen class who got rejected from UVA. It's hard to understand why, as W&M has a lower acceptance percentage than UVA, as well as higher SAT scores, but it seems to be the case. UVA does have a higher yield, and I think that is directly related to the northern va applicants. I would bet that most northern va schools have a group of about 5-10 going to W&M and 10-20 going to UVA.</p>

<p>I disagree with the 25/25/25/25 split depicted by wmrocks. For every person who doesn't like it so much they transfer out, there are countless more who love it. The squeaky wheel gets the oil right? You're much more likely to hear someone complaining about why they don't like something than how much they do like it. Same as with anything else, from small things all the way up to politics.</p>

<p>The social scene, is definitely not as big as at other schools. The size and location don't match the typical public school scene. (Though I hear WVU just got a Starbucks / Target / Barnes and Noble... so we are ahead of them at least =P) If you have a good group of friends who enjoy the school and go in ready to have fun, you will enjoy your time also.</p>

<p>It's no surprise to me that some of your kids visited on a whim and fell in love. When I took my visit, I realized that the W&M campus is exactly how I envisioned a college campus. The campus is one of the nicest in the country, and will give any school's a run for its money.</p>

<p>The food... is really not that bad. They're renovating one of the dining halls, and it's supposed to be really good. Seriously though, I'm the picky-est (pickiest?, pickyest?) eater I know, and I was fine. I ate a lot of bagels, but it was really not a big deal. You will likely end up spending a solid chunk of money at Wawa =P</p>

<p>But there's no doubt about this one fact: if you go into something thinking that you won't like it, the chances of you not liking it will be pretty high.</p>

<p>cheers... I applied early to UVA, and had an awesome first year at W&M.</p>

<p>No school is a good fit for everyone.</p>

<p>so feel free to fire more questions / concerns my way =P... i'll be back to answer what I can (admissions decided I wasn't positive / informative enough to earn a tour guide spot...)</p>

32

<p>Hey there, soccerguy315 :)</p>

33

<p>well good news for the 50 students waitlisted at William and Mary, I am sending my decline letter today :( Argh it hurts.... But i think at this point, i want to go to a school which i can really fall in love with.</p>

<p>That for me was either Upenn, COlumbia, NYU.</p>

<p>Thanks for allll your inputs i sincerely appreciate it.</p>