<p>In general, as with most schools, there is an upward trend in GPA as students progress through college. I'm not going to lie, I thought every class my first semester in college was as hard or harder than the hardest class I took in high school (AP Biology). Whereas in HS I finished with a 3.65 unweighted, I got a 3.15 my first semester and 3.25 2nd semester taking only 4 courses + working my butt off (ironically, 2nd semester when I pledged a fraternity I did BETTER). This semester I am on track to get somewhere between a 3.1 and 3.4 taking 5 classes. So once you get used to working all the time it doesn't get too bad, but I would definitely say don't come here for the beer. Come here if you want to work hard.</p>
<p>This thread almost makes me want to cross W&M off my list. =/</p>
<p>yup, W&M, where fun goes to die ;)</p>
<p>19382...</p>
<p>you'd only be cheating yourself. The oldest university in the country makes you work, but you earn what you get. There are many reasons that people love this school.</p>
<p>2nd oldest...right?</p>
<p>Anyway, now that we've established that WM is uber difficult, I'm interested in the difficulty of specific courses. If anyone knows anything about the hardest classes and professors, I'd like to hear about it.</p>
<p>I hear organic chemistry is extremely tough. How hard are the specific science classes and their professors? What about linguistics/anthropology, arabic/chinese and math starting with multi. variable calc.?</p>
<p>technically yes, but i heard that W&M was planned and buildings where under construction first, but H (can't even bring myself to say the word) got their charter first. Can anyone confirm this? sorry, only a frosh right now...taking math 111, but it's manageable. intermediate microecon 303 has got some teeth though and i took AP Econ in hs and 5 on AP test</p>
<p>Harvard: Oldest College
W&M: Oldest College Building</p>
<p>From W&M website (<a href="http://www.wm.edu/about/facts.php):%5B/url%5D">http://www.wm.edu/about/facts.php):</a></p>
<p>Founded in 1693, William and Mary is the second oldest educational institution in the U.S. Although Harvard began operation first, William and Mary's antecedents actually predate those of the Massachusetts institution. </p>
<p>The College is the first U.S. institution to have a Royal Charter.
...</p>
<p>Named for its presumed architect, the Sir Christopher Wren Building was completed in 1697 and provided classrooms, library, dining hall and a chapel for generations of William and Mary students. It is the oldest academic building in continuous use in the U.S., and classes are still taught within its walls.
For more W&M history, <a href="http://www.wm.edu/vitalfacts/index.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.wm.edu/vitalfacts/index.php</a>.</p>
<p>For those interested in the oldest US Colleges (from infoplease.com):</p>
<p>Harvard Univ. Cambridge, Mass. 1636
Coll. of William & Mary Williamsburg, Va. 1693
Yale Univ. New Haven, Conn. 1701
Princeton Univ. Princeton, N.J. 1746
Columbia Univ. New York City 1754
Univ. of Penn. Philadelphia, Penn. 1757
Brown Univ. Providence, R.I. 1764
Rutgers New Brunswick, N.J. 1766
Dartmouth Coll. Hanover, N.H. 1769</p>
<p>soccerguy is right. william and mary became a university before harvard with the addition of the law school.</p>
<p>What a bunch of whiners! You're stressing b/c W&M takes education seriously and actually makes you earn a grade?! If you want a diploma you can be proud of and one not everyone can earn, then W&M is the place for you.</p>
<p>If you want to chill, get drunk and be one of those students that cant find Wyoming on a map or name the three branches of Govt, then there is a place at your local State U.</p>
<p>And guess what; when you enter the real world you might have a chance of making a success of yourself if you spent four years being challenged. Learning to work hard is a skill in short supply. If you want to get your ( or your parents) moneys worth, W&M is the place. There is a reason the Yale
C-student in the White House has turned to a W&M alum to clean up his mess in Iraq.</p>
<p>When someone states they graduated from W&M, there is instant respect. Respect is earned, not given nor purchased. Not everyone can be a Marine and not everyone can handle W&M. Fun doesnt go here to die. That just a myth by those who cant hack it or are looking for Life's shortcuts.</p>
<p>True, W&M is not Animal House fun. But, then again, remember how Belushi turned out.</p>
<p>"If you want to chill, get drunk and be one of those students that cant find Wyoming on a map or name the three branches of Govt, then there is a place at your local State U."</p>
<p>That's a BIG jump there. Just because people are a little intimidated and would like to be able to relax a little in college doesn't mean the only place for them is the state U.</p>
<p>hey doctorb, who's the alum you're talking about? Just curious</p>
<p>I think he's referring to Robert Gates, now Secretary of Defense, who graduated from W&M in '65. More can be found at <a href="http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=6992%5B/url%5D">http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=6992</a></p>
<p>wow that's cool. I guess:) I just got accepted to William and Mary, and i have to say, all the kids at my school talk about how extremely tough it is at William and Mary. But to go to the same school as Jon Stewart did, is good enough for me:)</p>
<p>doctorb, I certainly hope this isn't the approach you take with your patients.</p>
<p>as TJED said</p>
<p>That lame school in Boston is the oldest college, but W&M is the oldest University.</p>
<p>W&M has an earned reputation in the real world. There are many instances that requests come through the career center of a job opening where they are specifically looking for a W&M student.</p>
<p>Come here. Work hard. Have fun. Relax. Enjoy one of the nicest campuses in the country. Hang out with your friends instead of studying. Get a few C's. Earn an A. And have a great time.</p>
<p>This thread makes William and Mary seem a lot harder than it is in reality. Many of my classes are easier than some of my high school courses (I'm a chem major so I'm not just taking joke classes). </p>
<p>I think that the reason that W&M gets a reputation as such an impossible place is because of their insistence on admitting 2/3 in-state students. This results in many underqualified/unqualified students who struggle to get passing grades. </p>
<p>At least, this has been my experience- that the out-of-staters are far more prepared for the 'rigor' of William and Mary academics.</p>
<p>...and if OOS students are that much better, why are they only at W&M?</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that I've felt that the out-of-staters are that much prepared for WM, though I would agree in part that somewhat over the in-state student factor-to a certain extent which is where I think a lot of WM's supposed "difficulty" comes from</p>
<p>
[quote]
WM: where your best hasn't been good enough since 1693
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's the best one I've heard in awhile. :D</p>
<p>
[quote]
why are they only at W&M
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Financial aid? Personal choice? William and Mary is a pretty good school.</p>
<p>I disagree that the out of staters are more prepared. As a whole they come in with better numbers, but I don't think there's a general breakdown in the grades given out that out of state students are significantly better. I also don't think there are many students here who struggle to get "passing" grades. Struggle to get A's? Yes. But passing grades? Doubtful.</p>
<p>I probably do less work than I did in high school. I did come from an IB program and I felt more than prepared. Obviously, my GPA is lower than high school. I don't study that much. I never really studied in high school, and I basically do the same here, though I have increased the studying some. But honestly, I don't work that hard, and I do ok. I don't study that much, and I basically write my papers in one night as I did in high school.</p>
<p>I have had an exam or two curved down. I have also had class exam averages in the 60s that weren't curved. If a class average is in the 60s, it's not because the entire class didn't study for the exam. It's because the exam was 1. very hard, or 2. graded very hard.</p>