<p>My son is interested in studying at a LAC near home (We live in Maryland). We have heard many positive accounts from former and current students at St. Mary's. My son visited the campus recently and liked it very much. His only concern was its isolation, particularly for a student who does not own a car. Do students feel isolated or trapped on the weekends if they stay on campus? Are there shuttle buses to go shopping or visitng at nearby towns? Are there enough activities on campus?</p>
<p>He also is interested in William and Mary. We have heard about its fine academic repuation. On concern: Is there much ethnic/racial diversity? How about drinking/frats? My son does not drink. Without trying to be sterotypical, does it seem like a southern college in atmosphere and traditions? Would an Asian-American fit in?</p>
<p>How do these schools compare with Goucher College, a private liberal arts college in Baltimore?</p>
<p>William and Mary is not 'Southern' as you described it. It is a very liberal, progressive, 'enlightened' school; in other words, it would be the same environment if you stuck it in Boston, except that it's in a tourist area (which I think is cute, but others disagree). A good chunk of its students are from the Northeast, Midwest and West, and even those who are in-staters aren't ignorant as many people seem to fear. It's hard to succeed at a school like W&M if you're closed minded. There's a large gay presence, and while it's not as racially diverse as some schools, an Asian American will probably not feel out of place. I will be applying there this year, among traditionally progressive schools like University of Chicago, Brown, Cornell, Oberlin, and Michigan.</p>
<p>Goucher is a very well respected college. One of my favorite teachers went there and then studied at UVA as a graduate student. It isn't as well known among students as it is among those 'in the know' of academic circles (grad schools, medical schools, and smart employers). Liberal, intellectual, but not nearly as difficult to get into as W&M, especially if you're out of state.</p>
<p>I don't know anything about St. Mary's, but if he has an intellectual bent, I'd suggest you look at St. John's in Annapolis.</p>
<p>pmyen
William and Mary is a very selective institution which is similar in feel to Rice in Texas. My S lived and studied there one summer and greatly appreciated their dedicated faculty. If you take the time to really get to know the history of the region, it is rich. Because 30% of the student body is OOS..weird but true in my home state of VA, the requirements for OOS student admission are more difficult than in state admission in general. This means that sometimes straight A students with good test scores in Virginia lose a place to a more highly qualified OOS student. Frankly, I am not sure that is fair to our instate kids...UNC Chapel Hill limits those spots to 15% of their student body in contrast. It's a debate that never ends.
As a Maryland parent, you know all about the great high schools on the Beltway in your state and Virginia. These high schools fill a lot of slots in Wm and Mary. Therefore Wm and Mary, like UVa is unusually diverse with DC area kids who are from mobile/transient families and with many students who are outstanding from other states. Very unusual in a state university. Whether or not you are fond of Williamsburg is a matter of taste. I have the greatest respect for the College and know many many graduates who are always interesting people.<br>
St. Mary's is billed as Maryland's "honors college." Like Wm and Mary, it delivers intimate relationships with professors and a campus where you will get to know the majority of the students and where relationships with mentors will flourish. But Wm and Mary is much more intense in my opinion.
Also students in NOVA have to really stand out to get into Wm and Mary or UVa. There is endless debate about which is harder to get into..Wm and Mary or UVa. Even as an instate student, my S visited Wm and Mary twice, attended classes and did the optional evaluative interview to gain admission.<br>
We live in the more rural section of Virginia. My S reports that Wm and Mary is very NOVA, and there are many Asian American students. I think there are many serious kids and that many of them don't consider drinking to be a central part of the culture but there is a flourishing frat life and not as many alternatives for parties and outings in quiet Wmsburg. On the other hand, many kids pop home to NOVA or Richmond for a little urban experience with ease from Wmsburg.<br>
St. Mary's is isolated. No way around it and it hurts its draw. On the other hand, they can place their kids in great internships in urban areas in MD and the four years there will be all about learning and friendship and the scene on the shore with sailing and water views is pretty therapeutic in my book. I personally favor smaller classes for 18-22 year olds but that is because of personal experience at Furman University where I really liked access to the faculty.<br>
Dickinson is not far from you and a lot like Furman minus the Southerness. Mary Washington in Fredericksburg is a great school. I had a godson at Towson but it didn't work out for him. Good school but many commuters and adult students, too. Annapolis is lovely and St. Johns can be the right choice for some kids..I happened to poke around in its sister institution in Santa Fe last week. Amazing. Roanoke College in Salem, VA is a good college as is Randolph Macon in Ashland VA near Richmond. University of Richmond is selective but not as selective as Wm and Mary.</p>
<p>If you search the forums, you should find a write-up of both St. Mary's and Washington College, both rural Maryland schools. I don't have time to look for them right now. But the description of the locations is what dropped them from my city girl's list.</p>
<p>Derek
The Santa Fe Campus sits on a drop dead lovely hill above Santa Fe and not far from Route 66. The views are great from there. The buildings are modern and close together enough so it feels like a community. It is odd to not see Green or Grass but I live in Virginia. There are a cluster of city museums nearby which are cool, too. I actully did not know St. Johns had Catholic roots (duh) but saw references to this in Santa Fe. I also think Annapolis has a LOT of atmosphere for a college setting.</p>
<p>As noted earlier, there aren't very many public LACs, in the mid-Atlantic or elsewhere. </p>
<p>US News lists VMI, New College of Florida, and St. Mary's as 2nd-tier "National LACs." In the 3rd-tier, they list Richard Stockton College of NJ and UNC-Asheville. </p>
<p>US News lists TCNJ and SUNY-Geneseo near the top in the "Master's Universities - Northern" category. These schools are larger than most LACs, but smaller than most universities.</p>
<p>In New Jersey I would also look at Richard Stockton College. A short drive from Atlantic City and Philadelphia, it nevertheless is relatively unknown but has a quite strong cirriculum and is based on the LAC model. It's public.</p>
<p>As for St. Mary's College of Maryland, don't overlook it simply because it's off the beaten path. SMC is an excellent school and a great value for Maryland residents. Besides, the eastern shore area is quite picturesque. And a lot of good colleges are off the beaten path.</p>
<p>pmyen,
Racial diversity at William & Mary is a relative thing. You can look at the statistics at <a href="http://www.wm.edu/ir/ethnicity.htm--about%5B/url%5D">http://www.wm.edu/ir/ethnicity.htm--about</a> 6% African-American, 7% Asian-American, 5% Hispanic. I'm not sure if that figure for Asian-Americans counts students with roots in the Indian subcontinent, of which there are many. Anyway, I came to W&M from lily-white Utah, which meant that it was tremendously diverse compared to my high school experience. I also noticed that W&M is quite diverse socioeconomically. There are students from uber-expensive Norhteastern prep schools and students who are the first in their families to attend college and everyone inbetween. Anyway, from what I can tell, W&M is no more or less diverse than the other schools in its peer group. I, as an Asian-American, had no problem fitting in. </p>
<p>And since I came from the West, W&M did strike me as a Southern school. No, it's not, say, Clemson, or even Washington & Lee, but there are enough students from Richmond or North Carolina and other Rebel states that give the school a certain Southern sensibility (though, thankfully, students don't dress up for football games). And while W&M is certainly more liberal than Utah, I'd say it was pretty moderate overall. Yes, Jon Stewart and Ron Reagan, Jr. attended, but so did the children of Colin Powell, Gary Bauer, and Antonin Scalia (which is not to say any of the kids are as conservative as their fathers). Church is a big deal for a lot of students. Put it this way, W&M is Southern enough that someone would put up a Confederate flag in his dorm window (which happened while I was in school back in 1999), and it's Northern enough for lots of students to get offended by it (as they were), and for the administration to have the flag taken down (as it was).</p>
<p>As for fraternities and drinking, yes, a healthy number of students participate in the Greek system (it was around 40% when I was in school) and one of the main social scenes does (or did) revolve around the fraternities. That said, teetotalers have plenty of social opportunities. Your son will not be the only one who doesn't drink, not by a long shot. </p>
<p>Thanks hxshux. Appreciate your helpful and insightful comments. Hearing from students and former students who have attended these schools where only small numbers of minority students have attended historically is very helpful to us.</p>