<p>daughter accepted to w&m,vanderbilt,dartmouth and brown. can anyone give me reasons why she should attend w&m?</p>
<p>For years, the academic excellence of the College of William and Mary has been widely recognized by the growing raft of magazines and guidebooks that annually rank American colleges and universities. From the U.S. News and World Report to Barron's, William and Mary and its programs are listed among the nation's strongest. Chartered on February 8, 1693, by King William III and Queen Mary II as the second college in the American colonies. Severed formal ties with Britain in 1776. Became state-supported in 1906 and coeducational in 1918. Achieved modern university status in 1967. Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's premier academic honor society, and the honor code system of conduct were founded at William and Mary. It has an ideal location: Located in historic Williamsburg, Va., approximately 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., midway between Richmond and Norfolk, Va. William and Mary ranks first among American public universities in terms of commitment to undergraduate teaching, according to U.S. News and World Report. It is also the highest ranked small public university in the country. Four Presidents of the United States benefited from educational programs offered by the College: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler. William and Mary is one of only eight U.S. institutions of higher education designated a "Public Ivy." A Public Ivy is a state-assisted institution which offers a superior education at a cost far below that of Ivy League schools. </p>
<p>I could go on and on...your daughter should come visit and see if she likes the atmosphere. And also as the parent, you will def. like the price of W&M.</p>
<p>W&M is the only public on that list... so, I suppose there's the $$</p>
<p>W&M is not a typical "northeast" school like Dartmouth or Brown, but also not a "southern" school like Vandy.</p>
<p>In the end, I think she should go where she feels the best. She's got 4 great schools to choose from.</p>
<p>campus, academics, people, williamsburg, price...
after researching wm&m and visiting, these are the TOP things i love about wm&m [waitlisted, unfortunately].</p>
<p>campus: the MOST beautiful campus i have ever seen in my life. it's a must-visit! i felt safe--it was enclosed enough. it felt very quaint and cozy [attribute to the williamsburg area in general]
academics: can't go wrong. considered the "public ivy". i love the general education requirements. you can go to wm&m and already start on your area of interest or major with time to still explore! it works something like you need x amt. of credits in x amt. of areas. and these can be ANYTHING taken throughout the 4 years!<br>
people: friendly! i looked really lost and a random student just asked if i needed help [i didn't ask, she did:)]. then after, she saw me again and asked if i found the bldg ok [i did]. another example, i was early to campus so the director of activities chatted with us and helped us. later, he saw us again and we had a fun discussion!
williamsburg: the campus and williamsburg are adjacent, literally! nothing beats the quaint and historical town! lunch, socialization, everything!<br>
price: probably THE best education and educational experience for THE best price ($25,000 est. out of state; tuition, rm & board, books(?))</p>
<p>just some input. i hope she makes the best decision!</p>
<p>i got accepted to WM as well. But it was my backup school.</p>
<p>I would goto brown personally. WM is small conservative school. good academics tho.</p>
<p>but not as good as brown.</p>
<p>I would say there's really not a significant difference at all in the undergrad education at W&M vs Brown.</p>
<p>W&M is not really conservative either, though you may call it moderate. It is conservative compared to Brown though, which is has a strong liberal reputation.</p>
<p>W&M also encourages a liberal arts / well rounded education, which Brown does not.</p>
<p>Different schools, different location, different weather. Fit is the most important thing in choosing a college.</p>
<p>I would strongly recommend W&M over Brown. I am now over 10 years out but was heavily recruited by Brown. I really only chose W&M at the time because I couldn't justify an extra $50k for Brown (or other great private schools) and now I'm sure the cost differential is even greater. Thank God I did. My friends that went to Brown are still finding themselves. I am an executive at a Fortune 500 Company. Another friend in my class is President of the foreign operations of another. My friends from school are doctors, lawyers, heads of non-profits, authors etc. The kids I know that went to Brown dabble in this and that, try something for a while, try something else etc. I really think this is the difference between the W&M method of really hard classes with even tougher grading and a strong grounding in the liberal arts and the Brown method where you pick what you want, grades aren't important and don't mean much etc. If you want to be prepared for the real world - W&M all the way. Ultimately though, your daughter should enter the environment that you and she think will cause her to thrive.</p>
<p>How about W&M for graduate study? I am very interested in colonial American history grad programs. While I'm attracted by the college's study collections and Colonial Williamsburg, several professors have warned me not to apply here because the focus is so heavily on undergraduates and because, in their opinion, campus libraries and interlibrary loan services are inadequate to support graduate research. Under their description grads are more or less left to fend for themselves. Is this true?</p>
<p>I have had friends get professional degrees - law, public policy, mba, education - and they all loved it. Can't comment on grad study in American History or Archeology except to say that I had always thought that this was the most famous and prestigious graduate program at the school. In fact, I thought it was the top colonial america program in the country, but since I don't practice in the field I'm probably not the person on whom to rely. I do know that the grad students were always enlisting undergraduates to work in their dig sites. I also know that where I live (Philadelphia) many of the top officers of the historical groups came out of W&M's colonial program. Good luck.</p>
<p>URSDAD:</p>
<p>I would only consider W&M and Dartmouth if you are looking for serious academic schools. Besides, they are both very similar in size and are very serious about their undergraduates programs. I think the regional and private vs. public distinctions are minor here.</p>
<p>WM93, </p>
<p>Your friends' experiences with Brown are starting to scare me. I am now applying to Brown - is this a mistake? By no means do i want to end up lost and "dabbled" like the people you mentioned. My parents are not making too much money, and I really am interested in finding a good education at a reasonable price that will lead to a rewarding but ultimately lucrative career (my family needs the money). i chose to apply to Brown too because i heard their financial aid is very generous - sometimes it can equal the amount I will pay to UC's.</p>
<p>Brown was on daughter's list but speaking with rep from the school, she didn't even apply. Beaware they have an eight semester policy. Even is you should graduate earlier, you still owe eight semesters of tuititon. Brown does not have the financial aid of other Ivies. Depending on your families income and your stats, Yale or Columbia could have better financial aid packages. William and Mary is a public school. Unfortunately you would not receive fantastic aid from WM unless in state.</p>
<p>is w&m famous/well-reputed internationally especially in asia as well?
thanks</p>
<p>This is a very old thread (dating from '05). Checking the OP's other postings, it seems his daughter decided on Dartmouth and must be a junior there, now.</p>
<p>Let's start a new thread with kawaiigurl's question.</p>
<p>Momray,</p>
<p>Depending on your families income and your stats, Yale or Columbia could have better financial aid packages.</p>
<p>Can you elaborate on this? Do other Ivies seriously offer better financial aid?</p>
<p>Yes...if your family is below a certain threshold income. I don't remember their numbers but check their websites. I think it may be an AIG of $60K.</p>
<p>Can someone speak to chances of merit aid (full ride) at W & M for top student SAT 2330, NMSF (so far), Valdictorian at excellent public school
10 ap classes - five 5s so far, normal ecs, full ride is imperative
Thanks</p>
<p>I don't know... but I would guess the chances are not very good. I think the College Scholars (do they have a new name?) get a full ride, but there are like 5 of them per year.</p>
<p>Maybe someone else knows more?</p>
<p>Are they murray scholars? I never remember the name. Whatever they are, there are only 5 or so of them, and I think there might be 5 more of something else. I'm pretty sure none of them get a free ride, though. Just free tuition. If you need a full ride based on merit, you probably won't end up at WM.</p>