I visited the campus of UMW today and thought the campus was absolutely gorgeous and that is sounded like a really nice college. BUT I have heard a lot of negative things about the college (lack of social life etc), I was wondering how much of that is true??
UMW is definitely what you make it. Some people love it, some hate it, but the majority like it. I think it really depends on what your interests and intended major are. The academics are great for most departments and they really care about you and want you to succeed. I haven’t heard the greatest things about the Music department, and as someone who was thinking about majoring in Music, I was disappointed. There isn’t a huge social life, but they are getting better with adding events: so far this year there has been PRISM Prom, a dance hosted by the LGBT club, and a Roaring Twenties dance which was a lot of fun. There are a ton of clubs too, and it’s easy to start one up if there aren’t any that interest you.
So far, it has been a decent experience, but I wouldn’t say that I love it. It’s a liberal arts school and the gen ends can be quite ridiculous (you have to take 2 years of a foreign language unless you have the AP scores to get out of it or place out with the placement exam), and the dining options are not the greatest. I am also in the Honors Program, and it has been a pain because it is mainly geared toward students majoring in a math or a science.
Overall, if you know what you want to major in and they have it, it is a good option to consider: it’s a small school where you can really get to know your faculty one-on-one. But academics are the best aspect of the school, though this is my opinion and others might have another. Disabilities services are pretty good too, which has made a huge difference for me.
Knowing what I know about the school now, it wouldn’t have been my first choice, but that is mainly because I’m thinking about becoming an Expressive Arts Therapist, and they don’t have a lot of minors, which would be helpful for me in getting experience in the different areas of expressive arts. I have made a lot of really good friends here, which has helped me like it better and enjoy my time more.
This might be a really late post considering when you asked the question, but I hope this helps you make a decision (if you haven’t made one already)!
About how large is the Honors Program?