<p>After our great visit and a great deal of contemplation, my daughter is seriously considering applying ED to the College of William and Mary. It will be a reach for her, as it is for most kids actually :) but I am a bit, OK, more than a bit, concerned. She is a very hard worker, dedicated to her studies and will do anything it takes to succeed. But.....I would not consider her to be gifted or supernaturally smart. In other words, she is driven and has excelled in the classroom because of how hard she works. </p>
<p>What concerns me is will she be overwhelmed and overly stressed if she were fortunated enough to be admitted? I have suggested that she go down and spend the night with a friend that is going to be a freshman there after the students get settled in. Maybe she can ascertain whether the environment is suitable for her academically. If any of you have thoughts based on what your child has experienced, I would be grateful to read about them!</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>if she keeps working hard and doing the hours of studying per day (like is suggested), i’m sure she can keep a 3.0+</p>
<p>there’s lots of smart kids at W&M… there’s also lots of hard workers… and there are those that are both.</p>
<p>if your kid is admitted, she can do the work =)</p>
<p>Sorry to have missed your question last week, KandKsmom. Two of my daughters are W&M alums. The oldest could qualify for Mensa but actually did not do as well GPA-wise at W&M as her younger sister, who’s a bright kid who knows how to prioritize and work hard. Like your d, my youngest applied ED, which was probably a major reason she was accepted (OOS). But she never fell behind or felt she was in over her head; she graduated magna cum laude in May. D1’s major was challenging (Biology), but d3’s was no cakewalk either (History).</p>
<p>soccerguy is right - if your d is admitted, she can do the work. Any student might struggle a bit freshman year, coping with distractions and independence; or senior year, coping with a bad break-up; or at any time in between for any number of reasons. Your d may be at an advantage (my d3 thought she was) in already knowing that she has to work hard in order to succeed at school.</p>
<p>Best of luck to her! My kids loved their time at W&M.</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s thoughtful replies. frazzled, that is comforting to hear about your d3’s experience; they sound similar in their approach to their schooling. Mine is also planning on majoring in history wherever she ends up. She is so torn about schools, but the good news is she has pretty much solidified what she wants to major in. We’ve been all over the map for a year or so (not only with school searches but with what she wants to do!) She started out thinking she wanted to incorporate history in a more practical major…she went from architecture to urban planning to historic preservation… So she looked into schools with those majors. But after spending some time this summer volunteering at an arch firm and talking to people about some of her interests, she feels that to get what she really wants as an undergrad, she needs to solely concentrate on history and then figure out grad school interests. Teaching is being discussed currently and I personally think she is on the right track now.</p>
<p>Anyway, after a lot of visiting, we are down to applying to Virginia Tech and William and Mary. These are the only two schools where she could really see herself and she loves both for different reasons. The jury is still out on applying ED at either. We will see what happens in the next few months. It is an exciting time for her!</p>
<p>Again, thanks for taking time to respond and share your thoughts. :)</p>
<p>Speaking of practical applications for history majors, this is a history-related W&M program my daughter considered before deciding to pursue a masters in special ed instead: [William</a> & Mary - The Williamsburg Collegiate Program in Early American History, Material Culture, and Museum Studies](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/niahd/collegiateprogram/index.php]William”>http://www.wm.edu/as/niahd/collegiateprogram/index.php) It might be something your d would find of interest. Mine enjoys visiting museums casually, but after talking to a few curators locally she realized the field wasn’t for her. Sounds like a great program, though, and as if the internship portion could be of real career value.</p>
<p>Both great schools…but if your daughter is looking to study History, I would put W&M in a completely different category. Take a look at course offerings, depth of study, research and internship opportunities, the prestige of professors, etc. </p>
<p>History is one of W&M’s stronger suits. VT shines in the tech/engineering fields. Really not comparable on this one if just comparing History departments.</p>
<p>Generally speaking - they are so very different as far as the campus vibe. Interesting that she likes both. One very large, technical university, one small/med liberal arts university. One with huge sports focus, one with more of a “campus community” focus. Again - both great schools…just very, very different.</p>
<p>^mom, the strength of the history field at W&M is tough for any school to match, isn’t it? I totally agree with you that if that were the sole determining factor, there wouldn’t be much of a decision if she were fortunate to get into both. She knows this, too. But, like most 17 year olds, she is looking at many other variables. I am trying not to extend my opinion too much on what I think is the most impt factor, which I believe to be the strength of the intended program, or sway her thinking in any way. We want her to find a place that she feels offers her the best overall fit and experience for her 4 years of undergrad. Time will tell. I truly think W&M is a big, big reach for her so come decision time, all the speculation may be for naught. I could see her happy at either school; as you said they are both awesome.</p>
<p>One interesting thing, though. She told me she did email a couple of profs at VT to ask them about their history dept, offerings, focus, etc. She was really impressed by what they shared with her and the direction they are taking with their program. She also has two AP history teachers that are VT grads and they talk very highly (biased, yes, but still) of the education they received from the department there. Maybe Tech is the Rodney Dangerfield of History Depts. in Virginia 
</p>
<p>Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and advice!</p>
<p>Hahaha! Love the Rodney Dangerfield analogy I am quite certain VT has earned a very high level of respect And, I agree wholeheartedly with you about finding the right “fit”. Your daughter is very lucky to have a parent who recognizes that, and lets her form her own opinions.<br>
Good luck to her in her search and admissions process. No doubt she will land where she is supposed to be.</p>