<p>my dd was accepted by UMW, as well as others. We visited the campus in the summer, and then again on one of the Fall visitation days. I was impressed with the campus and the academics. DD's first impression was very positive. We both left thinking that UMW would be a good choice, but she left the Fall visit saying that it seemed just like high school. Frankly, I agreed with her. The students who led the groups and who participated in the forum discussion seemed very immature. Many of them were seniors, and while they seemed sweet and enthusiastic, I had a hard time believing that they were mature enough to move into a career. They seemed more like they belonged in high school.</p>
<p>I know that we shouldn't make our decision based on our reaction to a dozen students, but was our impression valid? </p>
<p>dd is ready to leave high school behind. Is this possible at UMW?</p>
<p>We've visited several universities in Virginia--including UMW--and have noticed that all of the students who have led the tours pretty much act the same. Our tour guides have all seemed mature and informative; remember they are teenagers. Some of them don't "sell" a University as much as others but let's face it: you don't need to sell UMW. It's a great University. I just appreciated the fact that they talked more about academics at UMW than food. Tour guides at some of the universities we've visited mostly talked about food.</p>
<p>We talked to seniors at UMW and they not only seemed mature but had good internships. They seemed more serious-minded about their studies than the students we talked to at other schools. I do believe that on any given day you'll get a different impression of a University depending on the weather, the students you meet, whether students are on/off campus, etc.</p>
<p>I have noticed that most of the smaller universities have the reputation of "suitcase schools; like high school" and the larger universities have the reputation of "party schools--lots of drinking, harder time getting dorms you want, bad parking, etc." </p>
<p>Has anybody ever considered that large universities are just "a large number of high school students in one large atmosphere" and small universities are "a small number of high school students in one small atmosphere?" </p>
<p>You can't go wrong with UMW. But then again, Virginia has many great universities.</p>
<p>Yeah, Mary Wash MAY have given you the impression of being like high school. Your daughter won't be saying that after she takes her classes though. My sibling goes there. I go to W&M. I would say that there is nothing easy about the courses at Mary Washington. For a good, solid education, it can't be beat. No real sport's atmosphere though, but a really, really good school. Beautiful campus.</p>