<p>Trying to narrow down my applications, and have been looking at these three colleges, in addition to a few others. I'm a senior interested in biology/pre-med. I'd like an academically strong school with a good social life. From what I've seen, I love Richmond's campus and small class sizes. Mostly, I'm looking for a balance of academics and social life, with a solid greek system. Politically, I'm middle of the road, leaning conservative. White/Hispanic, middle-class, from California. Any input is appreciated, thanks for looking.</p>
<p>If you’re seriously interested in W&M, I strongly suggest you visit and see if you like the general atmosphere and student body… I don’t know how to explain it but many of students are kind of… quirky/eccentric.
I dont know too much about Washington and Lee except that they are in a small, mountainous town and there are lots of fine arts-focused people.
Richmond… Hmm… I’m probably a little biased because this is where I’m applying Early Decision!! A few reasons I LOVE Richmond–
-perfect size (small, personal classes)
-15th best for undergrad Business (I assume it’s close to the same ranking for bio/pre-med… Competitive but not cutthroat)
-Solid Greek life (no houses but there are meeting/party lodges for frats… I think it’s less exclusive this way)
-Southern, classy culture, somewhat conservative
-STUNNING campus. Pictures don’t do it justice. And it’s in a pretty good area- but you kinda need a friend with a car or your own car to see the city. </p>
<p>I know, I know, its not the most objective response, but I hope it helped!</p>
<p>All three schools will offer you a very good academic experience. What kind of financial aid are you hoping for? If you have demonstrated need, you’ll probably get a better deal at Richmond or Washington & Lee. William and Mary promises to meet the need of instate students only; the only two public colleges in the US that will meet the need of OOS students are UVA and UNC-CH. If you’ll be paying the full sticker price, the cost of attendance at William and Mary is lower than at the other two schools. Total cost of attendance (including tuition, fees, room & board, insurance, books, and transportation) at W & L is an estimated $58K; $56K at Richmond; and $49K at W & M.</p>
<p>W & M has very limited merit aid; don’t know about merit at the other schools.</p>
<p>Can you visit these campuses? That will tell you a lot.</p>
<p>D visited all three schools; applied & was admitted to Richmond and W&L but just didn’t “feel it” at William & Mary so didn’t apply. W&L has excellent merit aid (Johnson Scholars, about 10% of each class, receive full tuition, room & board for four years). Richmond has good merit aid, some of which is designated for Early Decision applicants; if you are serious about UR as your first choice, consider getting your ED app in!</p>
<p>Both schools have good pre-med advising programs and track records with med school admissions. Richmond is a terrific source of internships and has much more of a city feel (restaurants, shopping, etc.), but the UR campus itself is very suburban. W&L is in a tiny but charming town of 7,000; you can easily walk to a coffee shop, restaurants, movie theatre etc. </p>
<p>Not sure how meadowl13 got the impression that most of the W&L kids are artsy; while there are opportunities for those interested in performing & visual arts, I would characterize most W&L students as the epitome of the work hard/play hard - 80% Greek/conservative preppy type. (I would agree with the “quirky/eccentric” characterization of W&M students based on the students we saw during our visit.)</p>
<p>You don’t mention your grades, test scores, or EC’s, but W&L (and W&M, especially for out-of-state applicants) admission is very competitive, with UR somewhat less so (but becoming more selective each year as it becomes better known nationally). Being Hispanic and from California should help at W&L and at UR. Agree with frazzled1 that a visit would be very helpful (and at both UR and W&L, you can request an interview.) Demonstrated interest is important at both schools; if you can’t get there from California, try to get an alumni interview in your area or meet with an admissions rep when they are at a college fair near you. </p>
<p>All three are beautiful campuses with strong faculty and programs. Good luck!</p>
<p>Okay William and Mary has strong academics, but the social life is lacking. Most people spend their time studying instead hanging out. The people of William and mary are a little bit weird and don’t really like to party. W and L is the hardest to get in, but there are great academics and social life there. The only problem is that it is in the middle of NOWHERE, so you would end up spending most of ur time on campus. Richmond might be a little bit lower academically than the other two, but there is a great greek scene and social life there. The business school is outstanding. I don’t think you could make a bad choice, they are all good </p>
<p>Will you chance me?</p>