UVA vs. William&Mary for an English Major

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I have read numerous posts that included comparisons for both of these schools, but for different majors. I aim to be an English major with a Creative Writing concentration/option. I hear UVA has one of the best undergraduate and graduate writing programs in the nation and that it is a well-rounded school, but also that William&Mary has more of a liberal arts focus so I`m also looking at their writing program. I am partial to English literature so I will probably take a lot of those as electives, especially literature in the 18th and 19th centuries. I would like to live on campus in a suite-style and would love to look at cultural/honors learning communities. I don't care about being in the Greek system but would love a vibrant student life with lots of clubs and school activities.

To condense, I`m an English major concentrating on creative writing, and would like a lot of English lit classes. I want to live in a suite-style dorm and crave diversity and a vibrant campus life(: Thoughts?</p>

2

<p>Both are great options. I encourage you to apply to both, especially if you are in state. Who knows, your acceptances might make the choice for you ;)</p>

<p>I can only speak about my experience at William and Mary, because I am a student here. I encourage you to look at the creative writing and English classes through their course catalog. Much of the curriculum contains 18th and 19th century literature, and there’s always cool electives you can take. There’s MANY literary magazines on campus (perhaps disproportionate to our size), and I am taking on a significant role in one of them, the Winged Nation. Check it out if you’re on campus. If you are interested in research, I have a friend who’s doing research in English as early as his freshman year that can probably answer some questions for you. As for creative writing, William and Mary only offers creative writing as a minor, so you may find a bigger program at UVA. You can design your own major, if that is something that appeals to you.</p>

<p>We have many cultural housing options. Dubbed the language houses in the Randolph complex, students in the houses live amongst eachother , speak in the target language, and hold cultural events. These languages include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish. As for suites, you most likely won’t live in one freshman year, you can try to request one, but they are available to upperclassmen. If you are interested in community service-based research, there is the Sharpe Community Scholar program that lives together (I’m currently in this one) and does many activities as a group during their freshman year.</p>

<p>As for clubs, it’s smaller than UVA, but I have never felt like there was a lack of clubs. If anything, I have felt the opposite. 400+ clubs available means I always have something going on every night, sometimes even multiple. I’m not one to shy away from being involved. If there’s anything in particular you are interested in, I can try to find out about it for you. Campus life is vibrant, in my opinion, and I have felt that I have a more diverse group of friends here than in high school. You can find the statistics on their respective websites if you’re looking for them. Both are state schools, but one thing that William and Mary emphasizes is there’s all different types of diversity. I’ve been able to learn a lot from the people I’ve been around, and I have friends ranging from Hawaii, to international countries, to the inner-city of Baltimore. A good portion of students from either school will be from Northern Virginia, however.</p>

<p>If you’re interested in diversity-related events, the center for student diversity and the admissions office are co-planning an event called “ESCAPE” where you can stay overnight on admitted students day. Be on the lookout. I went to it last year and it was a blast, thinking about hosting this year.</p>

<p>Good luck! Let me know if you have any further questions.</p>

3

<p>As an English professor, i can say that both are good schools and good departments. W&M tends to get a bit more associated with American literature because of its American Studies program and Colonial Williamsburg, which overshadows a great deal of W&M in the humanities and social sciences. UVA is known a bit more for being strong in all areas of literature in English and its grad program (and therefore UVA’s English profs) is top notch. Based simply on the English department’s reputation in non-American literature and creative writing and not on the u/g experience, I would choose UVA. </p>

4

<p>It has to come down to personal preferences. Have you visited both and which one do you feel better?</p>

<p>Go to W&M and you have a chance to serve fried chicken in the “TAVEN”… :)</p>

<p>No, use your own instinct.</p>

5

<p>Thank you guys for answering! After some contemplation, I think I have decided to change routes and will update with a new post dictating my newfound epiphany!</p>