UVA vs William & Mary for Chemistry

College Search & Selection
1

Hi, I recently got into both schools and is highly considering both as they are way more cost effective than out of state colleges. I’ve spoken with students and alums from both schools and still struggle to figure out where I truly want to go.

Intended major: chemistry-biochemistry- NOT on premed track (want to get PHD after).

At William and Mary, I got a full tuition scholarship and Monroe scholarship. It’s also a smaller school, allowing me to have easier access to research as I can be closer to professors while being paid to research. It provides a more holistic education, which is important to me because I am interested in both the humanities and STEM. It focuses on their undergraduate students more than UVA. However, I don’t really like the small school feel as it’s a little bit cramped but definitely I think the students are friendly- I just think I may get bored? The students there are more academically inclined and serious about their work than UVA, according to some Alums.

At UVA, I like the sports and social scene better. When I visited, I felt like a home. It’s more diverse (but a close call between the two schools) and there are more people and I love feeling like there’s always more people to meet. I think educationally it is really strong as it is one of the most prestigious top universities for a reason. It gave me a lot of aid, so the cost of attendance is not that much higher than at William and Mary- but that’s if I don’t double major or minor (I think). It’s in more of an urban area, so there are more people I can help through community service and more fun areas to go to on weekends. However, I won’t be able to get as close to my professors as in WM and struggle to get research opportunities due to competition.

I know academically, WM is better for me because I’ll have easier access to every important factors in education for me. However, socially UVA is better and it just feels like home while receiving decent education. I know money is a strong factor to consider but I am willing to work and apply for a lot of scholarships to get UVA’s tuition paid off. I just feel like if I commit, I’ll regret my decision if I don’t go to the other school.

Important factors in a school:

  • strong research opportunities
  • a lot of clubs and volunteer opportunities
  • school will provide me a lot of support to help me be successful after undergrad
  • feel welcomed and at home
  • strong programs for me

Either way, I think I’ll be fine as they are both great schools and I’m very thankful for my acceptances. If you were me, where would you go?

2

I’m going to William and Mary so I’m biased, but I am out of state and didn’t apply to UVA and both schools seem amazing for academics. I would say if it felt like home to choose UVA because you will be able to find a more academically focused friend group at a big school if that’s what you want, while still able to meet plenty of new people. But I have to say that W&M’s small but not tiny size is appealing to me, because it will be a community but not feel like high school where you know everyone. Good luck on your decision!

1 Like
3

UVA is just as strong as William and Mary academically, so if you like UVA more you should go for it.

4

W&M is near the Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News area, so I think there are many more urban areas closer to Williamsburg than Charlottesville.

Although both are close in costs, a full tuition Monroe is a designation that is special and sets you apart even after you leave undergrad. Since you didn’t mention it, I’m assuming you did not get the Jefferson from UVA?

Congrats on two great choices! Go with your gut.

5

You have good options, and you can’t really go wrong either way.

If you are interested in getting a PhD, William & Mary has had a very strong record, particularly for a public school of producing students that go on to get PhDs, and chemistry is one of the stronger areas. Part of the reason for that might be strong teaching and undergraduate research opportunities in STEM. Research projects guided by a faculty member are useful in graduate school applications and also in getting good references. There is actually federal data on the baccalaureate origins of doctoral recipients, which is made available at the link below. You can play around with it, but you can see that William & Mary, among all Virginia schools, has produced more undergraduates that have gone on to get chemistry PhDs over the past 10 years. This is despite having a relatively small enrollment. (87 William & Mary undergraduates went on to earn chemistry PhDs, 70 for Virginia Tech, and 65 for UVA) . You’d have to do some math, but if you compared to all other public universities on a per capita basis, William & Mary may well come out very close to the top.

That said, I generally don’t recommend choosing a college just for a major, since you will take over half of your classes outside of your major and many students decide to change majors once they attend.

Good luck.

6

W&M bc you got a great scholarship and you love the academics!