<p>I'm going to W&M in the fall and cannot be more excited. I know the College has a great reputation in the academic world but I was wondering how it's looked upon in the real/career world, especially compared to UVA. Thanks :)</p>
<p>A lot of it comes down to the specifics of what you want to do but for a generalization:</p>
<p>Job Market:
Nationwide: UVA > WM (barely, but UVA is more familiar to most)
DC area: UVA=WM</p>
<p>Graduate Schools:
WM=UVA (UVA may be stronger in MBA placement, but I believe WM is slightly better in Law/Med). </p>
<p>In all honesty though, you can’t go wrong with either. Both are great. It just comes down to personal preference.</p>
<p>I think that’s about what I expected to see. UVA is a state university, thus the familiarity. Nice to see they’re equal in DC, that’s where I want to live. </p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>They’re both Public State Universities, but I guess you mean that it has the State’s name as part of its name. And yeah, THEAJay pretty much has it right. Everyone in the region knows about both, but nationwide UVA is better known. For grad schools I feel W&M is better, especially for Law & Med.</p>
<p>not necessarily just state name. Has to do with being a bigger school (larger alumni network) and a lot also has to do with athletics. Furthermore, UVA’s undergrad business program was recently ranked best in the nation even above Penn-Wharton which helps a national reputation. Though W&M is excellent (people that matter know this), UVA is going to have slightly more national prestige.</p>
<p>Thanks, HtH, that is what I meant. :)</p>
<p>Right, size is definitely factor. Thanks again, THEAjay.</p>
<p>The people that matter know about W&M.</p>
<p>people that matter = grad school admissions, job recruiters</p>
<p>Joe Schmo football fan who has heard of Boise State, but not W&M = not a person that matters. Just to clarify.</p>
<p><em>claps</em> I love the clarification soccerguy hahaha.</p>
<p>It’s the truth though. Just because your friend’s Dad has no idea where William and Mary is, doesn’t mean the admissions staff in grad school will be just as clueless.</p>
<p>Actually, my experience over the past 20 yrs has been different. W&M “sounds” private, elite and prestigious. Its one of “those” schools like Amherst, Haverford, or Brown. Its somewhat mysterious b/c its known for its academics, history, and graduates and not the sports teams. UVirginia on the other hand is brought down some b/c it “sounds” like U of (fill-in-your-state-here). Most people, esp further away from Virginia, think its just another state school. This is why Princeton changed its name from the College of New Jersey and most people think Joe Paterno coaches Penn. In fact “Penn” is an attempt to get away from U of State syndrome.</p>
<p>My experience has been similar to swish14, when people ask me where I graduated and I tell them William & Mary they more often than not think it is private. Additionally, I’ve had a good amount of people respond with, “That’s ivy league right?” UVA is obviously a good school too, but I’ve always liked how WM has an Ivy feel while the student body remain really humble. It has roughly the student population size of an ivy and has at least as much of an “ivy feel” when walking on campus as Dartmouth, Brown, and Harvard all of which I have visited. (I actually prefer WM’s campus to those three campuses - Harvard needs to spend some money on trees/flowers/some type of plants to make the campus look less dreary). It is hard to feel like you are just a number at WM, a fact which is sure to be the envy of a good many state universities around the nation both prestigious and less prestigious universities. The professors are accessible and take a sincere interest in their students, whether they are head of the department or lower on the totem pole.</p>