<p>In California no one really knows where and what w and m is. It is depressing... o well, it doesn't matter... im thrilled to be going next year! woot</p>
<p>According to Rutgers' website, UVA, Berkeley, and UNC are also public ivies. As far as I know, Rutgers was invited to join the Ivy League many moons ago, but opted to stay public for the people...</p>
<p><a href="http://admissions.rutgers.edu/0102.asp%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.rutgers.edu/0102.asp</a></p>
<p>Sorry, mojojojo69, didn't mean to sound harsh. It's just everyone I've seemed to talk to had heard of William and Mary (including my relatives in CA, bunches of them, mostly in San Fransisco) and everyone responded with oohs and aahhhs. Admittedly, most people didn't know it is a public school or where it is. One person thought it was in England! Good luck with your college career!</p>
<p>The people who matter know exactly what w&m is. It's not off the beaten path and certainly is a "mainstream" school. It's a fine place to go that will put you in an excellent position to go to graduate school or to enter the job market. It may not have the football team or Oklahoma or Miami, but those schools don't have the academics of w&m.</p>
<p>Many people in MA have not heard of Wm & Mary. When my son was accepted a teacher at his school said she didn't realize he wanted to go to cooking school. LOL. As a parent talking with other parents/adults, I find about 7/10 reasonably educated adults here have never heard of Wm & Mary or think it is in England (smile). Of course, most people here can't imagine why anyone would ever leave Boston for an education. We did not receive lots of oohs when he was accepted - we received lots of "why is he going THERE?". We were rather shocked since we knew how difficult it was for him to get into WM but in all honesty, before our college search, it was not a college I knew anything about. I have come to feel that the lack of recognition could be a problem for my son in trying to get a job in this area.</p>
<p>Rileydog, I am very surprised that people in MA haven't heard of W&M given that both areas share importance to the same historical event (American Revolution). Plus, how boring would it be if eveyone stayed in their own state to go to college?! But, as you say, I to have talked to reasonably educated adults who have never heard of schools like Carlton, University of Chicago, Boston College, Colgate, Bryn Mawr, etc. But honestly, I may have talked to only one or two people who have never heard of W&M, although EVERYONE thinks it's a private. school.</p>
<p>I agree - everyone thinks it is private. I think Boston is particularly provincial when it comes to colleges/universities. I do think it is changing, though, as more students are looking outside of Boston and the Ivies due to increasingly competitive admissions.</p>
<p>My dad got oohs from the other doctors in the PA hospital he works in, and I got one from a guy I met in Manhattan over Spring Break.</p>
<p>That said, I don't want to settle in Washington, DC (where everyone knows the school) after graduation. Hopefully, publicity for the school will increase and it will begin to recieve the recognition it deserves.</p>
<p>I'm rather amazed that Bostonians might not know where certain of our more illustrious presidents had attended college. A quick recitation of those names would most certainly educate the masses.</p>
<p>b u m pppppppppppp this</p>
<p>Wow! Don't know about those MA people...I can say that its a rare person I've spoken with here in CT that is not familiar with W&M!!<br>
And I'm quick to educate them :o
It is very highly regarded here.</p>
<p>I am glad to be going to W and M next year and I think, certainly it is a top school but I think it is underrated. I mean, look at this very discussion board. It is not listed as a "CC top liberal arts college" or "CC Top Universities". Is that because W and M is technically, a university, but considered a liberal arts college or another reason relating to its "prestige"?</p>
<p>Don't worry about it, this are a lot of great schools that aren't listed as a CC top liberal arts college or top university. It doesn't really matter. W&M is a great school with a strong curriculum and enough history and prestige to last you the next four years.</p>
<p>Although W & M is named the College and everyone assumes it's a private school, it is the university. The only things that hold it back are its public status and the endowment. If W&M is private, receives a large endowment, and gives more research & graduate opportunities, then it would rise dramatically to at least top 15. Nonetheless, W&M is a great school and prestigious to those educated people. Don't forget that it is considered the public ivy as well.</p>
<p>I think you have the concepts of "cause" and "effect" mixed up, pattycake. W&M is not held back by virtue of its status as a public university.</p>
<p>I disagree, I think that much of WM's problems are the result of its status as a public school- something that is certainly reflected in the rankings as was previously mentioned. That said I do believe, however, that WM should rise a good deal in its rankings this next year in part due to the significant steps it has taken this past year to improve itself in addition to the fact that this year, unlike last year, figures for the assessments will be made on CORRECT figures- whereas last year, figures such as the endowment were based on grossly incorrect numbers</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that W&M is being held back because it's a public school. The reason why it's public in the first place is because it was doing so badly as a private school that the state of Virginia had to bail it out a 100 years ago.</p>
<p>Yes, W&M is a great school - one of the best undergraduate schools in the country I would add, but what W&M really needs to do is raise its endowment. Being that the state isn't very generous when it comes to supporting higher education, the only way W&M will able to afford its aspirations is through alternative sources of funding.</p>
<p>All I know is it's really well respected in the mid-Atlantic area. Comparable with UVa. I wanted to go there for a long time, but then realized it wasn't the school for me (it was just too small!). It's neat that West Coast people have heard of it! Many kids around here haven't or don't know of its extremely strong academic reputation...but the people who count definitely are in the know.</p>
<p>Again, Bjcdp, it's not held back because it's a public school. Rather, some of the problems endemic to publics hold back its ranking in one particular publication. Being public hasn't hurt Berkeley one bit.</p>
<p>I disagree. There are a number of financial aspects of the college that would improve were it not public. Note, however,that I never said that its main problem is that it is a public school; I never said that was the cause.</p>