W&M sophomore here to anwser questions (other students/alums feel free to chip in!)

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of William and Mary
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<p>Hey guys! I've been going through this thread, and I've seen a lot of concerns about student life, especially with regard to faculty quality, ECs, class experiences, social life, stress, and the administration/honor council. I just thought I'd quickly start a thread for any questions you all might have about life here at W&M, and I can try my best to provide answers. Other current students and alums, feel free to join in! </p>

<p>Just a little background about me: I'm a current out-of-state Sophomore majoring in Government. I'm heavily involved with the Student Assembly and IR club, and have done research and internships with the Gov department. I've worked on political campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels in Virginia and New Jersey. </p>

<p>I'm not extremely familiar with the sciences though, but please post your questions nevertheless; some other current students should definitely be able to respond. Ask away!</p>

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<p>This is so great, thanks so much for getting this thread going :)</p>

<p>I’m going to be a freshman at W&M next year. (wooohooo so excited)!</p>

<p>I was wondering when you pick classes for first semester? my brother said his freshman year, he put in classes he wanted to take, and didn’t really get any of the ones he wanted(at a different school).
Do you have much control over what classes you are able to take at W&M? I know class registration is hard. Also, are you able to choose what time your classes are at? I know I want to be in the orchestra, and it meets twice a week at the same time. Could I schedule my classes around that?</p>

<p>I also want to avoid 8 AM’s at all cost haha</p>

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<p>Can you talk more specifically about your research and internships? How easy are these opportunities to get? I’m interested in IR so any insights on govt/IR related programs would be great.</p>

<p>Also, do you feel as an out-of-state student that the predominance of Virginians has any impact on social life? What’s the campus like on weekends?</p>

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<p>@soccersara122: It’s my pleasure, I’m always happy to help! </p>

<p>Registration is always a pain, no matter which institution you’re at. That being said, it gets a lot easier with every subsequent semester, because it is done by order of seniority. Also, freshmen are guaranteed at least one freshman seminar at W&M, which is a small discussion class with no more than 15 people. Overrides are also possible, and if you banner stalk constantly, people tend to shuffle around a lot during the add/drop period, and the administration will open up more class sections if need be. </p>

<p>A good strategy is to attend a class on the first day of classes, even if you’re not registered, and then talk to the professor after class ends. This demonstrates that you’re really interested in the class, and more often than not, the professor will recognize this and grant you an override. The registration process might seem intimidating, but I’m sure your friends and Orientation Aides will be more than happy to guide you through the process, and it’s never the end of the world if you can’t get all of your classes. </p>

<p>Also, use Ratemyprofessors.com like hell. As with every college, there are good professors and bad professors. Bad professors drain your physical, mental, and spiritual energy. Avoid bad professors if at all possible, and especially during your freshman year. You want a smooth transition from high school to college, and taking classes with helpful professors who care about your growth both inside and outside of class will facilitate this process.</p>

<p>It’s definitely possible to arrange your classes at the times you want, but you have to make sure that there’s a section available at that time. I recommend making a spreadsheet of different classes you’re interested in, and listing five or six backup options, just in case a particular class fills up. Also, 8am classes are few and far between, but they become necessary every once in a while. I’m taking a 8:30am class this semester and it’s really not so bad! Hope this helped!</p>

<p>@eniloracw: </p>

<p>Ahh, research. I think that compared to other institutions, getting internships and research opportunities in government and IR at William and Mary is comparatively easier than at competing institutions because not everyone is hypercompetitive. There’s really small Gov and IR class sizes, meaning it’s much easier to befriend your professors and get noticed. Plus, Virginia is great for politics. We have an election almost every year, because governor elections are in odd numbered years.</p>

<p>I’ll begin by highlighting some notable Government/IR opportunities that I highly recommend. A good way to get involved with these opportunities is to befriend your professors, and then just tell them you’re really interested in these things, and ask if they’re hiring or if you can get involved. It’ll even help a lot more if your faculty advisor is involved in some of the following projects. If you pm me, I can elaborate on this a bit more and forward you the names of some REALLY GREAT IR professors.</p>

<p>1) TRIP: This is the Teaching, Research, and International Policy project, which has been cited by scholars worldwide. What TRIP does is very unique in the field of IR: it investigates how International Relations theories learned in educational institutions causally affect the application of these theories in the real world by policymakers, if at all. It also investigates and synthesizes data about international relations literature published, and surveys the status quo of the international relations scholarly community. A few freshman I know actually got involved with TRIP, and they really enjoy the work. It’s approximately a 10 hour/week commitment. I’m fairly sure interns get paid, although I’ll have to check up on that. I’ve never actually done it myself, but I’ve heard great things. [Institute</a> for the Theory and Practice of International Relations | Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP)](<a href=“http://irtheoryandpractice.wm.edu/projects/trip/index.php]Institute”>Teaching, Research & International Policy | William & Mary)</p>

<p>2) AidData: This is a great program with the Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations, and focuses on investigating international allocations of humanitarian aid. You start off as an entry level intern, and there’s opportunity to move up and actually get paid a decent sum of money! I’ve heard of a lot of freshman who get involved in AidData. I’ve never done it myself, and although it is a part time job (approx 10 hours/week), I’ve heard great things about the experience! [Institute</a> for the Theory and Practice of International Relations | AidData](<a href=“http://irtheoryandpractice.wm.edu/projects/plaid/index.php]Institute”>http://irtheoryandpractice.wm.edu/projects/plaid/index.php)</p>

<p>3) PIPS: The Project on International Peace and Security is William and Mary’s undergraduate think tank, which is founded upon the premise that undergraduates will be able to conduct original, policy relevant research to be taken seriously by policymakers. PIPS offers research intern positions; interns assist a junior or senior PIPS fellow in developing an original policy brief, which they then present to policymakers at a symposium in DC at the end of the year. I did a PIPS internship freshman year, and PIPS has BY FAR been one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. It allows you to bridge the stuff you learn in class, and apply it to solve real world problems, and definitely allows you to descend from that ivory tower and apply the stuff you learned. I highly recommend applying, but one of the prerequisites is approximately a 3.7 GPA 1st semester of freshman year. Message me for more details, and try to keep that GPA up. But yeah, DEFINITELY APPLY FOR THIS. [Institute</a> for the Theory and Practice of International Relations | PIPS (Project on International Peace and Security)](<a href=“http://irtheoryandpractice.wm.edu/projects/PIPS/index.php]Institute”>The Project on International Peace and Security | William & Mary)</p>

<p>4) DC Summer Institutes: Spend a summer in DC with a guaranteed internship by networking with alumni, while taking courses related to your internship! You get credit for both the internship you do and the courses you take. Topics include National Security, Leadership and Community Engagement, and New Media, so if you’re interested in any of these, you should definitely apply! A lot of freshmen get in, and they definitely help you look for internships. [William</a> & Mary -*DC Summer Institutes](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/offices/dcoffice/programs/dcsummerinstitutes/?svr=web]William”>http://www.wm.edu/offices/dcoffice/programs/dcsummerinstitutes/?svr=web)</p>

<p>5) TJPPP: The Thomas Jefferson Program for Public Policy will occasionally hire undergraduates as paid research assistants. Research assistants get to help graduate students with a capstone consulting project. I served as a research assistant last semester; feel free to message me for more details.</p>

<p>6) Richmond Internship: Sophomores and above are eligible to apply for this 2 credit internship, which is a collaboration between the Government department and the student assembly. Accepted interns travel to Richmond every Tuesday and Thursday to intern with a Delegate, State Senator, Legislative Caucus, or member of the Executive Branch. It is coordinated by State Senator Tommy Norment and Professor McGlennon. I’m actually doing the Richmond internship this semester for a Democratic State Senator. So far, it has been a great experience.</p>

<p>7) General Research Assistant positions. Some are paid, some not. Again, befriend your professors and ask them if there are any opportunities available! It’s actually really easy to get involved and be noticed, especially with small government class sizes.</p>

<p>To answer the second part of your question, the predominance of Virginians has little impact on social life, if at all. Virginia itself is a very diverse place, a fact that few people seem to take into account. Northern Virginia, the Richmond area, Southside Virginia, and Southwestern Virginia all have extremely different cultures, and the people have vastly different hobbies as well as viewpoints. There’s also quite a great deal of variety between out of staters. I’ve befriended people from California, Minnesota, Texas, Mississippi, Ohio, and other countries like China, the UK, France, and the DR Congo.</p>

<p>Frat parties and hanging out with friends are always good on weekends. It’s definitely possible to have fun at W&M. You just have to be creative. Which, in my opinion, is good. Being creative helps you grow as a person.</p>

<p>Hope that helped! Also, feel free to pm me for more details. I don’t really want to post too much here, lest someone figures out who I am in real life ;)</p>

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<p>Thanks so much! I PM’d you.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for the detailed response :slight_smile: This helps so much! I’ll be sure to stalk banner. and try to override if I need to. and use rate my professors! so much helpful info in this. </p>

<p>Another question. I’m from new england, so it’s quite cold during the winter up here, and we start wearing long pants/sweaters and such in september or so. When does it start getting cold in Williamsburg? Like cold enough for long pants? I have nooo idea what clothes I should pack when I go to school in august, and i’m pretty sure I’ll be home for the first time for holiday break.</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

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<p>I feel really stupid but what does “stalk banner” mean?</p>

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<p>Banner is the website used to register for classes. It just means hover obsessively hoping a spot opens up in the class you want to register for.</p>

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<p>That’s funny Sara- my son is from New England and he does NOT stop wearing shorts until the beginning of November and coats are always optional!</p>

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<p>Hi - just wanted to add my two cents - my son is a freshman and I wanted to add a couple of notes about scheduling. Freshman do not sign up for classes until they get to campus and have met with their faculty adviser - which I think is a good thing. Secondly my son used schedulizer dot com to build a schedule and to build alternate schedules so he was ready to go when he had to hit enter on the classes he wanted. There are a couple of web sites like this one out there. Also, you do not have to have a banner account to see the open course list. If you want to look at this Springs open course list (which I found sort of fun) just search open courses on WM site.</p>

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<p>[Average</a> Weather for Williamsburg, VA - Temperature and Precipitation](<a href=“Monthly Weather Forecast for Seattle, WA - weather.com”>Monthly Weather Forecast for Seattle, WA - weather.com)</p>

<p>Google is your friend.</p>

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<p>Just wanted to add re: registering for classes. Yes, schedulizer or wm ed (something like that) are invaluable to play around with a schedule. Also, my daughter has registered for two semesters (she is a freshman) and has gotten exactly the classes she wanted both semesters. First semester, she got every class her first attempt. Second semester, she was able to get two overrides (one during active registration, one the day before classes began in January) from professors. Both professors were extremely accommodating and approachable. She never had to stalk Banner :)</p>

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<p>Yup, overrides are extremely easy to get here at W&M. One of the many reasons I like this place for the most part :)</p>

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<p>Hi there! I’m from out of state and was wondering about the high percentage of Virginia students who attend W & M. Do many of them go home for the weekends? Does the campus seem extra quiet at these times? Are there things to do (besides study) on the weekends?<br>
Being as forthcoming as you can…what are the personalities of students there? I visited this weekend and just loved the campus and the info session, but because the weather was terrible (and it was a weekend) there were not many students out and about. I really could not get a feel for types of students attending and want to know if it would be a 'good fit." I do realize that the tour and info session are partially an ‘advertisement’ for the school so it’s going to be great and always positive. Now I’m trying to gather a sense of what life will really be like there.<br>
Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>not sure how many current students “prowl” this forum, but from an in-state parents viewpoint:</p>

<p>My daughter has never come home other than official breaks. From what I hear, there is plenty to do on campus on the weekends…parties (greek or not), dorm gatherings (I think netflix changed the way college kids live haha), club sponsored events, school-wide sponsored events (AMP is the student organization that sponsors social events such as concerts, comedy shows, etc), sporting events (tend to be less attended, but I’m sure there are a core group of spectators for each sport). I’m sure there is much more that a student could fill you in on.</p>

<p>of course, there’s always school work that may deserve some weekend time as well :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I would not classify it as a “suitcase school” at all.</p>

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<p>“Freshman do not sign up for classes until they get to campus and have met with their faculty adviser”</p>

<p>This is not correct. Incoming freshmen pre-register for part of their schedule before they arrive on campus. Then they meet with their advisor and later at an appointed time get to register for the balance of their credits.</p>

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<p>@fiddlecanoe, this actually changed with the most recent entering class. Now all registration is done during Orientation.</p>

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<p>VA students really only go home for Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring Break. The only time other than I thought that any noticeable number of people went home was Easter, and that obviously depends on the individual.</p>

<p>On the weekends, you can hang out, play IM sports, go to W&M sporting events, go to Richmond or VA Beach for concerts, go to Busch Gardens, go to Yorktown beach, go to Jamestown beach (and I feel like there is another beach on Colonial Parkway too), hit the movie theater, go to the delis (/bars) by campus, go to the bars at Newtown, have a videogame tournament, play club sports, play frisbee, watch movies, go to a campus concert or performance, do volunteer work, greek parties, other student group parties, etc etc etc.</p>

<p>I was just on campus this weekend and saw campus golf happening, where students donate money to a charity (through a sorority) and then whack tennis balls around campus in funny costumes after consuming adult beverages. Highly entertaining (and fun).</p>

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<p>@LifeStorm, I just applied as a transfer…do you have any friends who are transfers/can you speak to how well they are integrated into the social scene at W&M? That is one of my primary concerns.</p>

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<p>@musicalme, this is a little dated, but one of my roommates junior year was a transfer, and we lived across the hall from two more transfers. there seemed to be a natural camaraderie among the transfers (there are a couple hundred every year, and the campus isn’t that big, and many of them probably meet each other at orientation), but, in my experience, everyone quickly found his or her own niche on campus according to their own interests. as posters have stated before, there are tons of things to do and groups to join, though of course it depends also on your own willingness to seek them out. honestly, i think being a transfer adds a certain novelty to your presence during the first few months that might actually make things easier for you.</p>