<p>Don't get me wrong, I do think that William and Mary is a great school and i did look into going there, but there are things about it that I never liked. First off, people affiliated with W&M always seem to compare themselves to the University of Virginia and try to convince other people that they are on par with UVA and are "just as good." At UVA, you don't hear people compare UVA with William and Mary or mention the school in extremely negative ways (W&M people on the other hand always seem to bash UVA and we all know what the reason is). Truth be told, William and Mary is great but it generally isn't considered on par (regardless of what they want you to think). UVA is a far more elite institution that W&M is, and that is something that people from W&M have to accept and not continually complain how their school is "just as good." I understand that the poster above me is joking around (which is perfectly fine), but it just reminded me of the way some people from W&M (again, not the poster above me) like to talk crap about UVA because their school is not as reputable. Even in those grad school areas where W&M claims to be top (law and business), UVA is considered elite while W&M is not.</p>
<p>Because I have enormous respect for W&M and think its the best of the three schools you mentioned, I don't mean this as a way of putting down W&M. It's just an observation I have made. That attitude at W&M is one of the largest reasons I chose UVA over W&M. William and Mary, like the University of Virginia, is a great school and has graduated lots of smart, honorable people, but quite a few W&M students can't get over the fact that UVA has a more elite reputation. Sadly, this comes across as having an inferiority complex (which is sad becuase of the great people who have come out of W&M).</p>
<p>I really doubt that's the reason. W&M students have a tendency to be a bit quirky, and the stereotypical UVA student sort of represents the opposite of that. A number of my friends here and I chose W&M because it was a good in-state school and we couldn't imagine ourselves at UVA.</p>
<p>Undoubtedly, most of UVA's graduate programs are better, but aside from a few areas like business I wouldn't say their undergrad offerings are more prestigious.</p>
<p>Do you know the scene in Caddyshack where the Rodney Dangerfield character has just commented on how ugly a hat in the pro shop is and then turns around and sees the Ted Knight character wearing the same hat and says, "Oh, but it looks great on you" and rolls his eyes? It was funny when Rodney did it, but in real life it's just annoying. </p>
<p>"College" is not a zero sum game in which one college is the champion. All this hand-wringing about the "Ivies" and "top-tier" and "must get into a prestigious school so that my future is assured" is a colossal waste of time. If a school offers programs you are interested in and offers an atmosphere you are comfortable in and you are willing to work hard to get the most out of the experience, then most of the 3,000+ schools in the U.S. will get the job done. (And, there are even more colleges and universities outside of the U.S.) </p>
<p>If you absolutely must base everything on rankings and "reputable" and "prestigious," do you really think there is any significant difference between #18 and #27 or between #9 and #15 or (insert numbers here)? Hey, do you know the scene in This Is Spinal Tap where the dial goes up to 11? It's one louder. </p>
<p>So, to get back to what the OP was asking, you have three great choices. Isn't it great to have options?</p>
<p>
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Being from NY, we are used to interaction. While we visited for two days, it did not seem to me that the students were very happy people.
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</p>
<p>Did you visit at the end of the semester? It's exam time at William and Mary, and in the last 2 weeks, people have had multiple term papers, projects, presentations, and more going on. They are working overtime to finish their work to the high standards that they hold themselves to. Personally I turned in 4 papers during the last week of classes, and did an 8 person group presentation the week before.</p>
<p>I'm curious as to the interaction that you were looking for. I have been to NYC my fair share of times, and the only interaction I see between people who don't know each other are beggars and people trying to sell you things. Sorry we don't have those on the WM campus. Do you expect random people that you don't know to stop and say hi? There are only 10 minutes between class. Honestly I would think it was very weird if someone stopped and tried to engage me in conversation when I was walking somewhere. I have seen countless numbers of students stop and offer help to visiting families looking confused or slightly lost.</p>
<p>NY is the epitome of people only out for themselves. I'm surprised Williamsburg gave you that vibe. William and Mary students love it here.</p>
<p>barq45 wrote:
[quote]
this comes across as having an inferiority complex
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if there are people at WM who would rather be at UVA, they transfer. I assure you the majority of the people here are quite happy with their choice of college, despite the elitist attitudes of those two hours to the east.</p>
<p>For the record, I have countless friends at UVA, and a parent who benefited from the splendid education.</p>
<p>We also don't have to have a college wide campaign to make sure students don't shout "not gay" after we score touchdowns. We are content being who we are.</p>
<p>Two sons are graduates of UVA.....daughter a freshman at WM. Neither school is inferior/superior. Only the attitudes of certain individuals, creates this myth. Both are excellent and depends on which setting is more to your liking.</p>
<p>Well, I started this thread so I figure I'll update it with results of my D's decision. She's decided on Emory.....but not until 2009. She will defer Emory matriculation for one year and during this upcoming school year she will be spending her time in Israel, studying at the Hebrew University for the fall semester and performing community service (probably teaching English to newly arrived immigrant school children) after that, until June.</p>
<p>Good luck to all the students out there. Study hard and have fun but remember that your parents work hard for the money they are spending to send you to a good school. Earn it!! College should be enjoyable but it should never be a looked at as a vacation.</p>
<p>And to all the parents...... when our children graduate, get jobs, and make lots of money they will surely take care of us in our old age. I know, I'm a comedian :)</p>