Wellesley VS. William and Mary - Which would you choose?

College Search & Selection
1

So I got accepted to both William and Mary and Wellesley. I know that both are amazing schools and I feel like at the end of the day, I will do well at either. However, I’m still having a hard time choosing. I want to major in Political Science and minor in Gender Studies or Spanish, and hopefully get into a top law school afterwards.

Some factors to weigh in my decision:

Pros for W&M:

Both colleges are affordable and my parents are willing to pay for either. However, William and Mary is will be around $3,000 less as it is in-state.

I am a James Monroe Scholar for William and Mary, which will give me $3,000 in research my senior year and honors housing.

I visited the campus (which is only a couple hours away from home) and I thought it was REALLY beautiful. Also, I stayed with an overnight host and it was cool to meet her bf and guy friends, obviously this wouldn’t be possible at the women’s college of Wellesley. She invited me to a frat party but I declined because I was too tired.

I already have some friends going to William and Mary, so I feel like the transition will be easier.

Overall: William and Mary is in-state, slightly cheaper, and feels like the “comfortable” option to me (if that makes any sense).

Cons for W&M:

I can’t think of any except for it’s less prestigious than Wellesley.

Pros for Wellesley:

It’s a prestigious school and if I do well I feel like I will have a slightly better chance of getting into a good law or grad school .

The campus is beautiful (my mom actually thinks its too isolated)

My sister lives nearby (she goes to school in Boston) and we will hopefully get to see each other often.

It’s near Boston.

It’s far away from home.

Cons:

It’s far away from home.

All the girls I talked to at Wellesley seemed to love the all women’s college aspect, but I’m still not sure.

2

If you prefer W&M and are not entirely comfortable with the notion of a women’s college then I think your answer is clear. Don’t go to a school just for a slight amount of additional “prestige”-- W&M is held in high regard as well.

3

W&M seems like the easy choice here.

4

I think you will find many people who think William and Mary is as prestigious or even more prestigious than Wellesley.
Political Science is very strong at W&M.
Go with your gut which is pointing you to W&M

5

I would choose Wellesley, not based on prestige (both are outstanding, even if Wellesley is ranked higher) or location (both are great areas), but based on size. You will get more personal attention from professors and smaller classes at a LAC. But I agree with others that if you are not sold on attending a women’s college, then W&M would be the better choice.

6

I think the W&M campus is more ‘isolated’ than Wellesley. I love the downtown Wellesley area right outside of campus Many shops and restaurants, and the commuter train station is right there to go into Boston. You’re not restricted to only courses on campus at Wellesley. It’s part of the Babson-Olin-Wellesley consortium, and you can cross register for classes at all three schools, as well as others (I think you can take classes at Harvard?) in the Boston area.

7

I’ve never really thought of W&M as less prestigious; maybe it’s because I’m from VA. But at any rate, W&M is a top-ranked college and you certainly won’t be getting any less of an education there, not by a long shot. It seems like you like W&M more.