<p>I was recently accepted to University of Richmond, William and Mary, and UVa, and am not exactly sure where to go.
I am interested in the social sciences, and possibly interested in business, foreign language, and international studies.
The price of all 3 schools is roughly the same, UR being about 4k cheaper per year than the others.
I am social but dont drink. I am not very interested in Greek life.
I would appreciate ANY advice on this matter, thanks =D.</p>
<p>I would suggest you check out the Princeton Review profile for each of these colleges online to get a better idea. Here's what I think:</p>
<p>It seems like the subjects are you interested in are good for both UVa. and UofR. Both have equal academic reputations. UofR provides a more liberal arts focused education, while UVa. is a large research university. W&M is also good academically, but both UofR and UVa. are genrally considered better for the social sciences.</p>
<p>So academically, I would place UofR and UVa. tied at the top with W&M at the bottom. I don't if this is relavent but UofR eventually wants to become a member of the Ivy League (but that may be a few years away!).</p>
<p>From what I know, all of those schools are strong in all the areas you mentioned. W&M is especially known for international studies, while UR is extremely strong in business. UVA is just awesome all around.</p>
<p>The social life at UR is dominated by the greeks (40% of the student body is greek). At UVA it would probably be easier to stay away from the greeks since its a huge school and has a lower percentage, but they still have a very strong presence on campus. I don't really know what the deal with W&M is.</p>
<p>I was in (sort of) the same situation as you- those were the only 3 schools I applied to but I got waitlisted at UVA so I basically had to choose between W&M and UR. I don't drink and as of now I don't really see myself in a sorority (perhaps this will change) and I chose UR. I just liked the feeling of the campus better and the fact that it's near a big city as opposed to a colonial theme park. </p>
<p>You just need to decide where you would feel the most comfortable for four years and what you're looking for in a school. UR will be a lot more similar to high school than UVA will because it's only 3,000 students. But a lot of people (such as myself) want a smaller student body. Being at a small school makes it a lot easier to get involved in clubs and sports and have leadership roles. I have been to all campuses and can vouch that all are absolutely gorgeous and I would be happy at any one of them, but in the end, UR is right for me. </p>
<p>Don't worry about which school US News or Princeton Review thinks is the best. Worry about which school will allow YOU to do your best. </p>
<p>campusdirt.com is a good website to check out- it has comments from current students on all sorts of aspects of the school. Good luck!</p>
<p>Again, it would be VERY helpful for you to compare schools using the Princeton Review type of guides. They can provide you with imporant statistics (such as the % of students in greek life, etc.) that will help you make your decision. But nobody is suggesting you base on decision on what they think :-)</p>
<p>Mighty I think you should seriously think about going to William and Mary. Contrary to Cow's opinion, the city of Williamsburg isn't all about a, "colonial theme park". The social sciences at William and Mary are incredible and shouldnt be sneezed at, even when compared to the schools IR program. WM provides ways to foster close relationships between the faculty and students most notably in the History and Sociology/Anthro departments. In addition, the very same close knit feel UR bills itself as having is also shared by William and Mary. They are both head and shoulders ahead of UVA in regard to the attainability of faculty and staff.</p>
<p>As a caveat--UR can try all it wants to become Ivy League material, but the fact of the matter is at this present time it just isnt. As an in state resident I know that William and Mary is almost always given the edge over UR academically, but has also earned the reputation as being a very cutthroat academic environment. WM can gloss over this reputation all it wants by preferring the label, academic boot camp, but the feel is definitely there. Ultimately just go with your gut since the money isnt a defining issue in your case. Good luck with your future decision!</p>
<p>I'd go UVA or W&M based on your social life preferences. Hard to argue with UVA. It's the best school of the three, and it has the widest variety of social activiites available. Not drinking or being "in" to Greek life is something to think about before you pick Ricmond. You don't have to join a Frat at UR, but to not even be interested in the scene is something that would give me pause. Non drinking, non-frat scene people are a distinct minority at Richmond. What if you don't care for the few people at UR that share your social preferences? Then you're screwed. Better to go to the bigger school and expand your options.</p>
<p>I'm just curious, how'd you find out you got into all three already? I thought UVA didn't come out with a decision until APril 1st enless it was early decision (which is binding.) Maybe i'm wrong though. </p>
<p>Leah</p>
<p>I would choose b/w UVA and W&M. I don't think Richmond would be better academically than those two schools unless you are looking for a small population. Also alot of social scene in UR is involved with frats and drinking. Social scene here can get repetitive after awhile because the school is small.
Personally, I think UVA is the best of three but ultimately it's your decision. </p>
<p>Good luck in making your final choice!</p>
<p>um, washington and lee rocks all three of those schools.</p>
<p>The OP was from last year. That's how he/she already knew they got in.</p>
<p>WM has a very active Greek Life although it is underplayed on the campus tours. Many students do belong to frats and sororities. One set of frats exists in the center of campus - a dorm building leased by several fraternities. I think that Colonial Williamsburg is a big of a drag on the students - the CW police would prefer that the students not congregate in the tourist areas. UR has a definite Greek Life - the tour guides all proudly displayed their Greek letters and tattoos. However, it has an impressive leadership program.</p>
<p>ohhh that makes sense ! Thanks for the clarification, l0l, I was confused. </p>
<p>Leah</p>
<p>We heard that Richmond is really conservative......as in politics.....is this true? The campus if beautiful and I know the academics are good , but........................???????????? Input??</p>
<p>well, if you think about it, its a LIBERAL arts school, so you should get your fair share of liberals and conservatives...</p>
<p>As a current UR student, I personally do not feel a political lean on campus one way or the other. To be perfectly honest, most of the students seem rather apathetic/uninformed when it comes to politics. If you are passionate about politics and thrive in constant debate and discussion with your peers, you will have a more difficult time finding that at Richmond. I have many friends who consider themselves to be very liberal and seem to fit in just fine.</p>
<p>mojo- "liberal arts" has absolutely nothing to do with politics.</p>
<p>where are bio and chem strongest out of those 3</p>
<p>First of all, University of Richmond is not equal to either UVA or William and Mary in terms of reputation and especially academics. It's also an easier school to get into. William and Mary is small, smaller classes, great academics, top-notch professors, UVA is much bigger, lots more school spirit I think............maybe it boils down to whether you want a bigger school or a smaller one. The campus of UR is beautiful..............but just not EVEN in the league of William and Mary or UVA, despite it being a private school. William and Mary does not have a cut throat academic environment, in my opinion. Sure it's hard but to have gotten accepted, you have to be used to working hard!</p>