Why W & L?

<p>I've been accepted to the class of 2010 and i was just wondering what really separates washington and lee from many other schools. I took a tour of the campus last summer but i really didn't see much of what i wanted (quick tour and no time to look around, even though i thought the campus was very nice) I also never thought i would get in, so i never gave the school "serious" thought until now....I've narrowed my college search down to U of Richmond, Boston College, and W & L. Could anyone give me some ideas as to why W&L would be better than richmond or BC?? i'm planning to major in business administration or finance....any responses regarding any of these colleges would be appreciated! thanks</p>

<p>W&L is the only liberal arts school in the top 25 with a nationally accredited business school.</p>

<p>I got into Richmond as well and chose W&L over it because 1) it's more competitive, 2) Honor System, 3) it's in the mountains (I like doing outdoor stuff), 4) heavily conservative student body, etc. Richmond was actually my first choice until I saw the light and decided to come to W&L. Don't get me wrong, Richmond is absolutely beautiful and a great school, but I'm happy with my final decision.</p>

<p>alright, well richmond also gave me 33,000 a year in scholarships...and i didn't mention this above but i got into the air force academy too, so that's on my list....however not really comparable to the other 3 schools....anything else about w&l, richmond or bc??</p>

<p>DAMN. Nice scholarship package from Richmond! I dunno, I love W&L and want as many people to come here as possible, but I'd say Richmond looks like your best bet with that nice deal. I don't know an awful lot about BC even though I'm from Maine, except that they got owned by U Maine in hockey this year at the game I saw ;-).</p>

<p>BC has a better reputation as a business school than W &L and Richmond. Also...di you want to be part of hte southern or east coast lifestyle?</p>

<p>Richmond may not be as competitive as W&L right now as it was only recently added to the national list of liberal arts colleges. However, it is a wonderful liberal arts college full of accomplished faculty and bright students. U of R, like W&L, has a good law school...and I guess one advantage I see with Richmond over Lexington is access to jobs and internships. Richmond is also in the middle of Virginia, which provides access to the west for mountains, the east for the beach, and north for Washington D.C. (more job and internship opportunities). The aid package you received should also be a significant factor if you are considering law school. As far as I know, law school does not grant many scholarships because they know graduates will make extraorbitantly large amounts of money in the future...that's just my two cents.</p>

<p>The Richmond base for finding jobs and internships is not as big as you might think, unless you're looking into going into state politics. W&L has a large alumni base which will at the least offset that advantage.</p>

<p>BC is a great school, but it is a big uni- very different from the experience you would get at Richmond or W&L.</p>

<p>You guys clearly respect Richmond a lot, and I'm curious as to why. I never seriously considered it so you guys probably know a lot more than me but I just don't think of it as anywhere near the level in terms of academics, competitiveness, and reputation of W&L or BC.</p>

<p>BC is a catholic (jesuit) private university, not public--although its size is comparable to many publics.</p>

<p>If you plan to major in Business Admin, BC is a much better choice, and has a very reputed business course. Richmond and WLU are not very different in thei business undergrad rankings, and WLU is a better choice if you wish for a better liberal arts education along with it. However, again, the generous aid from U of R is rather enticing.</p>

<p>Oh, also, I'm not sure if Finance is a major offered by the Williams school (not too sure).</p>

<p>The liberal arts educations that you will receive at W&L and U of R are not vastly different at all. I visited both schools and sat in on several classes. Professor quality, class size, student interaction, etc. are all very comparable.</p>

<p>If all these great things about U of R are true, why isn't it more competitive? and why isn't it known better? What am I missing here?</p>

<p>I gotta be honest... maybe it's just because I'm in intro-level classes where a lot of the students aren't too interested in the subject matter, but I'm quite disappointed by the level of student participation in my classes. The teachers do a great job facilitating discussion but the students just seem too afrait to say anything. It's like HS all over again. I doubt, though, that this is unique to W&L-- I'm sure it's true of freshman classes at all schools. Dima, have you experienced differently?</p>

<p>Since i'm from jersey (originally) i have always been more of the east coast lifestyle person...i'm guessing that BC would be a better fit in that regard.....however my dad (business professor at liberal arts college) seems to think that richmond and BC are very comparable in their business programs..</p>

<p>Caddyshack233,</p>

<p>What does you dad think abour W&L from a liberal arts pt of view--leaving the business program out of it? Does he think is deserves its high LAC ranking and does he think it has a great repuation?</p>

<p>lol i need to ask him....but i know he has great amount of respect for the program that they have there, and i do believe he thinks they deserve that ranking....13th?? (world news report)... anyway he teaches at skidmore college so hes always trying to compare different schools which skidmore may compete with for students</p>

<p>Thanks....please ask him. My D needs to decide between Vandy, BC, or W&L. (she got into lots of others but has narrowed it down to these). She fits like a glove at W&L, but as we are going to have to pay big time, I can't lie and say that I don't need to feel the degree will be worth it</p>

<p>Morgan - it really depends on the class. In my econ 101 and history 107 classes (both into, gen ed-filling type courses), participation was severely lacking. But in my political philosophy class, where most of the students were politics majors or future politics majors, it was a completely different story. So I think the problem is that most of the classes we're taking now are not necessarily the stuff we're so interested in but Gen Eds, which I'm glad I have to take as I feel like I learn a lot in them - but the lack of excitement about Econ 101 from future bio majors is pretty clear.</p>

<p>I've always been a big proponent of going to the cheaper school if you can see yourself being happy at either of two schools. Graduating without having paid too much and without huge loans to pay off makes life a lot easier - especically if you're planning on paying for grad school. I know my decision as to whether to go straight to law school after college or work first is probably going to be easier not having any outstanding loans.</p>

<p>Does anyone know if classes meet everyday at W&L? And what is up with the bell?</p>