Why you shouldn't go to W&M...

<p>of7271, I don’t think I’ve ever read a more graceful response/apology on this board. Thank you for responding so thoughtfully and responsibly - I think it will help prospective students and their parents more than anything those of us who disagreed with you could have said. Best of luck to you with your grad school apps!</p>

<p>of7272,</p>

<p>You get an A+ in my book. A small piece of unsolicited advice, take a break from school for a couple of years before grad school. But, whatever path you take, best of luck to you.</p>

<p>^^^ Oops, I meant of7271</p>

<p>I actually think this thread is really interesting. I applied RD to W&M, and I like getting some insight and thought on what people maybe don’t like about the school. Of course, this thread isn’t at all changing what I think about the school- I’ve visitied it twice and I absolutely love it. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to hear about what current students think. </p>

<p>Oh and of7271 had the best response/apology to attacks on this thread that i’ve ever seen.</p>

<p>I’m so glad I came back and checked this thread. Thanks, of7271, for taking the trouble to post again and explain. Especially since there hasn’t been much traffic on the W&M board, it was rough to suddenly see such a scathing post about a school my daughter hopes to be admitted to, but fortunately some defenders came forward and wrote about their good experiences at W&M. So I think the damage from the original post has been minimal.</p>

<p>"So I think the damage from the original post has been minimal. "</p>

<p>^^^^ if someone is seriously considering W&M, this post shouldn’t have done any “damage”…people should like/not like the school on their own terms…not just because a current student hasn’t had a good experience.</p>

<p>I’m a parent, and my daughter knows nothing about of7271’s posts about W&M. I didn’t accept the substance of what was being said – I know too many people who have had and are having great college experiences there – but I was taken aback at the vehemence of the poster’s negative feelings. I was glad that others left comments countering the statements, because I would have hated for someone just starting to think about colleges to be browsing CC threads and come upon that post without seeing the responses that followed. That was all I meant by potential “damage,” but maybe I shouldn’t have used that word.</p>

<p>Amazing. Read the writing by this student. On an internet forum, not a term paper. “Nuf said” about the quality of kids at the College of William and Mary.</p>

<p>I graduated from W&M last year, and I will never forget my time there. Sure, there were some bad, tough moments (who doesn’t have those in college, let alone in life?), but for the most part, I have many, many more positive experiences to reflect on (too many to really list here). </p>

<p>This is just a guess, but did you just receive some of your fall grades, of7271? Last year, I had quite a few friends who were depressed at this time because of that same reason (i.e. applying to grad schools/jobs, realizing that college was coming to an end, etc). Just step back for a moment and realize how lucky you are and think about how many people out there would give up just about anything to be in your position. </p>

<p>You’re at one of the most revered schools in the country and, believe me, you have many doors open to you because of that. You simply can’t underestimate how valuable a degree from W&M is in the long run - it definitely helped me land a good job this year, despite the bad economy.</p>

<p>classy follow up post</p>

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<p>this is probably (deservedly) directed towards me. I just want to say that I said you should join a club b/c you made the statements that you can’t find friends aside from your freshman hall. If you are holding leadership positions in clubs, than obviously you have other friends… unless you made a club for your freshman hall, lol.</p>

<p>There are things I didn’t like about W&M also, but they were all minor compared to the big picture of attending a great school with good people. Obviously no school is perfect, and some days will be better than others. Best wishes on your grad school admissions (I might be headed back to grad school in the fall also… I was hoping to get in the door for my dream career first, but it looks like that will require grad school).</p>

<p>Not getting into a top 15 graduate school doesn’t doom you for life. Undergraduate schools are more important. If you graduate from WM and know that you learned how to handle hard work, then you will thrive and be knowlegable in any job that you receive, and will work hard enough for promotions, etc.<br>
GPA isn’t everything, and one person’s opinion doesn’t matter
I know tons of people from my school who have gone to WM and love it there</p>

<p>I am a current freshman student at William & Mary, and I disagree greatly with the OP’s comment about the social scene at the school. Simply put, it’s what you make of it. Students have a reputation of being boring and overly concerned with grades and incapable of having fun or making friends - and yes, there are people like that who never seem to leave their dorm except to go to class.</p>

<p>But there are also a multitude of clubs and organizations that offer numerous social opportunities. About 30% of students are Greek. I chose not to rush a fraternity since it’s not my thing, but I’ve been to a good amount of frat parties and know people in frats and they’re all very friendly and usually open about people coming to their parties. There’s plenty of sports teams, club and intramural included, to get involved in if you’re athletic. There’s the radio station if you like music a lot (like myself), where you can get a radio show and play whatever music you want or have a talk show.</p>

<p>If you don’t make friends beyond your freshman hall at William & Mary, then it’s honestly your own fault. The opportunities are there, but you have to pursue them. You can’t expect people to come up and say “hey, want to join a club!?” This isn’t high school.</p>

<p>I should mention that the college does have draconian alcohol policies when compared to other schools, but that’s never been a problem for me or anyone I know. If you’re responsible you’ll be fine. For parents, yes, there is a great deal of drinking at William & Mary despite what you may have heard otherwise from tour guides or whoever (I certainly was told W&M was “nearly dry” multiple times before coming).</p>

<p>As I’ve mentioned before on here, I am a graduate of WM and a second year law student. I found this thread to be quite interesting as the initial post exemplifies true fears and feelings of anxiety that certainly other students out there might be feeling. First of all, it is important to take a step back for a second and take a long breath. No need to worry so much about a few grades in undergrad. If you are intent on going to law school that’s great, but the stress of law school if far greater than anything you will have felt at WM. Why is that you might ask? It is primarily because people are very competitive and the curve can be downright vicious during first year. Some law professors are intent on striking fear into the hearts of innocent and unsuspecting 1L’s. The point of telling you this is that if you get too stressed over William and Mary, law school might be very difficult for you. On the flipside, if you can learn to roll with the punches and stay positive you will have a much greater chance of surviving if you attend law school. I also found what Keil said to be insightful. There is a lot to do over numbers when it comes to law school. numbers…Numbers… NUMBERS. Just spend 5 minutes on the top-law-schools website and you would think you were a failure if you didn’t have a 170 LSAT and 3.7 gpa. You could analyze numbers and size people up based on numbers until you were blue in the face. But you see, whether you get into a top 15 law school or one of the other 200 ABA approved law schools is not what is going to ultimately define you. What is going to ultimately define you will be whether you can handle the pressure of law school enough to achieve your J.D., whether your relationships and abilities outside of just test-taking ability will afford you an opportunity to use the J.D., and how you will use that J.D. Don’t make the mistake of letting your life be all about numbers. If you do, it will pass you by and all you will be left with is dissatisfaction and a lifetime of anxiety to show for it.</p>

<p>I’m a current WM student. As someone who takes academics seriously but still enjoys a social life, I find this school to be my perfect fit. Yes, the academics are often unnecessarily hard (I only managed B+s during my first semester) and often frustrating. However, for every paper I turn in only to receive a B+, I find it as a way to grow. The professors have been approachable and ready to help. I know that when I graduate form here, I will be ready to further my academic career. </p>

<p>WM is a school very much inclined towards the liberal arts. It’s not surprise a large percentage of the senior class goes on to grad school. However, when we go to grad school or law school, we will be prepared. </p>

<p>Yes, there is a social life at WM. I know plenty of people who go out on the weekends and party. But, what I like, is that there are alternatives. As for the freshman hall - the bonds that you create with your hall help you make immediate friends. However, most everyone I know has made friends outside of their hall through clubs (and there are a ton of those!). In fact, most of my friends do not live on my hall! </p>

<p>The cool thing about WM is that everyone take academics serious (no crazy partying, for the most part, on school nights) but they’re always ready to have fun. They’re nerdy - people socialize by going to Swem to study, they make funny geeky references. Yes, there is a stereotypical WM person (the fabled TWAMP) and it’s great that everyone makes fun of themselves for being a TWAMP.</p>

<p>WM is worth it for a lot of reason. You are academically challenged, but you still get the real college experience. Yes, a lot of people quiet down after freshman year (you hear of a lot of upperclassmen spending Saturday nights studying), but you can always go to a party. You are going to a school filled with history and tradition. You will be academically stimulated in a way you’ve never been before. You will make friends who are like yourself. And you will graduate with a degree from a prestigious college.
Even though the classes are hard, graduating with a degree from WM will help. I dunno where you got the idea that WM isn’t internationally known, but it’s often regarded as a top university. When you tell someone you go to WM, they generally are very impressed. As my friend told me one day while we were walking through ancient campus, “Sometimes I hate this school, but when I walk through here (the paths out front of the Wren building) I realize that everything is worth it. I will graduate with a degree from William and Mary.”</p>

<p>I was just accepted ED for the class of '14! TRIBE PRIDE.</p>

<p>This is kind of weird, but I would really like to go to a school where the average GPA is 3.26. I love good-natured academic competition and I love it when I get an A on an assignment and no one else does. In high school, I have done well in competitive classes where ~80% of the class gets a B+ or lower (most AP classes at my high school are like that) and lost focus, fallen behind, and generally done poorly in supposedly “easy” classes where the teacher spoon-feeds everyone A’s. The more I read about W&M the more I it appeals to me, which is really unfortunate because I didn’t apply. Oh well.</p>

<p>There’s always an opportunity to transfer, Drought. Good luck with your endeavers.</p>