<p>Hi, so, I'll get right to the point. I'm trying to play DI college golf at good academic schools, and I'm considering Princeton, UPenn, William and Mary, and Harvard. Obviously WM is the easiest to get into, and golfing-wise they're the most appealing school(weather, facilities, etc.). But I'm not sure of the campus life at WM. I've seen many interviews of WM students and they seem a little...not to be mean, but they seem dorky. Additionally, although I like laid-back towns, the whole place seems a bit boring, in contrast to a school like UPenn, where you can do anything if you have a couple hours of free-time(and the students seem much more socially adept). I think the housing is pretty much the same for all of these schools, and obviously the Ivies have better academics, though at the compromise of their golf programs. I just wanted some opinions on how life is at all of these schools, how the facilities are, everything, especially at WM and UPenn.I obviously know that getting into the Ivies is much,much harder and definitely not a given thing -- anything but. I just wanted to get a feel for the schools. I will eventually visit them though, so that'll be great! Thanks!</p>
<p>W&M is great, but then again, my opinion might be a bit biased haha. In any case, I’d love to help you out. I will briefly cover W&M’s academic atmosphere, extracurricular activities, and campus life in general. By the way, what are you majoring in? If you’re thinking about doing Gov/Econ/Pub Policy/IR, William and Mary should be a top option to consider.</p>
<p>Yup, there’s some dorky people at W&M, like they are in many schools, but we’re also down to earth, laid back, and considerably less pretentious than some kids from Ivy League institutions. Also, our professors are top quality and very accessible across all departments.</p>
<p>I would go so far as to say that Professors aren’t the only people who are accessible on campus: it is also really easy to get to know local legislators and administrators. State Senator Tommy Norment, the Virginia Republican majority leader, teaches a 2 credit class for undergraduates, called “You are a Legislator.” Mayor Haulman of Williamsburg is an Economics professor for undergraduates. Also, President Reveley regularly holds office hours, and you can also register for lunch with the President, which anyone can sign up for on a first come first served basis. If you want to lobby for social change on campus, it’s very easy to do so, and there’s lots of avenues that you can go through to affect the world around you. </p>
<p>Classes are amazingly relevant to the real world, even in the philosophy and religion departments, and I would say W&M is the antithesis of an ivory tower. One thing you will learn at W&M is to WRITE, and write clearly and concisely, which is a valuable skill in the workforce and beyond. Professors are extremely friendly during office hours and more than willing to help you out, and it’s really easy to get involved with research, which brings me to my next point.</p>
<p>Perhaps my favorite thing about W&M is the vast amount of opportunities available around campus. As a freshman last year, I got an internship with a State Senate campaign in September, two weeks after I got on campus, and I worked on that throughout my first semester. In the spring semester, I conducted research with a Senior research fellow on developing a new cybersecurity framework for NATO, under the supervision of two professors, and my research fellow was able to present our work to policymakers in DC, which was very exciting. With the support of these experiences, last summer, I was able to get an internship with Tim Kaine’s campaign, and also serve as a congressional intern on Capitol Hill. I did all of this Freshman year. In an Ivy League school, I think you’ll definitely be able to get similar experiences, but I think that in a more laid back environment like William and Mary, your skills can truly shine, and opportunities are definitely more accessible, both in the liberal arts and sciences. William and Mary also has great connections to DC.</p>
<p>Clubs and organizations at W&M are also great. I’ve heard interesting things from my friends at Harvard that clubs and organizations there basically fall into one of two categories: top-down, or startup. Again, I’m not sure if this is accurate for Harvard, or even for other Ivies, but this is just what I have heard. Top-down clubs are really huge, popular, and have a lot of influence on campus, but it’s tough to get recognized as a club member, and extremely difficult to work your way into leadership positions. Startup clubs are the polar opposite; they’re really small, have a very small amount of members, but have little influence on campus. From my experiences, W&M clubs are somewhere in between; they’re not so obscure that nobody joins, and at the same time, it’s definitely possible to work your way into leadership positions and play a central role in the club’s operation.</p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, it’s actually easy to have fun in Williamsburg, you just have to be innovative. New Town, which has a lot of great shops, restaurants, and a movie theater, is just a couple of minutes away, and there’s a trolly that takes students there regularly. You’ll also have a great bonding experience with your Freshman hall, and the fraternity/sorority scene is also really huge. I’m an independent, but a lot of my friends love their frats/sororities. </p>
<p>W&M facilities are state of the art, especially with regard to the sciences. The physics department is particularly up to date. We also have a great Rec center, and we’re also really close to a lake, so there’s lots of opportunities to go canoeing and be around nature. It’s an excellent way to let go of stress when you’re studying. I haven’t heard about the golf program, but I will ask around.</p>
<p>If you’re accepted to W&M, I highly recommend applying for the Sharpe Community Scholar’s Program freshman year. It allows you to take a Freshman Seminar centered around issues in the community, and then apply the knowledge you learn in a final research project to mitigate or resolve some of these problems. The Sharpe Program is highly interactive and relevant to community/work issues. Sharpe scholars often go on to become members of the student assembly and leaders on campus, and it’s also great for meeting people with similar interests.</p>
<p>I hope that helped a bit! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. I don’t know if you’ve already visited, but if you have not yet done so, I’d be more than happy to show you around campus.</p>
<p>In short, solid academics in a boring town.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks so much, that answer was so thorough. And axelrod, i’ve heard that, but honestly I’m not a hard partyer or anything. I just like to chill with friends, hit up
A good movie or have a nice dinner. I mean, princeton isnt in that great of a town, but you can still have fun right? I’m just afraid of going to a school that has awkward introverts, im not trying to be cocky, i just want to go to a school with interesting people.plus WM isnt too far away from richmond or newport news which are chill towns. The anti-hustle and bustle of williamsburg appeals to me, i like laid back environments where the pace of life is easy. The thing is all the good academic schools are in the north but its too cold to play golf. WM seems like a nice mix of golf,weather, and academics. I have to visit though, i might love it or hate it.</p>
<p>The boring W&M myth comes from rejected UVirginia students. Its not Animal House but it is a lot of fun. The ivies have more applicants but the academics at the undergrad level is every bit on par with W&M. See the USNWR for list of best for undergrads. W&M is near the top. How can you pass up playing Kingsmill, Fords Colony … for four years?</p>
<p>I wrote that the town is boring. And I’ve never applied to any school, graduate or undergraduate, in the state of Virginia. I’ve been to Williamsburg & to the Wm. & Mary campus about a dozen times in a twenty year span. Was boring then, remains so today, in my opinion. But Wm. & Mary academics are solid.</p>
<p>Axelrod I totally respect what you had to say and swish14 I know, those courses are soooooooo nice!</p>
<p>you should be a WAMP in order to enjoy it (W&M Person)
i’d tour if i were you to see if you really would like it… it’s high-pressure and known for being… quirky</p>
<p>well, I mean, obviously all good academic schools are high-pressure. I’m pretty sure UVA is pretty high-pressure too, considering their academics are just as good if not better. For the quirky part, I’m starting to believe there’s people like that at all good academic schools. I’m just trying to avoid a school thats full of people who play pokemon on friday nights lolol. I know there’s gonna be people like that at every school, but I don’t want a school that only those type of people. I want to go to a school with people who are really smart, but are interesting and cool as well, who can go from talking about the football game to talking about quantum mechanics or philosophy. I haven’t visited any of these schools yet, i guess I’ll get a feel for the people when I visit them.</p>
<p>You just described W&M perfectly.</p>