Hi guys- I was recently admitted to william and mary and wake forest. I’ve visited william and mary tons of times (with my siblings and for myself) and I really loved it- the campus, the vibe, the town- everything. I didn’t visit Wake (I’m shocked I got in…) but I like what i’ve seen online and i’m scared I won’t be able to visit because of the virus. Even though I’ve seen william and mary and like its vibe- I feel like Wake has a better name and will give me better opportunities. I dont know- someone please help!!!
This analysis of a few years ago, which compared standardized scoring of attending students across hundreds of colleges, put W&M 36 places higher than Wake Forest:
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9
I don’t feel like WFU has a better name than W&M. Where are you getting that impression?
^ Probably USNWR which has Wake ranked higher but every list has its bias and it really depends on the specific interests of the student. Both are great schools and will provide ample opportunity to any student. In state at W&M might be more affordable. Can’t go wrong either way.
My DD was in the same position last year. We revisited W&M and Wake. The price was the basically same b/c out of state for W&M. She decided on Wake. She just got the “feeling” after Re- visiting Wake that it was the one.
Things to think about:
-how easy is it to get to each school from your home? Is it a drive? A flight? If a flight, can you fly direct and what is the cost? How long does it take?
-there is no town you can walk to at Wake, it is in a suburban neighborhood of Winston-Salem, must drive, Uber or shuttle to W-S or any stores 10-15 min drive
-at wake parties are in off campus houses that you cannot conveniently walk to, must take a 1-2 mile Uber
-wake has D1 football and other sports, school spirit is big
-Greek life big at both schools but bigger at Wake I believe.
DD LOVES wake! Good Luck!
Also, I do not believe all dorms have AC at W&M but all at Wake do.
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THink about which school can the easiest land you top jobs
Think about the location, which college is at the best location especially if you want to find a job there after four years
The money label may be true in most cases but the aid office differs by school to school too. Like a state uni thats less competitive in terms of rank likely has a less financial aid package for you. School with higher ranking may has a higher financial aid for you and cancels more and left less in its amount.
Think about each’s national level ranking which affects tons (on USNWR).
Now left you to decide and look on the national rankings .
Wake Alum here. It depends on your interest. There are some things Wake Forest does very, very well: pre-professional (Law, Medicine and Business come to mind). They have invested a lot in anything medical. They do very well with small classes— 5 kids in upper level classes sitting around a table discussing. They have great professor engagement.
Wake does much less well at PhD placement. I was phi beta kappa and couldn’t get into a decent English PhD program. T10 law, OTOH was no problem. My own child wants a Natural Science PhD and did not apply to Wake for just this reason.
I would always choose WM over Wake for History and probably politics because they are so good at it.
Honestly, I would not choose either for hardcore STEM— math, CS, pre-engineering or physics. There are just better schools.
Wake has a strong Greek presence. Because it is doesn’t have a college town and a is physically separate from the outside world, a lot of the socializing is frat based. The student body tends towards old money/traditional conservative, not Trump conservative.
Both schools will make you work hard.
Since I haven’t been or sent a kid to WM, I’ll let someone else tell you where they shine academically. .
In terms of name recognition? I’d put them at the same level. Not at all surprised there is overlap between them.
Any update on your decision?
OP - these two were the finalists for my S a few yrs ago. He is currently a junior at Wake (Not Greek - loves it). I think @UGG2023 describes the academic emphasis well. However, and I can’t speak for W&M, other areas like politics, history, CS, (and many others) are also strong, just not where most track. Politics is a good example. They recently started a program called Wake Washington and have a strong alumni base there. Lots of kids interning in congress / senate, think tanks, etc. The CS is small but does well in placement (major tech firms, consulting, gov’t, etc.) And I know W&M does quite well in consulting and has a strong B school to go along with history, politics, English, etc.
S’ choice was based on fit and feel. The two have lots of crossover but also stark differences. W&M is a state school but feels like an intimate LAC (although much bigger than an LAC) Wake is more like an intimate private LAC (also bigger) but has that bigger college feel (most likely do to ACC sports). There is huge school spirit - I mean HUGE - at Wake. In high school, S was very involved but I would rate him a 6 (of 10) on the social meter. He was interested in expanding that part of his life. Although he liked W&M very much, after two visits he felt it would keep him where he was, be quieter, etc. Just a feel.
These are two outstanding academic institutions. They are both quite rigorous and attract top students. Both have many Vals and Sals.
Funny, my wife and I liked Wake very much right away (upon visiting), but we LOVED W&M. Different perspective for mid 50 yr old I guess. He was completely the other way. However, literally since day one on campus, we know he made the right decision. We see the personal growth and it’s astounding. Fit is a real thing. They’re both GREAT!
Congrats on your options.
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I do not believe Wake has a better name or will give you more opportunities. I’d say they are at fairly similar level. If you have that view, it may come from the USNWR ranking, where Wake is a bit higher. If you look at Forbes, W&M is a bit higher. I wouldn’t base your decision on that. Choose based on fit and finances.
I think your biggest issue is you’ve visited W&M a number of times and really like it but you won’t be able to give Wake the same scrutiny due to Covid-19. Even if restrictions were lifted in the next few weeks, students won’t be there and you won’t get much of a feel. Not sure what to tell you as these are different times.
I like W&M’s campus a bit better, but both are lovely. The biggest difference I would say is W&M is right in the town and you can walk to places whereas Wake is more isolated from Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem is obviously a larger city, but Williamsburg really isn’t that far from Richmond or Virginia Beach. Other than that, they are fairly similar in size, and they are residential in nature.