William and Mary too much of a reach?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I am a sophomore in HS, but am trying to get an early start looking for colleges.</p>

<p>I live in NJ, but have wanted to go to William and Mary all of my life because of my love for colonial history (I want to be an American History teacher). I am willing to work very hard next year.</p>

<p>I have about a 97 GPA as of right now, but it will definitely go up next year.
Schedule for junior year: AP US History II, AP English, AP Psychology, Honors Constitutional Law, Honors Spanish, Honors PreCalc, Physics</p>

<p>Extracurricular: volleyball (freshman and JV), current events club, science club, 3D Design club, and I am trying to start a club for next year (either Christian fellowship or World Vision- a charity to sponsor children in Africa)</p>

<p>Community Service: volunteer for the President at Ramapo College of NJ, just did a 12-hr event for the American Cancer Society, next year I am doing "homework help" for at least 3 hours a week at my public library.</p>

<p>I know I do not have SAT scores, but assuming I will do well on them, can you chance me? Please give advice too if you have any!</p>

2

<p>Chances go in the chance forum. The question is can your family afford to send you to W&M? [William</a> & Mary - Tuition & Fees](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/tuition/index.php]William”>http://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/tuition/index.php) $48K/year.</p>

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<p>Sorry about that! Thanks though.</p>

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<p>Impossible to chance without SAT. If you get a 2300+, easy match school for you. If you get a 2100, will be reach. 1900 will make it a high reach. </p>

<p>GPA looks alright. EC is average.</p>

5

<p>Have you thought about attending a summer program at W & M?</p>

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<p>Sounds like a great idea but it would be an 8 hr drive.</p>

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<p>For those of us on the 4.0 scale, what exactly does a 97 translate to? Are you pretty high in your class?</p>

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<p>Like UVA, W&M takes about 1/3 of its students from out of state/country. But unlike W&M, there is not nearly the volume of OOS applicants as at UVA. As others have stated, it is impossible to predict your chances unless you give SAT and GPA. Nevertheless, I think your interest in teaching would really appeal to W&M, which has a school of education (students apply there during soph year and not from HS). Showing interest in W&M especially, OOS is important, and so I second the recommendations to visit and perhaps try a summer camp there. Also, W&M’s ED standards are definitely a bit lower than RD and so consider that if you can afford the $48K Good luck!</p>

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<p>Keep in mind that W & M is not a school that meets 100% of demonstrated need with financial aid. Add to that, they make no secret that aid is better for in-state students than OOS students. Teaching is a wonderful career, however it is not generally one that you start out with a high salary. It would not be advisable to take on too much debt if you have another option. Do speak with your parents early about what they can afford to pay towards your education. Lastly, you generally want to get your teaching degree in the state where you want to be teaching as you will be certified there. Will you want to stay in Virginia upon graduation?</p>

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<p>Thank you all so much! As for my class rank, all I know is I am in my top 10% (they do not tell us anymore). I heard that financial aid is a problem there and that is definitely an issue, so I do need to talk to my parents about that. The main reason why I want to go there is because of the location (my favorite place in the world), their amazing colonial history program (my favorite subject), and I want to live there when I grow up. I know it is a very hard school to get into, but I heard that having other students from your school go there recently helps… is that true? If so, I know somebody who is going there next year. Thank you all so much for your help- I really appreciate it!</p>

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<p>An admissions rep from W&M posts frequently on W&M’s own CC board: [College</a> of William and Mary - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-william-mary/]College”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-william-mary/) He/she can answer specific questions about admissions policies. I don’t think it necessarily helps if recent students from your hs attend; it may help (at any college) if the admissions staff is familiar with your hs. Some high schools are so-called feeder schools for particular colleges.</p>

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<p>

According the school’s published Common Data Set Level of Interest is not considered at all. <a href=“http://iae.wm.edu/ir/CDS/cds_1112_part_c.pdf[/url]”>http://iae.wm.edu/ir/CDS/cds_1112_part_c.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Is the financial aid really that bad? I have heard that many times and that would definitely be a problem because I do not want to graduate with debt because as a teacher, I know that I will not make much.</p>

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<p>[William</a> & Mary -*Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/index.php]William”>Financial Aid | William & Mary)</p>

<p>Poke around on the school’s finaid website. It is upfront about saying

… meaning that, even if you qualify for need-based aid, a good portion will be in loans unless you are among the needier students. </p>

<p>I love this school - sent 2 kids there from OOS, and we think it was worth every cent. But we were able to cover it through savings and stringent budgeting, and our kids had jobs throughout. Since the COA is approaching $50K annually for OOS students, you and your parents need to have an honest discussion about affordability. It’s possible to spend less on travel, insurance (if your parents already cover you) and books, and you might cut down on housing costs by becoming an RA after your freshman year - but it’s still a big check to write.</p>

<p>There are more affordable places to earn history/education majors. One option is to do well at an instate option for a year or two, then transfer to W&M. The transfer acceptance rate is higher than for freshmen.</p>