Hello, I was accepted to William and Mary, and wait-listed at both Richmond and Wake Forest. I’m getting in-state tuition for William and Mary and I want to study Political Science/Economics and maybe go to law school. My issue is I really liked Wake Forest and Richmond more and feel I’d fit in best at either of those schools and also I’m worried about the whole “work hard, study harder” cloud that hangs over William and Mary, and I don’t really like Williamsburg in itself. I know W&M is a great school, but should I still go IF I get off the wait-list at Wake or U of R ?
Hi! I was accepted into W&M as well and I personally love it. I always say though, do what’s best for you. You have to spend the next 4yrs of your life at that college, so choose a place that feels like home. If you are accepted off of the waitlist, go for it! If you end up going to wm and then don’t like it, you can always transfer.
There is no need to think about Richmond or Wake until: 1) you actually get off one of those waitlists (odds aren’t great) and 2) you find the waitlist school is affordable.
In the meantime you are in a great school – people I know who went to W&M are very happy there. Congrats!
Well, tuition is twice as much at either Wake Forest of U of Richmond and neither is a better school than W&M. So that seems like a huge factor, especially if you’re looking at going on to law school. Personal feeling for a school is important, but these are all pretty similar schools - mid-size, scholarly, campus-focused - so you might look your bias for each and investigate more. Visit during the accepted days and talk to students. No school is the totality of the stereotype about it and you’ll find a comfortable group at any of them. Good luck!
Personally, I think UR is a better school than W&M, but W&M is still a great school. I’m biased because my family went to UR though haha. W&M is excellent. You should definitely put a deposit down there. Chances are slim that you’ll get off the waitlist at either or them. Keep your WL spots at Wake and UR though! Make sure to write letters of interest if you remain on the waitlist to demonstrate interest 
There was a survey of time spent studying per week at Virginia colleges. William and Mary was one hour more than UVA and a couple hours less than W&L. I don’t think your “work hard, study harder” concern is valid. I certainly don’t think Wake or Richmond are better than W&M. They are relatively speaking similar schools - not too large, residential, and undergraduate focused. If you do get in Wake and Richmond and don’t get aid, they’ll be significantly more expensive.
Still, you need to go where you are comfortable, but you might want to give W&M another look.
Omg! I have the same problem just that I got waitlisted at W&M and accepted to Richmond…I would trade my spot with yours if I could haha
Deposit at W&M and go to their accepted students day and check out their new science building and student activities tables. I’ve heard from several people that it changes their mind about the school being too “study-oriented.” If you get off the WL at Wake Forest or Richmond (as you know, chances are so slim and I can’t imagine it’ll happen before the May 1 deposit deadline at W&M), you’ll probably lose your deposit at W&M, but it’s a sad reality for some families. If you end up really not liking W&M once you’re there, you are not committed to stay longer than one semester. It’s always easier to transfer into highly selective schools like Wake Forest and Richmond.
^^ Agreed. I was on the WL last year at UR and never made it off. I applied as a transfer and while I haven’t gotten my results yet, they admit about 150 out of 300 applications and plan to enroll 60. A lot better odds than applying as a freshmen! I have friends who go to W&M and they really enjoy it. Both of them are chemistry majors. You should really at least go and take a look. All 3 of them are fine schools.
For political science at economics, William & Mary is really hard to beat. Those are its speciality areas and it is extremely strong in both of those fields. It also has a phenomenal alumni network in D.C. for both those areas. I would say send in your deposit, and if you get off the waitlist at the other schools, it is then up to you whether or not it is worth it. If you get bored of Williamsburg itself (most campus events happen on campus anyway), you can spend a sememster in DC or abroad, in which both of those are highly supported programs here.
@evancsmithh I hope that you were able to go wherever you truly wanted to, but if you are in the end at W&M, I am certain that you will like it regardless. Almost everyone is able to find a group of people who they fit in and get along with in what is a very interesting student body. There certainly is a “work hard, study harder” mentality, but I think that it is more often a positive thing than a negative one. I also think that @rvalover7 is absolutely wrong, and I would argue W&M is the best school of the three. Yes, I’m biased, but U of R certainly has the lowest general name recognition of the three, and I would likely rank it 3rd of 3 academically.
@csglen like I said, W&M is an excellent school. However, OP clearly stated he liked Richmond and Wake more. It all depends on what you value in a school. I toured W&M but found UR to suit me better due to location, opportunities, my major, size, etc. UVA and W&M are by far two of the best public schools in the state of Virginia. You can’t beat the value for the price. It’s not all about the name on the school.