<p>I received a likely postcard from William and Mary and I am out of state. What is the general opinion of W & M. Academics, student population, reputation, sports, social life, etc.?</p>
<p>Not many people know about W&M, but I believe it may be the second oldest college in the country. Public school with a private feel. Very, very underrated!</p>
<p>Have you checked out the W & M board under “alphabetic list of colleges” on CC? Several recent threads go into detail about your concerns. Since you applied, I imagine you must have had some idea about W & M as a possible good fit for you?</p>
<p>It is the second oldest school in the US (after Harvard). Alums include several presidents (Jefferson, Monroe, Tyler), Jon Stewart (of course), the current US Secretary of Defense (Robert Gates), Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (last year’s grad speaker), actors like Glenn Close, Linda Lavin, and Scott Glenn … Very beautiful campus with many historic buildings. Reputation for tough work load and moderate grade deflation (average student body GPA is 3.26). Outstanding faculty with a genuine commitment to undergraduate teaching. </p>
<p>Most of its problems are related to money. Tuition is a very expensive proposition for OOS students, and there are budget battles every year with the Virginia state legislature. Some kids don’t like the location adjacent to Colonial Williamsburg - others do. Two of my kids have attended - one thought there was a thriving party scene, and enjoyed it; the other thinks there’s a bit more partying than she cares for, but has had no problems ignoring it. </p>
<p>Congrats on receiving a likely postcard!</p>
<p>slipperyrock – it is one of ony two public schools we in our home have an eye on… that and Miami of Ohio. They have in common a smaller size than most well regarded publics. Of course W&M is much higher rated.</p>
<p>Many think W&M is a superior educational experience to UVA, again because of size and undergrad focus.</p>
<p>One of my sons attended a 3 week summer program there, and applied the next fall and was accepted. He did strongly consider William and Mary; it is a very strong school and unique in its size (for a state school) and location. BTW, if you are male, the acceptance rate is significantly higher. </p>
<p>He ultimately decided against W&M because he felt that the Williamsburg location would be confining. Other than that, he loved the campus and the summer program (NIAHD). he knows quite a few students from NIAHD who did decide to attend W&M, and they are happy in their choice. If you want to test-drive the school, look into:
[National</a> Institute of American History & Democracy | NIAHD](<a href=“http://web.wm.edu/niahd]National”>http://web.wm.edu/niahd)</p>
<p>The grading at W&M is in keeping with elite public universities… that is, with about 80% in the 3.1 - 3.3 average grade range, vs. elite privates in which about 80% fall in the 3.35 - 3.5 ave. grade range… there is a general, average difference of 0.2 - 0.25 in GPA between elite public and elite private, and 0.4 in GPA between elite private and non-elite public. Check the data selection grid at the very bottom, and click on W&M</p>
<p>[National</a> Trends in Grade Inflation, American Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/]National”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/)</p>
<p>Education of Amherst, History of Harvard, Prestige of Georgetown, price of Va Tech. W&M is truly a jewel. Good luck.</p>
<p>^^^ Not many people know about W&M? Really?! Founded in the 1600s, alma mater of Thomas Jefferson, in the middle of historic Williamsburg . . . OK, I was raised in Northern Virginia so my perspective may be skewed, but to me, W&M has some of the greatest name cachet in all of higher education!</p>
<p>I want to attend W&M. Beautiful campus, wonderful academics, small student body for being such a nice school. =)</p>
<p>I’ve heard of any “likely” mail. A friend of mine mentioned something like it from Duke, but I don’t completely understand it.</p>
<p>To advise the post though, I visited W&M, cool place. I couldn’t really “feel” the history like I could at other places, but I would be honored to attend, and I was impressed by their history and political science programs.</p>
<p>Is there any conceivable way to screw up and likely postcard? How many of the accepted class receives them?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info. I plan on visiting in April. Just wanted to know what people who live in Virginia thought.</p>
<p>“Not many people know about W&M, but I believe it may be the second oldest college in the country. Public school with a private feel. Very, very underrated!”</p>
<p>I agree. I live in Virginia though so many people talk about it. Most students at my school prefer either UVA or VT over W&M. Even though W&M has stronger academics, many people who have visited said they did not enjoy the surrounds as much as other schools. Plus I have heard that people there are not as friendly and are most dedicated to working, working, and working. …but my opinion is probably biased based on what I have heard personally from my classmates (ALL big either UVA or VT fans)</p>
<p>It depends on who you are and what you want in a school. It is good you are visiting there in April, so you can get a sense of the surroundings.</p>
<p>William & Mary in the late 1980s defeated UVA at football and was poised, if it had wanted to, enter the ACC Conference. The President at the time, Verkuil, left after budget fights with the Governor and the school saw its window of opportunity go by as Virgnina Tech entered the conference instead. Had W&M entered the ACC conference, it would have a national profile on the level of Duke and might well have top 15 type selectivity. As it is, it probably has the brightest student body of any public university and is well recognized.</p>
<p>W&M is great but I do not agree with the above poster in terms of his/her comparisons. W&M education like Amherst? I am not so sure about that premise. Although I do think W&M is a better school than Georgetown, I do not know if the prestige W&M carries compare to Georgetown in terms of the average public. If you ask a average high school student who is going to attend college but is not all about academics which school is better, they would probably say Georgetown.</p>