I don’t know exact numbers but it’s not high. All depends on the strength of the regular decision applicants.
There was a comment on one of these boards a few years ago by a W&M officer that roughly 10-20% of deferred ED applicants are ultimately admitted. Is it a low number because many didn’t show continued interest or maybe they accepted an ED2 offer elsewhere? Who knows.
It does seem, however, that W&M puts a good number of total applicants on the waitlist - approximately 22%. Hopefully they will continue to offer alternate pathways to this group. My deferred DS is not hoping for an RD admit, but a waitlist offer as it seems more likely. He is prepared to go abroad in the fall (which he would do at some point anyway) or attend Richard Bland Community College for the semester. So, the way we look at it - he has a 55% chance of being waitlisted or admitted (33% admit - 22% waitlist). Basically, holding on to any positive we can! That being said, he is moving forward with his #2 school which offered a large scholarship.
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I believe only 4 were accepted off their waitlist last year.
True, but the alternative pathway is not considered a waitlist acceptance. You are only accepted after completing the requirements of the pathway (credit hours, gpa, etc). Schools will often use these pathways as a way to manage occupancy but also as a way to take great kids who may show lower test scores or GPA that would otherwise bring the overall averages down. My guess is that it is reported in their transfer numbers.
Hi my son is regular decision but got the cypher postcard so I checked this thread out. We are OOS and has some great options in home state but we really loved W&M so would insider advice!
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Happy to answer anything! My daughter and I both had great experiences. My son is in the RD pool OOS, too.
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I have an incoming ED1 daughter but our son is graduating from W&M in May. It has been a fabulous experience for him … and we weathered the full pandemic! Happy to answer any questions too. We obviously had a good experience as we are doing it all over again for four more years!
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Congratulations to your your son 
I have a current freshman who turned down free tuition at both UGA and Georgia Tech to attend William & Mary. It has been a perfect fit for him and we have zero regrets. Happy to answer any questions you have.
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Has anyone received notification of 1693 Scholarship semi-finalist status?
For those of you who have kids at W&M or attended the school yourselves, I’d love to get your feedback on a couple of things if you wouldn’t mind. This application was a late submission after my son got some deferrals but now we are all really impressed. After receiving a cypher postcard, we’ve been doing more research and have to admit that it’s almost a perfect fit. Except for a couple of areas that my son keeps pointing out.
One is the location. He has focused on colleges in more urban or suburban settings. He says that he’d love to be able to head downtown to have fun on a weekend in college. W&M won’t have that within close proximity. What’s the student life really like? Is it mostly dorm parties? Or kids hanging on campus?
The other thing he’s noticed is that Niche emphasizes how horrible the food on campus is. Plus there doesn’t seem to be that much around campus. My son loves food and going out to eat with friends. So he’s disappointed to hear this. How accurate is this?
Would love anyone’s feedback. Thank you!
I have a freshman son who is very happy at William & Mary, but it is definitely not for everyone. I highly recommend visiting if you can. Williamsburg is a tourist town,and the college is located across the street from Colonial Williamsburg. The plus side is that there are plenty of restaurants in the Merchants Square and within easy walking distance from the school. My son particularly likes the DOG street pub and the Hounds Tale. The students also seem to love to get food from the Wawa across from campus. The downside is that it is tourist area and a lot of people complain that the restaurant prices are jacked up. We didn’t find anything to be more expensive than they are in our area, but this may depend on where you are coming from.
As far as the campus food goes, I’m not going to lie. It is not fabulous. My son considers it “meh” to “ok”. They can use their meal plan for Chik fil A, Dominoes and the Bake Shop in Colonial Williamsburg.They are supposedly getting a new dining service next year, so hopefully things will change for the better.
In terms of social life, William & Mary is not a big party school. The student body is very serious about their academics. There’s even a term for it : TWAMP, which stands for " typical William and Mary Person". Most of the parties are centered around greek life and student clubs. I found it interesting that sports teams and clubs have mixers with other student organizations including the Greeks. My son is involved in a club sport and just pledged a fraternity. I couldn’t imagine him in a fraternity at any other school, but the Greek system seems to be much tamer and inclusive than it is on other campuses. Football games this Fall were also a lot of fun. The team did really well and Cam Newton was a regular fixture in the student section.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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My daughter just graduated and never complained about a lack of things to do. I know there are dorm parties, parties in off campus houses, fraternities. The delis are where students will go for food and drinks. They are right next to campus. Colonial taverns are fun, too. Campus food had been an issue, but there was a big push from parents and students to improve the food situation. From what I understand, it is much better now than the past few years.
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I think my son would rank food more important than location. He has liked a couple of schools that are in fairly remote locations so I know he’s willing to overlook that. Let’s face it, his favorite way to spend time is with a small group of close friends in someone’s basement or going out to eat. So I really think he’d be fine at W&M location-wise.
The food is a different issue. We just got back from visiting Vanderbilt this past weekend and he fell in love with the campus and city. That’s the vibe he wants. He raved about the restaurant options and all the fun things to do. BUT we question whether it’s the right place for his major. We even called admissions ahead of time to try to arrange a visit to his specific department or to see if he could speak with someone there and they couldn’t help us. And there’s still the issue of having to be admitted!
As far as frats, he has said he has no interest in them but the way you describe them makes it seem like something he may decide to join there, so that would help.
Thank you for your great info.
I hope so 
it would help a great deal. He’s my kid who at Christmas everyone gets him restaurant gift cards bc he loves eating out all the time. Between my two boys who are only a year apart, we’ve been on so many college visits in the past 3 years and I’ve noticed that colleges seem to have invested the most in recreation centers and dining halls in recent years. So food hasn’t been an issue at most colleges we’ve been to. So we were surprised to read such negative reviews.
I don’t think your son could go wrong with Vanderbilt. Comparing Williamsburg and Nashville is apples to oranges. Nashville has a great night life and a music scene. There is no real nightlife in Williamsburg. The delis across from campus that @lkbtnc mentioned are a college hangout and have a bar scene in the evenings. The kids also like the Precarious Beer Project in the Colonial Williamsburg area. It has arcade games and food booths. It’s a good place to grab some tacos and hang out even if you are under the drinking age.
As I mentioned earlier Williamsburg is a tourist town. Colonial Williamsburg is across the street and Busch Gardens is about 5 minutes away.I wouldn’t call it “remote”. It is about 45 minutes from Richmond, half an hour from Newport News, and an hour from Virginia Beach. Because of the tourism, there are a lot of hotels, restaurants, the usual big box stores and an outlet mall. If dining out is a priority, there are a gazillion good restaurants ranging from excellent bbq, Greek, Italian, Japanese, gastro pubs, colonial “taverns” as well as some really great upscale dining to try when the parents come to visit. Williamsburg also holds the world record for most pancake houses per capita🤣. Within walking distance of campus, there are probably at least twenty restaurants. So while the food in the dining halls isn’t Michelin quality, there is no shortage of options for someone who enjoys eating out.
As far as Greek life is concerned, my impression is that it’s a much bigger deal at Vanderbilt than it is at William & Mary. It’s there if kids are interested but it doesn’t limit social life for those who aren’t involved. There are about 500 different clubs and student organizations, so there is something no matter what your son’s interests are.
Also thought I’d mention that my son is a physics major. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions about the academics. The department usually holds an info session during the admitted student day in April.
Clearly, Nashville is a tourist town as well but the city has so many unique neighborhoods that it doesn’t seemed overwhelmed with tourists except of course, for Lower Broad.
The area around Vanderbilt has a lot to offer. But, I’m afraid the character of that neighborhood is about to deteriorate as Nashville has approved the building of a 27 floor skyscraper across from the school. It’s called The Sinclair and it’s an ugly monstrosity.
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Thank you for all the additional info @Greatpyrmom
There does seem to be a lot of food options close to campus which is what my son will appreciate. We don’t know the area at all and definitely need to visit. Right now it’s easy for him to be picky bc he’s including colleges he hasn’t heard back from yet into the mix (such as Vandy). If he were to consider between the schools he’s only been admitted to, he’ll realize he’s going to be making some big compromises. From those admitted schools he’ll likely be choosing between Purdue, Michigan, and W&M due to academic strength and major, but none are a “perfect” fit when considering other factors.
He’s prob leaning towards Michigan whereas I think W&M is a better place for him. And he’s definitely interested in visiting and likes what he has read about their physics Dept so it’s a strong possibility. Meanwhile, my husband prefers Purdue for financial reasons as it’s an instate option and a bargain price at $25,000 
but even he admits that it’s not everything. Tho we need to close that financial gap a bit.
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Hello! Just wanted to jump in with our perspective. My daughter is a freshman at W&M and it has been nothing short of an incredible experience this first year.
To give some background, my daughter was admitted to Notre Dame, Northeastern and a few other big colleges. She thought this was what she wanted, but when she visited W&M she fell in love with the close knit community feel of the students and college.
I believe it was her best decision choosing W&M, she has thrived there; is on a club team, in a sorority, loves her classes and has made fabulous friends.
There are many restaurants in the area, it is a foodie paradise with so many choices. That being said, W&M dining plan is not paradise, but is meh at best.
Nightlife at W&M is not big school feel. There is Greek life, dorm parties and areas that the students go to right across from campus, but is is not a late night big school party scene at all.
Like W&M says “those that come here, belong here” and I truly believe that and so happy my daughter is there !
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I’m really happy to hear this. It sounds like your daughter made the right choice and is thriving there. I need my son to visit the campus. There’s just no other way to really capture the feel and see for yourself if you will fit in. But we may have to wait until April at this point. But I wholeheartedly believe that he will thrive in a smaller college community like W&M. Just need to get him to see for himself.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hi,
I graduated in '08, but can speak some to the “social scene.” Many have already pointed out the fraternity options. Frats often host gatherings on Fridays. These have included music etc. and are quite fun. I was never in a frat, but made friends with people in most of them. The “brothers” were always welcoming towards me and I had many great times in and around fraternity row! They also combined with sororities for formal events - sometimes I attended these even though I wasn’t in a frat. Maybe you could just call me an honorary member? There are also sports and academic club-based parties at off-campus locations. These were a blast as well, often open to members and friends of members. The delis and bars near campus are a nice option for students of drinking age who want to partake in some spirits (can just walk to them). There are other options for food and drink, not far away, that we would frequent. On occasion, friends and I would chip in and haul off to Richmond or Virginia Beach. Both destinations offer plenty in the way of nightlife, entertainment, activities etc. My friends and I worked hard, but we also had a great time on the weekend. Student life at the College, in many ways, is really what you want to make of it. I should point out as well that we made friends with students at surrounding schools, so we would make a weekend visit here or there to JMU, etc. and were well-received. I’m not sure what it’s like to attend Vanderbilt as I declined a doctorate program in which I was admitted to there, but I visited and the immediate campus seemed similar in some ways to W&M. The city of Nashville is an entirely different dynamic obviously. I too was worried about the nightlife/social scene when looking at schools. What I found at W&M is that you become involved quickly in many different groups if you so choose. Organizations literally set up tables at the beginning of the year and there are so, so many to consider. Once you become involved and/or start to meet people, it’s really just a matter of time before you are immersed in both academics and social opportunities. It just sort of organically manifests itself. As an OOS student, I felt at home pretty quickly. Hope that helps on some level. 
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