<p>Academics are important to me, but I have no idea what I want to major in. At one point I was thinking international development, then anthropology, and then urban planning. As a result, I have abandoned choosing my school based on the academics b/c I don't know what to do and they both sound good...except I guess UVa has more majors, but w&m offers a more personalized curriculum with the advisors and such.
Being from DC - where there's always something to do and, personally, I think it's beautiful - a student life and a traditional campus are important to me. Both schools have beautiful campuses, but I'm not big on how prevalent the party scene seems at UVa. However, w&m is often characterized as lacking in a social scene - like you have to go searching for it. I am typically more of an introvert so I am worried that I might get lost in a bigger school, but at the same time I think it could be good for me and help me become more outgoing (or not I really don't know). At the same time I'm worried that I'll get bored at a smaller school. I also don't want my dorms or meals to suck...and maybe affordable options to live off campus later on if that becomes a thing.
High school was stressful for me b/c I felt pressure to do well from the competition. I don't want college to be the same way, I want to enjoy my classes without too much pressure and I'm just looking for some insight/advice. </p>
<p>Have you visited both? You really should take the opportunity to do so if you haven’t already. Talk to students and stay overnight in a dorm if possible. Attend a class or two. Eat in the dining hall. In other words, experience it first hand rather than rely on advice from strangers. W&M and UVa are both EXCELLENT schools with very different personalities. Best of luck to you, wherever you end up.</p>
<p>@robertr I have visited both. It just felt fake I guess since it’s set up by the school and I didn’t get much of a sense of either school. </p>
<p>If you really have no preference, then go UVA. It’s larger and has more variance as a result of size. Most folks I know who pick W&M over UVA do so because they know when they visit that they’ve come home when they set foot on W&M campus. I love that school personally, but if it doesn’t stand out that way, UVA is probably the better choice.</p>
<p>My daughter is an introvert too, and had the same choice to make 2 years ago. I honestly thought she would go with W&M, but she picked UVA. She did so because she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to major in and wanted to have many options. I was a little worried, but through a club sport she found an excellent group of friends. She is getting ready to study abroad both domestically and internationally this summer, and was accepted to an exciting major (PPL). At orientation parents and students learn that there are many opportunities at UVA, but students have to actively seek them out. I am really proud of my daughter for stepping outside her comfort zone at times and making the most of her opportunities at UVA.</p>
<p>My son (a junior) was a UVA student and transferred to W&M in his third semester for non-academic reasons. He is majoring in Economics and is picking up a major in in ENSP. He is very happy at W&M, doing quite well in all arenas, but recently commented that he misses the vibrancy of Charlottesville. There is a lot going on at UVA and in the Charlottesville community. </p>
<p>Both UVA and W&M are great schools. You are lucky to have both as a choice!!</p>
<p>If you do a search on this website, you will find a great deal of previous discussion on this topic. </p>