<p>I know only I can decide this, but I need a little help refining my list of colleges to which to apply next year. I need a financial safety or two, as I can't be sure of merit aid at my top schools. (UChicago, mainly, perhaps Duke.) W&M would have in state prices for me, so it'd be easier to afford.</p>
<p>For some background, the majors I've been considering are Classics, Mathematics, and Dietetics. I'm a Latin freak, I went to Latin Academy last summer and have both the AP credits. I love math and science, I just took Calc BC with a likely 5 and will be taking 2 CC math courses over my senior year. Of the sciences, I prefer physics. I enjoy English class, and, though I'm not bad at history, don't like social studies that much.</p>
<p>As for a college itself, UChicago is my dream school. My impression from them is that the students readily participate in class and really want to learn. I'm looking for a place where I won't be, as my dad says "A big fish in a little pond." I'd rather be a "Big fish in a big pond." Meaning, I want to know people who challenge me, not people who make me look good when I'm compared against them.</p>
<p>So, what do you think? Might I be happier at W&M than at other in state schools, such as UVA or VA Tech?</p>
<p>We’re very similar. I attended the Chinese Gov School (you Latin guys were the ones that always made all that noise in Shafer, right? haha).</p>
<p>I had narrowed down my top choices to UVA, WM, and UChicago. I got in at WM and UChicago, straight up denied at UVA. </p>
<p>I went to visit WM after I got in, and, honestly, I hated it. Yes, the campus is beautiful, but that’s the ONLY thing that is nice about Williamsburg, unless you love *****ty strip malls and old people.</p>
<p>I would chose UVA over WM for many reasons, including their rank and the plethora of opportunities available at larger research institutions. Don’t be fooled by what WM tries to seduce you with - they are a small, underfunded institution, and by nature have less opportunities. I’m not trying to bash WM or anything, I loved it when I went to WMHSMUN there, but opportunities on and off campus were major players in deciding where I submit my deposit, and both UVA and UChicago have more to offer.</p>
<p>What I really mean to say is get into UChicago and this wont be a problem.</p>
<p>Also, have you considered VCU? I fell in love with it after spending three weeks there.</p>
<p>signitblank, you honestly preferred VCU over W&M? lol. I dunno, the only people who have willingly gone there from my school have been those who got into the accelerated med program or are really into art. </p>
<p>freznow, I’m sure you’d be happy at either W&M or UVA. Definitely more than at VT. The key thing is to visit each school once you get in.</p>
<p>to the OP - I think UVA and W&M would both be worth sending an application to. They are similar academically, but have fairly different cultures.</p>
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<p>No offense, but I know many, many W&M undergraduates who do research. W&M only has 40% of the undergrads that UVA has, so if there are 40% as many research opportunities at W&M, it is still the same percentage. Lots of undergrads stay on campus over the summer doing research, and many do research during the semesters also.</p>
<p>Most people don’t consider outlet shopping as “****ty strip malls”, but to each their own I guess. Williamsburg is one of the biggest tourist locations in Virginia, so obviously there is some stuff to do. Obviously if you want to go bar hopping, this is not the school for you.</p>
<p>Obviously W&M does not have the big city options. No one would ever claim that.</p>
<p>I can’t believe you would rather go to VCU than W&M (unless, as another poster has mentioned, you are in the art school). And freznow, I can’t imagine why your dad wouldn’t want you to go to a school where there are homeless people all over the place, and the occasional bullet flying into dorms.</p>
<p>From your post it is fairly clear that you don’t know very much about W&M, which is fine, you are still entitled to your opinion.</p>
<p>The operative word here is “safety.” Many, many applicants underestimate the selectivity of the top schools (“With my stats, I’m a shoo-in. Of course, they’ll all be fighting over me.”). Maybe. Maybe not. There are many, many stories of applicants who go top-heavy on their applications and end up with bupkus.</p>
<p>Yes, certainly apply to W&M and/or UVa. But you also need to include some schools closer to the “safety” definition - JMU, GMU, etc.</p>
<p>Many of my D’s friends had some odd and disappointing application results; notably, VT rejections; W&M rejections; and lots of waitlist news at UVA. </p>
<p>Find your safety and go from there; have you visited U of Mary Washington? Longwood? JMU and GMU are good ideas from K9, too. VT is no longer a “safety” school, apparently!</p>
<p>As for what Williamsburg offers, my opinion is that you will be busy with classes and friends and dorm life and the surrounding area is secondary in terms of “entertainment.” It is not isolated nor rural, it is just different in that the school is right next to an area that is history for tourists, so to speak. I find it very safe and quite pleasant, actually. Charlottesville is more condensed (easier to walk to more stuff) and has bigger strip malls and such, and maybe looks a bit more like a classic college town by the University. </p>
<p>Neither neighborhood would be a deal breaker for me.</p>
<p>Good luck! You sound like a really qualified applicant!</p>
<p>I got into UVA/Chicago/W&M, among other schools. I was offered almost no merit aid from Chicago, so I chose W&M, and I have been very happy with my decision. I think the culture at W&M is similar to Chicago, and actually come across many people here who chose between them.</p>
<p>We are obviously much smaller than Chicago. There will be fewer outstanding students here and there is slightly higher proportion of less able students but there are still many top-caliber students here. Professors are very here are available and there are many research opportunities here, definitely more than most people take advantage of. Most departments have a very small graduate program or none at all, so the professors are always looking for undergraduates to get involved. The top student from this year’s graduating class managed to get 5 papers published, including one in Nature.</p>
<p>My friends who are classics majors love the department, one of them has funding and free housing for the summer to work with one of his professors on something.</p>
<p>I’d just add that if dietetics is or becomes the major you intend to pursue, VT and VCU should def. be considered. And certainly VT will have some strong math and physics courses. </p>
<p>I think VT gets a bit of a bad rap (outside of its engineering / tech / ag programs) - there are lots and lots of brilliant students (and professors) at VT. But as a ‘general ed’ school, it’s clearly a tier below W&M and UVA. But given your interests, it may be a good fit for you. </p>
<p>VCU - wow, I confess, that’s the first time I’ve <em>ever</em> heard someone say they fell in love with it; the fact that the person who said that doesn’t actually attend probably explains that. The art school is <em>very</em> good, and the med programs are fine. But some of the dorms and school buildings feel like Cold War-era bunkers, dark, dank, and smelling of moldering concrete, and the barbed-wire and bullet-resistant glass in places do little to make it feel more welcoming, (not to mention some of the very mean streets nearby - I think the only reason Richmond isn’t technically the murder capital of the world anymore is because they’ve run short of victims.) And everyone I’ve ever known that attends there almost always bolts town on Friday afternoon. On the other hand, most every student survives un-shot and un-murdered 'til graduation, so the “worry” factor is probably far higher than any real risk. But that doesn’t make it a pleasant place to be, (although Richmond has some attractions, to be sure.)</p>
<p>"I fell in love with [VCU] after spending three weeks there. " </p>
<p>Seriously? i went to french academy last summer, and honestly, i couldn’t wait to get out of richmond! (my mom came and picked me up and she said that if she had dropped me off, she wouldn’t have let me stay. :/)</p>
<p>to the OP… i’m actually starting W&M in the fall, so i can’t really tell you what it’s like or anything, but looking at your stats, you seem a lot like me and a lot of people i know who are going there… if you do decide to apply and are accepted, at least you will be in good company. :)</p>
It sounds like W&M may be a plausible choice, so it’s probably prudent for me to apply there. </p>