William & Mary

Academics

This “Public Ivy” in Williamsburg, Virginia is the nation’s second-oldest institution of higher education and one of the most selective public universities in the nation. Due to the rigorous curriculum (Phi Beta Kappa was founded here), everyone who joins the campus community, nicknamed the Tribe, is “academic and quick and dynamic.” Across campus all students “can identify a tangible way William & Mary [has] made them a better version of themselves.” Because the student body is very intelligent, “there is a certain competitive culture on campus” in which students are “very driven and determined to do well, which makes classes challenging in a good way.” William & Mary “does a great job networking their students with alumni,” which include such past and present reputable names as “Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Tyler, [and] Jon Stewart.” The Cohen Career Center “does a great job placing students” at internships and full-time work, and the school has “a powerful reputation” that “allows employers and graduate schools to feel comfortable with W&M student’s abilities to perform in a real job situation.”

Professors “love teaching here” and “even in the very few 100+ classes at W&M... [they] still try their very best to know your name,” even taking photos to help them remember. The much more prevalent small class sizes help students bounce their ideas and opinions off not just the professor, but also off each other, and “minute interactions with professors and other students inspire and encourage students.” “Sure, anyone can learn information from a textbook, but my professors have brought information to life and made an effort to get to know me as a person,” says a student. The academic experience here “is shaped by your interests and is not limited to class itself.” The resources available to students are undeniable, and “no matter what you want to do (even if that is creating your very own professional career field),” professors and staff are available “to help you succeed and find meaning in your work.”

Student Body

The community is “extremely close knit and supportive,” and “everyone has something, usually obscure, that they’re extremely passionate about,” which everyone else “is really excited to hear about.” Students can be “pretty nerdy,” and the phrase TWAMP (Typical William & Mary Person) gets used “whenever someone does something nerdy like drop a Star Wars reference or talk about how long they’ve spent studying.” These “quirky, fun” people are “inspiring in their choice to challenge themselves every day” and help make the W&M experience all about “learning not just for grades or jobs but [for] developing and satisfying your curiosity.” “When we stress ‘One Tribe, One Family,’ we aren’t just doing it for the postcards,” says one student.

Campus Life

William & Mary is a school where “you can map your interests across the board through multiple venues.” Everyone stays pretty busy juggling academics, but most people are “pretty involved” with the more than 450 clubs on campus, which range from “the Quidditch team to the Exotic Cheese club.” There is “always something going on,” and campus life often involves guest speakers, who have in the past included the Dalai Lama and Condoleezza Rice. Students make their own fun during the day, from “frisbee with friends in the Sunken Gardens or [going] for a Cider Walk in Colonial Williamsburg.” Then, at night, there are “tons of events” hosted by organizations, from Screen on the Green to “more interactive activities like Zombie Apocalypse during Halloween weekend where students volunteer to be zombies.” Students are “constantly seen in neighboring Colonial Williamsburg at the famous Cheese Shop,” as well as across the pond: Almost half of all students study abroad at some point in their academic careers.