William & Mary Anthropology Major

Some common stereotypes about William and Mary students is that we work too hard, that our suicide rate is higher than anywhere else, or that we don't know how to have fun. However, it's really the in-state kids that know these stereotypes; coming from Chicago, I hadn't heard any of them until I got here-- and I laughed.

Not at all. Parties go on around here, there are kids who DO fail out of school, and there is no evidence anywhere that our suicide rates are the highest in the country. In fact, according to our alumni magazine, our suicide rate is lower than the national average. So don't believe everything you hear; this school is NOT where fun goes to die.

http://www.wmalumni.com/magazine/spgsum_2006/feature_5.s html

The best thing about William and Mary is the opportunities you get here that are so unique. It's magical, actually; even the most timid person, as long as they have an interest in something, has a chance to pursue that interest in truly exciting ways. I came here because when I visited on Admitted Students' Day, there was this extremely quiet girl who got up to speak at a session on research opportunities. We could hardly hear her, and she didn't seem like an obvious choice as a speaker who was supposed to be convincing us to attend William and Mary. Then she told this story about emailing a professor about trying to get into a class that was full, and in response getting an offer to spend the summer doing research with him. This was amazing. She was clearly not the most aggressive or cutthroat of people, but here, she didn't have to be in order to have an absolutely amazing experience, and one that fit her interests perfectly. She ended up getting published with this professor-- all because of one tentative, and unrelated, email.
So I decided to come here because I wanted to be able to tell a story like this. And this summer, I will be going to Kenya for six weeks to go on an archaeological dig. For free. I am able to do this because a professor I had in the fall suggested some names of people to contact. One email later, I was offered a ticket to Nairobi. I didn't have to beat out tons of my also well-qualified classmates, or brag endlessly and uncomfortably about myself, and this is the kind of thing I've only heard about happening at William and Mary.

Professors know your name if you want them to. Clearly, there are smaller classes where they will know your name (no matter how carefully you might avoid it!) but in introductory classes, for science, especially, a professor may not learn your name. An easy remedy to this is going into office hours. Not only do you get extra help, but the professor learns your name and recognizes you in class. I did this for a class I took with almost 100 people in it, and it has paid off enormously; my professor started suggesting research opportunities for the future for me, and really has helped me figure out how to blend my diverse interests so I can pursue a field that's right for me.

Some groups on campus are more vocal than others, and some are more militant than others, as well. The racial and cultural groups are always extremely accepting; overall, they just want other people to appreciate the things about their heritage that they love. Even events that you'd expect to be less easily accepted, like Palestine Awareness week, really do stir up a lot of interest, in a good way. The religious groups keep mostly to themselves; they recognize that their activities are going to interest mostly group members, and hold a lot of activities that foster group bonding. The only groups that really cause any sort of bad feelings around campus are super-rightist ones that seem to refuse to accept other views. For example, Students For Life will always hold an event on the SAME night as a pro-choice event is held. Their planning seems to be retaliatory, always. Also, the Virginia Informer, our "independent" newspaper, is known for being purposefully incisive and biased. There are more conservative or rightist groups that are far more tolerant and well-accepted on campus, and students whose views aren't extremely liberal don't feel out-of-place, but some groups' aggressiveness can be over the top.

The most popular groups on campus are mostly service organizations. We have CKI, which is essentially the college version of Key Club. They do a lot of various kinds of community service. Another huge group is Alpha Phi Omega (APO), the coed service fraternity. It's enormous, and they boast community service hours in the hundred thousands. SEAC (Student Environmental Action Coalition) is big as well, and they get things done. Our former president just signed the PCC (President's Climate Commitment), which was an agreement with several points about how our school was going to improve its carbon emissions.