College of William and Mary Top Questions

for some ppl yes. most people here do study a lot and care about our education/future. but not all. some of us are socially awkward and/or study on the weekend, but that's not as common as is thought. the social environment and unofficial "dress code" here is more relaxed than at other universities. i guess we have better things to worry about. yes we have high SAT scores, good high school GPAs. and literally half are from NOVA. there is some rivalry between us and UVA, because virtually every student here had to choose between the two. it's a very important distinction- Cavaliers from the Tribe. but we all have friends who go there, and respect it because it is a fine place. there are many humanities and pre-med majors. but we also have a stellar physics program, and are good at chemistry math computer science, and theater. no engineering though. Williamsburg goes to bed at 9:30. but it's a cute town during the day, supersafe at night, and the campus is better bonded because we have to be. our basketball and football teams in general are not amazing, but they do well sometimes, like now! i think we have some smaller sports teams that are good, but i don't know what those are.

William and Mary has an unusually high suicide attempt rate for a university of its size, and depression is not at all uncommon. However, the vast majority of the student body is neither depressed nor suicidal. There is also a fair amount of nerdiness on campus, as evidenced by the extremely large Wizards and Muggles club---a Harry Potter fan club whose members can occasionally be spotted wandering about campus with wands talking about picking up some fire-whiskey at Hogsmead. As for unattractiveness, though, I think the stereotypes are false. Sure, most blond bombshells and party animals aren't really drawn to Colonial Williamsburg due to a really unfortunate lack of nightlife, but the campus is extremely fit. We have a brand new, very popular rec center and the area is so gorgeous that lots of people go running. I've even heard we're in the top 30 or 40 fittest schools in the U.S. (not that that's all that hard given the American obesity epidemic).

WM students do study extremely frequently, though they mostly are quite social. The students who want to party can find a place to do so. The suicide rate here is actually lower than the national average.

While William and Mary is a very difficult school to get into, I would not classify the majority of the students as being as nerdy as Steve Urkel or Anthony Michael Hall in 16 candles. Also, while William and Mary is a liberal environment open to accepting all different types of people, I would not categorize the majority of the students as being homosexual. As far as the UVA rejects stereotypes, many W & M students get accepted to both universities and just see W & M as a better fit. I know that I personally did not even apply to UVA, preferring W & M's smaller student body and more attractive campus.

no, most of the time not

Sure there are people who spend way too much time at the library or holed up in their rooms studying all day and night, but there are more people who like to go out at night and on weekends. We're serious about our schoolwork, but we're also serious about our partying. My friends visited W&M and said that despite their expectations of a lame time, it was their best time visiting a school. And our suicide rate has never been any higher than the national average.

for the most part I think so. obviously we're not all each of these things, but it is the general impression I get of the average WM student

Unfortunately, yes. William & Mary is a challenging school, and students strive their hardest to meet the demands

Yes! Basically everyone is involved in multiple extracurricular activies. That's normal and expected. I am always suprised to talk to people from other colleges who say all they do is go to class.

For certain segments of the population, yes, but I don't think this is unique to WM. It's pretty much like any other small public university, except that we are obsessed with these stereotypes and constantly assume that these are what make us different.

A majority of these stereotypes are inaccurate. We are quirky. That's what makes us William and Mary students. We are all a little "nerdy" in our own ways but none of us are dorks. Of course, there are some socially awkward people: what school doesn't have them? From my experiences so far, I've met amazing people who seem to be really interested in what you have to say and are just looking for a good time. We all take our grades very seriously and study like it's our job, but it's only equally balanced in having fun and partying. Everyone is extremely nice and you learn to love being around these people. I've made some of the best friends I've ever had just in my freshman year.

Yes, all of these are true.

yes.

In terms of the students, there certainly is a lot of work to be done for every class, but students aren't solely interested in studying by any means. Anywhere where 5,000 students aged 18-21 will be fun, but in the case of William and Mary, the amount of fun to be had is certainly limited by coursework. In terms of the school itself, William and Mary certainly makes it very difficult to get A's, and, though I don't know what an "academic bootcamp" is, schoolwork can be very difficult to get done. We aren't very good at the sports that get watched on TV, in general, but every few years one team or another has a good season, and the students get excited about it.

As with any stereotype, there must be some basis of truth at the bottom of it. Students from other schools are often surprised upon visiting campus to see the average WM student's workload and stress levels. On the other hand, stereotypes are gross generalizations, and the majority of students manage to find a happy balance between working hard and playing hard. What you have to keep in mind is that there was a reason we all decided to attend William and Mary... and it definitely wasn't the athletic department.

You can find people at a school (big or small) that can fill any stereotype, but at the College of William and Mary the following are generally true: 1. You will likely have to work hard 2. From parties to college traditions and sporting events, it's easy to find a good time a William and Mary, but if you're goal for college is to party, this is not the place for you 3. The students here are the brightest around and boring is by far the opposite word one should use to describe the student body. The fact remains that even William and Mary with it's 5,500 undergraduates still offers a vastly diverse student body. So if you feel that someone here is boring, there are still 5,499 other people that you can meet. I find the College to be one of my favorite places.

I have found my initial impression to be wholly untrue. Not only have I met students from diverse backgrounds and cultures, but I've found a warm, liberal, environment of Barak supporters and Pro-Choice activists. Most students hail from Northern Virginia (referred to as NOVA) so that typical southern drawl is lacking on this Williamsburg campus. VOX--a women's rights group--as well as the Young Democrats are a real presence on Campus, and the recent decision not to renew our former President Gene Nichol's contract has turned our campus into something akin to a 1970's anti-war demonstration.

yes and no. although some students at the College are socially awkward, introverted creatures, the majority of students are pretty outgoing and easy to get along with. unfortunately, it is true that about 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students are overachievers, whether they get the grades or not. the students at the College are violently sexually repressed, and are starving from a poverty of unfulfilled liquid desires, giving birth to liquid fears and frustrations. this goes without saying. but they're not altogether morally or socially conservative in their values, and they're not all anti-drugs, anti-drinking, or anti-sex. i'd say just about everyone on campus is crazy in one way or other, but then again, so are most of the people you meet anywhere. so i guess we're normal.