College of William and Mary Top Questions

1/3 of students are from out of state, 1/3 from NOVA, and 1/3 from the rest of virginia. Most kids come from a typical, stable, high-achieving family of the middle to upper-middle class. People are pretty accepting of the LGBT and racial diversity. If I were to generalize the type of kids here I would say it is a lot of geeky or very-academically involved students, Frat/Sorority stars (so much GREEK), and jocks. There isn't a huge hipster, alternative, artsy population. Plenty of kids do music though (usually piano or choral groups). If you are a nature-loving, artsy, free spirit type, I don't know that W&M is right for you. That is me and I continually feel out of place here with so many people that have never even been in the woods.

1/3 of students are from out of state, 1/3 from NOVA, and 1/3 from the rest of virginia. Most kids come from a typical, stable, high-achieving family of the middle to upper-middle class. People are pretty accepting of the LGBT and racial diversity. If I were to generalize the type of kids here I would say it is a lot of geeky or very-academically involved students, Frat/Sorority stars (so much GREEK), and jocks. You have a good number of kids that party all the time and you have some that live in the library. There are a large number of Christian organizations on campus. W&M is also huge on community service. Most students participate in service in some form.

Classmates are intelligent (for the most part), push you to excel and can be fairly competitive, grade-wise.

Upon getting to William and Mary, I realized just how small a niche my academic experience had been to that point. Living in a community of predominantly upper middle-class Caucasians provided a certain perspective of the world, but college certainly contributed to an expanded viewpoint of all the different types of people that coexist in the world we live in. Because William and Mary provides a safe-haven for students of varying races, religions, sexual preferences, SES, etc., I have gotten a chance to engage with many people that I feel that I may not have at a university whose demographic is not as diverse. That said however, most of the students come from upper-middle class families in Virginia, predominantly Northern Virginia/DC metropolitan area. The College consistently strives to celebrate its diversity, most visibly with its plethora of student-run clubs observing various ethnicities and activities of that culture (e.g. Bhangra club, Asian Student Union, etc.), and I believe that attending a number of those events has broadened my horizon. Since there are so many clubs and different groups available for students to make friends it, it is impossible to isolate any one group that would feel more or less at home at William and Mary. In fact, it is safe to say that if a newly accepted student didn’t feel comfortable at William and Mary, it is likely due to a lack of effort on their part in trying to find their nice within the university; everyone is friendly and wants to make all students feel accepted in their new home for the next four years! There is opportunity for interaction among different groups of students, especially in an academic sense (e.g. group projects, research, etc.), but like any school, there are certainly cliques within the College. A few prominent ones include drama kids (no one ever sees them, but all know they are frantically rehearsing for something or spending all of their time in the drama building, Phi Beta Kappa Hall), football players (even though football isn’t popular at William and Mary, this doesn’t stop them from thinking they run the school), runners (perpetually wearing athletic gear, it’s impossible to walk into a dining hall without seeing 8-20 of them sitting together), and fraternity and sorority members (the ones serious invested in their Greek society will be decked out in letters, or wearing the typical frat-guy/sorority-girl attire all of the time). Aside from these (admittedly flat) stereotypical groups, students generally wear prep-style clothing, but everyone has a definitive style, and is comfortable enough in their own skin to be themselves, which is fantastic to be in the presence of. Students are very politically aware, which is largely due in part to William and Mary’s proximity to Washington DC (3 hours’ drive), but it is difficult to identify a strong political presence at the school. It was formerly a liberal hotbed, but adolescent conservatism has surged, and the College is relatively balanced in terms of its political positioning. As far as future successes, students for the most part place a high emphasis on financial success—pre-med and the sciences are some of the more common concentrations at William and Mary, and many students choose them for their socio-economic prestige. Not to say that all students care about monetary wealth after school, but based on the background of the majority, many students chose William and Mary on the belief that it was the best school to help their chances to succeed fiscally later in life.

We have a diversity of opinion at W&M. An exchange student from Belgium might meet up for coffee with a student who grew up the daughter of missionaries in the DRC. That example is really just two of my friends that I actually know... very nice people, though Lisa from the DRC claims W&M has too many white people, as does everywhere in the US. Students are politically aware, active, and intelligent. We interact with one another not based on who has money or who comes from a good family, but on what you can contribute to a conversation and a friendship.

There are so many active student groups all over campus dealing with race, religion and sexual orientation. Consequently, I have never met anyone here who feels out of place because of their nature of viewpoints. One of the most visible groups is that of 1 in 4, the sexual assault education group run completely by men on campus. The group derives its name from a statistic that one in four college women report surviving rape or attempted rape nationwide. There are similar peer-education groups for religion as well as sexual orientation. The student body here is clearly very smart, and with that comes a higher level of tolerance for all lifestyles. With this level of tolerance comes the comfortable environment that allows students of all socio-economic backgrounds. We have "trust fund babies" as well as students whose tuition is fully funded by scholarships, grants, and loans because they come from tough environments or single-parent homes. The school does a commendable job of reaching out to lower-income or less fortunate high school students to bring them in and get them to at least apply. Most of the students (I think around 70-75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) are in-state. The rest come mostly from the east coast- Maryland, New Jersey, and New York to name the most prevalent ones.

Students at William & Mary are extremely nice. No one really feels out of place because everyone can find their niche somewhere. Whether it be among the Greeks or the geeks, every student will find somewhere where they fit in. William & Mary students will either be extremely preppy, or completely casual; there seems to be no middle ground. Most students are from Virginia since it is a state school, but the out of staters are usually from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York. The financial and ethnic backgrounds are extremely diverse, W&M is definitely not a campus full of rich, white kids. Students are too politically correct however, and as a student from the Northeast, it is frustrating to be judged based on the fact that I curse more than the Virginian students. All in all, students are down to earth and super easy to get along with.

They are okay. Some people are very mean and bad.

Since I'm from New Jersey, I almost expected all of the students to be standard southern preppy people. However, there are TONS of different kinds of people. Some adhere to the classic southern belle/gentleman stereotype, but a lot of students just dress however they feel. Sweatshirts and yoga pants or leggings are common class-wear, but a percentage of students dress fully for class as well. LGBT clubs are present on campus, and people are fee to dress or act as they feel.

There are the jocks that really separate themselves. Greek life is more open and very friendly. Then there are GDIs (people who aren't in Greek life which makes up a good amount of the school) who are also really cool and friendly who intermix with other GDIs and Greeks alike.

From my experience most of W&M students are friendly and decent. They are coming from nice families and have a certain culture about them. Many of them are from traditional families and are here to study and get ready for great careers. The student body is quite diverse with a lot of international students most of whom are from Asian countries. There are also some European exchange students as well. I believe there is no dress code for the school, however you do not see many crazily dressed students. Most of them are respectful to the traditional spirit of W&M and dress accordingly. During the official events you see lots of students dressed in suits and ties.

The LGBT scene is okay, but we're still in the South here. We're relatively diverse for a southern school, I guess. Some students dress well, others are perfectly content to wear sweatpants and Uggs to class. Most students are from Virginia, so... southern. I feel like a lot of students are politically apathetic, and of those who care, it's about half conservative and half liberal.

Very studious. Everyone wants to get better and improve their gpa's from semester to semester.

My classmates are considerate, funny, and always have something interesting to share.

My students are dedicated students who spend a lot of time on school work, but are also able to enjoy themselves on weekends.

We are awesome.

My classmates are a highly diverse and intelligent group that prides themselves on overcoming the academic rigors of the curriculum.

The student body was much more diverse than I anticipated. People's talents, interests, and backgrounds are extremely varied, which makes the college even more interesting. You learn a lot from your peers backgrounds and experiences. A lot of people come from NoVA, so if you're an out of state student, you're a little more interesting. Additionally, all sorts of people interact. The only racial "clique" I can think of is Asian; there always seems to be a group of them in the library or around campus.

Most are w&m students are nice, very involved (doing a million things at once!), nerdy, and socially awkward.

Today I saw a man in a kilt with flaming red hair--enough said.

The people in my classes are, for the most part, extrememly intelligent, well spoken individuals who provide thought provoking approaches to problems or topics that we are discussing which makes it possible to learn both from my teachers and my peers.

My classmates spend time in the library, watching politics, and reading about the world.

motivated

The most active voice on campus is that of the shameless self-promoter disguised as the bleeding-heart liberal. If you can tune that one out, there are a lot of good people here, people who are honest about themselves and honest about the state of the College.

Extremely hard working and dedicated to their studies.

William and Mary students are often devoted, hard-working, and truly love to learn.

Studious and Southern.

William and Mary students are ambitious, hardworking students who either did not get into their top choice school if they are out of state or are slightly less qualified in-state students.

Ambitious, but very open and easy to get along with.

My classmates are very focused, intelligent, and amazing people.

Intelligent, studious, diverse, and very driven people attend this school.

Serious, conservative thinkers; great friends if you're on their side.

Most kids here are here becuase they want to learn- but that doesn't mean we don't have fun.

Competitive, intellectual, hard-working, relentless.

My classmates are inspiring, dedicated, and fun to work with. I used to dread group projects in high school; at W&M, they're a joy to do because everyone has the same great work ethic and it's much easier to get things done collaboratively.

My classmates keep to themselves.

They are very smart and willing to lend each other a hand when needed.

Friendly to people they know, but not interested in meeting new people.

Intelligent people with an unfortunate tendency to be caught up in the superficial and the mundane, taking the short view without consideration for the big picture.

Two students talk about their favorite classes, how they spend their free time and favorite movies.

Another student talks about her favorite class, favorite movie and what she does in her free time.

A student doing crunches catches is able to multi-task and talk about books, movies and his favorite class.

Three students tell us about their favorite classes, what they do in their free time and their favorite movies.

A grad student talks about what he does in his free time, his favorite class and his favorite movie.

We stop a student on her way to class and ask her a few questions about life at William and Mary.

A student talks about what she does in her free time, her favorite class and favorite movie.

The average W&M student seems to be from NoVa, very politically active and opinionated, and pretty well spoken. They're also driven and have huge goals.

William & Mary is lacking in ethnic and economic diversity of its student body. About two-thirds of students are Virginia residents, and the rest hail from all over the country (though the majority of out-of-state students are from East Coast states such as New Jersey). While all political leanings can be found on our campus, most students tend to be slightly left of center. There is a decent stronghold of more progressive students as well as militant conservatives. Despite the lack of apparent diversity, William & Mary students are generally fairly open-minded and many recognize the importance of a diverse student body. The number of minorities and first generation college students steadily increases each year. But more important than sheer numbers is the atmosphere, and William & Mary has a pretty inclusive one for a southern school. Students segregate themselves less here than at other schools and cultural organizations receive plenty of support. As a minority, I have found it easy to get along with almost everyone here and to have a very diverse group of friends. I have never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome at any party or event (although I have have heard of other students experiencing such feelings in some instances). Of course, like at any American school, I have come across ignorance and stereotypes, but generally speaking, I am happy with the college's atmosphere.

My experiences with the different groups(racial, religious, LGBT, etc..) have been positive and I have yet to meet a student who feels out of place on campus because of the way they identify themselves. Different types fo students are constantly interacting.