College of William and Mary Top Questions

My school has a limited selection of international and global studies classes which I would be interested in if they had them.

There is nothing to do off campus. Everything closes around 8pm in Williamsburg.

Coming out of high school as an IB student, I was used to the idea that numbers meant everything (even though that point was emphasized as false). College admissions confirmed that. As much as colleges say that they select students qualitatively, it is unrealistic and impractical for numbers to not play a huge role in admissions. Now, with this newfound commitment to academic excellence, from both a qualitative and quantitative point of view, it is frustrating (in a good way) to be put in an environment where grades must truly be earned, without curves and extra credit.

The most frustrating thing is having to pick only one or two majors.

All the opportunities--there are so many, it feels like you're missing out to choose just one club or organization! Sorting through the diverse actitivities is hard!!

The course selection process is very competitive, frustrating, and time consuming.

Harsh treatment of athletes by students.

Academic advising at William and Mary is a little difficult to go through--my counselor was not very clear when it came to helping me define what I would need for my major, what requirements and prerequisites were required for classes I wished to get into, and the availability of those courses. All work in terms of planning my academic trajectory had to be done outside of meetings because I could not count on the school's advisement for anything.

Lack of racial diversity. Pompous teachers. Stupid jocks/frat kids that don't belong. Lack of focus on the arts (music/art, not dance/theater).

The issue of funding from the state of Virginia! The state continues to cut our funding, making it harder for us to attract professors, maintain campus facilities, and keep up our programs. We are doing just fine, but it is very frustrating to have to put up with, as a state school. The state needs to actually follow through with its end of the bargain instead of leaving us hanging!

Williamsburg is a very boring town.

State politicians and wealthy doners control the campus too much. Students have no say in the running of their university.

There is very little financial aid available. As an out-of-state student, this is very frustrating, having to pay five times as much as Virginia students. I will be $76,000 in debt by the end of this year. When I get my degree in 2011, I will be deep enough in debt that I could have gone to medical school, but will only have a B.A. The way William & Mary advertizes itself is very deceptive when it comes to financial aid.

In many respects, the town-gown relationship was a pretty big disappointment to me. I came from a town where the university really defined the town, but in Williamsburg, you always kind of get the feeling that the town would just as soon not have us (the students) around. Its part retirement-community, part tourist trap; you don't really have that tight integration between town and gown that you'd find in similar places like Charlottesville, VA Durham, NC, Lexington, VA or Davidson, NC.

no environmental concern, no concert hall, not enough funding for music program

The school is very small. It's nice because I like small class sizes and running into my friends a lot and not being just a number in a lecture hall, but at the same time it gets old sometimes. Gossip travels very quickly, and although you can avoid people you don't like for a long time, you can't avoid them forever. And because it's so small, sometimes there is a limit to the number of things going on on the weekends; if there's only one party being advertised, EVERYONE is there.

The work load is extremely heavy. Sometimes it seems that your best is not good enough at all.

There is poor parking availability. The school feels slightly skewed towards the liberal side of things, professors even more so than students.

Registration is difficult for freshman, transfers, and even sophomores. You might get stuck in large lecture classes that upperclassment didn't want.

There are limited options when it comes to venues or student hangouts that are open after 2am.

Not getting the grades you used to get in high school. For the amount of work, studying, and time put in, the grades do not seem to match up. It feels sometimes like the best you can do will never get you the grades you wish. It is frustrating to see people at other schools getting better grades, while I feel like I have learned so much and yet do not see the same results. The high standards of the teachers and students alike makes it a challenge to always study more and put in the maximum effort you can.