College of William and Mary Top Questions

The stereotype of students at William and Mary is typically overly studious kids from suburbia Virginia, but all sorts of students can be seen running around the campus: jocks, fraternity and sorority members, nerds, and seemingly "wallpaper" people that you might never remember. Needless to say, regardless of what kind of student you are, William and Mary definitely has a place for you. For additional information, see the question labeled "What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?" (Note: seems sort of redundant to have the same question twice, doesn't it?)

The stereotype is that we are nerds who study all the time. On campus, we call these types of people TWAMPs, or, a Typical William and Mary Person. It's a term of endearment, though!

That we're all super nerdy and do not party.

This is one section we can agree on. William & Mary students are stereotyped as bookish and awkward.

Is it true that William and Mary has absolutely no social scene? Tim gives his take on the stereotype.

Patrick dispels a few William and Mary stereotypes.

Dave discusses the "academic bootcamp" stereotype of William and Mary.

Andrew tells us about some of the stereotypes of W&M students.

Geeky, awkward, lame, suicidal, unattractive, unsocial

The main stereotypes about William & Mary students are that we study all the time and don't know how to have fun. People also claim that we are socially awkward.

That because this is an old institution that it is stuck in the past and stodgy. That the students are stuck-up or nerds with no time for anything but studying.

They are typically portrayed as socially awkward academics.

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.

A lot of students still think they're big fish, even though the pond is no longer high school size. Fortunately, there are enough down to earth kids to make the ones that go around playing "professional leader" look like a caricature. Some outsiders think that there is a shortage of attractive females, and having been to southern schools, there may be a grain of truth to that.

Nerdy, smart, quiet, history geek, awkward

Nerdy, work hard, don't party too much, caring

1. Socially Awkward 2. Nerdy 3. Ugly 4. Liberal

Simply put: we spend all our time in the library and after a long day of studying, we sometimes go kill ourselves.

They only study, they are suicidal , they are all nerds.

We're completely wrapped up in our studies. Everyone wants to be an IR major or pre-med. We don't know how to party. We're always competing with UVA. W&M is 100% dedicated to service.

When white people go away to college, they tend to study what are knowns as the Arts. This includes actual Art, English, History, Classics, and Philosophy. These can of course be broken down further into Film, Womyn’s Studies (yes the spelling is correct), Communications, Gender Studies, and so forth. It is important to note that a high percentage of white people also get degrees in Political Science, which is pretty much like arts, and only seems to have the word “science” in it to make white people feel better about themselves. These degrees enable white people to spend four yeas of their lives reading books, writing papers and feeling great about themselves. It is a known fact that Arts students firmly believe that they are doing you/society a favor by not getting a job and reading Proust. They use this to protest for reduced tuition, more money for the arts, and special reduced student rates on things like bus passes. But what about the white people who study Science, Engineering or Business? Unless they become doctors, they essentially lose white person status (and can only be regained by working at a non-profit). So why would white people spend all that time studying and working to get into college if they are just going to read books that they might have read in their free time? Because white people have it made. They can take that degree and easily parlay it into a non profit job, an art gallery job, or work in publishing. If the pay is low, no problem, their parents will happily help out with rent until they magically start making six figures or non-magically turn 40. White people can also take that degree and go to graduate school (future post) and eventually become a professor or adjunct professor where they will still require parental support. If they are REALLY ambitious and need to make money, they can take that degree and go to Law School. But the real reason white people need these degrees is so that they can sound smart at parties. Of course it trickles down to making connections, getting hired, knowing rich people, and so forth. But ultimately it all begins by saying “reading Henry James was the most rewarding part of undergrad.” Using this to your advantage can be very difficult as attempts to talk about the books they skimmed while hungover can expose you. It is best to say that you were a first generation college student and your parents demanded that you study math, chemistry, economics or computer science. You had to read Joyce on your own.

Generally, W&M consists of white students

That we're super awkward. And do a lot of work.

Study too much, don't have any fun

People either seem to think that William and Mary is ridiculously hard-core and geeky, or a lame "state school" (esp. people who aren't from VA for the mid-atlantic)

We're smart but we don't like to party.

The biggest stereotype is that we're socially awkward nerds. Unless you're in Greek Life in which case you take on all the stereotypes of your sorority or fraternity.

We're awkward and we have no night life.

The socially awkward kids, study so much they drive themselves to suicide, nothing to do at W&M, there are a lot of gay students, they are ugly, not a party school

overworked and undersexed; girls are cows

One that I've heard is that there are "too many" gay people, here.

William & Mary students are stereotypically pretty nerdy - they do all of their homework on time, anything less than an A is a disappointment, and they're disappointed that Swem (our library) isn't open past 6 on Fridays and Saturdays. Further, the W&M student is always over-committed and over-involved.

Awkward, nerdy, where fun comes to die, very preppy, and everyone lives in Swem the library

"One of the highest suicide rates in the country" William & Mary students are socially awkward and don't know how to put down the books and have a good time. "W&M--where your best hasn't been good enough since 1693"

William and Mary has the stereotype of being a very smart, but very nerdy school. In line with that, the students are thought to be very intelligent and hard-working, but oftentimes overly so. Grades are thought to be of the utmost importance, while social skills are left undeveloped. Though William and Mary is one of the nation's most prestigious schools, the students are often modest and down-to-earth. The most common stereotype is that students here are awkward.

That we study all the time and are obsessed with grades.

They are awkward. REALLY AWKWARD. And nerdy. A lot. They are rich and preppy and look down their nose at you. Everyone is trying to be busier and more involved than everyone else. Everyone is in a frat/sorority. Everyone is gay. Everyone is ugly.

Hard-working, to the point that they don't have fun. Suicidal, uber-liberal, gays.

Book worms lacking social skills. Artsy kids.

Nerdy Ugly wealthy

Some of the stereotypes about W&M students are that all they do is work, all ridiculous overachievers, and that there aren't many cute girls.

they are nerds and many are homosexual.

We study a LOT, are very bookish and intellectual, bad at sports, and have no social life. Also, the dating pool is fairly poor. We're smart though, socially active, civicly involved, well read, and we tend to do well after college, with our drive for success and our determined, hard-working brains.

The biggest stereotype I've heard of is that the school has a depressing atmosphere. It's not uncommon whatsoever to hear the word "suicide" used to describe the school, which I personally think is not fair to both the students that attend William and Mary, as well as those looking from the outside in. There seems to be this general impression that William and Mary students are concerned with nothing more than spending late nights (even during the weekends) at the library. Many people have adopted the widely held assumption that students at the College, for the most part, lack any semblance of a social life. Again, these are just the stereotypes, which, by virtue of being just that, clearly distort the truth.

That they are nerdy, introverted, and into Harry Potter/D&D/Lord of the Rings

1) There are a lot of homosexuals at William and Mary. I've heard it referred to as Bill and Gary. 2) William and Mary students are all nerds and don't know how to have fun. 3) William and Mary is a private, conservative Southern University. 4) William and Mary students are snobbish and look down on other VA institutions.

1. Nerds 2. Up-tight 3. Hardworking 4. no fun

That William and Mary is "Waste Management". Full of nerdy,fat, ugly students.

William and Mary is a school for nerds. The students are eccentric and overly studious.

in-state, preppy, white kids (to out-of-staters) the nerdy, geeky kids (to in-staters)