College of William and Mary Top Questions

Best thing - smallish, friendly, a really good school I'd change parking - you can't park anywhere during football games. Students who have to live here should get parking priority over people coming out to see the game. Size is just right - you can always meet new people, but there are also lots of familiar faces. They either say "Oh wow, that's a really good school," or "Oh, where is that?" I spend a lot of time in Jones and Tucker, my room, and making Wawa runs. I try to avoid Swem. I like the practice rooms in Ewell too. The UC terrace is nice. Yeah, what college town. Though, you can really make your own fun... and there are lots of restaurants. Gosh - Gene Nichol. I think there's a fair amount of school pride. Traditions can become traditions instantly (Blowout is hardly an ancient tradition). Nothing particular - I always get warm fuzzies when I sing the Alma Mater, and sometimes just walking along on campus i think "It's really beautiful here, and I get to claim it," as sappy as that may be. The one football game I attended that we won was pretty sweet. I got to see Glen Close one time, that was cool. Oh yeah, and the Queen. Complaints - no parking, NO PARKING, terrible allergy season, too much work, nothing to do

I think by far one of the best things about William and Mary is the love the people involved have for this school. Faculty, staff, and students all seem to really care not only about how their lives are improved by being here, but about the College's future. I also really love that all of my classes have been taught by my professor, with the occasional exception of a lab. I do wish we had the money to fund renovation projects more often and that there was more parking on campus. I think the size of our student body is perfect. When I tell people from near Virginia that I go to William and Mary many comment that it is a good school and that I must be smart; when talking to someone from a completely different area, however, the comment I receive the most is: "Is that a Catholic school?" due to the nature of the name. I spend the majority of my time either in my on campus housing, in classrooms, the Daily Grind, or outside on the UC terrace whenever possible. There is a decided lack of a college town atmosphere in Williamsburg, it seems to be more of a "retirement town" with way too many pancake houses and very few night life options. The biggest recent controversy on campus was the failure of the Board of Visitors to renew Gene Nichol's contract and his subsequent resignation. I have a feeling that the white supremacist speaker that is due on campus next week will be an issue as well. I think that William and Mary students do take pride in their alma mater, but I feel it is done in a subtle manner. You won't see many people decked out in green and gold camping out before a game, but when something happens to the school and its members, such as the Gene Nichol controversy, there is an outpouring of voices about our school. I think one of the most unusual things about William and Mary is despite the large amount of civic activism the students have, as well as the amount of volunteer work we do for the community, we have a very poor "green" system. You would think that with as much as we care about other issues, we'd want a greener campus too. I will always remember yule log ceremonies, Gene Nichol's resignation, and quite a few personal memories from my time here. The complaints often seen involve lack of new buildings and parking, that the cobblestone is hard to walk on, and that the UC food is UC food.

Best thing is the Greene Leafe cafe. I'd change the town, williamsburg can be quite stuffy and unfriendly to students. Size is just right. People are impressed when they hear I went to WM. I spend most of my time at my frat house. "What college town". Administration is poor and does not listen to students. Biggest controversy - firing of Gene Nichol, college president. There is minimal school pride.

The big picture thatis william and mary is that it is a very elitist university in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a community that doesn't like the students but needs the economy that the college brings. Without this college Williamsburg would be a poor, dead town. Even so the surrounding community thinks less than nothing of the students. Students here have very little say in how their college is run, while the wealthy conservative alumni dictate what is allowed here and how things will be run. There is nothing to do in Williamsburg and nothing origional about it. The local historically preseved museum "colonial williamsburg" is a historic smokescreen of lies. It propogates the myth of this countries colonial foundings without dealing with the actualities of slavery, tobacco, or native americans and instead presenting an idealized portrait of drum and fife marches and patriotism that borders on racism. Some professors here are good and passionate about thier work, but they usually don't stay, as they are recognized for their merits and paid better elsewhere. Apart from the library, the academic buildings and dorm rooms are deteriorating, but new parking garages and a chemistry addition are being built. Overall I am dissapointed in my college experience here, and I fell like it has made me into a cynical, bitter person.

William and Mary is a good, mid-sized school, with just enough people that you're always meeting someone new but small enough that you run into people you know frequently. The city of Williamsburg is interesting because most of the town is either college property or colonial buildings. There's a slight divide between conservative and liberal ideologies on campus, with a struggle between increased freedom and stricter moral conduct. Too many times it seems like administration members seem interested in busting kids for drinking than doing something productive, but that doesn't mean that everyone who drinks gets in trouble. Don't come to W&M if you're looking for strong varsity athletics. There are a good many student organizations. Also, no matter what you're looking for in terms of a social life, its probably available at W&M. Those that don't have people to hang out with are those that aren't looking. The only real pride that exists is to say we're better than UVA. Which we are.

I built a urinal out of my dorm window and I always get angry texts from people saying "Stop urinating." I will continue to piss.

People in America tend to know of William and Mary, and be fairly impressed that we go there, but outside of the states, we don't have much name recognition. We're not Yale or Harvard, but people know it's a good school. The size of the school is pretty good, small enough to always know someone in the bar, but large enough to meet new people even in your senior year. Definitely "what college town," although it's getting better, with new shops and restaurants aimed more towards students. Controversy: google gene nichol, and read until your eyes bleed. We definitely have a lot of Tribe pride, even when we perhaps shouldn't (ie our football team).

The size. Despite the countless criticisms William and Mary, as well as its students, have received for as long as it has existed, the size of the College continues to not only rank as the very best feature of the school, but its also a source of envy for thousands of students attending other colleges and universities across the country. To know FOR A FACT that your class size will not surpass 25 students is absolutely marvelous. While other young adults around the nation struggle to enroll in the most popular classes their respective schools offer - note: a good percentage of said students are seniors and have conseuqently been forced to prolong their undergraduate education all for the sake of getting the chance to enter a specific class or two to fulfill the required number of credits for graduating - William and Mary students, conversely, constantly have the chance to explore whatever they desire, and perhaps more importantly, whenever they desire. The fact is, students at the College are in the unique and very valuable position of being able to truly acquaint themselves with their professors, advisors, and deans. As a result, they have a much stronger likelihood of creating and fostering significant life-long connections, which have proven to go a long way in terms of both professional and personal advacement.

The administration is determined to ruin the fun of the students by starting programs like the Alcohol Task Force. Mark Constantine is a disease that converts campuses to "dry campuses" then moves on. The rules are ridiculous (no kegs on campus??!!) for a college, people get in trouble for more petty things than I could have dreamed of.

I think the size of W&M is just right and I would not change it. My favorite thing about W&M was the freedom I had to explore any area in academia, art, and nature that excited me and run with it. My college experience did not turn out like I thought it would. It was way better than I could have imagined. One thing I would change is parking services. They are evil. My favorite parts of campus are old campus, then path between the sunken gardens and the crim dell, and the woods. Not much of a college town, although the town as a whole has more to offer students than it did in the past, unfortunately at the expense of many acres of wooded land. I like the administration for the most part, except for Dean Volp. She is also evil. I am torn over the controversy surrounding Gene Nichol (the biggest recent controversy), because I like him tremendously as a person and as a representative of the students, faculty, and staff. However, there is always money to consider, and he didn't have much luck with that. W&M is unusual in that it is one of the finest schools in the nation, but lacks in environmental friendliness. Williamsburg is also unusual in that it is not a college town and rather is geared towards tourists, and the retired.