College of William and Mary Top Questions

just the right size if i could change one thing it would be that more people party on weeknights the best thing is the people though people act all impressed so i usually just dont tell them i mostly hang out in off campus frat houses or friend's appts there is school pride students should be first, not admins love streaking

The best thing about William and Mary is its reputation. It is such an amazing school that people recognize as impressive. The mix of old tradition and new innovation is also inspiring. I find the school to be just right. You can know a good percent of the student population. My friends and I decided everyone at W&M is only two degrees apart, that is you can always find at least one person you know in common. I love the reaction I get when I tell people I go to William and Mary -- it's always a "wow" and I can tell they are impressed. I spend most of my time in my room or my friends' rooms. As for the Williamsburg area...there aren't many nightlife places, but a few delis mean everyone is in the same place every night so its a big party. Colonial Williamsburg is right across the street, so you always see impersonators walking down around campus or on other streets (makes my day everytime)! The biggest controversy recently was the non-renewal of President Nichol by the BoV. That experience really showed the unity and pride of the student body. I think there is a lot of Tribe Pride. We love our traditions.

I love the people at William & Mary. It's a small campus; you can't go 5 minutes without running into someone you know. But that makes for an interesting experience because the people are great and you'll want to talk to everyone you meet.

William and Mary has an amazing community. Everyone is extremely friendly and warm... from the students to the teachers to the cafeterial workers. I have had random conversations with people I have never met before... and that's totally normal. It's a great size... small enough that you see familiar faces, but not too small so that eveyone knows everything about each other. When I tell people I go to William and Mary they say one of three things: 1). Wow! Thats an amazing school. 2). Wow! You got in there as a girl out of state... thats impossible 3). Where's that? Is it a christian school? (it's not) I spend most my time hanging in my dorm or outside in the Sunken Gardens. I also go to Colonial Williamsburg (CW as it's so commonly called). There are some good resturants and shops... I guess it's a college town because of the coffee shops and stuff, but really it's more of a middle age tourest town. Controversy seems to come up at W&M a lot. Our (now former) president Gene Nichol was extremely popular among students but not so much in administration. When his contract wasn't renewed, you'd think World War Three had broken out by looking at the students reaction. It was actually pretty impressive that the community rallied together behind a common cause, but it was a little intense. There were rallys, sit ins, class boycotts.

The best thing is the presence of energy of campus. People always want to do more, even if they never sleep. That's good if you're ready for it, bad if you just want to chill out and get some perspective on the world. I would "green" the campus. It's ridiculous that recycling isn't simpler in dorms and across campus - there should be as many recycling bins as trash receptacles. It's too small at times, in terms of people. But in general I think it's a good size. People just need to break out of their groups more so that it feels bigger. People think I must be smart because I went to WM. Or, if they're from the west coast (like me), they don't know what I'm talking about. Daily Grind, and Lake Matoaka before the renovations. "what college town?" A college town must have a downtown! DOG street, New Towne, Prince George Street...do not count. There's no authentic college town scene (independent theater companies, burrito joints, used music shops, multiple used book stores, bars beyond the delis, etc.) beyond campus because everything in Williamsburg is so established and regulated. WM administration is something I don't know too much about, but from my perspective things were seriously looking up over the past few years, and now that Nichol's gone that might end. School pride...Something I never felt until I graduated and realized how special the campus is. Yes there's a lot of Tribe Pride but I think it's a little artificial and would be better expressed by spending more money on scholarships than pep rallies. One unusual thing about WM is that the campus is, on the one hand, totally isolated from the surrounding community. I'm talking beyond CW, and into the trailer parks and lives of migrant workers. Yet, there is an incredible focus on the international community, which is really embraced. The latter is good, but it's a strange contrast with the former. Another unusual thing is the obsession with service. One experience I will always remember. I really like Blowout. It's a pretty good idea for a school that is generally so uptight. Most frequent complaints...I don't remember. I managed to forget over the past 9 months.

The best thing about William and Mary is the quality of academics. The professors really care about you, care about the information you're learning, and want you to get good grades. Yet, at the same time, you have to work towards your success and it's definitely not handed to you on a silver platter. But that's the best thing: you learn to develop a work ethic that will allow you to succeed on many levels...not just in the academic realm, but in your social and professional life. One thing I'd change about William and Mary is the recent controversy surrounding President Nichol. No matter what people say and the different views that are voiced, he was a big step for the College. Yet, a bad light as been illuminated on WM. I would change the entire BOV's process in deciding not to renew President Nichol's contract. I would change the presence of media and its affects on the heart of the College. I would change President Nichol's resignation. William and Mary is a small public school, but just right at the same time. It's definitely not a large state university. You get a great Ivy League-type of education at a small public school price. William and Mary has a great reputation to its name. Whenever my parents tell people that I go to William and Mary, people always say "wow!". People know how great of an institution the College is and the students hear definitely live up to the name. It has a great national and even international image. I spend most of my time on campus hanging out with my friends around my dorm, studying in the library, or working out at the Rec and running around campus. As a freshman, you grow close with the people in your dorm and you do everything together. Once you get beyond freshman year, you move into nicer dorms or even into off-campus apartments. Williamsburg is a great town, yet I must say: there is no night life at all. It's not a large city and it's very historical. There is quite a bit to do both on and off campus. There's Colonial Williamsburg and Merchant Square, right across the from Old Campus and the Wren Building. There are several nice restaraunts such as The Trellis, Aroma's, The Cheese Shop, and Retro's, right across the street from campus. And there's also the infamous deli's: Pauls' Deli, The College Delly, and the Green Leafe Cafe. They are very popular among students: especially those 21 and over...There's also New Town, about a mile off campus, which has a movie theatre, more restaraunts, some shopping outlets, and a Panera. Williamsburg is located in the hilly, middle part of "the peninsula", right off Interstate 64 and is considered the most northwestern part of the region called Hampton Roads. It is about an hour and a half to two hours away from Virginia Beach, and the closest beach is about 20-30 minutes away! The climate is hot and humid in the fall, cold in the winter, with daily temperatures in the 30's and 40's, and perfect in the spring. The weather is very spastic: one day you will feel like you are in southern California, the next you'll be in Alaska. You'll learn to deal.

William and Mary's administration is a pitiful collection of incompetent bureaucrats who somehow have much more power than they deserve with respect to the goings-on at the school. In my time as a campus activist, I was repeatedly lied to and ignored by several administrators, and learned that there is no mechanism of accountability for any of them. They do not have the interests of the faculty, students, or staff at heart--paradoxically, they exist solely for their own self-perpetuation. The school would be better off if it replaced every administrator with democratically elected, transparent student/staff/faculty positions and bodies.

The only things William & Mary has going for it is the fact that it's old and Omega Beta Delta, which they kicked off campus. If I could, I would change the student body. It's a good size. No one from the North has ever heard of William & Mary, so a lot of times I feel like I'm working my ass off for peanuts. I spend most of my time NOT IN CLASS. All the residents of Williamsburg hate the college and its students, and I don't blame them. The administration doesn't give a shit about the students, clearly, because they just fired a president who had almost unanimous student and faculty backing but was too progressive and therefore damaging to our school's sterling reputation. This being the biggest recent controversy on campus... basically our school is run (owned?) by a bunch of old aristocrats who dwell in an ivory tower and only set foot on campus about four times a year. There is enough school pride but for all the wrong reasons. There is NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT William & Mary. NOTHING. I will always remember Wild Turkey Wednesdays at OBD. The most frequent student complaints are that no one cares about anyone but themselves, which is why there is a MICROSCOPIC amount of activism on our campus, and why SDS is composed of 3 members.

I love the people I've met here. Everyone is intelligent and willing to talk about almost anything -- most are very open minded, which is great, and makes for fun late-night discussions. Luckily, I'm able to do work in my room, but it's safe to say that many students spend a great deal of their time in Swem, the library. The most recent controversy was without a doubt Gene Nichol's contract not being renewed, which angered about 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students, I'd say. Most students, staff and faculty were behind him, it just came down to a minority of rich alums that wanted him out. One experience I'll always remember is doing the triathlon with my freshman hall -- streaking the Sunken Gardens, swimming in the Crim Dell, and jumping the governor's wall. It was a lot of fun, and was certainly a good bonding event for my hall.

Aside from academics, the most prominent feature of William and Mary is its location: right in the heart of downtown Colonial Williamsburg. Anyone from the area probably took a middle school field trip to see the reenactments and the animals, but you probably never expected to spend four years of your life living among people dressed up like the founding fathers. Naturally, there are ups and downs to this town. At first, living in such a unique area is exciting! Every freshman has strolled down DoG Street, watching the tourists and inhaling the smell of horse manure, and thought about how COOL it is to get to live here full-time. There are ghost tours and secret paths to keep you busy after dark, and there are always events going on in Merchant's Square (farmers markets, Grand Illuminations, First Night, etc). Eventually the novelty wears off. There's only so many times you can take pictures in the stocks or try to catch the Lady Skip-Wythe ghost. That's when Williamsburg takes a turn for the worst. In general, it's a very student-unfriendly city. Off-campus housing is incredibly difficult to find, and as for a nightlife... Well, Richmond is only an hour away. The only thing open past 10pm, besides our poor excuses for bars for the over 21's, is Wawa. Only recently was the movie theatre built, and getting there requires either a friend with a car or being a slave to the bus schedule. Bottom line: Williamsburg is a nice town, but by year 4, the odds of going crazy increase exponentially. Having a car on campus is expensive and inconvenient, but ultimately might be worth it--although friends with cars are always an option too.