The College of William and Mary

Coming to William and Mary as an out of state student from the west coast, I knew absolutely no one here and very little about the college. That being said, it was very easy for me to make friends and get involved with greek life. While I have enjoyed these aspects about W&M, I still believe the school leaves a lot to be desired.

First, the social life is pretty horrible. All of social life is controlled by fraternities. Not that many people go out to begin with and the parties are generally boring and monotonous. Williamsburg does not add to this either. The town's night life includes three 'delis' on one block. There is generally not much to do here, and it gets old really quickly. The administration does not help either. While I have not personally ever met the administration, their policies towards alcohol and partying make me believe it is a group of bitter old people more interested in catering to Williamsburg than to its own students.

The student body is generally diverse, but lacks any sort of school spirit. You have kids who are extremely outgoing and like to go out a lot and then kids who seem to spend all the time they can in the library (more of the latter). As I said, it is easy to make friends here, but there are also a lot of socially awkward kids. Students to me seem overworked and stressed out. No one goes to the sporting events, which creates the image that no one is really happy to be here.

As for academics, classes are definetly challenging. A 4.0 is nonexistant here unless you live in Swem Library. Be prepared to devote a lot of your time to studying to maintain a pretty pitiful GPA. I haven't particularly liked my classes, but it's too early to tell because I have only really taken intro classes. Registration is also a pain - you would think it would be easy because of the school's size, but its just as difficult here as it would be at a larger university. The school's endownment is really small and it is facing budget cuts, so the number of offered classes seems rather limited. In conclusion, William and Mary is not for everyone. People who are on the shy side are better suited for W&M. If you come here, you can definetly have fun, but don't expect to be going to any ragers every weekend. I haven't decided if I'm going to transfer out, but if I could start over again as a freshman elsewhere, I would.

1st Year Male -- Class 2014

Friendliness: A, Individual Value: F

I made friends while I was here. That was the best part. I was not prepared for the degree of difficulty and probably should have gone to a different school. Honestly, graduating from school here has been life's most difficult accomplishment, and I founded and ran a business for a very long time. My skills regressed in many respects, but I had a wonderful graduate level experience at another institution that prepared me for what I really wanted to do. I did not think the teachers were all that great here. Some were on more mission to filter and confuse than educate. Maybe the more scholastically accomplished students got more out of their experience. If you are looking for teachers with real world experience, you will not find any here. When I was here, no one could help me when it came to life after school. Why? They were all academics.

Since retiring and trying to interact with faculty and administration here, I have found that nothing has changed. It's sad. I know there are people here who need to interact with alumni and professionals to know that there is life after W&M. I have volunteered to assist and been completely blown off. I have no idea what it is, but they are terrible communicators with their willing alumni. Maybe they looked at my transcripts or alumni contributions. You should consider your college selection by the alumni commentary and support system when you graduate. If you did, rather than shallow rankings, I don't think you would come here.

The funny part is, my generation had more fun here than they do today. Again, it's sad. Very bright of people are accepted and study here.The thing about institutions is that they don't change much. That's why they are called institutions. Check the culture carefully. That would be my advice.

4th Year Male -- Class 1976

Friendliness: A, Faculty Accessibility: F

Honestly, William and Mary is a horrible school to try to have a real college experience. Classes are decent, and the coursework is generally insightful, but other than that, everything about W&M sucks.The administration is extremely isolated and treat you like youre in middle school. They do everything they can to inhibit a relaxed, fun environment, which may help to explain the three suicides within the last year. There is no school spirit, and people generally regret their decision to come here. They only don't leave because they have made some good friends or simply don't want to repeat at another school. But, generally any one who is cool, regrets coming to William and Mary (and no that is absolutely not a joke). I seriously hate it here, and will be leaving to go anywhere else next semester. Seriously don't come here if you get in. You will regret it.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2013