The College of William and Mary

Date: Sep 20 2002
Major: Economics (This Major's Salary over time)
William & Mary was four years of intense academics and good friendships. It's not a party school, and options were sparse and limited to frat parties, 3 lackluster delis/bars and numerous dorm and off campus parties. Williamsburg is a very small town and did not have much to offer beyond colonial and scenic sites, Busch Gardens and Kings Mill Golf Course.

The campus was small, largely conservative and southern in flavor. Baptists represented the largest student group back in the mid 90's when I attended. The school is cliquish and can present an isolated, boarding school type atmosphere to some. At least, it did to me when I was there from '92-'96.

Academics and teaching quality was excellent and exposure to professors was good and class sizes small. Conversely, this is not a big, research university and professors are not as renowned as say those at Princeton or Caltech. Good bang for the buck. One of my complaints was the mediocrity of some of the academic buidings and computing facilities, though this is to be expected at public schools. The school was often a called a "Public Ivy", though this is misleading as William & Mary has neither the cachet or ranking of Ivy League institutions. Also, the sports teams sucked!

Bottom line: a great school for academics or frat lovers who prefer isolated, small town settings. Great bang for the buck back in the mid 90s for in-state students!