The College of William and Mary

Date: Aug 07 2005
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
Initially, my first choice was Georgetown. I attended W&M instead, however, and have never looked back. The atmosphere at W&M is extremely inviting; it's highly intellectual without highly competitive, open, and friendly. Many of the dorms are less than superb, but the housing situation is on the up and up, with a lot of the dorms undergoing complete renovation and a new dorm under construction. Some of the academic buildings, namely on new campus, are not very inviting either, but these are also quickly improving with a series of complete renovations. Right now the College is in a huge phase of growth and improvement, and it's a very exciting time. We have a new president, Gene Nichol, and everyone seems very excited about him. We're bringing in a lot of money, which has been a serious problem since Virginia's budget started slipping a few years ago, and the financial situation is greatly improving. The faculty pay is still low, something in the mid 30th percentile this coming year, but that is a significant boost since last year's 27th percentile. Despite the relatively low pay, professors at W&M are almost always experts in their field, with many having won great distinction; Melvin Patrick Ely, a History professor, just won the Bancroft Prize (essentially a Pulitzer for historical writing). They're also extremely dedicated teachers and professionals, and are always very knowledgeable and approachable. They stay at W&M despite the pay, although it is on the rise (there is a goal to get the percentile up to 60th in the next couple of years, which should attract even more excellent faculty), because they love the College, they love the Students, and they love their peers. I think it's a huge testemant to the atmosphere here. People are here because they love W&M, and it shows, and you can feel it on campus. Tribe pride! W&M isn't the place for someone who can't get by outside of the big city, but if you want a place with a tremendous sense of history, a highly academic, friendly, and stimulating environment, a beautiful campus, and one of the best learning experiences anywhere, W&M is second to none.