Career Guidance

College of William and Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

The College of William & Mary is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693, it is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States after Harvard University. William & Mary’s undergraduate program ranks 4^thand 6^th among American public universities according to the 2009 Forbes and 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings, respectively.

William & Mary educated U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler as well as other key figures important to the development of the nation, including U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House Henry Clay and 16 signers of the Declaration of Independence. William & Mary is a Public Ivy.

In addition to its focal undergraduate program, the College is also home to several graduate and professional programs, including

• Law
• Business, education
• Marine science
• Colonial history

About Williamsburg

Students typically label Williamsburg a quiet, touristy, historic town but would not call it a town without a thriving college atmosphere. While it is a beautiful city, there is a constant and heavy tourist population. And while fun used to be harder to find in “the ‘Burg” recent development in the area has greatly increased the options that students have when it comes to having fun and enjoying the town. While the Wawa on Richmond Road will always be a classic hangout, students now have the option of going to the Movie Tavern a mile or two up the road, or to New Town for some pool, shopping, and entertainment. The Kimball Theatre in Colonial Williamsburg shows movies, theater performances, and occasionally concerts, all at a reduced price for students.

In spite of the new college-oriented town development, students are often still left looking for fun. To abate the occasional lack of action, organizations on campus always try to bring interesting speakers, popular movies, and cool musical groups to campus. Most students find that these suits them fine and claim they always have plenty to do. There are no other universities in the immediate vicinity, but there are several in driving distance. The nearest shopping center requires a short drive or a long walk, but the bus system runs throughout open hours. Williamsburg is growing for college students, giving students more options for fun while preserving its charm and history.

Weather

Williamsburg weather is hard to predict. It can rain one minute and be beautiful and sunny the next. On the whole, it is hot in the first few and last few weeks of the school year and rainy and variable in between, though students give differing figures on temperature and rainfall.

For the most part, there is not much snow, and the temperature stays within a reasonable range. Bring a raincoat and an umbrella, and you should be prepared for the worst of Williamsburg weather.

General Information

Institutional Control:	Public
Year founded:	1693
Religious affiliation:	N/A
Academic calendar:	semester
Total number of undergraduates:	5,850
Setting:	suburban
Endowment:	$580,037,127
Application deadline:	1/1
Application fee:	$60
Fall 2008 Acceptance rate:	34.1%
Selectivity:	most selective
Costs(2009-2010)	In-state: $10,800; Out-of-state: $30,592

Campus

The College is located on a 1,200-acre (490 ha) campus in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Sir Christopher Wren Building is the oldest college building in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. The building officially referred to as the “Sir Christopher Wren Building” was so named upon its renovation in 1931 to honor the English architect Sir Christopher Wren. Two other buildings around the Wren Building complete a triangle known as “Ancient Campus”: the Brafferton (built in 1723 and originally housing the Indian School, now the President and Provost’s offices) and the President’s House (built in 1732).

Application Fee

• College has an application fee: Yes
• Regular application fee: $60
• Online application fee: $60
• Paper and online application fees may be waived for applicants with financial need.

Admission Policies and Factors

Admission requirements:

• Essay(s) required
• Required: SAT Reasoning Test or ACT
• If submitting ACT, the writing section is optional

Certain important admission factors:

• Character/Personal Qualities
• Class Rank
• Application Essay
• Extracurricular Activities
• Recommendations
• Rigor of secondary school record
• Standardized Test Scores
• State Residency
• Talent/Ability
• Volunteer Work
• Work Experience
• Academic GPA

Considered:

• Alumni Relation
• Geographical Residence
• Interview
• Racial/Ethnic Status
• First generation college student

Annual College Costs (Fall 2009)

	Living on-campus	Living at home	Commuting, not living at home
In-state tuition and fees:	$10,800	$10,800	$10,800
Out-of-state tuition and fees:	$30,592	$30,592	$30,592
Room and board:	$8,382		$7,910
Cost per credit hour (in-state):	$240
Cost per credit hour (out-of-state):	$880

Housing Policies

• First-Year Students Guaranteed On-Campus Housing
• 100% of first-year students live in college housing
• 74% of all undergraduates live in college housing

Housing Options

• Coed Housing
• Apartments For Single Students
• Fraternity/Sorority Housing
• Special Housing For Disabled Students
• Special Housing For International Students
• Wellness housing (alcohol/drug/smoke-free)
• Deadline for housing deposit: 01-MAY
• Amount of housing deposit: $200
• Housing deposit is not refunded if student does not enroll

Students say the quality of housing at William & Mary depends heavily on which dorm they end up in. Housing conditions range from austere and tiny to spacious and comfortable. All freshmen are required to live on campus, and some of that housing is less than luxurious.

All residence halls have wireless high speed Internet access, cable TV, phone jacks and Ethernet connections in each room.

One of the biggest complaints students have is that many dorms are not air conditioned, requiring them to switch on as many fans as they can find and turning their rooms into virtual wind-tunnels to keep cool in August and September. Some rooms are also in small need of renovation, but Residence Life takes on projects every summer to slowly improve housing. Despite complaints, on-campus housing can’t be all that bad—more than 75 percent of W&M students reside on campus, and there’s always a demand for more space.

The nicest dorms on campus: The new Jamestown dorms

Facilities

For hours of entertainment, students flock to the Sadler Center basement, where there are ski-ball games, shuffle board tables, pinball machines, video games, and pool, as well as a food store, a bar, and a late-night quizzes.

Also students can de-stress at the newly renovated Rec Center, which features weight and exercise machines, weight rooms, an indoor pool, racquetball and squash courts, basketball courts, and outdoor tennis courts. It also has an outdoor equipment center where students can rent tents, sleeping bags, and other extras for a minimal fee. The Rec Center also has a climbing wall, a juice bar, and additional multipurpose courts.

Informal Cut

The following are informal views expressed by students.

Best Things

1. The professors and their idiosyncrasies
2. The old brick buildings and the beautiful campus
3. Late night Wawa runs
4. Secret societies, steam tunnels, and other mysterious occurrences
5. The firm sense of community on campus
6. The freshman hall experience
7. Ghost tours
8. The last day of classes
9. Sledding on cafeteria trays and snowball fights
10. Pick-up Frisbee and soccer games with people you’ve just met

Worst Things

1. Lack of air-conditioning
2. The gross smell of the tray depository at the SC
3. Finding a seat at SWEM
4. The chaos of course registration
5. The rain
6. Rogers 100
7. Morton Hall
8. Losing your ID on the weekend
9. Occasional “tween” infestations that overcrowd the SC
10. The workload

Conclusion

To say the least, William & Mary students have a strong affection for their school. They love the sense of history, the size, the faculty, and their fellow students. You hardly ever hear anyone expressing regret for choosing William & Mary. Alumni come back year after year, wishing that they could spend four more years at the place they love all over again. Williamsburg may not be the most bustling hub of city activity, but the students form their own community that cannot be beat.

W&M is definitely academically challenging, but students know all of the hard work is going to add up to a quality education. Most students agree that William & Mary is as close to perfect as they could hope for.

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