Reason for applying to William and Mary?

drama-songbird · 11-03-2009, 10:10 PM

I'm curious as to why my fellow CC-ers are applying to W&M.

My reason: Thomas Jefferson went there. I love him dearly.

momray · 11-04-2009, 09:18 AM

Have you considered UVA, which TJ founded? Daughter 1 is a Jr. at WM and loves it. We are hoping D2 transfers next semester. However, both sons are UVA graduates.

walpurgisnacht · 11-04-2009, 04:37 PM

How many to choose from...

-I've wanted to go there since 2nd grade. Kinda a dream, really, and everything I've seen of it since has only served to convince me.

-It's close enough to my immediate family, so I can visit them a lot while still maintaining a good amount of distance. It's also within fifteen minutes of my grandparents' house, so I can a) keep an eye on them, and b)live off my grandma's phenomenal cooking.

-It has a superb History program. That's my thing!

-It's the best in the state. It's also very pretty.

I wouldn't go there just because Thomas Jefferson - personally, I thought the man was a bit of an insufferable prick. The only thing I can admire about him is his writing style. If I wanted to emulate him, I'd go to UVA. So I ignore that bit and prefer to remember that it was George Washington's school.

drama-songbird · 11-04-2009, 10:06 PM

Oh, goodness. No, Thomas Jefferson isn't my ONLY reason for William and Mary. I also wanted a small, quirky LAC with East Asian Studies. But there are many schools that fit those criteria, and only one is Tommy J's alma mater. Thus, Jefferson became the one factor that pushed W&M to the top of the list. (Are you sure Washington attended? I thought he was just chancellor... I didn't think he actually went to college. However, if it is true, you think that W&M would play it up a bit more...)

I'm aware that T. Jeff founded UVA, but I'm afraid that school is too big/preppy for me.

And I mostly consider myself an Alexander Hamilton-girl. Crazy federalists for the win. Jefferson's my second-favorite, actually. Funny, seeing as they hated each other's guts and all...

walpurgisnacht: I'm a bit of a history nerd, too!

drama-songbird · 11-04-2009, 10:58 PM

(Oh, I suppose Georgie-boy got his surveyor's license from W&M. Just looked it up on the internet)

frazzled1 · 11-05-2009, 08:01 AM

W & M claims three presidents as alums: TJ (of course), John Tyler (who was also W & M's valedictorian, which I find a very fun fact), and James Monroe. GW was W & M's chancellor and actually served as such during his presidency, though he was not a physical presence at the College during that time, as far as a quick look at W & M's alumni page could tell.

drama-songbird, there's a neat statue of TJ on the W & M campus that often serves as the focal point of student photos - some on the rude or rowdy side, but all founded in deep affection, I'm sure.

maspatatas · 11-05-2009, 08:37 PM

haha I applied ED, and I'm actually from Idaho, which I know is pretty random.

My mom and I were visiting colleges on the East Coast last spring break and went to WM on a whim. During the tour, a large bird landed on a grassy patch nearby and everyone (including the tour guide) got very distracted and began discussing the bird in depth. Ever since then I have been completely in love with WM.

Seriously though, WM has great academics with relatively small classes. Also, it’s a little less expensive than many of colleges I’ve looked at, which makes my parents happy.

soccerguy315 · 11-06-2009, 12:03 AM

Idaho... that is good for geographic diversity.

maspatatas · 11-06-2009, 01:00 AM

haha I am hoping that helps. As long as people don't get confused and think its Iowa, or Ohio. That happens a lot.

clarix917 · 11-06-2009, 02:05 PM

Early American History program is one of the best in the nation. As an in-state student, going here is a bargain!

walpurgisnacht · 11-06-2009, 06:43 PM

It didn't think it was - I just don't like the guy.

Yeah...Alexander Hamilton had the cohones. He practically built our capitalist system - Jefferson just said a bunch of pretty words, for the most part. Too much of an idealist for me.

That is what I meant. It was one of the few southern universities of the time, and one of the more prestigious - a planter like Washington would go there.

frazzled1: His eyes are fixated on the girls' bathroom, I believe. Hence the rightfully earned jokes of...questionable taste.

Here_to_Help · 11-06-2009, 07:43 PM

Quote:

frazzled1: His eyes are fixated on the girls' bathroom, I believe. Hence the rightfully earned jokes of...questionable taste.

Tour guides always say that the statue, a gift from UVA for the tercentenary celebration, was supposed to be looking west north west towards Charlottesville, but is instead looking north-east, strait into a girls bathroom in Washington Hall due to UVA installing it incorrectly. Unfortunately, or quite possible, fortunately, there is no bathroom on that side of the building. Thanks to persistent tour guides, however, the rumor lives on.

For me, the decision was based on size, history, and dedication to undergraduate education and academics. I think the size of the undergrad population and campus is absolutely perfect. Other colleges I visited had campuses that were either too small - where I would get bored as I would not be able to explore anywhere else, or too big - where I would have to cross 4 lane highways walk for a half hour to get to class. W&M, especially when combined with Colonial Williamsburg, has plenty of space to explore, from the College Woods west of one of the oldest man-made lakes in the hemisphere to the Colonial Capitol in the east. All is within easy walking distance, yet the main part of campus can be easily traversed in 15 minutes. From my dorm in the middle of campus, I can get to any academic building within 7 minutes.

As for history, I don't know where to start. There is simply too much. One of the things I have appreciated is picking up all the historical facts about campus, College, and town. My friends always comment that I know the most obscure facts (did you know that the wrought iron gates hanging outside Jefferson Hall once hung in from of the Capitol in Richmond in the 1800s?) about the College, but I still learn new things every day. History is relentlessly present everywhere, everyday.

And finally, the undergraduate academic experience was said to be absolutely amazing. Now, after being here over a year, I wholeheartedly agree. I never imagined that I, as a freshman, would be chosen and /paid/ to do research with a group of interdisciplinary professors for a summer. The dedication of all of the faculty to the classroom experience and to incorporating undergraduates into their extensive research is simply awesome.

walpurgisnacht · 11-06-2009, 08:40 PM

To Here_To_Help: Ahh, but it isn't the truth that is important, is it? You say the belief is widely prevelant - so that could still technically be the reason for the various desecrations. Sometimes fact has little to do with why things are the way they are. Anyhow, way to ruin a perfectly good myth for me! Nahh...just kidding. It's a good story.

Hmm...I wouldn't say that the history of the place is what I found the most fascinating. I'm not an American History buff, save for a few instances - like the Civil War. I like it there partially because it is pretty old within this country's context, and that is something to say. I'm not horrifically impressed though, because my family's older than it, but then go figure.

So...I don't think I'll be the person who, like you, lists off obscure facts about the university. I already do that with Azerbaijan, Hullupu trees, and the War of Roses.

Here_to_Help · 11-07-2009, 12:15 AM

Quote:

so that could still technically be the reason for the various desecrations.

Yeah I'm sure you're right. Its tradition in itself to dress him up/kiss him (for the gals)/etc too. I've seen him in costumes, makeup, and one of the secret societies (the spades) decorated the top of half the campus lightposts with carved pumpkins and they made sure to give TJ a pumpkin helmet with a spade carved into it.

And the Civil War was a bad time for the School. Lots of things happened.

I wish I could trace my lineage back before the founding of our nation! That's really cool. Azerbaijan? I'm more of an Armenian history person =P

teenage_cliche · 11-07-2009, 03:36 PM

I love W&M for many of the reasons Here_to_Help mentioned (great post!). The size is great (a little bit big for my tastes, actually, but not huge), the academics are superb, especially in Early American History, which is a big love of mine, the location and the campus are gorgeous, and the social scene, at least from the reviews I've read, looks to be a good mix of parties and extra-curriculur stuff. Also, it would be cheaper than many top privates even though I'm OOS.