<p>Hi, cindy - I remember your thread from last fall, about your d not really liking her safety/match schools, and am happy that she wound up being able to choose between two great places! If I remember correctly, your d was originally looking for a moderate-sized school, not in the middle of nowhere, with a talented/sort of quirky student body (is that about right?). I’m biased in favor of W & M, of course, as the parent of two kids who went/are going there. It seems to me that your d will find what she wants in her academic peers at UMD, especially in the Honors Program, but that she might find a bit more of it at W & M. Is that worth an extra $20K per year? Very tough question, considering how good the less expensive option is.</p>
<p>W & M’s campus does not have a state school feel, as you know from visiting, and it’s smaller enrollment-wise than MD. Some people do see the Williamsburg experience as “boring,” but usually not the people who are living it :). I think there is a great deal of school spirit (Tribe Pride) at W & M, but it obviously offers less in the way of big-time sports than MD. An example: my d was recently telling us about the event during freshman initiation when the freshman class walks through the Wren Building to the campus beyond, where they are greeted by the entire student body. She said she’d never felt anything like it before - a huge outpouring of cheering and welcome. There’s actually a video clip of this on the W & M website: [William</a> & Mary - Convocation 2008: The walk](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/news/multimedia/octhewalk/index.php#popup]William”>http://www.wm.edu/news/multimedia/octhewalk/index.php#popup)</p>
<p>Congrats to your d on having a great choice.</p>