<p>soccer guy - let’s face it - W & M is a very fine school, and they can and do keep their statistics for admission rather high. Good for them. </p>
<p>But the reality in Northern Virginia is that it is much harder for women to be admitted to the school. What W & M does when it comes to admissions - and it makes sense given their burdens under Title IX - where a surplus of females also means a surplus of compliance obligations in terms of numbers when to comes to athletics - is prefer athletic prowess above all else - and I am talking about make the team athletic prowess as opposed to All American type athletic prowess that leads to a full scholarship (although they do that too). This practice, particularly in Northern Virginia, where athletes come from reasonably well off families and are well prepared, fills their women’s teams. So in practice a non-athlete female student finds that her statistics have to well out pace her male counterparts. It is just the reality. I don’t mean this as a negative comment on athletics - I attended school on a Div. 1 scholarship myself - but the practice certainly doesn’t enhance the school’s reputation in Northern Virginia. And I have no axe to grind - although they are top students with statistics well in excess of W & M’s average, neither of my kids were interested in the school - despite being very familiar with it through vacations in Williamsburg, athletic competitions and the like. I merely relate the reality as perceived.</p>