St. Andrews/WM Joint Degree Program

shawnspencer
Wed, 10 Dec 2014 04:42:46 +0000

Hey byebyebirdy. I applied to the Universty of St. Andrews and the William and Mary Joint Degree Program back in the day. First thing I should mention, if you have any questions about the admissions process or what they are looking for, don’t be afraid to call up the admissions office and ASK. They’ve been more than helpful when I did my application and I am sure be more than willing to clarify any questions you may have.

Now, moving on to the actual essay itself. This is all from a previous applicant’s perspective so keep in mind that you may want to tailor your own prompt to your experiences and what you want to write about. One of the things they are trying to assess with this essay, as with any admissions essay, in my opinion, is “would this person be a good fit for the program?” @mommyrocks‌ gives some great suggestions on places to start. Personally, in my essay I discussed my experiences that shaped my interests, why the particular program interested me, and connecting those two together. Due to the essay’s length, it tended to be slightly more formal than the other two, but I am still a fan of “show don’t tell” and narrative writing when possible. Definitely do your research on the program because it may not be a fit for everyone, and they want to admit students who would take advantage of the possibilities the joint degree program would provide.

One resource I recommend is the W&M Joint Degree Program student blogs. I don’t remember where they are exactly, but there were some students that detailed their experiences with the program online that told me a lot more about the program that wouldn’t be immediately clear from the short blurb they put on their main website. @StAWM2015‌ is also a good resource, as he/she has been around this forum recently, willing to answer people’s questions. There is also a group on facebook titled “WaMStA Student Partnership” which states its goal is to provide guidance to future Joint Degree Program