<p>Previous posters have already addresses which states outside of Virginia are the most represented at W&M. North Carolina is not among them likely because they also have a fabulous public higher education system that keeps many students in-state although we do get a a good number of students from NC each year.</p>
<p>I also appreciate the previous posters’ comments about diversity with VA. VA is far from a homogenous state given the difference between the western parts of the state, the NOVA area, and Hampton Roads. Both NOVA and Hampton Roads are home to many families who due to military or foreign service have lived all over the world and that allows W&M to have a student body with very diverse perspectives even though 2/3 come from the same state.</p>
<p>W&M definitely has students with “southern” backgrounds/cultures but most would argue it lacks a “southern feel” due to the diversity of the student population it attracts both from within and outside of VA.</p>
<p>Certainly the in-state/out-of-state ratio may be trivial to some applicants whereas it might be quite important to others. Definitely depends on the student and what they’re looking for and how comfortable they are going away from home for college. It’s just one of many factors to consider in our humble opinion.</p>