College of William & Mary

Everything I Wanted and More

I've found all the close personal friendships I hoped for in a smallish school like William & Mary as well as so much that I never could have expected. I anticipated the challenging yet rewarding academics but these surpassed even my estimates. The professors are extremely accessible and grant the school much of its charm. Opportunities for new friendships are endless and it is extremely easy to get involved in any kind of extracurricular organization. Basically, it boils down to a collection of amazing people learning from even more amazing professors all in a spirit of community that does well to distinguish the school from other oft-compared schools (UVA)

Most Things Within Walking Distance

There is never a need for a car if living on campus. A better option would probably be a bike. The furthest walking between classrooms is about twelve minutes and is far more direct than driving. The campus is made to be more pedestrian friendly than car friendly. Off campus, still, most things can either be reached by bike or by the free public bus system. While admittedly, doing errands at Newtown or Monticello marketplace isn't terribly convenient by bus, it is free and if you have enough to do it's not really a hassle. Colonial parkway is beautiful for nice bike rides.

Long distance transportation consists either of the zip cars, which are very convenient, or the AMTRAK which is within walking distance of most dorms. The downside to the AMTRAK is obviously that it only goes along a certain route, but most students either come from Nova or the Northeast if not in the rest of Virginia so it's actually pretty widely used.

A Joke

There are virtually no threats to personal safety when on the campus. The one alleged rape this year was proven to be a complete falsification. Unless you're afraid of tripping on bricks, this is the kind of school where you can feel pretty much assured of your safety. The health center makes appointments easily and is extremely helpful. Campus police make student safety a priority over enforcing things like drinking policies (I've only ever heard of students being written up by RAs) but will write you up if you're being stupid. The only real crime on campus is theft of bikes late at night over the weekends. Otherwise, the honor code is taken very seriously and personal belongings can be left out in public areas without threat of theft. I personally never lock my door to my room; there's simply no inclination towards theft by the students.