College of William & Mary - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Students absolutely love the incredibly committed faculty at William & Mary. Over the years, it’s possible to encounter a few less-than-engaging professors, but on the whole they are completely committed to teaching and accessible to their students. The professors’ passion for their disciplines, as well as their love of teaching, leaves students with a strong connection to the faculty and the classes they teach. Class sizes are small at W&M, which makes it easy for teachers and students to learn and bond, be it over sandwiches at the deli or a conversation during office hours. The faculty is accessible, but it goes beyond that—they make an effort to befriend and help any student who is willing to accept it.

On the whole, students are thrilled with their classroom experience at William & Mary. The faculty is focused on instruction, not research, and no classes are taught by teaching assistants. The professors seem to know their stuff, and students report only a few “duds.” Mostly though, it’s the relationship that students form with faculty that really sticks with them and enhances their studies. This bond motivates students to go beyond their best scholastically and allows professors to maintain very high expectations. Great teaching and a well-rounded liberal arts curriculum prepare students for any number of future endeavors.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

The profs are great, in my... The profs are great, in my opinion. Geology is my department, and I love it. I call all of my teachers by their first names— it’s great. We all have a picnic at the end of the year; it’s so much fun! That may not be typical, but everyone I know likes most of his or her professors. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Excellent teachers. I was deciding... Excellent teachers. I was deciding between two schools, and I went to visit classes at each, and made my decision based solely on the teachers I encountered at W&M. The classes are small, all are taught by full professors, and the small number of grad students means the profs are interested solely in what you are doing. You can’t do better than the professors at W&M. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Teachers here all know their... Teachers here all know their material and are very often respected in their fields. While taking a poetry class once, we were analyzing a piece of contemporary poetry and couldn’t quite answer a question we had. Our professor simply e-mailed the author of the poem and had a response for us by the next class. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

W&M tends to attract great minds... W&M tends to attract great minds and people who actually like to teach. There are no TAs here, so you’ll always be taught by a professor, which is a huge advantage over most other schools where you get stuck being taught by a graduate student. W&M has a tremendous faculty, at least as far as I’ve seen. 12345 Academics Report

vwburk says: College of William & Mary 2014 Psychology

I am inspired every day. I love... I am inspired every day. I love the professors here. Anything you need, they help you with. During the Virginia Tech shootings, one of my best friends was killed. The professors did everything they could to help me out. It was right before finals. I had teachers postpone and cancel tests and final papers. Because of the professors here, I was able to have the time I needed to recover. They genuinely care about the students. None of my friends at other schools had the help I did. It's so nice to have a group of people so willing to listen and care about you. 12345 Academics: December 10, 2008 Report

Facts

Did You Know?

William & Mary contributed to the education of three U.S. presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler, and four signers of the Declaration of Independence.

William & Mary is the birthplace of the national Phi Beta Kappa honor society.William & Mary had the first Honor Code in the United States.

At the time of its foundation, the college was contained in just one building—the Wren Building. Today, the Wren Building is the oldest building in America that is still in continual use on a college campus.

William & Mary is the highest ranked small public university in the United States. It is also one of only eight “Public Ivy” universities in the country.

Students have the option of creating their own interdisciplinary majors.

More W&M graduates go on to earn doctorates than any other university in Virginia.

More students are accepted to medical school from W&M than any other school in Virginia. In fact, W&M’s med school acceptance rate around 80 percent, one of the highest in the nation.

Carl Rogers, founder of MIT, was educated at W&M as an undergrad.

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Joe Quinn
Hometown: Fredericksburg, VA
Major: Geology/English

Joe loves dogs.

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