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College of William & Mary
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Inside Scoop

Quick Stats

School Slang
  • Blowout (Sometimes "LDOC"): The last day of classes each semester
  • The 'Burg: Williamsburg
  • The Caf: The Commons Dining Hall
  • CW: Colonial Williamsburg
  • Delly: The Williamsburg version of a bar scene
  • SC: The Sadler Center, formerly the University Center
  • The Sex Change: The W&M Students' X-Change, in the basement of the SC
  • Swemming: Working at the Swem Library for an extended period of time
  • T.W.A.M.P.: A "typical William and Mary person," someone who studies all the time and has no life; more of a joke than an insult
  • The Triathlon: An old (informal) campus tradition that involves jumping over the Governor's Palace wall, streaking the Sunken Gardens, and swimming to the Crim Dell Bridge and back
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
  • A masseuse comes to the Rec Center and gives massages for just $25 per half hour.
  • Bring a lot of quarters for laundry.
  • Don’t declare your major before you have to.
  • Don’t schedule 8 a.m. classes.
  • Get your doctor to write you a note saying you have allergies so you can get permission for a window air conditioning unit—your first two months will be that much better, and everyone will want to hang out in your room.
  • Going through formal recruitment for Greek life is a great bonding experience as a freshman.
  • Passing classes requires a whole lot of work and not much sleep.
  • Request a good dorm on the housing survey, and turn the survey in on time.
  • The Technology Support Center (TSC) is in Jones 208. Your laptop will malfunction.
  • Try everything, but learn how to say no to some things because there’s not enough time in a day to do it all here.
  • You can rent laptops, iPods, and camera equipment from the library—for free.
Tips to Succeed
  • Don’t freak out if you don’t get the classes you planned on during registration—no one does, and you may end up loving or majoring in a subject you never intended to take.
  • Don’t stress out—find ways to balance out the tough academic workload with relaxing activities.
  • Don’t take a huge course load—classes here are very demanding, and 14-15 credits is plenty.
  • Don’t write papers the night before they’re due.
  • Find a special place to study—whether it’s your room, that corner of Swem, or the patch of grass under a tree. Find a place where you can concentrate and get work done.
  • Find an extracurricular niche, and explore the campus and its numerous opportunities. Classes are important, but they aren’t everything.
  • Go to all of your classes every day and actually pay attention.
  • Go to your professor’s office hours and ask for help.
  • Use the Writing Resource Center (WRC).
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William & Mary Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Inside Scoop at College of William & Mary

bmwood

Anthropology and Archaeology '13

5.0
A+

A Different Kind of Old School

W&M is bursting with pride. It is the second oldest school in the nation, so the traditions are pretty set in stone. There are constant renovations and the campus itself keeps getting better and better. If you're an athlete, artist, or a computer programmer, there is a place for you at W&M. There are so many activities every week, sometimes it is difficult to choose. W&M has tons of study abroad opportunities and a campus in DC where students can spend a summer or a semester.

Apr 09, 2012

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Inside Scoop at College of William & Mary

amfernandez

History '12

4.6
A

Campus and Size

William and Mary is a remarkably small public university. As such it has several advantages and disadvantages over larger schools. There won't be as much variation in general, but what does exist on campus in terms of academia and otherwise is very tightly knit and strong. Academic programs in history and other subjects is particularly strong. Not really a huge party school, but there are parties for those who like them. One unique opportunity is the possibility of working in Colonial Williamsburg as a historical interpreter, which provides interesting insight into actual historical practices as well as just a kind of acting experience.

Apr 05, 2012

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Inside Scoop at College of William & Mary

lainypainter

Business Administration and Management '14

5.0
A+

Plenty of Variety

It's a gorgeous campus with people who love to learn. Admittedly, we have a lot of dorky people but there are plenty of people who are nice, intelligent, and fun.

Mar 19, 2012

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User rating for College of William & Mary - Inside Scoop is 4.6 out of 5 based on 18 user reviews.

Facts

Traditions
  • Blowout: The last day of classes, especially spring semester, culminates in a humongous, campus-wide alcohol fest. Students go to class drunk, go to parties drunk, and go to sleep drunk. In the spring, seniors go to their freshman dorms for a toast and then head to the Wren Building to ring the bell. For those who don’t wish to partake, watching inebriated friends and classmates is usually amusing. There are also school-sponsored carnival-type events. It’s the last chance to have fun before finals begin.
  • A Cappella: There are a zillion (or at least eleven) a cappella groups on campus. Some groups are coed, some are single-sex, and they offer a range of repertoires, from pop music to classical to Christian songs. They usually come around and perform for freshman dormitories, as well as at Homecoming. All of the groups showcase their talent during the annual William & Mary Sings. You might not like it when you first arrive, but all of the groups will do their best to make you love it before you leave.
  • Convocation: During Opening Convocation each year, the freshman class walks through the Wren Building from the campus side onto the Williamsburg side, where upperclassmen and faculty greet them. On graduation day, the class returns from the Williamsburg side to the campus side.
  • The King and Queen Ball: A formal dance is held outside every spring in the Sunken Gardens if the weather permits. It features a live band, a tipsy college president, and students from every class getting down with their bad selves in formal attire.
  • The Primal Scream: At the end of every semester, the president of the College stands with hundreds of students at the top of the Sunken Gardens, leading a long, loud scream to relieve stress. It can be heard from across campus.
  • The Raft Debate: Three faculty members—one from the humanities, one from the social sciences, and one from the natural sciences—all get together in an auditorium and defend in front of their students why they should be the only one to get off of the island they crashed on, based on their contributions to society.
  • The Triathalon: Students must streak the Sunken Gardens, swim in the Crim Dell, and jump the Governor’s Palace Wall—all in one night.
  • The Yule Log Ceremony : Students gather in the Wren Courtyard during fall semester exam period for the long-standing tradition. Among other things, the president reads "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" dressed in a Santa suit, and the vice president of Student Affairs recites “’Twas the Night Before Finals.” Students throw sprigs of holly into a fireplace in the Wren Building to symbolize the shedding of troubles from the passing year. Then, everyone enjoys hot cider and cookies.
Urban Legends
  • An escaped mental patient killed a W&M couple in the Governor’s Palace maze in the 1920s.
  • Secret societies use the College’s steam tunnels to move around parts of campus, and even to get into the crypt underneath the Wren Building.
  • The College has an unusually high suicide rate (which has been proven incorrect, so don't worry).
  • The Tucker ghost visits those students who choose to pull all-nighters in the classroom on the third floor.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Gabriela Rivera-Morales
Hometown
Vienna, VA
Major
English
Grad Year
2012

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.