College of William & Mary
Reviews

Safe Haven

At all times I feel a sense of security on William and Mary's campus, as well as in the surrounding area. I have never had to lock my dorm room, and feel safe traveling at night. With the nation's oldest honor code, students respect each other's belongings and act appropriately.

Stuck in the 'Burg

Williamsburg is a small town of retired white people and doesn't have much to offer to students (but Richmond and Norfolk are both about an hour away, though you need a car). Movie theatres, several bars, and amusement parks make up the main attractions. The surrounding historical attractions get old after a while. But don't worry, you'll be so busy with your classes that you won't even notice the dearth of local amusments.

Underage Nightlife

There's usually something to do when nighttime rolls around. However some nights when nothing is really happening on campus, you could always go to the movies or just hang out with friends. Sometimes, I have to go the lab to do work and work with my peers.

Stuff to Do, but It Gets Repetitive

Williamsburg itself is probably the biggest drawback to the school, unless you really, really, really love the colonial period (which some students do admire). There are the local delis (bars), the infamous Wawa, New Town (shopping and movies), and other places to visit, but overall, you find yourself at the same locations a lot.

Excellent

The classes here are top-notch. They're interesting, professors tend to rock, and though the core is a little excessive at times (3 History Classes!?) they're rather broad so you can take things at your skill level and that are interesting to you.

My one complaint is registration, I tend to have terrible luck with banner. Granted I always end up loving my classes anyway.

William and Mary: Too Safe?

I have never felt unsafe on campus at William and Mary, regardless of the hour. This is partly due to the "good behavior" of students and others around campus, but also due to the EXCESSIVE police presence. On tours, our tour guides brag about the police presence here, but since they do not have many useful things to do, they go out of their way to get involved where they do not need to; this also goes for police from the City of Williamsburg. Parties are hardly ever allowed to take place--the police jump on them immediately--despite how small many of them are, especially compared to other schools. One time, 6 of my friends were hanging out watching television and received a noise violation. Ironically, the police are actually a detriment to the safety of the area at times. I have heard of multiple situations where the police followed a "Steer Clear" van, the transportation service provided by William and Mary for intoxicated students. After reaching a stop, the police officers looked for visibly intoxicated students, approached them, and cited them for public drunkenness. This also happened to 2 others who were walking and were barely intoxicated--the police were just looking for an excuse to get someone in trouble. Later, they claimed that their reasoning was that "the 2 looked under 18 and, therefore, would have been out past curfew" (a very logical argument when located in a college town). Naturally, this has encouraged some students to drive drunk in order to avoid such run-ins with the police.

Things That Don't Exist at William and Mary

Thanks to the combination of the students and administration at W&M and the lifeless town of Williamsburg, there is little to do on any given weekend here. There are only 3 "delis"--bars--in the part of Williamsburg near campus, and all of them are very strict about who they let in. Unlike other college towns, they do not offer many good deals for students or anyone else. If clubs even exist in Williamsburg, students do not know about them nor do they attend them. Parties on campus are hosted by either fraternities, varsity athletes, or occasionally by random clubs and organizations. However, since we are at W&M, the parties hosted by such clubs tend to be boring if not weird. For example, parties are sometimes hosted by the Fencing Team or the International Relations Club. Parties hosted by varsity athletes can be fun, but few other than athletes attend; they are not usually exclusive as far as who is let in, but they tend to be further from campus and non-athletes rarely go. Fraternity parties are generally the most fun, but even those hardly compare to parties at many other schools. Because of W&M's absurdly strict administration and police, parties are shut down often and organizations are punished quickly thereafter. William and Mary wastes its time enforcing punishment for underage drinking even though such activity will take place regardless. Because bigger parties tend to get shut down, students are forced to party--and drink--in smaller get-togethers. Students also tend to drink more than they otherwise would because there is not as much socializing taking place.

Pros and Cons

Finding someone attractive and laid back can be a challenge, but if you do they are bound to be intelligent and have a high earning potential. Gays and Lesbians have a lot better odds here than most other schools probably, our gay scene is pretty big proportionally. Most students are in relatively good shape (not partying much will do that...) On the downside the school is small enough that you pretty much know the relationship history and sexual past of most people. For how liberal the school is, students dress pretty conservatively and girls get a lot of flack for showing skin.

JOKE

The worst part of my experience at WM by far. There is some truth to the "it's as fun as you make it" philosophy but you have to work pretty hard to find fun places to go and cool people to go with. In retrospect, I wish I had gone greek because it's possible to establish yourself and have a good time without pledging but it would have been a lot easier. There are a total of 3 bars...but that is actually enough because so few students can make it out of the library long enough to enjoy themselves at night. On the plus side- most off campus parties and the bars are basically in walking distance.

Colonial Thrilliamsburg...

The College of William & Mary is in a bubble isolated from the community and society in general. Our close proximity to colonial williamsburg makes tourism the main priority of the area. This leads to a frustrating parking situation, expensive off campus housing with lots of regulations, and old rich neighbors who suck the fun out of everything. There are a total of three "delis" or bars where students drink and only about 25% of the students go out regularly so you see the same people all the time. Cops break up almost every decent party. It is certainly not a typical college experience. On the positive side, it's a pretty safe place to party and live and there is a sweet outlet mall close by.

Go Greek.

go greek if you're a girl, because you'll meet guys in fraternities who will tell you about parties going on. if you're a guy, definitely go greek so you can get into the parties once they become exclusive after rush!

Study Abroad

The study abroad office will help you find any academic program at a price you can afford in a country you want to study in. They are amazing!

Recreation Center

Great group classes. Variety of machines to choose from with great hours.

Professors

Most personal and dedicated instructors. Very inspirational.

Girls Vs. Boys

The females here are kind of lacking in the looks department. There are few good looking girls who are social and often times these girls get snatched up pretty quickly and are dating someone. They also don't really care about the way they dress. Lots of sweatpants and fewer miniskirts. The guys aren't nearly as bad. Girls/guys who participate in greek life are exponentially more social than those that don't. They are also a lot more fun.

Available but Neighbors and Costs Are Awful

There are lots of options for convenient rental houses off campus but landlords charge exorbitant amounts for small space and do not take care of their properties. The neighbors of most houses are awful and the relationship between the Williamsburg community and off-campus students is terrible.

Great but Pricey

The College is certainly surrounded by a variety of different dining options that seem to strive to keep the concept of repetition at bay. As a newly transferred college student though, I naturally have little spending money, and whole many around me can say that they are comfortably well off and can afford to g to a different dining facility every night, my financial status limits me to the college's dining halls, the styles of which hark back to high school days in the cafeteria, a period i seldom enjoy returning to.

Virginia Sunshine!

The weather can be pretty fickle: an umbrella and rainboots are a must. However, most of the time it's tolerable, and short walks to classes mean it's not a huge inconvenience anyway.

Good Mix

Restaurants in Williamsburg range from the Delis across the street from the stadium, to the fine dining of the Trellis and the Blue Talon in Colonial Williamsburg.

If I Wanted to Go to Harvard, I Would've Gone to Harvard

Just make this school part of the Ivy League. I personally think W&M's goal is to be a part of the Ivy League. The classes are unnecessarily hard here. I used to be a straight A student in high school... let's just say I'm not one at this university.

Great

Top-notch academics, with mostly small classes and great professors.

Amazing

From the first time I set foot on campus, I knew it was the school for me. Its not too small, not too big, easy to navigate, and it becomes familiar within a day of walking around. The academics are hard, but you learn that grades don't matter as much as learning and doing what is your best and not the person sitting next to you.

Physics Major

Don't do a physics major unless you absolutely love physics and can't think of anything else you would rather do. It's hard, but it's worth it. The Physics building was just remodeled. We have great research facilities and connections with the Jefferson Lab. The professors are all very helpful and help you succeed.

Off Campus Dining

In Williamsburg, you could literally eat at a different restaurant every day of the year without any repeats. There is a huge variety ranging from Indian to Thai to Mexican to American. The Green Leaf is where most William & Mary students go to grab a drink or just hang out. In addition to having an enormous amount of restaurants, Williamsburg also has many fast food places (dollar menus included).

Average Food, Restrictive Policies

The food in the dining halls is generally hit or miss. The Caf is largest and thus usually you can find something. On a good night Sadler is good, however if the main course is bad there aren't many other options. The Marketplace is reliable but can get old. The meal plans are a little restrictive considering their size, especially since the dining hall hours fit more in line with the average senior citizen than the average college student.