Admissions

Fill out the optional application submission and have fun with it!

As a prospective, I had been told of the sporadic weather that Williamsburg was blessed with, but I had not planned accordingly. The end of August was scorchingly hot, especially without an A/C unit in my room. The random downpours were also quite inconvenient for getting to class, as I had failed to bring both an umbrella and waterproof shoes. I ended up wearing flipflops in the rain and went to the study lounge whenever it got too hot. Just a thought: bring an umbrella and a fan/air conditioning unit.

Complete an optional submission - it can be anything! I submitted a DVD of a short film that I had completed during my time at the 2007 Virginia Summer Governor's School for the Humanities. It required no extra effort on my part except burning another DVD. I know other people who submitted essays written for other college applications. This is your chance to stand out!

Apply to William and Mary.
Be Yourself.
Study, but not too hard.
Have Fun.

William and Mary Tips:
- VISIT THE SCHOOL!!
- Enjoy the tour
- Ask the tour guide many questions
- Walk past the sunken gardens
- Visit the Wren Building while on Campus
- Take a picture with Thomas Jefferson

Once You're at William and Mary:
- take a class in the Wren Building
- play frisbee in the sunken gardens
- listen to your echo at the whispering wall
- Throw a holly leaf into the fire
- go to Convocation as a freshman and an upperclassmen
- make your own memories and your mark on William and Mary

In applying to WM, be different! The admissions office is looking for a person who will surprise them, excite them, and pull at their heart strings. Write your essay about something that you know no one else in the country will write about and you will definitley distinguish yourself among the competitive applicant pool. And as always, just be yourself!

Keep in contact with Admissions and attend as many prospective student events as possible! I emailed Admissions with questions at least once a week just to keep my name familiar in their office. As for your essays, have multiple friends and family members review them before you submit! There's nothing worse than submitting your essays to then realize you had a few grammatical errors. This will leave a lasting impression (and not necessarily a good one). If you can visit campus and get an optional interview, do it! It can only help your application and you get to meet with a current senior so there's no stress during the interview! It is also a great way to ask questions and get answers from a student's POV.

who are you down to your toes and that squishy part between your ribcage and gallbladder? for my application essay, i wrote about how i used to hate my name because it's different/cultural/ergo weird but how, through reading and writing and general growing-up, i came to love my name and all that it represents. what's your flavor? what do you dream about? in your applications show don't tell who you are with anecdotes/stories about things that make you tick, things that have changed you. be honest, funny and quirky.

You will love the many traditions here, from serious ones like the Honor Code (which people do take seriously) to sillier ones like the Yule Log ceremony, where the president of the college reads Twas the Night Before Christmas to the student body. Practical tips: be sure to bring an air-conditioner, rain boots and an umbrella. Also, it's always cheaper to get the textbooks off Amazon.com than from Barnes and Noble. Finally, tight competition for classes means that freshman rarely get the ones they want, so use the website to keep track of which classes are full already and have several backups when registration comes.

for people who are accepted:
Attend Admitted Students Day . It was what convinced me about William and Mary- I hadn't been too impressed on the tours or other visits, but they had really good programs at their admitted students day and they gave me a much better understanding of what William and Mary is really like.

for people who decide to go:
Visit the Cohen Career Center your freshman year and definitely sign up for the various listservs that the Center offers. Make an appointment to get advice on your resume, or to look in to possible internship/ job opportunities, even if you aren't interested in applying for any yet. Make yourself known there and start that relationship with them, because they'll end up offering you opportunities you might not have known to even look for otherwise.

Be thoughtful when answering the questions about the dorm you'll live in. Your freshman hall is really what makes the difference between a good freshman year and an invaluable freshman year.

Buy a cider mug from the Bake Shop on dog (duke of Gloucester) street in January. For $11 you get free cider, soda, coffee, ice cream (possibly more...) for an entire year, so if you buy it in January you'll have it for two semesters instead of one.

Orientation is not at all what college is actually like, but bear with the sleep deprivation and awkward mixers because it definitely keeps you from being homesick and will prove to have been a worthwhile experience by the end of the week.

WORK HARD. It's not an easy school to get into and they expect a lot out of you once you get here. But the opportunities at W&M, the connections you'll make, and the extraordinary growth as a student and as a person that you will experience is 1000% worth it. Apply early if you know that this is the place for you.