Dear Mr Garmendia,
As an alumna of the College and a member of the Admissions staff, I am very excited to hear of your interest in William and Mary! I will try to answer you questions as best as I can, or let you know where you can find the answers.
1) & 2) What is campus life like here? What sets us apart? William and Mary is the quintessential college experience. We have about 5500 undergraduates, about 2000 graduate students and are considered a "public Ivy." US News and World Report named us the top public institution in terms of dedication to undergraduate teaching, and ranked us number four overall. I consider this to be what sets William and Mary apart from the rest of the pack. All courses are taught by full professors - no graduate student TA's - something you will not see at the larger universities where you are lucky if you get to speak to a full professor during your four years there. W&M professors are encouraged to dedicated themselves to their teaching, instead of "publish or perish." Faculty do conduct research, and because of our small graduate student population, undergraduates are able to participate, again something you would not see at the vast majority of universities in the US. The emphasis on undergraduate education gives a student the chance to have closer contact with their professors - being invited over for dinner to a professor's house is not uncommon! The atmosphere at William and Mary is one of academic excellence- US News and World Report ranked us #33 out of all national universities. I found William and Mary to be a place where intellectual curiosity reigns supreme, and because professors are accessible, it is a place where knowledge flows freely. The faculty-student ratio is about 12:1, so personal attention is de rigeur, not happenstance. We regularly admit the top students in Virginia and nationwide. I will send you the most recent admission statistics that I have. But just because the academic climate is rigorous, doesn't mean that we don't have fun! We have 140 clubs and organizations, an active Greek system, intramurals, volunteer opportunities, the works! We have a very vibrant campus because we "work hard and play hard." I found the students here to be friendly, open-minded, intellectual, and fun.
3) I am not sure what the affirmative action "policy" is, other than we do recruit and try to retain minority students. If you have specific questions, you can contact the Office of Affirmative Action, (757) 221-2615.
4) The criteria for admission goes in this order: difficulty of student's high school program, rank/grades, standardized testing scores (SAT or ACT), extracurricular activities. Specifics are included with the admission stats I am sending you (See below).
If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me. I love speaking to prospective students about why I love William and Mary so much! Good luck with your college search!
Anna Lawson '95
The College of William and Mary
757 221 3991
awlaws@facstaff.wm.edu
| Freshmen | Applied | Accepted | Enrolled |
| In-state | 3431 | 1823 | 879 |
| Out-of-State | 3988 | 1400 | 487 |
| Class Rank | In-state | Out-of-state |
| Not Reported | 302 | 163 |
| First Tenth | 424 | 253 |
| Second Tenth | 124 | 44 |
| Second Fifth | 25 | 22 |
| Third Fifth & below | 4 | 5 |
SAT Scores
| Verbal | In state | Out-of-state | Total |
| 750-800 | 81 | 76 | 157 (12%) |
| 700-749 | 122 | 130 | 252 (19%) |
| 650-699 | 219 | 135 | 354 (26%) |
| 600-649 | 234 | 68 | 302 (22%) |
| 550-599 | 137 | 43 | 180 (13%) |
| 500-549 | 58 | 20 | 78 (6%) |
| 499 & below | 16 | 16 | 32 (2%) |
| Math | In state | Out-of-state | Total |
| 750-800 | 32 | 41 | 73 (5%) |
| 700-749 | 97 | 111 | 208 (15%) |
| 650-699 | 214 | 167 | 381 (28%) |
| 600-649 | 254 | 91 | 345 (26%) |
| 550-599 | 168 | 45 | 213 (16%) |
| 500-549 | 76 | 19 | 95 (7%) |
| 499 & below | 26 | 14 | 40 (3%) |
Median ACT: 29
Middle 50%: 29-31