Full Circle

Four years ago I came to the College of William & Mary as a high school senior desperate for a change of scenery. I’d lived my entire life in the same house, in the same town, and going to school with the same people. I dove headfirst into the college search process, seeing it as my ticket out of the middle of nowhere (aka Des Moines, Iowa). W&M seemed like a good school on paper, and I had family nearby (which was necessary for my mother to even consider any school outside of the Midwest), so it went on the top of my list. I visited during Homecoming weekend, and I was blown away by the number of alumni I saw. Clearly this was a place that meant a lot to people if classes from the ’50s were still entering floats in the parade, cheering loudly & proudly down Richmond Road. Everywhere I looked, people were wearing their green & gold, and everyone had a smile on their face. I knew then and there that this was the place for me.

Last weekend was Homecoming, and I gave a tour to a visiting group of high school students. I didn’t even think of the significance until the end of the tour when I was explaining how I chose W&M. I told the group I visited on Homecoming weekend, and then WHAM! the realization of it hit me. I paused for a moment and finished by saying how I remembered being in the position they were: on the verge of adulthood, desperate to find independence, yet scared of what these changes could bring. I remember my visiting tour as if it were yesterday, not four years ago, and I felt honored to be in a position where I could share my pride and love for W&M with prospective students.

This is a school unlike any other, and the transition from high school to college can be jarring for many people. I remember a million questions running through my head, especially after I had been admitted! I had thoughts ranging from, “Are Virginians (Virginianers? Virginianites?) the same as Iowans?”, and, “Am I going to have a good roommate?”, to, “Did the admissions office make a mistake?” I knew as soon as I stepped foot on campus as a student that I needn’t worry about a thing. W&M has become my second home, and when it comes time to go back to Iowa for winter break or Thanksgiving, I find myself longing to stay here (don’t tell my mother I said that). Coming to W&M was the best decision I have ever made, and while last weekend may have been my last Homecoming as a student, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it is far from being my last W&M Homecoming. I hope to be like the alumni I saw that morning four years ago, and I hope somewhere in the crowd there’s a senior in high school watching, thinking to herself, “Wow! They’re from the class of 2009? They graduated so long ago & they’re still coming back for Homecoming! This must be a pretty incredible school…”

Meredith Cooney
Tour Guide, Class of 2009
Happy Halloween!