Of Beagles, Sweatshirts and Final College Decisions

I remember the exact moment when I made my final college decision. It was the day before the matriculation deadline, and I legitimately had little to no clue where I was going to spend the next four years of my life. In an attempt to take my mind off of things, that morning I went on a long walk along the C&O Canal in Maryland with a close friend, desperately hoping that some epiphany would happen. It didn’t.

When this didn’t work, I went home and watched one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time: Nicolas Cage’s National Treasure. If Nic Cage could use a hidden treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence to find a multi-billion dollar collection of lost artifacts, then surely I could narrow my list of college choices from four to one, right? Nope, still nothing.

Soon it was late afternoon and I was starting to get increasingly anxious about my chronic case of indecision. Running out of ideas, I decided to go on another walk, this time with my pet beagle Lucy, despite the rain that had begun to fall outside. About midway through the walk, the rain died down, the darkish-gray clouds disappeared, and before I knew it I had a clear view of the sunset. Right then, a husband and wife walked by me wearing matching sweatshirts of one of the colleges I was considering. I thought that this was as good a sign as any, and I submitted my deposit to that school when I got home. The rest, so they say, is history.

I’m sharing this story with you for a reason. Right now, as you read this, you’re in one of two situations. You’ve either already decided where you’re attending school, and as a result feeling both extremely proud of your accomplishments and excited for all that college holds in store (if this is the case, a big thumbs up to you). Or you’re heading into this weekend with the same feelings as the first group (both proud and excited), but still trying to narrow down your college list all the way down to one in advance of Monday’s May 2 matriculation deadline (which is perfectly natural – see above true story).

No matter which group you fall in, take some time this weekend to relax, spend some time with family and friends and remind yourself of this undisputed fact: William & Mary, as well as all of the other schools who may potentially be calling you one of their own, admitted you because we see greatness in you. And no matter which school you end up attending, you will accomplish great things, and meet great people, and embark on great new adventures. There are lots of tough decisions in life, and deciding where to attend college is certainly one of them. But as far as this decision goes, take comfort in the fact that no matter which choice you go with, you are going to be set up for a tremendous college career.

I, and all of my colleagues here at W&M, hope that you decide to join us here in Williamsburg. We think the world of you, and get excited just thinking about all that you would accomplish here. But more importantly, we hope that you have a fantastic college experience, wherever you end up. Given your accomplishments up to this point, for you, the sky’s the limit.

Go Tribe.

Brad Harlan
Assistant Dean of Admission