Is this seat taken?

These past two weeks have been just a bit crazy in our office. With most high schools on spring break during the second and third weeks of April, the seats in our session room have not had the chance to cool from the many people entering and exiting the building. PLUS….all of our admitted students are touring the campus during these two weeks as well. So 3,000 students choosing between colleges for next year AND the thousands who will be visiting for the first time equals a very full house!

Throughout the revolving door of eager faces, bored little siblings, and lost parents, I have found a peaceful and extremely rewarding part of the day and it is called, Lunch with a Tribe Ambassador. Here I go again, bragging about our student volunteers. However, this time, I have the words of prospective and admitted students (plus their parents’ own praising) to back me up!

On each of our admitted student days, cleverly titled MyWM can be YourWM, students have the opportunity to eat lunch with a Tribe Ambassador. At first, this might seem a bit awkward; forcing newly admitted students to eat lunch with people they do not know and make conversation for at least an hour. I had my doubts as well throughout the planning process for these lunches. However, after listening in on their actual discussions and bearing witness to the interactions, I have come to realize that the lunches are helping students understand what truly makes W&M different from most institutions.

These high school seniors are getting the chance to ask the hard hitting questions. Over a good burger and fries, a young lady from northern VA found out that her chances of going to her first choice med school after graduating from W&M are over 85%. A young man from New Jersey discovered, over the classic Chick-Fil-A sandwich, that he will not feel out of place in a sea of Virginians as W&M is home to 35% out-of-state students. I even saw one young man execute a perfect fist pump when he heard from a current W&M freshman that he will never have to take Calc if he does not want to. In fact, he seemed elated to find out that there are no dreaded freshmen courses at the College and each student will create his or her own path throughout the four years here.

Parents and admitted students alike seemed to truly appreciate the opportunity to hear what it is like at W&M, straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak! Of course, at the end of the day, not everyone will decide that W&M is the right place for them. However, I feel much more confident and secure in our representation of the College to these admitted students after witnessing the passion our students exude over W&M. Whether you find yourself enjoying one of these lunches at W&M one day, or at another institution, try to make the best out of any occasion which will you allow you a candid and true representation of how students’ live their lives (or even eat their meals.) Who knows, you might fall in love with a school over a box of sweet Chik-Fil-A waffle fries!

– Amanda Norris