A Letter to the Class of 2021

We Admit It! This time of year is tremendously exciting, as we celebrate the newest members of the Tribe: the Class of 2021. We had the pleasure of meeting many of you during our Day for Admitted Students on Saturday, as well as at our most recent myWM Monday event. We look forward to hosting even more of you on campus over the coming weeks, and are already counting down the days until move-in day in August!

As you are making your final college decision, our current students thought that it would be helpful for you to hear from them. Why did they decide to attend W&M? Why is W&M such a special place? What has their W&M experience meant to them?

To begin our “Why William & Mary” series, we will be hearing from Greg Garnhart, a member of the Class of 2020. Take it away, Greg!

Why William & Mary
Greg Garnhart
Leesburg, VA
Intended Majors: Computer Science & Marketing

Dear Class of 2021,

Having spent my last year as a freshman at your future home, I am honored to welcome you to the place that I have grown to love, enjoy, and, perhaps regretfully, has allowed my caffeine tolerance to grow as well.

Having been in your shoes, I remember wishing for my nerves to settle. I wanted those initial introductions to be over with, and for the real experiences to begin. I was eager for high school to end, but more eager for my future to start. I am sure you’ve been told this countless times, but enjoy your summer break. Forget about college for a bit, it will be here soon enough.

When you do arrive, I imagine we’ll share very similar experiences. Though William & Mary is known for its education, you’ll find that your fellow classmates will leave the biggest impact on your first-year experience. The relationships you form here, whether they start as lab partners, as teammates, or as newly inducted brothers and sisters, will continue to surprise you. Coming to Williamsburg for your education means you are surrounding yourself in a crowd that is unapologetic of its history, while continuing to be incredibly progressive. Never have I been in such an environment that is so accepting, so driven, and so willing to have fun all at once. I think you’ll find that no matter your interest, there will be someone to share it with.

If I can leave you with one piece of advice: when you arrive at William & Mary, be yourself. You’ll be surprised how welcoming people are to those who are genuine.

I look forward to meeting you all!

Signed,
Greg Garnhart ’20

Stay tuned for additional “Why William & Mary” responses over the coming weeks!

Brad Harlan
Assistant Dean of Admission