The inside scoop

Being born in Williamsburg, having a mom who has worked for W&M for the last 15 plus years, and is an alumna who just celebrated her 25th reunion, my kids literally grew up on W&M’s campus.  They were at Tribe Football games in diapers, and featured on the cover of the Alumni Gazette.  With this kind of proximity, neither of my kids really wanted to consider W&M as the college for them.  It is too close to home was their answer.  I’ve never pushed them in this direction. Really.  Ask them.  But I did ask them to think about things they wanted in a school.  Both have answered – smallish, college town, competitive, pretty setting, not too far south, quaint, strong academic programs, small class sizes, classes taught by professors, with the academic disciplines they are interested in pursuing.  Sounds like W&M, doesn’t it?  Now, my oldest is in his second year at a school which is in many ways very similar.  My youngest has said that if we didn’t live in Williamsburg, W&M would be the PERFECT school for her.

Here are some of my reasons why kids like mine should consider W&M … even though they grew up here.

They know where to find the Cheese Shop and to ask for house dressing.
They know how to get to WaWa.
It’s easy for them to get home to do their laundry, have a home cooked meal and pet the dog and cats.
Mom and Dad will be so busy enjoying their empty nest that they won’t have time to bother them on campus.
When they run out of money, they can just hop on over to Mom’s office to get a few dollars.
Coach Laycock knows their names and they already know the fight song.
They know how to get to the Old Country Road and the trails behind the Rec Center for a nice run.
They know which building is which, so won’t need a map the first week of classes.
They can save lots of postage when Mom brings all the things they forgot on her way to work.
They know how to find the parish center to attend Sunday Mass.
They know that even though the Greenleafe doesn’t smell very good, it does have good food.
It’s easy for Dad to drop off some snacks after he goes to the grocery store.
They have extra storage space for all the clothes they can’t fit in their dorm closets.
They know they can get a good cup of coffee at Aroma’s and they can go downstairs to eat at Lenny’s.
They know the best places to get a part-time job.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

We have many kids from Williamsburg, who are attending W&M currently.  Ashley Pinney ’08 recently featured in the Tribe Spotlight on the Alumni Website, is the first Fulbright Scholar to graduate from my kids high school, which was founded in 1996.  We have kids from local high schools playing field hockey, baseball, soccer and I believe football.

I really think that local kids who choose W&M get the best of both worlds – a school that provides a world class education, a strong sense of community, dedication to teaching and a diverse population, with all the benefits of being in your backyard.

– Betsy Quinzio