W&M in Washington

I think many prospective students who consider W&M also consider schools in the nation’s capital.  Oftentimes, those schools that are located within the beltway have a perceived advantage over W&M because their location puts them in the government’s backyard whereas William & Mary is viewed by many as so close yet so far (W&M is located about 2.5 hours south of D.C., or 2.5 days depending on traffic).  While I’ll admit that W&M students cannot see Congress from their residence halls, the campus is a lot closer to D.C. than many might think.

W&M students are able to participate in many historic events that occur in D.C. because of the College’s proximity (there is an Amtrak station within walking distance of campus that takes students to Union Station in D.C.).  W&M faculty and staff attended Obama’s inauguration and many plan to attend Jon Stewart’s (W&M ’84) Rally to Restore Sanity in the weeks to come.  And just yesterday, five W&M students were selected to participate in President Obama’s town hall forum.  One student, wearing her W&M gear, was seated in the front row and captured on camera by all the major networks that aired the event.  A W&M alum (and current Johns Hopkins graduate student) even got to pose one of the questions.

W&M student front and center at Obama's town hall forum

Additionally, William & Mary has an office on Dupont Circle which works with current students, faculty and alumni in many capacities.  They assist with everything from networking gatherings for those students interning in D.C. over the summer to helping alumni with career services.  They also administer W&M’s semester in D.C. program in which students take classes and participate in an internship organized around a particular theme.  Current and future themes include “Media as the Fourth Branch of Government”, “The 2012 Elections” and “The Ethics of Sustainability”.  This office also supports campus classes that seek to visit the nation’s capital.  During my freshman seminar on WWII in Literature and Film, we read Elie Wiesel’s Night and took a trip to the Holocaust Museum with the assistance of the Washington Office.

Finally, the College’s proximity to D.C. makes it easy for notable speakers to visit campus.  Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is W&M’s chancellor; she visits campus several times each year.  Theorists, ambassadors, pundits and scholars all regularly come to Williamsburg from D.C. to meet with students as part of W&M’s co-curricular experience.

So to those who say that W&M is too close but too far, I say nonsense.  W&M is in Washington and Washington is in Williamsburg.

Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed ’09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission