Why W&M: Online Student Panel
Below is a recording of our online student panel that took place on April 21, 2016. For a complete timeline of questions asked during the panel, please see the “See More” section beneath the video on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/e3U0FoQEyhE
We Admit It! Day for Admitted Students (affectionately known as DFAS in our office) was an absolute blast. It’s always such a thrill to welcome our newly admitted students and their families to campus for a day full of celebration and Tribe Pride.
Our staff spends the fall and winter months meeting you on the road and learning more about you through your application. DFAS (as well as our myWM Monday programs) marks the moment when we are finally able to put a face with your impressive application, and congratulate you in person on being admitted to our freshman class.
To those of you who joined us this weekend, we hope that you got a sense for what it feels like to be a member of the William & Mary community. Mock lectures ranging from The German Dracula You Might Not Know to Of Viruses and Man. Sessions covering Career Services, Research, Community Engagement and countless other topics. An epically large activities fair. All of these events, along with everything else going on across campus this weekend, were meant to give you a sense of just how dynamic of a place William & Mary is.
Perhaps the best way to get a feel for a college or university is by talking to its people: faculty, staff, alumni and especially current students. You likely had the chance to meaningfully connect with several members of our community this past weekend.
Because we know that many of you were not able to join us this weekend, and because we hope that those who were able to join us are itching for more information about William & Mary, we would like to provide you with yet another opportunity to interact with our students.
This Thursday, April 21 from 7-8pm please join us for a Student Web Panel featuring four of our current William & Mary seniors. Our panelists are happy to answer any questions that you still may be pondering over. Curious about freshman dorms? Campus traditions? Clubs and organizations? How students spend their weekends? Post your questions in the comments section below, and our students will get to as many of them as possible on Thursday night. We’ll be bringing William & Mary to wherever you are, whether you’re at the kitchen table or in your bed eating ice cream.
We clearly think very highly of you, and want to do everything we can to help you as you make your final college choice. Join us on Thursday in order to gain additional insight into the William & Mary experience.
Brad Harlan
Assistant Dean of Admission
Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.
Hello! My name is Kylie and I am a prospective student from Arizona. Since I have no family in Virginia, I was wondering, do most students go home for the weekend? Would I be one of only a few students to remain on campus for the weekend?
Some additional questions:
Are there many opportunities for undergraduate research?
What is the average class size of an introductory class?
How did you make the final choice to attend William & Mary?
Thank you!
@Kylie Calderon, fantastic questions! Thank you for posting. We will get to many, if not all, of these during the panel. See you Thursday night! Congratulations again on your acceptance to W&M.
Should I bring a bike to campus? Thanks!
@Naomi, thanks for the question! See you tomorrow night during the panel.
@Naomi, and by tomorrow night, we mean Thursday night at 7 pm…
Is it better to do a random roommate or pick one out over facebook? If you do choose random, what are the questions that you answer to determine your match? What were your rooming experiences like?
@Nk, terrific questions. Our panelists will cover many of these questions, as well as discuss housing in general, during the panel on Thursday. Thank you for these suggestions!
What is the Monroe Scholar experience like?
How much homework/studying do you do on an average day? Around finals?
How much does it cost to get tutored in Swem?
Will I get assistance over the summer in deciding which classes I should take? (I know there’s a program that opens July 6 but I forget what it’s called and don’t remember what it entails).
Thank you!
@Rebecca, you ask some great questions. We look forward to discussing many of these topics during the panel. See you tomorrow night!
What do students do for fun on the weekends? What is the social scene like–mostly parties or other activities? What is it like living in Monroe?
@Eileen, William & Mary is a dynamic and fun community. Our panelists look forward to discussing this, and several other topics, tomorrow night! Thank you for submitting these questions.
What is the hardest part about leaving home? Is it easy to make friends, even if you’re pretty introverted? What should I expect from my classes (professor-wise, homework-wise, test-wise, etc.)? How much free time will I have? Also, what is it like having a hall bathroom? Do all the dorms have that?
Thank you so much!! I’m so excited for August!
@Kelly Konrad, our Office of First Year Experience does a terrific job of supporting new students as they transition into the W&M community. Our students will detail their own experiences transitioning to W&M, as well as discuss academics and dorm life, during the panel. See you tomorrow night! We’re ecstatic to welcome you to campus in August!
I’m interested in joining a sorority while I’m at William and Mary, but I’m concerned about whether I’ll be able to balance being in a sorority + clubs + keeping my grades up. For anyone who’s in a frat or sorority how do you find that balance? Do you have any tips in balancing school with all the activities there are to do in general?
@Valentina, fantastic questions. Our panelists will be happy to discuss balancing academics with their various involvements (including Greek Life) during the panel. See you tomorrow night! We’re thrilled to have you as a member of the Class of 2020.
How easy is it for students to get to places like D.C, VA beach, or their out-of-state home? What is the most common mode of transportation? Carpool, train, bus, etc?
@Gaby, you raise some important questions. Our panelists will be happy to discuss how W&M students travel both around campus, in the state of VA and to their out-of-state homes during tomorrow’s panel. Thank you for your suggestions!
Any information on Transfer admissions? Will we know in time to listen to the panel?
@MaryC, great question. We are still in the process of reviewing transfer applications, and are on pace to release transfer admission decisions by the end of April. This being said, you are still welcome to tune in for the panel!
We’re wondering about the PLUS program in July – my son is very interested in applying, but I noticed that it’s a program of the Center for Student Diversity – he doesn’t really come from a historically underrepresented or underserved group; would it be appropriate for him to apply?
@Mom Of A Very Excited WM2020, thank you for your question! Unfortunately the PLUS program is traditionally an invite only event. For any questions about the event and/or application process, you are more than welcome to contact Dr. Vernon Hurte (757-221-2301 or vjhurt@wm.edu) who helps to direct the program.
Oh! Thanks very much for clarifying that – nothing we saw anywhere said it was an invitation only program; I had no idea! We were mainly looking at this page – it just invites incoming students to apply:
http://www.wm.edu/sites/plus/
Thanks again!
@Mom Of A Very Excited WM2020, it is our pleasure to assist you. As mentioned in our previous comment, we would encourage you to contact Dr. Hurte directly. It is possible that they will be able to accommodate your son, though we cannot make any guarantees.
My son is not available to see the live stream, will it be recorded and available anywhere else?
@Peggy Drisenga, absolutely! The complete recorded panel is located at the top of this page. This panel is also located on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3U0FoQEyhE). If you click on “Show More” beneath the video on YouTube, you can see a complete Timeline and Question Topics covered throughout the panel.
Which professors should we definitely take at some point before graduating?
What are some lesser-known school events in which we should definitely participate?
Aside from the cafeterias, where are the best places to get food?
Is there anything else you wish you knew before you started as a freshman?
@Danielle, our panelists were able to cover some of your questions during the panel last night! Feel free to watch the video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3U0FoQEyhE), where if you click on “Show More” beneath the video, you can see a complete Timeline and Question Topics covered throughout the panel. Should you have any additional questions not covered during the panel, feel free to reach out to our office (admission@wm.edu) or to our department liaisons (http://www.wm.edu/admission/undergraduateadmission/contactus/department_liason/index.php). Thank you for submitting these questions!
Will the panel be available online later for those of us who can’t watch it all?
@Tanner, absolutely! The complete recorded panel is located at the top of this page. This panel is also located on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3U0FoQEyhE). If you click on “Show More” beneath the video on YouTube, you can see a complete Timeline and Question Topics covered throughout the panel.
Hello, I have a few questions I’d like to know the answers to.
* Is there a buddy system or something of the sort on campus to show the ropes to new students?
* How many majors or minors is one allowed to take?
* What supplies would we have to bring to class?
* Are there good eating options for vegetarian students?
Thanks a lot for your time!
@Ritu, our panelists were able to cover many of your questions during the panel last night! Feel free to watch the video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3U0FoQEyhE), where if you click on “Show More” beneath the video, you can see a complete Timeline and Question Topics covered throughout the panel. Should you have any additional questions not covered during the panel, feel free to reach out to our office (admission@wm.edu) or to our department liaisons (http://www.wm.edu/admission/undergraduateadmission/contactus/department_liason/index.php). Thank you for submitting these questions!
Hi! I was wondering if any of you had any insight on how’s life in W&M as a James Monroe Scholar?
@Carolina, thank you for the question! One of our panelists last night, George Rudebusch, is a Monroe Scholar. You can hear him talk about the Monroe Scholar experience at the 21:30 mark of last night’s panel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3U0FoQEyhE).
Are there clear signs on campus pointing to important destinations, for example, the library?
@Peter S. Johnson, thank you for your question. There are signs across campus near and outside campus buildings. Additionally, by the time orientation ends for entering students, they feel quite confident about how to navigate campus.
This Student panel was a great idea and very informative! I would love to see something like this done for transfer students, especially VCCS transfers. Since we are not entering William and Mary straight out of high school but also are not entering out of another 4 year college or university, VCCS transfers may have other concerns and questions that are not covered. It would be really nice to have a panel of William and Mary students, who came in as transfers, do a panel like this.
@VCCS Transfer Student ‘Patiently’ Awaiting Admission Notification, thank you for this valuable input. We agree that a transfer panel would be a very useful tool for our applicants. Our office’s hope is that this panel was the first of many, and an online transfer panel will certainly be part of these future plans. We appreciate you “patiently” waiting for your admission decision! We are still on pace to release transfer admission decisions by the end of April.
Just found out I was accepted as a fall 2016 transfer! Beyond excited!! Just wondering why a “Decisions Decisions” blog was not released? Go Tribe!
@Accepted Transfer!!, CONGRATULATIONS! We absolutely loved reading your application and learning more about you. We hope to see you on campus starting in August! A transfer “Decisions Decisions” blog will be released in the near future.