Seeing the Faculty as Friends

At William and Mary the students become close with the staff.  The community does not just extend from student to student, it goes far beyond that.  The community includes the faculty, alumni, and even people who just know a little bit about the school.  It is funny walking to class and seeing Professors walking there dogs or even playing around with some of the students.  It is not bizarre when your Greek Advisor invites people over to her house for dinner with her husband and dogs, or when she even ask on student to house sit for her.  It is not bizarre to see your academic advisor in the Green Leafe sharing a pitcher of beer with some of his students.  And even when the staff can spend the time doing the fun stuff with their students, they can also get down to business.  Many times when I feel like I am in a crunch with a paper or even an exam I know that I can e-mail, or even call my professors and they will be able to help me out.  Professor will take their own personal time to add extra office hours before an exam just so that each student feels prepared.  With such a low student to teacher ratio, William and Mary Professors are capable of offering the students this extensive support.  William and Mary is the type of school where the students are not afraid of approaching a Professor.  I have even seen one of my professors in the grocery store and stopped her to ask about her kids and how the class did on the exam.  The bonds built at the College are not just with other students, but with faculty
that are the same age as our parents.  The community is not something we joke about here, it is something we embrace!

Note: I have plans for dinner with my Advisor coming up… just another example