How I Got Into W&M (Twice)

The admissions process is as tough as choosing a college. As a person who went through this situation as a freshman and then again as a transfer, I have waited to choose William & Mary. I have done it for so long that I wish I could tell a story about this.

12th Grade – First Semester

I have first applied to William & Mary on New Year’s Day 2015. Before, I thought it was safe to apply to schools with higher admit rates as I had about-average SAT scores. But when I did more research on William & Mary, I found that it is a Public Ivy and offers a neuroscience major. Looking through the school website, I embraced the Crim Dell bridge, the friendliest people, the Griffin, and others that made me dream of William & Mary.

12th Grade – Second Semester

Decision day loomed over, and the email subject line “Good Things” psyched me in excitement. I also attended Day For Admitted Students to see myself as a Tribe member. Just before May 1st, however, a Virginia community college surprised me with a two-year honors scholarship. Changing plans, I accepted that award to benefit from community college honors and compete for more scholarships and transfer admission.

Sophomore Year – First Semester

I never gave up on William & Mary during my life as a community college student. On a field trip, I visited there again, and everyone was walking to and fro across the whole campus. I went inside some buildings like the Commons and ISC 3 to get a better sense of belonging. It still made sense to me at that point that I get excited to enter William & Mary but sad to leave the place.

Sophomore Year – Second Semester

Scholarships were another motivating factor as I needed to hit the jackpot if I want to go to any university. My family thought winning transfer scholarships is rarely possible. I applied for them anyway and won the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship for high-achieving students with financial need. Without the hardest work beyond my high school years, my dreams would have been over with. My family would have pushed me into a university near my hometown. Now it had to push me in another direction because I have $40,000 ending up in my hands every year.

Summer Before Junior Year

In fact, I had four directions to choose from to spend my undergraduate years. There was still a university near my home. But there was also two universities both in the D.C. area and have the lowest admit rates. I appreciate the national recognition of all the schools I applied to. William & Mary mattered to me the most because it is a research university largely involved with the liberal arts, and vice versa. Likewise, I can afford to double major and graduate no later than 2020. What kept me focused on William & Mary was the many co-curricular opportunities that I can be part of to be competitive for graduate school in computational sciences.

May the best applicants win, Class of 2022 and Fall Transfers!