Why William & Mary?

With an undergraduate population of 6,377 students, you may be curious about the individual decisions everyone made when choosing to come to William & Mary! Here are the reasons of our own Peer Advising Executive Board!

Ever wonder what everyone else’s reasons were?

Natalia Critchley – Program Chair

“When I was choosing between colleges, I was lost in all of the different amazing options. I had no idea where to go, because it seemed like everywhere was the right option. I struggled over pro and con lists, and I kept waiting for a sign to show me which was the right choice. But suddenly I realized that whenever someone asked me “are you excited for college?” and “where are you going?” there was always one college that my imagination went to: William & Mary. There was not one specific reason I choose to go here, it was a feeling. When I visited campus, it felt right. When I imagined college and what I wanted from those 4 years, it was William & Mary that I thought of. I am so glad that I decided to go here, because William & Mary has everything I wanted from my college experience and more.”

Kolby Williams – Retention and Recruitment Chair

“I’ve been visiting Colonial Williamsburg with my family for over a decade. Because of that, I’ve really grown to love the area, and subsequently, William & Mary quickly became my dream school ever since I was a kid. While being in the center of Revolutionary War history in Virginia was what initially drew me in, the more I learned about the university, the more I was excited to attend. The campus is absolutely beautiful and full of wooded areas, so when I became interested in birding my senior year of high school, William & Mary only looked better. Lastly, while I love everything about this school, the fact that I’m surrounded by people who love it just as much as I do is what really makes it special; I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else!”

Kate Miller – Training Chair

“I learned about William & Mary from my gymnastics coach back in elementary school. She was my idol, she went to William & Mary, so I would go to William & Mary, too. Seven years later, my opinion never changed. The only school I applied to was William & Mary, early decision binding. Looking back, this might have been a bit foolhardy, but every time I thought of William & Mary, I felt like it was my home — everything was perfect. William & Mary to me is always the ideal school: close to home, but far enough away to be exciting. It has a beautiful campus, historical, trees and water, bricks, the classic collegiate feel. And of course, the academic prestige. People everywhere acknowledge and respect the quality of William & Mary education. But most importantly, the William & Mary atmosphere drew me in. Overall, students are not pretentious, but quirky, and maybe at times a little overzealous. But for the quality of education, it’s inspiring to see passion and weirdness along with it rather than just high GPAs. I knew it from the beginning that William & Mary was the one school for me for just about every reason. Name something more cliché.”

Madison Powell – Chair of Administration

“I grew up visiting Colonial Williamsburg with my family, and I always loved the colonial atmosphere of the area. Once it was time to look for colleges, I visited William & Mary for the campus but I stayed for the welcoming atmosphere and strong sense of community!”

And finally, here’s mine (I’m Alex Hicks, the Communications Chair!)

When i first visited William & Mary on a Williamsburg vacation with my parents, I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t think I would even be able to get in to a public ivy, and the then empty for break campus had an intimidating atmosphere. When I finally went on an actual tour, I saw just how wrong I was. I was welcomed by students who weren’t at all stuffy like I was expecting, but were instead quirky and passionate about what they were studying. I immediately felt right at home, and was so happy when I received my acceptance letter.

I’m so proud to be part of the tribe, and I hope our new Class of 2023 will be too!