Why W&M: Academics and Resources

William & Mary offers a rich liberal arts education that allows tremendous potential for academic development and growth. Over 100 majors and minors are offered to William & Mary students, giving many possible academic pathways. The professors at William &Mary are down-to-Earth, understanding, and knowledgeable. With this diverse opportunity, I have been able to explore many academic avenues which have led me to major in Kinesiology with a Public Health concentration and minor in Management and Organizational Leadership.

Upon entering William & Mary, I had no idea what I wanted to major in or what I wanted to study. My freshman year, I took many different courses including classes in the hard sciences, social sciences, economics, and English. After a few more semesters at W&M, I was able to narrow down the subject fields that I was truly interested in and fascinated by. I quickly realized that English and the social sciences were not for me, but rather, I found myself captivated by the hard sciences. The broad variety of courses offered at the university allowed me to uncover and pursue the subjects I am interested in.

The professors at William & Mary are not the stereotypical cold, unrelatable professors portrayed by pop culture. At William & Mary, we have a diverse group of professors from all sorts of backgrounds that all share a common passion – to spread their knowledge with students. Professors go above and beyond their call of duty when it comes to making sure their students get the best education. Not only do they serve as educators, but they are mentors, as well. My favorite story with a professor was when I went to get advice about my Europe backpacking trip. I knew that my organic chemistry professor was from and had grown up in Germany and I was hoping to get some advice about traveling around Europe, so I went into her office hours after class one day. We ended up talking for 2 hours! I felt I was really able to connect with my professor on a level deeper than just as a teacher and student. She told me all about her home country and where to visit, where to find the best schnitzel, and her personal experience traveling around Europe. She took me through each of the cities I wanted to visit and told me about the history of the cities and her personal opinions of each of them. I never thought that professors would be so open and willing to talk about things not related to academia and that showed me professors are not just machines who lecture and grade our tests, but interesting people who have diverse backgrounds, hobbies, and interests!

Not only does William & Mary offer top notch academics, but it offers a wide variety of resources that spans almost everything a student would need.  There are so many available resources at W&M that are here to serve the students. Some of my personal favorites include the Writing Resources Center and Sadler Games Area. At the Writing Resources Center, I am regularly getting help from my peer writing experts on improving my papers.  They have many writing experts with flexible schedules so it is easy to book appointments and get the help I need. There is also nothing like finishing a test and blowing off some steam shooting a round of pool or playing Twister at the Games Area. Aside from my personal favorite campus resources, there are health and wellness resources, academic resources, and counseling resources. William & Mary provides a plethora of resources for a reason, so be sure to make the most of your experience and use them!

Eric Kim
Peer Advising VP of Training and Development