Starting a Blog

I’m a perfectionist. Not the “what would you say is your weakness?” type of perfectionist where perfectionism becomes a strength, but the type of perfectionist who agonizes over writing the first entry of a blog series. So, in the spirit of honesty, I have to confess that I wrote eight versions of this post and decided that each one, for some reason or another, would not do. On take seven or eight, I decided to bite the bullet and just write. Get ready, get set, and…nothing. So, after a little more thought, I decided that the best way to start this blog would be to start from the beginning, and tell you how I got to William and Mary.

The first time I heard about William and Mary was during my junior year. Although this might sound shocking, it’s the truth. I grew up in Oxford, England at a small boarding school where I was more familiar with colleges in England than in America. So, during my college search, I assumed that I would go to university in England. In fact, I had my heart set on going to university in London. So, when a visiting housemistress told me about a small liberal arts institution in Williamsburg, Virginia, that would be closer to home and possibly a better fit for me, I began to seriously consider leaving England and going to college in America. My parents were so excited about the possibility of me being back in Virginia for college that they scheduled an on campus visit for my next break.

I’d like to say that when I visited the campus, I immediately fell in love with it, or that I had some sort of epiphany. But that didn’t happen. I liked the campus, and the people seemed really nice, but my decision to apply to and to subsequently attend W&M took time. What I do remember about my visit to W&M was the sense of community on campus, and the emphasis on tradition. Coming from such a tight knit community in England, I was really impressed by the presence of these two characteristics at W&M. So, after much thought, I decided to leave England, excited about starting a new chapter of my life at a small college in Williamsburg, Virginia. I didn’t know it then, but W&M would end up being exactly where I needed to be.

So, I hope you enjoyed my first blog post ever! Before signing off, the perfectionist in me has to point out that I used the word “so” a lot, maybe a little too much…