How I End My Tours

Here on campus, I have the honor of being one of the tour guides for the Undergraduate Admission Office. This means that when you come visit our beautiful campus, I’m the one who shows you around and gives you the student perspective. So far, I have met a ton of cool people and, hopefully, have been pretty successful in showing what W&M is all about in the short amount of time given to me. My tours cover the same parts of campus but are always a little different. However, the one thing that is constant is how I end my tours. Our wonderful Deans at the admission office told us that we should end our tours by answering the question, “Why William & Mary?”. For me, there are too many reasons and addressing them all would arguably double the time of my tour. So I choose to focus on one aspect: community.

The community here at The College of William and Mary is like no other. Here, the academics bring us together initially but it is the countless other aspects that tie us together. It’s the trust that’s created through the honor code, it’s the shared passion for community service and it’s the desire to be involved outside the classroom that makes the difference at W&M. Like no other campus, W&M students respect and admire each others’ achievements. I truly believe that this community has been the primary contributor to my ability to be involved on campus. I always say, It’s not everywhere that as a student I get to advise the President on important issues facing the College and be actively involved in the judicial systems on campus (Honor and Conduct) all in the same week if not the same day! This community is exemplified in opening convocation as well as yule log and other traditions. This community is thriving at W&M and it’s waiting to welcome you!

Finally, I always sum up my tour the same way. I quote our wonderful president, Taylor Reveley and a speech he gave at opening convocation. We at William and Mary “have the brains of a large research institution and the heart of a small liberal arts college.”

Thanks for reading!

Alma Mater Hail,

Danny