Bye for Now

Hey guys, cannot believe it has almost been a year since I came to William & Mary as a transfer student. I can still recall my first visit to W&M; I was walking around confusion corner near Merchants Square from the train station. I was suddenly attracted by the beautiful, solemn Wren Building and the seamless connection between the university and Colonial Williamsburg. As a history student, I could not express how excited I was to know that I would be able to study in such a vibrant learning community where I could walk out of my room and have unlimited access to a living museum.

It is quite emotional to write a whole article reflecting on my experiences at this amazing school so I am just going to start succinct here: It has been an absolutely unparalleled experience for me that made myself grow intellectually, personally and socially.

W&M prepared me to be a better scholar. Transferring from a liberal arts college, one of my biggest concerns was whether would I be able to get the same individual attention from faculty like I used to, and the answer is yes. I more than appreciate the great availability of my professors and their enthusiasm towards teaching and research. It is W&M that provided me research opportunities under which my peers and I are going to conduct a series of real deliberations on and out of campus starting next semester. We will recruit attendees under the generous help of W&M and see how well the ancient political philosophy applies to the real world.

W&M also expanded my horizon professionally. One of my highlights at W&M is my internship at the admission office. I have enjoyed tremendously working with transfer admission officer Dean Pitschke and my fellow transfer interns Rebecca and Malerie. During the internship, I have gained a variety of transferable skills that could benefit me the whole career life. Moreover, I liked talking with the prospective transfer students and learned about their individual backgrounds and concerns. Being part of the admission team had made me more grateful for the rigorous selection process after witnessing how much effort the admission office put into each individual application. The admission office is what made W&M unique and I am glad I had the opportunity to be part of it.

Friends, friends, and more friends! In W&M I have made friends across the globe and those are the relationships I am assured would last for a lifetime. W&M has one of the most talented, active and creative student bodies in this whole country. As a transfer student, I got chances to meet people across class years, majors, backgrounds and even nationalities. This summer, I am going to Japan with exchange students from Tokyo whom I got to know here at W&M. How amazing is that when the W&M education connects people from different parts of the world and made them good friends for life.

I have truly found my niche in this vibrant learning community and I believe you will too! I will see you guys again next semester! Good luck on your finals and have a wonderful summer!

– Alfred Ouyang ’18