William and Mary

While visiting Williamsburg this past week, I took the opportunity to meet with the graduate director and one of the history professors at the College of William and Mary. William and Mary is on my short list of potential graduate schools and after meeting with Drs. Meyer and Mapp, I feel more strongly about the school and its program. William and Mary is at the top of the spectrum in history and would be considered by most scholars as a small step behind the Ivy League schools of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Darmouth, and Columbia. In terms of colonial American history, William and Mary is second to none. I would be honored to attend graduate school there.

Realisitically, however, I must consider other factors, such as job opportunities for Lori, housing, and our support system since family would be far away. These other factors will come into play if I am accepted at William and Mary. The job opportunities would be different, but it seems the area is large enough to provide ample choices. Hampton, Newport News, and Richmond are not so far away as to be considered in the larger scope. Likewise, housing is no worse than most of the other schools that we are looking at, and in some cases may be more affordable. Only the support system then becomes a concern.

In most respects, my visit did not change any opinions. I knew the reputation of the school before I went, and we knew the issues of jobs, housing and supports prior to visiting. That being said, William and Mary did move up on my list because of the opportunities available at the school and the potential to learn at a highly respectable school.

For those who may not know the College of William and Mary, the College has produced such notable scholars as Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler as well as Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House Henry Clay, and 16 signers of the Declaration of Independence. As a history major, it would be an honor to study in the same buildings once occupied by our founding fathers.