William & Mary boasts a reputation as one of the best public colleges in the nation — one of a few so-called "public Ivies."
It's selective: Only about a third of applicants are admitted, and the majority of students who enroll rank in the top of their high school class. And it's successful: 9 in 10 graduates reported that they were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of earning their W&M degree, the school says. Impressively, 97% of the school’s graduates report working jobs that “align well” with their career interest.
W&M prides itself on the quality of its undergraduate teaching. There are dozens of majors, among them Medieval and Renaissance studies, neuroscience and anthropology.
Greek life is a big part of the campus social scene, but there are more than 450 other organizations for students, including a cheese club and a cosplay club. School traditions are also an important part of student life. On the final day of classes, seniors line up to ring the ceremonial Wren Bell, and the entire student body celebrates the end of the year with the annual Royal Ball, a formal dance in the Sunken Garden at the center of campus.
Chartered in 1693, W&M is the second-oldest institution of learning in the country, and with a campus that borders Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, it's easy to feel the history of the place. That legacy includes a special connection to Phi Beta Kappa: The prestigious academic honor society was founded at William & Mary in 1776, making the school the birthplace of the nation’s oldest collegiate honors organization.
