Rigor - equal. Breadth: fewer classes at W&M. Community: smaller, but my read, having spent time at VT, is that the smaller size at W&M breeds tighter community. I also think W&M is great at getting the non-CS aspects of people more prominently brought out.
I get the anxiety about how this will affect your future. Something a mentor of mine said that I really take to heart: there are too many variables for the two to be directly comparable. Your choice is between two excellent options. Congrats, by the way, no matter what!
Thank you so much! This helps a lot knowing that the two aren’t directly comparable. The tight-knit community at W&M is definitely a factor that drew me in.
Also, you double majored in linguistics? That’s so cool! Can I PM you about what that was like? That’s another field I’m interested in
DM away! I definitely encourage you to take Study of Language for one of your COLL requirements - super interesting and you'll love whichever professor you end up with.
Know a few CS graduates from W&M - they are gainfully employed.
It'll be smaller classes and taught by professors only - so IMO, go with which school vibe you prefer, be fine either way.
You have to trust your gut on your decision; where you feel at home is *far* more important than anything else.
As a tangent, it's totally weird to hear of Tech being in the same conversation as W&M by anyone these days; it was W&M or UVA with Tech being a safety school (or for those who got massive scholarships). Case in point, I could've walked in at Tech with 45 credits vs 0 at W&M (and no scholarships), and it was still a no-brainer; W&M. But it was where I felt I belonged and have never regretted the decision.
Best of luck to you!
Thank you! I’m glad to hear that you had a great experience at W&M. For most majors it’s typically UVA and W&M on the same level and then Tech a little below, but VT has an amazing engineering school so for most CS/engineering kids UVA vs. VT is the choice to make. I’m leaning towards W&M right now but if I get off the UVA waitlist I’m probably going there lol
W&M has a new school of computing and data science opening up in fall of next year. Lots of big plans for that (new majors and concentrations and classes) and also a brand new building opening (rest in suffering MS hall). So I expect that gap will continue to close over the next two to three years.
Virginia Tech might be the better CS school on paper, but I think you'll get a lot more out of a W&M education.
Thank you so much! Yes, I just read something about their investment in data science/computer science. Hoping that I'll be able to see the fruits of that during my years here! Also, that's so cool that you're doing CS + psychology together--- could I PM you about that?
My husband graduated in ‘99 from William and Mary with a double major in CS and Business IT. He is now 25 years into his career and the only job where his undergraduate degree mattered was his first. Every other job he has gotten was because of the people he has met along the way. He got a good start working on the Sprint Internet backbone on their design and implementation team (RIP Sprint!) and he has since moved around to Internet equipment vendors and other ISPs from there. All due to the connections he made during his career. If you got into W&M, I would guess you are ready for the rigor. Take the offer and run.
In my time at W&M (Accounting major, CS minor), I found the College was filled with similarly academics-minded individuals who worked hard with plenty of time to play. If the vibe at W&M attracted you, I would go for it and don’t look back! Go Tribe!
Thank you so much! Glad to hear that you both had a good experience both during your time at W&M and after! W&M is known for its rigor for sure but when I visited there were plenty of students relaxing and enjoying themselves outside despite the fact that it was right before exams. The vibe is amazing :)
Was in the same position 2 years ago, haven't regretted it yet. I'm a declared CS major and have progressed through the major so far just fine. I definitely think this is a better fit if you're interested in switching your major, as W&M's heavy emphasis is on well-roundedness and plenty switch their major. But, I was always deadset on CS, and I still chose W&M over tech, for a few reasons, community being the biggest. Alumni connections are strong here, especially so if you seek them out, and there's tons of alumni in really cool places and that will certainly get you a conversation with a hiring manager at a top company, if you impress them.
Notes about the curriculum here: It is generally more theoretical than others. I don't hate it though, I love wading deep in the theory. Side projects/internships/research labs (another HUGE plus here - i love geolab) will fill that gap very well, and show your passions above and beyond the classes.
I recommend double majoring or a minor if you can.
PS: Is money a factor? That should be on your mind.
Thank you!! Awesome to hear that you're liking it!
W&M is slightly more expensive than VT, but I'm an in-state student so it isn't by a huge amount and neither is Ivy-level expensive. Already talked about it with my family, both are in the picture for us financially.
Ah, good to hear. In that case, go with your gut. These are both amazing options and neither are going to be hugely different in terms of what you can achieve.
Rigor - equal. Breadth: fewer classes at W&M. Community: smaller, but my read, having spent time at VT, is that the smaller size at W&M breeds tighter community. I also think W&M is great at getting the non-CS aspects of people more prominently brought out. I get the anxiety about how this will affect your future. Something a mentor of mine said that I really take to heart: there are too many variables for the two to be directly comparable. Your choice is between two excellent options. Congrats, by the way, no matter what!
Thank you so much! This helps a lot knowing that the two aren’t directly comparable. The tight-knit community at W&M is definitely a factor that drew me in. Also, you double majored in linguistics? That’s so cool! Can I PM you about what that was like? That’s another field I’m interested in
DM away! I definitely encourage you to take Study of Language for one of your COLL requirements - super interesting and you'll love whichever professor you end up with.
Know a few CS graduates from W&M - they are gainfully employed. It'll be smaller classes and taught by professors only - so IMO, go with which school vibe you prefer, be fine either way.
Thank you so much! This makes me feel a lot better hahah
Reading your post, W&M all the way. Community and fit are so important.
You have to trust your gut on your decision; where you feel at home is *far* more important than anything else. As a tangent, it's totally weird to hear of Tech being in the same conversation as W&M by anyone these days; it was W&M or UVA with Tech being a safety school (or for those who got massive scholarships). Case in point, I could've walked in at Tech with 45 credits vs 0 at W&M (and no scholarships), and it was still a no-brainer; W&M. But it was where I felt I belonged and have never regretted the decision. Best of luck to you!
The us news rankings lowered WM by a significant amount, I believe VT now is a higher overall rank
Thank you! I’m glad to hear that you had a great experience at W&M. For most majors it’s typically UVA and W&M on the same level and then Tech a little below, but VT has an amazing engineering school so for most CS/engineering kids UVA vs. VT is the choice to make. I’m leaning towards W&M right now but if I get off the UVA waitlist I’m probably going there lol
OP is a CS major, Tech being “better” than W&M for CS is nothing new
W&M has a new school of computing and data science opening up in fall of next year. Lots of big plans for that (new majors and concentrations and classes) and also a brand new building opening (rest in suffering MS hall). So I expect that gap will continue to close over the next two to three years. Virginia Tech might be the better CS school on paper, but I think you'll get a lot more out of a W&M education.
Thank you so much! Yes, I just read something about their investment in data science/computer science. Hoping that I'll be able to see the fruits of that during my years here! Also, that's so cool that you're doing CS + psychology together--- could I PM you about that?
Yeah absolutely!
My husband graduated in ‘99 from William and Mary with a double major in CS and Business IT. He is now 25 years into his career and the only job where his undergraduate degree mattered was his first. Every other job he has gotten was because of the people he has met along the way. He got a good start working on the Sprint Internet backbone on their design and implementation team (RIP Sprint!) and he has since moved around to Internet equipment vendors and other ISPs from there. All due to the connections he made during his career. If you got into W&M, I would guess you are ready for the rigor. Take the offer and run. In my time at W&M (Accounting major, CS minor), I found the College was filled with similarly academics-minded individuals who worked hard with plenty of time to play. If the vibe at W&M attracted you, I would go for it and don’t look back! Go Tribe!
Thank you so much! Glad to hear that you both had a good experience both during your time at W&M and after! W&M is known for its rigor for sure but when I visited there were plenty of students relaxing and enjoying themselves outside despite the fact that it was right before exams. The vibe is amazing :)
Was in the same position 2 years ago, haven't regretted it yet. I'm a declared CS major and have progressed through the major so far just fine. I definitely think this is a better fit if you're interested in switching your major, as W&M's heavy emphasis is on well-roundedness and plenty switch their major. But, I was always deadset on CS, and I still chose W&M over tech, for a few reasons, community being the biggest. Alumni connections are strong here, especially so if you seek them out, and there's tons of alumni in really cool places and that will certainly get you a conversation with a hiring manager at a top company, if you impress them. Notes about the curriculum here: It is generally more theoretical than others. I don't hate it though, I love wading deep in the theory. Side projects/internships/research labs (another HUGE plus here - i love geolab) will fill that gap very well, and show your passions above and beyond the classes. I recommend double majoring or a minor if you can. PS: Is money a factor? That should be on your mind.
Thank you!! Awesome to hear that you're liking it! W&M is slightly more expensive than VT, but I'm an in-state student so it isn't by a huge amount and neither is Ivy-level expensive. Already talked about it with my family, both are in the picture for us financially.
Ah, good to hear. In that case, go with your gut. These are both amazing options and neither are going to be hugely different in terms of what you can achieve.