Swem Library is packed with resources from physical books, study rooms, the writing center, makerspace, and so much more. Below is a list of some of the most helpful resources Swem has to offer! 

Printing – There are printers on all floors of Swem. Print using your TribeCard! You can aso find copiers and scanners throughout the first floor of Swem. 

Study rooms – One of the most utilized resources of Swem are the study rooms. Swem offers many individual and group study rooms on all floors. Perfect for students looking for a quiet spot to study or those working on group projects!

Online catalog – Swem is a huge library and sometimes it can be difficult to find what you are looking for. Swem’s online catalog can help you locate a book from either their physical or online collections!

Online databases – Swem also has a large list of online databases that are a great resource for research! The databases can be organized by subject, type, and popularity.  

Reeder Media Center  – Reeder Media Center offers reservable spaces for video and audio creation! Supplied with state of the art equipment that can either be used in these studios or taken beyond the library, the Reeder Media Center offers help to those working on either academic or personal photo/video/audio projects. 

Special Collections – The first floor of Swem is home to the Special Collections Research Center. These collections contain original documents, rare books, maps, and more!

Research guides – Swem librarians curated special guides that are subject and class-specific to help students with research. 

Makerspace – The Swem Makerspace contains 3D printers, 3D scanners, a vinyl cutter, stitching machines, a pin-back button machine, and more! After a short amount of training, students, faculty, and staff can utilize these machines. 

Being a transfer student can lead to misconceptions about the transfer process and transition experience. As a transfer student myself, I understand the uncertainty surrounding the transfer process. This blog post is dedicated to debunking transfer myths.  

Myth 1: It will be difficult to make friends 

It’s a common misconception that transferring to a new school makes it more difficult to find a friend group. Coming into William & Mary as a new student, regardless of a freshman or transfer status, you’re enrolled in orientation during your first few days at the university. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and make new friends! Some of my best friends are from my orientation group! Additionally, talking with other students in your classes and joining clubs are great ways to meet new people that share similar interests with you! 

Myth 2: You’ll be behind 

It can be easy to think that you’ll be behind if you’re coming in later than the norm. However, setting up meetings with your academic advisor, attending office hours, and engaging with clubs can all help you stay on track! 

Myth 3: Academic offerings will be limited

Academic offerings never stop at William & Mary! Emails, TribeLink, Professors, and more are great resources for finding new academic offerings! There are many options for introductory experiences if you look for it!

Myth 4 – Its unusual to transfer colleges

No matter the reason, students transfer colleges all the time. While it’s not the absolute norm, transferring is still a very common option for college students! 

Belonging, curiosity, excellence, flourishing, integrity, respect, and service. These 7 core values are those that William & Mary embodies before, during, and after your experience at the university.  

Belonging

William & Mary is a kind and welcoming community of all unique perspectives and interests.  Students, faculty, and staff are here to help you thrive and create a home away from home. 

Curiosity 

College is a place for trying new things, finding new interests, and diving deeper into your existing ones. At William & Mary, curiosity is fostered by the multitude of academic and extracurricular offerings that help students develop new advancements of knowledge.   

Excellence

Students, faculty, and staff at William & Mary uphold the university’s high standards of excellence. The university encourages ambitious and innovative goals of students, so they can accomplish personal and professional growth.

Flourishing 

Just as William & Mary upholds excellence, the university strives to help students flourish throughout their time and beyond university. Helping students thrive in their time at William & Mary leads to individuals who thrive outside of the classroom. 

Integrity

William & Mary demonstrates full commitment to holistic integrity, equity, and high moral standards. 

Respect 

Students, staff, and faculty practice mutual respect and acknowledge and preserve the inherent dignity and value of every individual.

Service 

Students are given the opportunity to give back to the surrounding community and support the well-being of humanity. 

The new Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall and arts quarter was recently unveiled to the public. This new section of campus houses all arts programs including dance, music, and theater. The two buildings  contain many studios, practice rooms, costume shop, offices, and more. Here are a few photos I captured of the new Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall! 

Dance warmup studio

Dance recital studio

Acting lab 

Dance classroom 

From A to Z, William & Mary is composed of a multitude of organizations, events, opportunities, buildings, and more. Enjoy this list of the ABC’s of William & Mary. 

Academics – first and foremost the most important letter of W&M. Academics are the core purpose of the university. William & Mary offers over 115 majors in undergraduate arts & sciences as well as graduate programs. 

Bookstore – The bookstore is your one stop shop for textbooks, recreational reading, spiritwear, and more! 

Charter day – Charter day celebrates the awarding of the Royal Charter from King William III and Queen Mary II of England!

DC Semester program – A full time internship and academic semester held in Washington DC!

Entrepreneurship Hub – Home of resources, events, and programs intended to boost your entrepreneurial skills 

Family Weekend – A weekend to invite your family to experience life at William & Mary! This year it will be held October 27-29th

Global Research Institute – Brings together staff and students to apply research to real world problems!

Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved – A memorial dedicated to the enslaved who helped build the university

Institute for Integrative Conservation – The institute devoted to solving critical conservation issues through research and education

Joint Degree Programme – The Joint Degree Program with the University of St Andrews that allows students to spend two years at both institutions!

Keck Lab – The Keck Lab holds various environmental courses and labs on the shore of Lake Matoaka 

Lemon Project – The Lemon Project builds bridges between William & Mary and African American communities through research, programming, and supporting students, faculty, and staff.

Mason School of Business – Home of the William & Mary business curriculum!

NATO Youth Summit – A worldwide transatlantic conversation that W&M students can attend

Orientation – Your first introduction to your W&M experience!

Pet therapy – Offered at the Wellness Center, therapy pets visit for students to unwind around a furry friend 

Queen Mary – How William & Mary got its name! Queen Mary II of England was a founder along with King William III

Recreational sports – Club and intramural sports for those looking to have some fun while staying fit!

Sunken Garden – the center of campus and a great place to relax with friends!

TWAMP – Typical William & Mary Student!

University Advancement – An arm of the university dedicated to continuing community and philanthropy among alumni, students, parents, and friends

Virginia Institute of Marine Science – Center for research and graduate studies relating to Marine Science!

Wren Building – The oldest university building still in use in the United States!

X-ray crystallography – A unique lab technique used by Professor Pike!

Yule Log Celebration – A winter celebration where students and staff share their traditions and beliefs
Zable Stadium – Home to Tribe football games!

While it feels like the semester just began, we’re actually already three weeks in! This means that exam season is closing in just as quick as the semester started. There are a few ways to alleviate stress and cramming before they arrive. Now’s a great time to start studying! Here’s a few tips to surviving exams:

• Spread out study tasks 

Spreading out your tasks helps alleviate anxiety and avoid cramming. Try spreading out your study blocks and assignments not only throughout the day, but also throughout a week. This avoids overloading yourself and your schedule, so tasks seem more manageable. 

• Study group

A good way to study for exams can be with a group. Getting together with other students from your class to study for the exam together can help you gain new perspectives and possibly catch something you might’ve missed. 

• Take care of yourself 

Maintaining adequate sleep, self-care habits, drinking lots of water, and setting aside time for decompression are key elements to supporting energy levels when studying for exams. Don’t forget to take some time for yourself!

• Take the result with a grain of salt 

No matter the outcome of your exam, no grade defines you as a person. Use any mistakes as a way to grow for the next exam.

Choosing a major might seem like a daunting task going into college, so taking the time to think about your interests and familiarizing yourself with resources can help you figure out which major to choose!

Step 1: Researching potential options 

The first step is to research potential majors. Think about what you enjoyed in high school and what your career aspirations may be. What majors fit into those categories? 

Step 2: Look into major requirements and offerings 

Each department should have a website with requirements for each major/minor and other useful information like experimental and volunteer opportunities, events, and more to help you get a feel for what each program is like!

Step 3: Narrow down your search

Once you have eliminated some options, you can narrow down your search to a few that best suit you. Consider the requirements, time commitments, and program offerings to narrow down even more to possibly two or three majors. 

Step 4: “Undeclared major”

Once you have narrowed down your options to two, consider picking one to be your primary undeclared major. You could also potentially choose to double major, or have one major and one minor! 

Step 5: Declaring your major 

Once you’ve reached a certain amount of credits (usually during or after your sophomore year), you can declare your major. Keep in mind that you can change your major, but the requirements will also change. 

Welcome or welcome back to William & Mary! The fall 2023 semester is in full swing and classes are starting to increase their workloads. With the upcoming assignments, labs, quizzes, exams, and more, it is extremely important to be organizing your schedule. Here are a few tips on how to create a study schedule:

1. Plan out commitments 

Classes, clubs, sports, jobs, events, and other activities take up a good portion of a schedule. Putting them on your schedule first is a good reminder of times that are already taken. 

2. Figure out your learning style 

Things like how difficult your work is, how long it usually takes to complete, and how much work each class has are also helpful when considering how much time you alot to studying 

3. Creating a schedule 

Try scheduling times around your commitments that would best fit your learning style and needs. Using the information gathered above, schedule in times that would be good for studying! Don’t forget about scheduling breaks!

4. Sticking to your schedule 

What’s the point of a schedule if it’s not followed? Being consistent with studying and sticking to a schedule is the best way to make sure you’re getting the most out of each day. If your schedule becomes too overwhelming, try altering it! Making and sticking to study schedules can be a bit of trial and error, but finding a system that works for you will greatly help with consistency and efficiency.

Communication around campus is vital towards staying connected and up-to-date. There are a few ways William & Mary undertakes communication and additional ways you can stay in the loop. 

Emails 

Everything from important updates to giveaways to internship opportunities are communicated by the many different emails you’ll receive. 

Student Happenings: 

Student Happenings emails contain information on upcoming events and announcements semi-weekly. They can be extremely helpful for finding research and job opportunities, being reminded of upcoming events, finding new clubs, and more!

Campus Corner by Auxiliary Services: 

Auxiliary Services are in charge of dining, transportation, spirit, and tribe card services. Campus Corner emails are sent out monthly and contain updates on mostly dining events & changes and parking & transportation information. 

William & Mary Athletics: 

Emails from William & Mary Athletics contain the latest information on sporting events and games!

Career Conversations:

Career Conversations by Tribe Careers contain information on job and career opportunities personalized to your interests. Signing up for their email list will introduce you to career advancement opportunities like resume building workshops, and also deliver information on new job opportunities and recruitment events!

Student Affairs:

Student Affairs email when there’s important information on anything that concerns students. For a better example, Student Affairs have sent emails on last day of class activities, graduating surveys, campus policies, and construction updates. 

Social Media 

While you’re automatically enrolled in most emails, you can gain additional information on the latest news, upcoming events, free giveaways, and more from following these social media accounts:

@william_and_mary

@wmlibraries

@wellnesswm

@wm_step

And club and organization accounts!