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.