The speaker did a great job, and it was reassuring to hear her say that they wanted to see that students took the most challenging classes available to them. This was particularly comforting, because most students who apply at more competitive schools have multiple AP classes and honors classes on their transcripts. Although Will has a great ACT score, this will be the first year AP classes will be available for him at our school, and he worries about being handicapped by a transcript which lacks evidence of academic rigor. The admissions officer emphasized the importance of the essay in the application process, and I think she made Will feel somewhat better about doing the best he can with what he has... an important lesson for all of us to remember!
Some positive notable things about Duke from the information session:
- IF you get accepted, the school expects students to get $5,000 per year in loans, do work study, and parents pay no more of their expected contribution as determined by the FAFSA.
- Study abroad is included in the cost and the Duke Engage program.
- Undergraduate research opportunities
- Only the "Best and the Brightest" go to Duke
- Freshmen live together in a place called East Campus. This builds camaraderie and friendships.
- It is possible to do without a car- transit around campus and Durham available
- GREAT place for grad school (well funded marine biology research opportunities)
- Color is blue
The room was packed, and we were broken into six groups to disperse and take a 90 minute walking tour of campus.
This is where the visit took an unexpected turn. Instead of walking onto the chapel quad and feeling as though THIS IS THE PLACE, the Gothic architecture and single digit acceptance rate settled over us, somber and intimidating, like the ominous clouds threatening rain. To clarify, the lack of "the feeling" may really have just been the rain clouds dampening our spirits or our tour guide's several references to depression and mental health; however, I don't think it was the case. I just couldn't see Will "THRIVING" and "EXCELLING" there, like Dr. Sancho (College of Charleston) mentioned being so important.
When we got into the car heading toward Williamsburg, we all needed a while to decompress and process. Eventually we made a pro/con list. The pros are listed above, but here are the cons:
- The meal plan seemed expensive
- Community bathrooms in the dorm
- SMALL dorms
- Intimidating atmosphere
- 8% acceptance rate
- Campus set apart from town (surrounded by 9,000 acres of Duke forest)
- MINIMUM $20,000 student loans for an undergraduate degree
About 7:00pm, we rolled into Williamsburg, VA. It wasn't quite bedtime yet, and we were hungry, so we checked into our room and then headed to explore around Colonial Williamsburg a little. At the bookstore, we discovered that William & Mary is the "Tribe," but the griffin (half eagle/ half lion) is their mascot. School colors are green and gold (Will saw this as a positive thing). Their logo is a W and an M meshed together with a crown, because in 1693 King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter for a college to be founded in the Virginia Colony.
We loved the area and found a quaint deli to enjoy some dinner and the latest episode of "America's Got Talent." Back to the room, and off to bed we went. Although it was cloudy in Williamsburg, the next visit at the College of William and Mary already seemed promising.
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