In my opinion, junior year was by far the most challenging yet. The academic pressure, the strains on friendships, the crunch and reminder of time—everything just seemed a bit more intense than the two previous years, and I hope this was not an omen for next year. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am certain that the final year may just present itself as a circumnavigated route back to the first. Everything from freshmen year—the friends, the nostalgia, the fresh innocence—will reveal itself one last time.
When my freshmen began to move out of Yates I sent them a letter as somewhat of a farewell token, and I hope that each of them take the bits of advice to heart. Some of the letter is below:
And this is the important thing: no matter how troublesome the world around us seems, we have to find time for camaraderie and laughter. College is not just about getting good grades and joining organizations/clubs/fraternities. The relationships you build with those around you are much more lasting than a measly paper or quiz. Do not let the red tape of academia blind or bind you.
College is also about being a mess. It’s about getting the wind kicked out of your lungs, because, as Sarah Kay says, that’s the only way for our lungs to really know how much we enjoy air. So don’t be afraid to make mistakes, to cut your elbows and knees, to stray from the path and forge a trail (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
And let’s realize that shame is not the same as guilt. Shame is the painful feeling caused by the consciousness of wrong and right behavior. Those without shame are those without the capacity for emotion and empathy. I hope that each of you never restrain yourself from your goals and desires; face your fears. Dr. Brene Brown says that, “vulnerability is our most accurate measure of courage.” There is nothing wrong with vulnerability. Yes, it’s uncomfortable and somewhat terrifying to expose ourselves before others or the fears that laugh. But is there nothing more fulfilling with the strengthened heart? Because that’s the only true gem of laughter, friendship, family.
When it was my turn to move out, I was going through all of my folders and drawers and I came across a few photos from my own freshman year. These photos of my then comrades and myself are bittersweet because some friendships have dissolved, some faces blurred, but I am thankful for the moments I shared with each of them. I am also hopeful that, yes, perhaps the final year will expose the first year for the better.
Monday was the first official day of the institute. This began with a very large cup of coffee. I have a lot of respect for people who are naturally morning people, but for me, it’s a bit of a battle to get up at 7 am. Slowly we got ready and started the trek towards the DC office. Tips we learned on the first day of commuting:
Single Day passes are not valid until 9:30 am—meaning you can’t use them for your 8 am commute
No food or drink is allowed on the metro. Translation to those who clutch their coffee mug to be able to cope with the morning, the coffee is going to have to wait until the office.
The morning was filled with introductions and an overview of the schedule for the summer. Just a quick plug for the DC office, they can be immensely helpful, you just need to reach out to them. Do it! They’re incredibly nice and have connections throughout DC.
Onto the class. My first impression—WOW! Professor Arsenault’s passion for teaching is incredible. Her reputation precedes her as an incredibly challenging professor who is not afraid to call students out for anything. Going into the class I was quite intimidated. In addition, she has more experience working in different institutions in DC than many people three times her age. She is not only engaged in the policy community, but also in helping to teach the next generations, and she does that by pushing students harder than they thought possible. Her class is not for bystanders. Everyone is drawn into the discussion either willingly or forcefully. That might sound terrible, but it is done in the most easy-going way possible. Yeah students may be put on the spot, but it’s about getting them talking and sharing what they think. Everyone has an opinion, they might just need a little encouragement to share it.
The day flew by like a blur. At the beginning, I was intimidated by not only Arsenault, but also the fellow students. Seeing the list of where some students were going to be interning was incredible and reason to be intimidated. I left the class however, still slightly intimidated by my classmates, but mostly inspired by the discussion we had. Everyone was willing to listen and add onto others points, and disagreement was completely acceptable. It seems rare that debates surrounding political decisions are able to stay so calm.
Day 1 Lesson – Don’t be afraid to jump off the edge and into the debate. What you get out of it will be much more rewarding then the fear going into it.
Admit It! You’re counting down the days until summer break. It’s hard not to. The weather is getting nicer, the days are getting longer, it’s nearly June. Here at W&M it’s already technically summer break. The Class of 2012 graduated on Sunday (yeah you’re right, college calendars rule). While most of the campus slows down during the summer, our office heats up (figuratively and literally – have you been to Williamsburg in the summer? It’s definitely hot). Summer is absolutely a time that many prospective students choose to visit colleges. While the campus may not quite feel like itself, it’s still a great opportunity to get a feel for an institution and to at least begin exploring whether or not a school will be on your short list for applications come fall.
Beginning May 29 and continuing through August 17, we offer information sessions and tours at 10:00am and 2:30pm (with a few notable exceptions which can be found on our visit calendar). We also offer 10:00am tours on select Saturdays. During the summer we also offer on-campus interviews to rising high school seniors. These are offered on weekdays beginning June 25 and ending August 17. Additionally while we cannot offer you the opportunity to sit in on a class, we do encourage you to contact any department in which you’re interested and see if someone is on campus during your visit that might be able to meet with you. If you cannot make it to campus, we offer tours and interviews and a host of other visit opportunities during the fall as well. Or if you do make it to campus this summer but want to see what W&M is like when classes are in session, we welcome you back for a second visit any time.
So somewhere between governor’s school, your part-time job, a road trip with friends, the family vacation, days at the pool/beach, summer reading assignments, concerts, an internship and whatever else you have planned, squeeze in a trip to W&M and make us part of how you spent your summer vacation.
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission
It’s just a day after commencement and I have landed in Arizona to await the arrival of 26 students enrolled in Geology 310: Regional Field Geology. The semester may be over, but the fun is not. Over the next three weeks we will traipse across the landscape of northern Arizona and Utah. We’ll study the geology of the Colorado Plateau from the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the top of the La Sal Mountains. This is the place where geologists go to see geology, well exposed and glorious. As access to the web permits, I’ll post status reports of our adventure.
Google Earth image of Arizona and Utah with the Geology 310 route outlined in orange.
Today I officially began my DC experience, and the first thing I experienced was the traffic. I know DC traffic is bad, but I wasn’t expecting to hit it around 2 in the afternoon. Where is everyone going at 2 in the afternoon? Well, I followed my garmin off the tangled and twisted highways surrounding DC and ended up lost in suburbia. I “arrived at my destination,” in front of a nice single family home. Nothing close to the massive apartment building I was looking for. Turns out I typed in the wrong number in the address, so I ended up at the complete opposite end of the street where I wanted to be. So far, so good right? I reprogrammed the garmin with the ‘right’ address and continued on. I finally found my apartment and proceeded to lug my stuff out of the car. If anyone ever should get an award for overpacking, I think I would be a strong contender. Every time I start packing to go anywhere, I can always justify filling every square inch of space I have. My car was no exception. I think at some point it became a challenge to see how much I could fit in it. Well, challenge accepted and conquered.
After unloading, attempting to unpack and realizing how futile that effort was, focusing on getting some vegetables from the store (you would be so proud mom!), I finally got to sit down to focus on what I was going to be doing this summer, studying national security. This meant doing the reading and journal articles for class the next morning. That’s when I realized how excited I was for the program to start. My homework consisted of a two page article about the how the US goes to war and the current US National Security Strategy, which was roughly 60 pages. This might sound like something you would read to help you fall asleep, but I was siked to read it! Nervous about how my journal’s would be critiqued, but excited nonetheless. Tomorrow classes start and it’s a bit terrifying, surreal, and exciting. I know it will be one of my most challenging experiences, but it could also be one of my most rewarding. I’m also still a little in disbelief that tomorrow I will be studying U.S. national security in our nation’s capital. There’s just something about that that gives me goosebumps.
Admit It! The top question on most applicants’ minds post May 1 is whether or not schools will go to their waitlists. We are definitely fielding a lot of questions about our waitlist, that’s for sure. The purpose of this blog is to give those of you still active on the waitlist a general update about W&M’s waitlist and what happens from here.
So why is part of the wait over? Because we can answer the question on all of your minds, will W&M activate its waitlist. The answer is yes. We are able to admit a small number of additional students to the entering class. The follow-up question of course is how many? That question doesn’t have a definitive answer. There are so many factors that contribute to building and completing a class and the number of students enrolled in the Class of 2016 changes every day. Some days the number goes up (new deposits from admitted students who were given an extension on the May 1 deadline for example). Other days the number goes down (students may have been admitted off a different school’s waitlist and choose to withdraw their W&M enrollment). So there’s no fixed number. We can tell you that it’s not so small as to be insignificant (like last year when we admitted literally 10-15 students from the waitlist) but not so large as to be sending a thick envelope to most of the students on the waitlist.
Okay, so the big question answered. The next question most people have is how does this work? Completing the class cannot be completed in a day, not even in a week. It’s definitely an ongoing process. Late last week and early this week, the regional deans culled together the most competitive students from their individual regions (remember, our waitlist is not ranked). We then presented those candidates and the most competitive among them will be the first to be contacted. Contact is first attempted by phone (we will call both the student’s cell and the home phone if both numbers are provided). Voicemails are left if the calls are not answered. An email is also sent from the regional dean to the student’s application email address if no one was reached by phone so PLEASE CHECK YOUR VOICEMAIL AND EMAIL. We know that you prefer to communicate by text or social media but there’s something that just doesn’t seem right about texting you something like “You got off the waitlist. LOL. Emoticon,” you know what I’m saying? The purpose of this call/email is to see whether the student is still interested in W&M (as much as we like to think W&M is da bomb – and it is – and therefore irresistible – which it totally is, there are absolutely students who respond affirmatively to the waitlist in March who by May are no longer interested). Those who remain interested will be offered admission. They then have two weeks to accept or reject our offer. As we get positive and negative responses we keep a close eye on the size of the class. Should the class remain at a shortfall after these initial offers are made, we will start the process over again and continue until the class is filled. That is why some of the waiting is still ahead of you and ahead of us.
All students remaining on the waitlist will receive an email update from us by mid-June. Additionally, just as a PSA on our office’s behalf, if you responded affirmatively to the waitlist but you no longer remain interested, please email admission@wm.edu and ask to be withdrawn (I realize that the likelihood of disinterested students still reading this blog is unlikely but a girl can try). So yes, the wait is and isn’t over. Helpful and not helpful all at the same time right? We are taking steps to complete our class as efficiently as we can and with your help, we will do just that.
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission
There has been a clock ticking away in my head for the past four years – one that has included mental alarms to many sets of firsts and lasts, checklists and detours that have occurred along the way – all leading to the ultimate goal – not simply graduation, but commencement. And it seems as if that little clock in my head is ticking more loudly these days, with Commencement weekend right around the corner, about to rear its head on the graduating class of 2012.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m beyond excited – excited to see old friends coming back to Williamsburg soon, excited to participate in all of these traditions that I’ve talked about for the past four years, and excited to have my experience at William & Mary as an undergraduate student end in such a positive way. But I can’t help but say that I’m experiencing an extreme case of jealousy. Of envy. Having my own personal battle with the green-eyed monster that was the feature of a favorite children’s book of mine growing up. It started slowly when the newest class of summer interviewers was selected. And was even intensified when I worked the day during Day For Admitted Students – seeing all of these wide-eyed and excited potential students on the very edge of the start of their journey at William & Mary. I am simply jealous. Jealous of the experiences that they will have over the next four years for those prospective students. Jealous of the summer that the newest class of interns is about to have – one filled with love, new experiences, kickball, new relationships, and the deepening of their relationship with William & Mary.
And as much as I am reluctant to admit it – even though I’m jealous, I’m beyond excited for these experiences that these people are on the verge of having. And maybe even a little sad that it’s time for all of these traditions that I’ve spent the past three years of giving tours talking about – the Commencement Walk, Candlelight, brunch at Professor Reed’s house for the Linguistics majors, Last Chance Dance – the list could continue.
Before I continue that list – I’ll stop. Because I could write of my love for William & Mary forever. And I’m excited that I’ll be continuing my blog into next year as a graduate student in the School of Education – just beginning to see how my connection to William & Mary will play out post-Commencement.
The spring semester is rushing towards its conclusion. Classes have ended, final exams are underway, and graduation is just over a week away. The Geology Department’s class of 2012 is an accomplished and talented group. As I’ve noted before, all geology majors complete a year-long, independent senior thesis—this project is part of what makes the Geology experience at William & Mary unique. This year’s senior research projects were wide-ranging, from investigations of fossil shark tooth morphology, to lead geochemistry in New England soils, to magnetic anomalies in the Blue Ridge, to Mesozoic rift basin formation, and beyond! Two Saturday’s ago, the department came together for Senior Research Saturday, an eventful symposium in which seniors presented their research to friends, families, faculty, and peers. They played to a packed house and talks were followed by a suitably celebratory reception.
The class of 2012 not only talked up their science on campus, but also took to the road and presented the results of their research at professional meetings from Charlottesville to Asheville to San Francisco. Doug Rowland’s research on arsenic in groundwater at Jamestown was even highlighted by the History Channel. W&M geology students do meaningful research—but being able to effectively communicate that research is an essential part of being a public scientist. We put a strong emphasis on presentations in the Geology department and it’s rewarding to have our students showcase their research on a larger stage.
Geology seniors Lyndsey Funkhouser (left) and Kevin Quinlan (right) talking up their research at professional meetings. Photos courtesy of Greg Hancock and Lorrie Coiner.
Earlier in the spring, our seniors led the departmental field trip and discussed their research at field sites from the Coastal Plain to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Watch a video from the trip and see for yourself! It is cool to see the geology seniors engaging their peers and teaching the faculty a thing or two! These activities don’t happen everywhere, but collaborative field trips and student leadership experiences are a delicious staple in the William & Mary Geology Department.
Due to the need to memorize 100 terms, several readings and three essays and a desire to watch a gut-wrenching 3OT loss by the Washington Capitals last night, I finished studying for my History of Christianity final a little later than expected. Also, with the need to review before my 9 a.m. final, I was up a little earlier than I would have liked. I may hate that I slept less than desired, and I may question what I’m doing when my alarm goes off at 6 a.m., but it’s all worth it. I underwent a strange experience this morning. All the stress of finals, my annoyance with the early hour and my grief at the Capital’s loss all instantly went away as soon as I stepped outside my dorm. Yeah, campus is that beautiful. Even more so in the morning. So beautiful in fact, that I felt obligated to share my walk with all of y’all!
My walk casually starts with a stroll down a wooded trail.
I eventually end up admiring the brand new Cohen Career Center and the Sadler Center.
I walk from one end of the Sunken Gardens...
...to the other.
I take a moment to admire the oldest (in-use) academic building in the country.
And finally my walk ends, as all good walks should, at Wawa food mart for a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee.
Admit It! admitted transfers, you’ve opened the “Good News” email, you’re psyched about potentially joining the Tribe and you’re trying to make those tough decisions that come with multiple proverbial thick envelopes. Well our Day for Admitted Transfers is designed to help answer your questions and to help you decide whether or not W&M is the next step in your educational journey (which we of course hope it is). So, looking for reasons to attend? We’ve got a list for that.
It’s Williamsburg in the spring. The flowers are blooming, the trees are green and the campus looks gorgeous (we’ll win you over with that if nothing else).
Free William & Mary swag, ‘nuf said.
Our tour guides are taking a break from studying for finals to give you all a tour. They’re excited to meet you and to show you around. Don’t leave them hanging.
Assistant Dean of Students, Ben Boone will be there. He LOVES transfers!
Kim Van Deusen will be there. You know her. She signed your admission email and admission letters. You’ve been emailing, faxing, calling, consulting, meeting with her for what seems like forever. She LOVES transfers the most!
The weather forecast looks pretty favorable (high in the low 80s and minimal chance of rain). We’ll take it.
The Admission Ambassadors have been working hard for months to ensure you have a great day. They won’t let you down.
Faculty and administrators from numerous departments will be on hand to introduce you to their programs and to answer your questions.
The Griffin has been repping our admitted transfer students in style. Don’t give him a reason to change his wardrobe.
What’s better than a chance to meet and network with the students, faculty and staff who will be integral to the next few years of your life? We’re all here to show you the meaning of One Tribe and to convince you to become a part of it.
So register for the event, set your GPS to Williamsburg and come see W&M for yourself. We hope you decide it’s so great that you won’t want to leave. If that’s the case, submit your enrollment deposit and officially join the Tribe!
Wendy Livingston ’03, M.Ed. ‘09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission
