The University of Mary Washington

Firstly, UMW is a small VA state school- don't hope for an atmosphere (in classroom and socially as well) like VAtech and JMU. I've found those places to be obnoxious GreekLife-OrDie, and are good for the occasional weekend binge of substances as a visit to a friend.

There seems to be a lot angry posters on this board- so I figured I'd add my own input and set the record straight.

I would be willing to bet that most people who have rated UMW poorly in the social life are expecting to walk out on a Saturday night, and be welcomed into any party they know is going on. I'd go as far to say that they've made little attempt to meet people that host such beer-soaked gatherings, and have been told it's not chill if they stay.

I swam for a year and a half, and moved onto playing men's rugby (guys, you're always welcome to tryout)- they have easily given me an outlet to go out each and every weekend. UMW has no greek life (if you don't count the kids in PsiU, who simply can't find a social scene, so pretend they have a legitimate one... no really, ask ANYONE) and sports teams may seem to lead the social scene at first. But, they're not the only ones with houses off campus; and you'll find that to be true.

Social life is all about meeting people at UMW- be friendly and outgoing, and not only will you end up partying with those people, you'll end up being good buddies with them. I've met my girlfriend and some of my best friends just by not being timid- go out, have fun, and get laid!

I apologize to anyone that read the messages on this board and was deterred or scared off by some of the other comments. Once you're at UMW you'll be able to spot the people that complain about 'no social life' ... and it's no coincidence that they have no Social Skills.

I look forward to seeing you all sometime, I have one more year of fun at UMW before the real world- I could only hope to have as many great memories in the future, as I had in the past 3 at MaryWash.-Class of 2011

3rd Year Male -- Class 2011

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Education Quality: B

Mary Washington is one of the most unrecognized schools in the country and thankfully remains unpretentious about it. With academics that rival our former sister school, UVA, our professors are some of the top in their field - incredible considering our size and price. A few ex's: We have the VA poet laureate as a member of English faculty, as a philosophy major I have been able to study Postmodernism as a Junior (course work usually reserved for graduates even in the Ivy Leagues) with a professor who studied in France at it's inception (for those of you unfamiliar - the place of it's inception) and my Arabic professor is the director of the language program at the Mid-East Studies institute in D.C. and has taught at Harvard and G-town. While some may berate our university for lack of social life (note EVERY negative review of the school on this website) one quickly realizes that after freshman year - you won't have time to be partying every night and simultaneously meet academic standards. For that reason it may be fair to say that if you are interested in partying for the next four years or fading into the background and becoming one of the living dead behind countless scantrons marked by graduate teaching assistants, by all means withhold your application - but if you are interested in EARNING a degree from a distinguished faculty who will push you and who are willing to sacrifice their own academic endeavors to help you, all for one of the lowest prices in the country - get on your computer and apply.

I'll note one final thing about the negativity spewing from the opposite end of the spectrum on this website - many people that apply to Mary Washington don't really understand what a small school is. We have an undergraduate pop. of about 4,500 - you will get to know everyone and whoever these 'snooty' and 'cliquey' people are we keep hearing about don't/won't last long in an environment like this. It eventually comes back to bite them in the ass - but none of reviewers seemed to stick around long enough to see it. The people here are incredibly friendly, open and outgoing - and I'm not exactly what you would call conservative. Indeed - campus walk can sometimes be overwhelming with people greeting you all over the place. To wrap up - if you are a self-motivated person interested in taking advantage of one of the best academic programs in the country but don't want to be in debt for it for the next quarter of your life - I highly suggest submitting an application. This school is big enough to find whatever kind of friends you want if you take the time, but small enough to have regular lunch dates with your professors - doesn't get much better in my mind.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2011

Education Quality: A+, Social Life: B+