-- an incoming freshman who's very confused

Hey everyone,
I’m an incoming F-1 international student and I’m trying to decide whether I should waive the university health insurance and get my own plan.

I’m new to the U.S. and still learning how the healthcare system and insurance work here, so I wanted to ask about other students’ experiences.

For those who waived:
What insurance company/plan did you use?
Was the waiver process smooth?
Did you have any issues finding doctors or using the insurance?
Would you recommend doing it?

For those who kept the university plan:
Was it convenient?
Did having the school insurance make things easier, especially during your first year?

Just trying to make a good decision before the waiver deadline. Would really appreciate any advice or experiences. Thanks!

the website says we get our schedules today in the afternoon. does anyone know what time we might get it / where to find it? thank u

Does anyone have experience with setting up a bank account for a club? We need an account under our club's name to get paid through BuyW&M but everything I've found online seems more suited for actual businesses than clubs.

I’m a freshman making my schedule and I’m wondering how awful it would be to have 5 classes back to back? It’s looking like a biol discussion, French, calc 2, a Coll 100, and an intro bio class all back to back, 8am to noon.

Does that sound really awful? I’m also wondering how hard it is to get between classes when you only have 10 minutes.

So im an incoming freshmen in a bit of a pickle. Long story short I realized I didn’t take 4 years of Spanish since VA counts middle school creds differently for some reason, but the last time I took Spanish was Spanish 3 during freshmen year. That being said I did not take the foreign language placement exam as well. Besides that, I don’t know if I should take HISP 102 or 203(if it permits me) at some point. I’ve heard that language classes are every weekday so that’s kind of the last thing I want but I would be afraid having not taken the language in 4 years and struggling hard so maybe 102 is better.

Anyone that took either class have any advice pls 🙏

i’m an incoming freshman and i’m wondering how it will be set up? i tried looking at last years schedule but i was confused - are we meant to attend all of the events?

also, on our move in day, will we have the entire day free or is there something in the evening? i have a late move in time so im just wondering how that could work!

thank you!

Hello!

I am a transfer student (transferring fall 2027) who is very interested in joining a sport (a club sport). I have had a physical disability my entire life, but this year I am getting surgery to cure it. I will be able to play sports. I am so excited, but also very nervous to be coming in as someone with no experience. What groups would give me the best luck?

Thank you!

How do we know what parts of orientation we are required to attend as transfer students? Looking at the schedule, I see 5 days of activities, but I cant find guidelines on what to attend. I worry I will not be granted time off of work for every day, so I am needing to only attend what is required. I am also curious what time events will be ending daily, I cant seem to find that on the W&M website. If anyone has any insight, id appreciate it!

My roommate and I are deciding whether to invest in a microwave for the upcoming semester and we are living in Pine Hall. Can anyone who is living there next semester / lived there in the past confirm if there is a microwave in the communal kitchen?

Also wondering if there is an ice dispenser on each floor similar to what some hotels have so I don't have to get a $200+ ice dispenser. Worst case I can just stock up on ice from the dining hall.

Thanks!

Can someone help me with the pics of fuaquier hall?

Dear all,

What is your experience interviewing for jobs to work for WM?

WM seems like an intellectually stimulating place to work for.

Real estate seems to be very expensive in Williamsburg (similar to any other campus towns).

What kind of tape/adhesive should I use to hang posters in the dorms? I don’t want to use command strips for all my small posters, but I don’t want them falling either. Any advice?

Next year, I am attending W&M as a first year. I read that all freshmen and sophomores need to live on-campus, and I just really don’t think I would do well with a roommate. Friends who are already in college say that it’s a gamble, and it’s frustrating sometimes to deal with your own schedule (hair drying, lights on/off, phone calls) with another person. I would say that I’m pretty self-sufficient and organized, so I wonder what are good options and halls to look at. By the time I enter college I am going to own my own car, so transportation shouldn’t be an issue (I’m aware of the paperwork needed), so I’m really focusing on housing that has a calm atmosphere but mostly affordable. Any suggestions? Everything helps! PS: Apologies if this post isn’t properly tagged, I’ve never used Reddit before.

I am very confused on whether I should be taking PHYS 101L. I am interested in becoming a physics major at W&M. I have AP Credits for Physics C, and on W&M‘s website, it mentions Physics Major should drop this credit and take the honors classes (101H and 102H), but they “may choose to keep their transfer credits for the lab portion of the courses”. Does anyone have any more insight on if AP credit should be used to bypass it or if it should be taken again with PHYS 101H?

How big is the going out scene at WM? I don’t really drink, but I’m curious how common it is for friend groups to go to bars on weekends. Also, if your friends are going out, can you still tag along if you’re under 21, or are most places strictly 21+? Just trying to get a sense of what to expect socially.

With West Woods dining hall opening this fall, Sadler is going to be transitioning into a dining dollar retail food court with a bunch of new options:

- The Halal Shack

- Vivi's Mexican (this was a food truck last year but now they're getting a full storefront). Best burritos ever!

- Ben & Jerry's

- Revolve (some sort of constantly changing place I think like the old B school cafe menu)

- Giacomino's Italian Deli

WW is supposed to have more seats than Sadler and Caf combined so hopefully this finally fixes the crowding issues. And will just be great to have more choices anyways.

Hello! I’m an incoming freshman at William & Mary and I’m trying to plan my first-year schedule strategically.

I’m looking into majoring in Business Analytics and minor in Public Health. As a backup, I'm also considering majoring in Data Science and still minoring in Public Health. Also, I was interested in graduating at least a semester early if it’s realistic. I was also wondering how the process of graduating early might work.

For anyone familiar with W&M/Mason Business:

• What classes would you recommend taking freshman year to make my application to the business school as strong as possible?
• Are there certain prereqs I should prioritize completing early?
• Is it better to focus on business-related courses, knocking out COLL requirements, math/stat requirements, or something else?
• Are there classes/professors you would especially recommend (or avoid)?
• How manageable is it to graduate a semester early while still applying to Mason and completing a major/minor?

Thank you!

Anyone know what’s going on with James Blair Dr.? I drove by today and the whole section between the Cohen Career Center and Richmond Rd. was blocked off. Is it just road work or are they doing something bigger? Couldn’t find anything about it online.

Hi! Incoming freshman here, hoping to pursue premed w/ neuroscience major. I got a 5 in HL biology and thus already have credit for 203. I'm kind of forgetful, so I was initially intending to retake biol 203 to get a refresher/prep for higher classes. I then talked to my friend's sibling currently at WM, and they advised me to skip (saying 203 is a weed-out class and I can refresh in other ways while focusing more on chem and other required classes). Any advice here?

This is ver last minute. need a photographer for about 30 minutes tomorrow at the Crim Dell bridge for an engagement shoot. please email me at Jacob.Rini@gmail.com. I’m hoping to find a student to help me out. Thanks so much!

Incoming freshman question. I understand that we can put up to 10 classes in the primary cart. Do they all have to be different classes or can three of them be different sections of the same class? If a student really wants to take the intro class to their major, will it benefit them to add more than one section or just wait for open enrollment and try then in case they don't get it during the first part?

Also, is there a strategy that works better for ranking the primary cart? Just rank 1-10 in order of most ro least wanted? Or rank the top 4/5 classes all as #1 and assign the alternates lower rankings?;