William & Mary Weekend

The Princeton Review once said of William and Mary, my alma mater, that it's "where fun goes to die." And I don't know why, but for some reason that makes me really proud! With the exception of Spencer, graduating from W&M is my most proud accomplishment.

Kappas on Graduation Day 2004

Just received my Diploma, which was written entirely in Latin!  

William and Mary diplomas are written in Latin because we are BIG on tradition and that's how it was done back in 1693.  In the Colonial days of yore, English was still considered "vulgar" and "common;" Latin was the language of the scholars.  It all goes back to the real days of Roman yore, when Latin was the language that united all the learned folk throughout Europe.  Diplomas were written in Latin, the common language of all the educated elite,  as a means of ensuring that your qualified status would be recognized no matter where you were.  

Here are a few fast W&M facts:

• Founded in 1693, it's the Nation's 2nd oldest University
• Located in historic Williamsburg, VA
• Ranked #32 out of all the colleges and universities, public and private
• Ranked #3 out all public colleges and universities
• Ranked #1 in Best Value Colleges
• Ranked #1 for Best Small Colleges and Universities
• The average GPA of an accepted applicant is 4.0
• The average SAT 25%-75% score is 1250-1450
• The average Writing SAT score is 620-710
• They accept only 30% of all their applicants
• Home of the first Honor Code- and let me tell you, it's strict!
• Undergraduate Enrollment is 5,850
• Average GPA of a graduating senior- 2.7 (mine was 3.2)
• Founder of the first Honors Society, Phi Beta Kappa
• Famous Graduates include, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Tyler, Henry Clay, John Marshall, John Stewart, Glenn Close, Mike Tomlin, Bill Lawrence (Scrubs creator and writer), Perry Ellis, and Michael K. Powell

W&M gets a lot of flack for having geeky students who spend Friday nights in the library. You would spend a lot of nights in the library, too, if you were told on day one that "C is the new A." And while I spent many a Friday night studying, I also had the best college experience I could've ever hoped to have. I made the best friends, both from my freshman hall and my sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. I learned so much while being there and I got to meet (meaning I spoke to them and they spoke back to me) fascinating people, including Henry Kissenger and Margaret Thatcher.

Statue of Lord Botetourt. You always rub his shoe before a big test or final.

So why am I telling you all this today? Because I'm going there tomorrow!! It's been over two years since I've been back and tomorrow I'm going with my sorority sisters, Alexis and Brandi. I can't tell you how excited I am. My mom is watching the kiddo for the night while we play around the 'Burg. The weather is supposed to be sunny and in the 70's, a perfect Williamsburg day.

Graduation, Lexie, Brandi, Me

I plan on taking many, many pictures of my old stomping ground, so be prepared. Do ya'll have any fun weekend plans?