Everything you wish you knew before coming to William & Mary

“William and Mary? Is that a community college?” is a common thing to hear when you’re both a Nutmegger and a member of the Tribe. For the average Connecticut student, it’s rare to go somewhere other than UConn, let alone all the way out of New England.

Even with the confused looks and questions, making the trek to W&M is worth it. But there are a few things I wish I had known before move-in day.

Everyone is from Nova

For the first week of classes, I wondered why there were so many students from Villanova. We out-of-staters share the same unspoken confusion at a language that only belongs to Virginians.

Finally learning what people mean when they say Nova or RVA feels like you’re in on the secret. That is, until your friends inevitably discuss that thing that happened in Fairfax five years ago, or the football rivalry between the high schools in Norfolk. Then it’s back to just smiling and nodding along.

You’re living in a history buff-filled swamp

Cannons blast in the background as you walk across campus. People walk around in their colonial garb without a second thought.

The swampy atmosphere will bring about allergies you never knew you had. The heat and humidity are nearly unbearable, and while you’re far enough south to frequently hear “y’all”, you’re not southern enough to be guaranteed an air conditioner.

Wawa and Swemromas are essential

Swemromas coffee is as essential to life as the humid air you breathe in Williamsburg. Late night study sessions revolve around Wawa mac and cheese.

Even though you may have never set foot in either store before coming to William & Mary, expect to spend all your money there while you’re on campus.

The freshman fifteen is real

We all complain about the food in the dining halls, but when you do swipe into Sadler, all of your meals will consist of pizza and fries. One meal swipe gets you unlimited ice cream, and who wants to walk all the way to the rec when you could go get Q’doba at late night with your friends?

…But you’ll never use all of your meal swipes

When all of your money is dumped towards Wawa mac and cheese, Aromas coffee, and takeout from Peter Chang, you never really use all of your meal swipes. Even with Gold 14, you’ll have the opportunity to swipe into Commons five times for ice cream and coffee on Tuesday nights, before your swipes for the week reset.

Early-semester mail will arrive late

Your Amazon Prime account won’t do any good against the rush of mail at the beginning of each semester. From the understocked shelves of the bookstore to all the students trying to save money, everyone will order their textbooks online.

Even if your Amazon account says your books have been delivered, you might not get them until a week later. And you’ll inevitably be stuck standing in line for twenty minutes to pick them up.

In college, 8am is early

To the high-schooler who was up by 5:30 every morning, an 8 o’clock class sounds like heaven. It doesn’t take long to realize all of the fun in college happens past 11, and you’re stuck making the choice between sleep and hanging out with friends all night. We all know what you’re going to pick, so make sure to have lots of coffee in your dorm.

There is a such thing as too many extra-curriculars

Without a doubt, you will write your email on at least 15 sign-up sheets during the clubs and activities fair during orientation. Just about every club sounds appealing – so many more choices than high school!

But be warned – as much as it seems like you now have hours of free time, between classes, studying, and just hanging out in your dorm, trying to write for ten literary journals or join five intramural teams is probably a bad idea.

The time here will fly

It will simultaneously feel like you’ve been here your whole life, and like it’s all gone by in an instant without you realizing it. From all the craziness of starting college and the quirkiness of W&M, life here can be a little stressful. But between the late nights, unpreparedness, and lessons on Virginia slang, you’ll realize you wouldn’t want your college experience any other way.