Williamsburg, VA

[Sonic]

I'm a few weeks away from the admitted weekend at the College of William and Mary, but it's currently my top choice and I'll almost definitely be moving there in August. Any information about the town and surrounding area would be greatly appreciated!

[running_circle]

Yea...any information would be great....

I was also wondering how much should one expect to spend on groceries per month. I currently live in Europe, and have heard from people that shopping for food in the US is quite cheap compared to the other side of the Atlantic. Would $200 be enough for one month?

Moreover, how is Williamsburg as a town.

[karenwog]

I'd like to know about this town as well, as I am accepting a position at the Master's in American Studies. From what I can learn online, i get that W&M is a school full of "nerds." not that this is hugely horrible by any means, but is there a lot of truth to that statement? Is it odd that the campus is basically Colonial Williamsburg? How about housing-- where do grad students live? There is no craigslisting for Williamsburg so I'm a little lost when it comes to the housing information.

Thank you!

[Sonic]

From the website, it seems the school provides some graduate student housing in the form of a shared apartment complex. Unfortunately I've not been able to find much other information about alternative housing, costs, what it would be like to park there. I'm hoping things will be clearer once I visit. Are you going to be attending any Visit Days, Karenwog?

[karenwog]

i actually am not attending any visiting days-- i can't take the time off from work (lame, i know). i found some helpful off campus resources: http://www.wm.edu/sharpefellowship/index.php

it is old (from 2003) but still, a start. Also, there is a page on wm.edu called the CIU or something and there are posts for roommates, housing, etc (kind of like their own craigslist). Hope that helps!

[snagsby52]

Hi. I grew up in Williamsburg, and it is a nice smaller town. If you want a big bar scene then it is not the place for you, but the William and Mary campus is gorgeous, and the professors are wonderful. The undergrads are really smart, so any teaching experience will be an enjoyable experience. Rent will be cheap. I'm not sure how cheap, but I assume pretty cheap, because my brother has a SMALL HOUSE and they only pay $900 a month. I will get more info and post again.

Bars to go to: The Green Leafe; The Corner Pocket (I personally don't go anywhere else when I'm home.) The Corner Pocket is also a pool hall.

If you want the intense nightlife, you travel an hour up to Richmond (which is an hour away, but a straight shot.)

Here is a list of good restaurants:

Nawab (decent Indian food)

La Tolteca and Pancho Villa (Mexican food)

Soya (amazing japanese food, but about a ten min. drive from campus. Believe me, if you like japanese food, it is worth it.)

Thai Emerald (which is a trip up towards Busch Gardens 10-15 min from campus.)

The Blue Talon (very expensive, but good french food to have once in a while. Not as expensive for lunch.

Giuseppes (not too expensive Italian food)

Lighter fare:

The Cheese Shop (for takeout sandwiches and good cheese)

The Corner Pocket (for salads and sandwiches)

and Aromas is a nice coffeeshop downtown to hang out and study in.

Anyway, you should visit in order to see whether you want to live in Williamsburg. It is best to have a car, but some students seem to get by without one.

[snagsby52]

ps. to running_circle: I think that $200/ a month will be enough for groceries. The town is not really expensive. The best grocery store is Ukrops. I would avoid Bloom even though it is closer to campus...

The Fresh Market has more expensive food, but for specialty items, it is sometimes nice to go there.

To others: The campus is next to (in) Colonial Williamsburg, but you will only run into tons of people in costume if you go farther down the Duke of Gloucester Street. It is a really a chill town, but some people might think it is boring...and the students are a mixed bag from conservative to ultra liberal. Some of the W&M are kind of "nerds," some of them care too much about their sororities/fraternities, but a lot of them are really cool and just like school. I've met a few American Studies grad students, and one in particular was really awesome.

If you are doing American studies then you should definitely take a class from Susan Donaldson. She is unbelievably smart and awesome--love her. If you are going to W&M for History, then you should take classes from Katherine Levitan (19th C. British History) and Dale Hoak (16th&17th C. British).

Good luck!

[sderek]

how much does it cost to rent a apartment complex?

[sderek]

I am an international student and I'm coming to William&Mary in August.

Since I am a big badminton fan, I 'd like to know something about badminton in Williamsburg.

Do you have an easy access to badminton courts? The fee affordable? Many fans like it?

[mywei]

I am an international student and I'm coming to William&Mary in August.

Since I am a big badminton fan, I 'd like to know something about badminton in Williamsburg.

Do you have an easy access to badminton courts? The fee affordable? Many fans like it?

I might be wrong but I think there's a badminton club in the university. You can always switch to tennis =)

[BakedPotatoSoup]

Reviving this thread to see if anything has changed in Williamsburg over the past several years.

There's a pretty good chance I'm headed to William and Mary this fall, and I'm curious about the general price range for apartments off campus. W&M does offer graduate housing, but I'm exploring all my options. 

How is the city nowadays in terms of stuff to do? For the record, I'll have a car.

[msnotmrs]

On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 9:47 AM, BakedPotatoSoup said:

Reviving this thread to see if anything has changed in Williamsburg over the past several years.

There's a pretty good chance I'm headed to William and Mary this fall, and I'm curious about the general price range for apartments off campus. W&M does offer graduate housing, but I'm exploring all my options. 

How is the city nowadays in terms of stuff to do? For the record, I'll have a car.

Hi! I went to W&M undergrad and was friends with a group of grad students in my department senior year, so hopefully I can be somewhat helpful  Two of my friends lived in a 2 bed/1 bath that I think was ~450 each (so $900 total), but don't quote me on that (if you're coming from any sort of major city, Williamsburg is SO cheap in comparison). They lived in Lawson Apartments which I would recommend due to proximity to campus, groceries/Walgreens, etc, and the fact that it's not overrun by undergrads. I also knew some people who lived in the graduate housing their first year, and it's a good option. It's pretty standard quality, but in a nice area (right next to the law school) and accessible to the campus by bus/car.

I loved W&M, but Williamsburg is definitely not the most lively town. The touristy stuff is good to do at least during your first few weeks there, and there are a few bars right next to campus (but they can get pretty old). Richmond is only ~1 hr away and a really fun, artsy place to visit - I wish I had gone more often during undergrad. It'll definitely be helpful to have a car.