The College of William & Mary said YES!

holy shit ya'll. the College of William & Mary said yes to grad school! sweet god in heaven i never thought THAT would happen. they only take 33% of applicants! it's the second oldest school in the nation (founded in 1693) after Harvard! It's in Williamsburg, VA, site of Colonial Williamsburg (where they have people dress up and do blacksmithing, etc). They are offering me no funding whatsoever, which is tricky (11-12k per semester just for tuition), but i'm pretty much in the same boat at Purdue (i applied for a TA position in women's studies but i may not get it). however, let's focus on how shocking and amazing it is that i got into this school:

fun facts: w&m has a lot of secret societies and had the first ones (take that, skull and bones at yale!). thomas jefferson went there, jon stewart was class of '84, it had the first law school (and still one of the best, today), and a ton of other important people (like supreme court justices) are alumns. Phi Beta Kappa was founded there in 1776 and it has a huge greek life (but no greek life for grad students).

fun fact from wikipedia: Unofficial traditions include the Triathlon, a set of three tasks to be completed by each student prior to graduation. These include jumping the wall of the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg after hours, and if so inclined, running through the Boxwood Maze to the Palace itself, steaking through the Sunken Gardens, and swimming in the Crim Dell.

Another unofficial tradition, which the College administration attempts to quell each year, occurs on the last day of classes in the spring and is referred to by the students as "Blowout." On this day, it is customary to wake up early, begin drinking before one's classes, and show to up to class intoxicated and spend the rest of the day at the numerous keg parties which are always held. On this day, a student can win a t-shirt claiming they stayed sober on that day if they blow a .00 into a breathalizer, which is usually administered by a student group at the Sunken Gardens.

Crazy! There is also a lot of drama surrounding the recent departure of their president, and that info can be found here: http://jezebel.com/356171/state-fires-college-president-for-hosting-sex-workers-art-show (via Jezebel, my favorite blog ever)

YAY ME! i still want to go to UT, but i'm hopeful that if i got into w&m, i might get into UT? maybe?? please? i should know by this week! (also waiting on UMassBoston, but unless they offer me a full ride that's a no).

one last quote: "William and Mary can make a good case for being the most selective public college in America. Its size . . . is ideal, the envy of a good many prestigious private colleges. Its setting and its own lush campus . . . provide the stuff calendars are made of. Its academic program . . . is no nonsense, followed by impressive placement in graduate schools and jobs." Richard Moll, author of The Public Ivys: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities.