Post by Ardbeg... innit on May 30, 2007 9:07:44 GMT -6
I had to put a short trip report together of my recent trip to Williamsburg VA for the graduation of my daughter Heather from the College of William and Mary, mostly because the overall cost of that trip was borderline 6 figures due to paying 4 years of out of state tuition.
For those who are not familiar with W&M, it is the second oldest university in the US, founded by the Royal Charter of King William III of England in 1693.
W&M's most famous graduate was Thomas Jefferson. The showcase building on campus, the Wren Building, was in classroom use when Jefferson was a student there. More recently Glen Close, Jon Stewart, and current Sec of Defense Robert Gates are notable graduates. The Gates gave a VERY GOOD keynote speech at the Commencement, admonishing students for ignoring their poor record on utilizing their right to vote, and in general following the theme of the previous day's Bacclauriate speech, that current students are TOO RESPECTFUL of my generations handling of the nation's affairs and needed to challenge their elders.
W&M is also one of the most difficult public University's to get into, and one of the toughest academically. For the class of 2007 over 11,000 applied, 1300 were admitted, 1070 graduated, and only 4 had perfect 4.00 GPA's. W&M follows a more European model than most American universities, in that you do not earn 'honors' based on grade point. To graduate with honors, a student must write a Senior Thesis, which demonstrates the students ability to integrate knowledge across the classes that they have taken, and then defend that thesis in front of a panel of at least 3 professors, much like Masters students must face. Heather graduated with a 3.44 GPA, with Honors, with a BA in History. Her thesis was regarding the clothing choices Queen Elizabeth I of England made during her lifetime.
A few photos from graduation day...
Heather (on left) with one of her sorority sisters
Left to Right: My father, myself, Heather, my wife Ann, her mother
The Rest of the Week:
After graduation we spent the week playing tourist in the Williamsburg area. If you have never visited Colonial Williamsburg, do yourself a favor and plan a trip. It is one of the finest examples of historical recreations ANYWHERE. Most of the historical area was completely rebuilt since the 1930's funded primarily by the Rockefellers. The historical area is about 1 1/2 miles long and about half that in width. There are MANY shops where trained artisans practice crafts typical of the colonial era, in addition to many homes of notable historic figures and the original Virginia statehouse.
Heather is taking a year or two off before going to grad school. She currently works as an interpreter as Colonial Williamsburg. Most of the CW employees that the public meets are interpreters, and they dress in period outfits. Here is Heather in her outfit...
Wandering around CW you are not only likely to meet interpreters dressed as common people, but you most likely will meet Washington, Lafayette, Gov Dunbar, and others.
After 3 days of Colonial Williamsburg, we wandered down to Jamestown, site of the first permanent British colony in the hemisphere. Jamestown has been given a major fix up for its 400th Anniversary celebration a few weeks ago. One day in Jamestown and another a few miles up the road at Yorktown pretty much used up the week.
For those who are not familiar with W&M, it is the second oldest university in the US, founded by the Royal Charter of King William III of England in 1693.
W&M's most famous graduate was Thomas Jefferson. The showcase building on campus, the Wren Building, was in classroom use when Jefferson was a student there. More recently Glen Close, Jon Stewart, and current Sec of Defense Robert Gates are notable graduates. The Gates gave a VERY GOOD keynote speech at the Commencement, admonishing students for ignoring their poor record on utilizing their right to vote, and in general following the theme of the previous day's Bacclauriate speech, that current students are TOO RESPECTFUL of my generations handling of the nation's affairs and needed to challenge their elders.
W&M is also one of the most difficult public University's to get into, and one of the toughest academically. For the class of 2007 over 11,000 applied, 1300 were admitted, 1070 graduated, and only 4 had perfect 4.00 GPA's. W&M follows a more European model than most American universities, in that you do not earn 'honors' based on grade point. To graduate with honors, a student must write a Senior Thesis, which demonstrates the students ability to integrate knowledge across the classes that they have taken, and then defend that thesis in front of a panel of at least 3 professors, much like Masters students must face. Heather graduated with a 3.44 GPA, with Honors, with a BA in History. Her thesis was regarding the clothing choices Queen Elizabeth I of England made during her lifetime.
A few photos from graduation day...
Heather (on left) with one of her sorority sisters
Left to Right: My father, myself, Heather, my wife Ann, her mother
The Rest of the Week:
After graduation we spent the week playing tourist in the Williamsburg area. If you have never visited Colonial Williamsburg, do yourself a favor and plan a trip. It is one of the finest examples of historical recreations ANYWHERE. Most of the historical area was completely rebuilt since the 1930's funded primarily by the Rockefellers. The historical area is about 1 1/2 miles long and about half that in width. There are MANY shops where trained artisans practice crafts typical of the colonial era, in addition to many homes of notable historic figures and the original Virginia statehouse.
Heather is taking a year or two off before going to grad school. She currently works as an interpreter as Colonial Williamsburg. Most of the CW employees that the public meets are interpreters, and they dress in period outfits. Here is Heather in her outfit...
Wandering around CW you are not only likely to meet interpreters dressed as common people, but you most likely will meet Washington, Lafayette, Gov Dunbar, and others.
After 3 days of Colonial Williamsburg, we wandered down to Jamestown, site of the first permanent British colony in the hemisphere. Jamestown has been given a major fix up for its 400th Anniversary celebration a few weeks ago. One day in Jamestown and another a few miles up the road at Yorktown pretty much used up the week.
