Both of my kids were interested in remaining in state and only one applied and was accepted. The…read morefocus for this review is their oldest building on campus that's is now having a major overhaul. Reconstruction of the Wren Building on the campus of William & Mary began Fall 2025. The Sir Christopher Wren Building at William & Mary is the oldest college building still standing in the United States and the oldest of the restored public buildings in Williamsburg. It was constructed between 1695 and 1700, before Williamsburg was founded, when the capital of the colony of Virginia was still located at Jamestown, and the tract of land between the James and York rivers which was to become Williamsburg was populated by crude timber buildings and known as "Middle Plantation." The Wren Building has been gutted by fire three times -- in 1705, 1859 and 1862. Each time the interior of the structure was rebuilt, and for more than three centuries, it has been "the soul of the College." In the building, generations of William & Mary students have attended classes and lectures, enjoyed meals and attended classes. The most honored tradition however of graduation exercises takes place here. The reconstruction is not expected to be complete until the 2026-2027 school year.

I visited part of the W&M campus in mid-October 2023. It's lovely to walk through the grounds and…read moreview the historic buildings. The colonial architecture from England is a prominent theme throughout the campus. The Wren Building (perhaps the oldest college building in the United States) appears similar in design to the Royal Hospital of Chelsea (in London). The Sadler Center is a modern hub for student activities and socializing. It's a great building to visit if students are on campus as it can give you a sense of the campus vibe. The undergraduate students appear to outnumber graduate students (the law school is on a separate campus). I noticed one possible downside. While the campus is lovely, it does appear to be a "bubble" since it is physically isolated from a traditional community of local residents. Being physically next to Colonial Williamsburg - a mecca for tourists and Virginia middle school tour groups - may seem appealing at first. But it could grow old after a year or two.

Can't comment much about the actual courses and professors here, but I can say their campus is…read morequiet picturesque. It really is a beautiful campus, even the law school, and makes you feel like you've been transported back in time with their colonial designs and small town feel. Moreover, there is great deal of small shops and eateries in "downtown" Williamsburg which is within 10 minutes walking distance. Some issues I have found are that their dorms are kind of old and really need a renovation, very bad T-mobile reception in the area (though great Wifi connection), and little to do (think there is like only one bar in the area...).

My cousin had his graduation here and the security people were extremely rude and disrespectful. My…read moregreat aunt Dorothy has one lung and vascular disease in her legs which makes it hurt her legs to walk very far and hard to breathe at the same time. After the ceremony there were pictures outside, which happened to be on the complete opposite side of the handicap parking lot which we thought would help her with the walking. When we were done with pictures we explained to them very politely if we could cut through the building to make the walk a straight shot (instead of walking all the way around the building because it is near impossible and causes excruciating pain) and they told us to go away and that they couldn't help us. Is it that hard to make an exception for elders who can't help what they go through? We then had to walk all the way around the building, taking multiple breaks, which resulted in my aunt being in excruciating due to her legs and barely able to breathe. She could have been seriously injured and possibly have to go to the hospital to help her due to the poor minded and inconsiderate security this college had. Do not count on this place to help you in any situation, security my ass!

I started out with a problem here. Long story short, transitioning to Richmond, Virginia has been a…read morebumpy ride and this particular segment of road was about to set me off. I wanted to register for classes. This is a beautiful campus that just pops up driving down Route 1 just passed a Target. Multiple buildings, which take some getting used to and a parking situation that I most certainly will need to figure out are interlaced with sidewalks and, from what I could see, a few summertime students. Counselors have extended hours on Mondays (until 7pm) to accommodate those of us who have to go to work everyday. However, this is on a walk-in basis and by the time I arrived, I had followed a line of people who would be keeping to the two counselors busy for the remainder of the office hours. I sent an email to a director in the counseling department to express my dissatisfaction with what appeared to be an unaccommodating system that not only made it an impossibility to accomplish the necessary preregistration counseling, but really had no valid workaround procedures. I was glad that I reached out to get more information. I was directed through a chain of responsible parties until I reached my counselor who obliged to an evening meeting on a day other than Monday (A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT!!). The counselor got me all squared away and setup and ready to go. To have this stress eliminated is beyond a relief (because of the steps that can start rolling now that this is done). I haven't taken a class yet, but what I can hope is that the teachers have the same approach to connecting with the students. That will make this next year a breeze.

I will say John Tyler is the best two year college in town. I have attend John Tyler for many many…read moreyears. I never ever meet a teacher I didn't like or I didn't get along with at all. They are always there to help you if you need it after class. I am seriously thinking about coming back to work on another degree. I highly recommend John Tyler.

If you're looking for a school with good academics, great culture, strong work ethic, and great…read morevalue then look elsewhere. This university is a scam and only exists because founders and current admin have strong connections to the state government to fund it. Most students do not succeed well or are not set up for success after college. The school highlights it's scholarship program PLP and leadership classes which is a joke of a program especially when the accept everyone who applies. This is Virginia, go to any other of our wonderful universities that are top in the nation and that don't have to skew data to certain regions and criteria to seem better than they really are.

My daughter never considered CNU as it was simply too far a drive from home (2 hours further than…read moreher current school). That was the only reason...more than 6 1/2 hours from where we are in Jersey was just too far. We actually came down to campus last spring for her spring track conference championships. Wifey and I were blown away At this beautiful and immaculately groomed campus. It was like something out of a movie...everything in bloom and not a blade of grass seemed to be out of place. There seemed to be a lot to do around the campus and off campus, a bunch of great places to eat, and it seemed like a pretty safe area. I don't know about their academic offerings, but CNU has an amazingly strong athletic program and the teams seem to solidly support each other. Pretty good deal for in-state tuition too.

Wow wow oh wow, what a rich history the knowledge the amazing time and we only saw a few of the…read moresites we have to go back to see the rest before they are deleted from history. Legacy park, the emancipation oak just so much to see

Review of Hampton University - Returning Parent Perspective…read more My student is entering her second year at Hampton University. I have been pleased with the educational department, the faculty, and the overall campus environment. However, like many HBCUs, the campus is in dire need of repairs--air conditioning, elevators, and other essential facilities are outdated or frequently out of service. The most frustrating and disappointing aspect of our experience has been the Financial Aid Office. It is, without a doubt, one of the least responsive offices I've encountered at any college. Calls go unanswered, counselors fail to return messages, and form requests are ignored. For the past six weeks, I have been trying--unsuccessfully--to speak with a financial aid counselor. Two weeks ago, after contacting the President's Office, I was assured someone would follow up, but that never happened. Living over four hours away makes in-person visits impractical. With my student returning to campus in just one week--still facing financial uncertainty--I feel as though we are right back where we started last year. This is my second child to attend college, and as an HBCU graduate myself, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, my experience leads me to caution other parents: save yourself the stress and the $45,000 per year--consider a PWI where administrative support is more reliable.

My husband got me a cooking class for my birthday and I was excited to go! I had never done a…read morecooking class before! We drove out to the culinary institute and were excited to get started. The class we were doing was New England cuisine. We thought we would be cooking lobster, clam chowder and other seafood recipes. When the instructor started talking and handing out the packets of recipes, we were surprised with the recipes (beet salad, chowder, chicken, root veggies, johnny cakes). We had to pair up with people we did not know and then each person in the group had to choose a recipe to cook. I chose the clam chowder. It took me about 20 minutes to get all my supplies because they didn't have everything out (food and cooking utensils). The instructor came around and said I was super behind...well thanks for making me feel the pressure! So I rushed to get everything in the pot. It looked like my husband and the others were rushing as well. I did NOT like this. It is supposed to be fun. We aren't cooking students and we aren't familiar with the kitchen. They kinda just threw us in the kitchen and said OK start cooking. We plated our food, along with the other groups, and ate our food. Overall it was fun, besides feeling rushed, but I did learn a lot.

As a current student at CIV, I've come to firmly appreciate my choice in pursuing a professional…read morecareer in the Culinary arts. All of the Instructors are certified and have been Executive Chefs or opened or owned their own restaurants. They are all deeply passionate about food and it conveys through their teaching. My favorite instructor has left the school, and while I was greatly looking forward to having him as an instructor for his specific area of cooking, I'm completely confident in the knowledge I'll learn from another instructor based on the standards set forth by the faculty. Courses are laid out in a comprehensive manner and are aimed to to prepare you to work in real kitchens. The school has a wide array of connections to some of the best local restaurants, and ones in other states, to help you get the off site training that you want most. The school gave me the opportunity to get in the place that i not only wanted to train at, but work in after graduation. And the certifications you get pay for themselves. i will say that the fast pace of the school is hard for some to keep up with. A lot of information is packed into ten days over five weeks. But it does tend to help adapt to the quick pace of most kitchens. Some of the classes are more web based than others, but no matter what the class, all the information can be accessed online with power points and lecture notes. another drawback is that it's affiliated with ECPI. Classes like English and Algebra are done through ECPI. The instructors are not a part of CIV and are therefor not held to the same standards. For legal reasons, i will not mention any instructors names, but at least one has consistently been reported and has the same students SHE FAILED TO TEACH put back into her class. But that's ECPI, not CIV. Overall, I firmly encourage anyone who is looking to get started on the path of becoming a Chef to Check out CIV and see if it's for them. Definitely a great stepping stone.

We are so fortunate to have such an exceptional set of libraries in Williamsburg and James City…read moreCounty. In addition to an outstanding collection of books, the library has a theater that shows both new and old movies for free! The seating is comfortable and the screen is large. I saw Oscar-nominated Past Lives, which attracted a good size audience. It was part of their art house cafe series. There is plenty of two-hour parking onsite as well as across the street in the garage. I'll definitely go back to see more movies.

The Williamsburg Regional Library is a great place to stop by, whether you are a local or if you're…read morevisiting the area. This quaint library offers a children, teens, and adults section, with a recent addition of the Kiwanis Kids idea Studio that offers fun interactives. Look for updates on events that occur throughout the year; there are also rooms you could reserve and request a bookmobile to come to your area. There's plenty of parking, and convenient drive-by book drop-off depots. +friendly staff +plenty of parking