Jumping from a minimalistic high school environment to a campus with over a dozen academic buildings and over 6,000 undergraduate students can be overwhelming. Luckily, we live in the 21st century, where social media and mobile devices place seemingly endless pages of information at our fingertips. There are dozens of Facebook groups and social pages relating to the College of William and Mary, from official class groups to meme pages. These Facebook groups can connect you with countless people who can be sources of information about all things related to this campus.
Most of you have already found and joined your official class group on Facebook, “William & Mary Class of 2022.” These class pages are great sources of information relating to your specific class year. If you ever need to reach out to your social class or to stay up to date on news pertaining to the class of 2022, this page is essential. You can use this page to make posts about your class registration time slot or seeking roommates for next year.
However, there are a multitude of large groups used for official information exchange on campus which you may not have heard of yet. Many students are part of these groups, and they all serve important purposes.
Finding and purchasing textbooks is one of the most stressful parts of starting a new semester. If you cannot find a textbook through the bookstore or other outlets such as Amazon or Chegg, “William and Mary Used Books” is a great way to connect with people on campus who might have a textbook they are selling or giving away. You can inquire about certain textbooks or post about books you are looking to sell.
Students also might be looking to buy or sell used clothes to pad their wardrobe or wallet. “William and Mary ppl selling their clothing” is a huge Facebook group where students can post clothes for sale or express interest in posted clothes. If you are interested in buying clothes, you can message the seller and meet at a central campus location like Earl Gregg Swem Library or the Sadler Center to complete the transaction.
At the beginning of the semester, every student on a meal plan has a certain amount of Dining Dollars or “Flex.” They can be redeemed at dining halls, the Student X-Change, Tribe Market, Dominoes on Richmond Road and the new Chick-fil-A opening soon at Tribe Square. However, many students either over or under budget their semester’s worth of flex. Since flex does not carry over to the next semester, some students look to get rid of it by buying other students’ things toward the end of the semester. If you are looking to spend flex or have someone else buy you something on flex, you can post requests in “Flex Daddies of W&M.”
Lots of students live in other parts of the state, country or world and need transportation to get home or to an airport during breaks or weekends. “Tribe Rides” is a Facebook group where students can offer available seats in their car by posting when they are leaving and their destination. Students can also ask if anyone would be able to give them a ride somewhere. This group is extremely useful if you decide to go home at the last minute or if your planned ride falls through.
Every day, students are carrying backpacks and other belongings between dorms, classes and dining halls. You are bound to lose or misplace something at one point or another, and a great place to check to see if this item has been found is “William and Mary Lost and Found.” If you ever lose something or find an item, you can post about it in this group. If someone has information on where this item is, then they can comment on the post or message the other person.
Finally, freshmen and other students at school often have lots of questions about classes, professors, financial aid, campus events, etc. If you ever have a question to ask about something at the College, you can post in “William AMAry” to seek answers to these questions. Do not feel shy about posting in this group, because lots of people probably have the same question and most people want to help everyone on campus stay up to date on information.
Not all Facebook groups have to be official or informational to be important to follow if you go to school here. There are also some fun groups to be a part of and post in for stress relief. While the serious, informational groups are helpful, the social pages can be just as important by adding some lightheartedness to the academic rigor of college.
“William & Mary Dogspotting” is a place to post pictures and descriptions of dogs you have seen on or near campus. “Swampy Memes for TWAMPy Teens” is a meme group at the College where people post funny memes about campus-related content like class registration, 8 a.m. classes and campus organizations. “Post things you heard people say today” is a place to post funny quotes from conversations you heard on campus with no context. Finally, “Overheard at William and Mary II: Electric Boogaloo” is another place to post funny quotes on campus. If you want to know what happened to the first Overheard group, ask any junior or senior about the end of Overheard in the spring of 2017.
This is not a complete list of relevant or useful Facebook groups on campus, but these groups can be helpful as you begin or continue your academic journey at the College. There are also lots of Facebook groups and pages for student organizations or sports teams at the College if you want to stay up to date on their activities or if you join an organization. If you cannot find an answer in any of these groups, never be afraid to ask someone else on campus. Everyone here is excited to welcome the Class of 2022 to the Tribe.
