Classroom Visitation

The Class Visitation program is designed to supplement our campus tours and information sessions. By observing classes, students can gain an academic insight on William & Mary, and ascertain the type of teaching environment to be found here. A large number of faculty members have volunteered their classes for this program, and will allow the Office of Admission to send students with little or no advance notice. However, many of the professors that teach the smaller seminar classes that are the norm at William & Mary are hesitant to give us that permission ahead of time thus the sizes of some of the classes in this program are not typical of class size at William & Mary in general.   

Key Facts:

• 99% of W&M’s classes are taught by professors.
• 86% of classes have fewer than 40 students and only 3% have more than 100 students.
• William and Mary has the second lowest student to faculty ratio among all public universities in the nation of 12:1.
• A U.S. News and World Report study rated William & Mary as the foremost public university in commitment to undergraduate teaching.

To observe a class:

• Look through the class listings and course descriptions
• Select a course.  Please email the professor to let him/her know that you will be visiting.  Professors' emails are linked via the class descriptions document. Also, you can obtain any professor's email address by going back to the William & Mary homepage and clicking on the Find People link on the left toolbar. Emailing the professor is a good idea just in case the professor has scheduled an exam or special assignment that day.
• Professors will respond to your email and alert you if your chosen course will not be open to visitors on your requested day. No response from an instructor should be taken to mean it is acceptable for you to visit on that date.
• Register your class visitation with us
• A link to our campus map will be provided after registering your visit. You can also obtain a campus map in the Office of Admission when you arrive on campus.
• Please arrive to the class a few minutes early and, if possible, introduce yourself to the professor as a prospective student.
• Please be sure to thank the professor at the end of the class.
• Please try to schedule a visit at a time when you can stay for the entire class to avoid potentially disrupting class by leaving early.
• Please remember to turn off cell phones or set them to silent.

Please note that seating may be limited in certain classes.  Occasionally, professors may ask visitors to relinquish their seats to students registered for the course.

Note that we do not have a syllabus for every course.  Therefore we do not know the dates that exams are being held, or instances where a class may be cancelled for whatever reason.  So the possibility exists that a class may not be held when you visit.

Please keep in mind that this but a partial list of classes offered at William & Mary.  If you cannot find a class that interests you or a time that is convenient, the Office of Undergraduate Admission can help you contact a department directly about sitting in on another class.  For any further questions you may email [[nrlyte,Assistant Dean Tish Lyte]] or contact her by phone at (757) 221-1709.

Thank you for your interest in the College of William & Mary.  Enjoy your visit!