The second oldest higher education institution in the US, College of William & Mary, USA is ranked among the Top 10 publicly-funded universities of America: Summiya Yasmeen Chartered in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II of England, the College of William & Mary, USA (W&M) is the second oldest higher education institution (after Harvard) in the US and a top-ranked public university in its own right. One of the original eight ‘Public Ivies’, College of William & Mary, USA is ranked #34 by the US News & World Report in its 2016 rankings of Best National Universities and among the Top 10 public varsities of America. In its 2015 America’s Top Colleges rankings, Forbes ranks W&M #6 among public varsities and #39 of the 650 best private and public colleges and universities in the US. Currently, the university’s faculty of arts and sciences and four graduate schools — education, law, business and marine science — offer 40 undergraduate and 20 graduate programmes to 8,484 students mentored by 624 full-time faculty. W&M is highly regarded for its rigorous liberal arts undergrad curriculum which mandates original hands-on research that transforms into independent or faculty-mentored research projects. The college’s distinctive liberal arts General Education Requirements (GER) curriculum requires all undergrad students to complete courses in mathematics and quantitative reasoning, natural and social sciences, world cultures and history, literature and history of the arts, creative and performing arts and philosophical, religious, and social thought. Over its 323-year history, College of William & Mary, USA has graduated several distinguished alumni including three US presidents — Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler — as well as former secretary of defence Robert Gates, actress Glenn Close and comedians Jon Stewart and Patton Oswalt. Williamsburg. Sited in Virginia state, 150 miles south of Washington D.C, Williamsburg (pop.14,691) is a modern town steeped in history. Formerly the capital of Virginia, Williamsburg together with neighbouring Jamestown and Yorktown, form the Historic Triangle, which attracts more than four million tourists annually. The historic area, Colonial Williamsburg, is a 301-acre living-history museum featuring buildings from the 17th-19th centuries. Beyond the historical theme park, Williamsburg is a lively college and tourist town with over 100 restaurants, live music clubs, art galleries, movie theatres and other entertainment venues. The sunny shores of Virginia Beach and the big city life of Richmond and Washington D.C. are a mere three-four hour drive. The weather in Williamsburg is temperate year-round with cool to mild winters, and hot, humid summers. Average temperatures in winter range from 9.8°C to -0.3°C and in summer from 20.7°C to 30.7°C. Campus facilities. Sited in historic downtown Williamsburg, the 1,200-acre college campus features state-of-the-art academic buildings, residences, sports facilities, the scenic Lake Matoaka and the College Woods. The campus’ Sir Christopher Wren Building (1700) is the oldest university building still in use in the US. Other campus landmarks include the $57-million Integrated Science Center (biology, chemistry and psychology labs with cutting-edge research facilities), Muscarelle Museum of Art (collection of nearly 5,000…
