What? William & Mary is An Ivy now?

​Please allow me a moment to engage in some light academic snobbery.  You see, I went to William & Mary.  Not Harvard. Not Yale. Not even Princeton (although I admit to getting a certification from Cornell, an Ivy). No, I went to the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S., and I’ve always taken great pride in saying, “William & Mary isn’t an Ivy.” Because back in the day, Ivy meant elitist, out-of-touch, monocle-wearing snobs sipping tea while casually dismantling democracy. And that didn’t fit us.

We were different.
We were quirky.
We were cerebral.
We majored in philosophy on purpose.

But today, dear friends, I must confess: I may be… evolving. Maturing. Or perhaps just succumbing to the soft call of bougie validation. Because this morning, I read Forbes (yes, that Forbes) named William & Mary a “New Ivy.”

I’ll give you a moment to clutch your pearls.

That’s right. We’ve made the list.
Apparently, someone at Forbes dusted off their powdered wig and said, “You know who deserves some Ivy recognition? Those thoughtful, well-adjusted, public-good-loving nerds down in Williamsburg.”

And so, it is written.

According to Forbes, these “New Ivies” are attracting the best and the brightest, and graduating students that employers now prefer over actual Ivy Leaguers. (Your move, Harvard. You may be first, but we are better.)

The list was based on size, selectivity, test scores, and a survey sent to the Forbes C-suite crowd—you know, the same folks who think “networking” is a verb and “quiet quitting” is a crime. And William & Mary made the cut, along with—sigh—University of Virginia. Yes, our academic frenemy made it too. Go ahead and cheer for them… I’ll wait while I casually roll my eyes into the 17th century.

Anyway, here’s what sets us apart:
 • A 13:1 student-faculty ratio (translation: your professors actually know your name)
 • 99% of classes taught by faculty (no offense, TAs)
 • R1 research classification (we do the science and the Shakespeare)
 • Guaranteed funded internships or applied learning opportunities (because ramen doesn’t buy itself)

Under Vision 2026, W&M is tackling the big stuff: Water, Data, Democracy, and Careers. Because let’s face it, we may love books and brick pathways, but we also like getting paid to make the world better too.

One Forbes exec even said public university grads “exhibit more empathy” and have a “passion to innovate.” Which is exactly what I told my parents when I majored in Sociology and English instead of Business or Economics.

So here we are. Not just a Public Ivy. Not just the alma mater of presidents, trailblazers, and very earnest overachievers. Not just the “Alma Mater of the Nation.”
We are officially a New Ivy.
And yes, that probably means I’m now a snob.

But if loving William & Mary makes me one… I’ll be the kind that still holds the door open, volunteers on boards, and politely corrects your colonial history... well, all of your history actually.

Hark Upon the Snobbery, my friends.

Check out my new blog at http://www.l2lleadershipinstitute.com/frankly-speaking-blog​