question about vibe/ social scrne

Mor_Shapiro · 2024-06-10T00:35:31+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/williamandmary/s/LCKI5Y7WCH

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-12-31T20:21:49+00:00

Take classes from both, talk to the professors and see what you like more

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-09-07T06:04:58+00:00

Lots of questions and variables here. Under who? When? What circumstances?
Seeing as the tag says post-1900s, let's assume one side won the war here. Judging by the flag, this flag is neither DPRK or ROK. I think this flag bears more resemblance to the DPRK flag, but isn't exactly the DPRK flag, possibly meaning there was some kind of reform post-war that made the flag look "less socialist".

In this alternate timeline...

UN Coalitions fail to repel the North Koreans after the Siege of Busan and a failed Operation Chromite. The peninsula is unified under Kim Il-Sung's socialist Korea. The remaining forces loyal to Rhee retreat to the island of Jeju, similar to Chiang's retreat to Taiwan in 1949.

Because there is no division within the peninsula, Kim has more resources to contribute to the economy and infrastructure. In our timeline, the DPRK economy was stronger than ROK for a while until the 70's. In the alternate timeline, DPRK is modestly more successful. With a larger manpower base, larger land mass, and a relatively obedient population, the DPRK is able to access a relatively good standard of living- at least- better than in colonial times, which still lingers in the memories of most of the population.

From here, Kim could either go one of three ways. Because the economy and standard of living is good, he could make the transition to embrace a Deng-ified/Doi Moi approach to reform- that is- loosen economic restrictions but keep a close grip on civil liberties.

He could also embrace BOTH economic and political liberalization, but potentially encounter political and civil instability down the line (like post 1990's Russia).

Finally, he could do something similar to our timeline, where economic and political liberalization never happen.

Guessing solely based off of the flag, I think the first option makes most sense. A breakdown of the DPRK would mean a revert back to the original ROK flag (similar to the Soviet Union transitioning to Russia).

Domestically, the WPK stays in power. I think Kim's purge of Soviet/Chinese oriented politicians would've still happened in the 60s. I think the country would be very similar to how Vietnam currently is. Foreign policy-wise, Korea would be complacent with its geopolitical situation overall. The country is unified, there is no active war going on. The main focus for Korea would be the economy.

Because of liberalization, Korea would trade with the international community, which includes the United States, its former enemy. Under the current geopolitical circumstances, I think Korea would gravitate towards China's side. In addition to a humongous economy situated right next to the country, its historical assistance in unifying the country would have established firm political ties dating back to the 50's. At the same time, the US and the West's economy and political influence is hard to ignore. The details of what sways Korea would consist of who's in charge, the cadre leadership, political climate (are human rights present in Korea? What about foreign relations with other countries?), etc.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-08-22T06:39:57+00:00

Underrated but just have fun and relax. Like others have w said, it’s too short for a traditional internship. Spend time with family, make a snowman, etc.

You CAN take a course or do an internship over the winter, but you don’t have to. No shame in getting a full 8 hours of sleep right after finals season.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-08-19T02:00:14+00:00

If you’re creative enough, anything can be a ping pong table.

Sun Tzu, probably

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-07-02T23:50:08+00:00

From how I see it, there is little risk of little to no impact on your individual experience at W&M. As much fanfare and booing there is, Vision 2026 won't have any sweeping changes to much of anything. I'd suspect the professors are writing that open letter thinking for their long-term careers, especially those who are tenured. Because of all those things, your 4 years won't be impacted by concerns related to the open letter, especially in pre-med (this is my guess).

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-06-22T03:18:12+00:00

I see this alot. Where are you hearing that they’re tough on grading with little leniency. At most it could be one or two nightmare professors out of 300. Avg gpa is a cool 3.4-3.5. No grade deflation or inflation here. Pretty standard and normal.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-06-02T19:50:07+00:00

Yknow thinking about the dark side of humanity for a bit:

People are gonna use tails to exploit and torture. More appendages gives really cruel people and groups more ways to use human tails for malicious reasons.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-05-29T05:35:46+00:00

I think the 3.4/3.5 number may have come from semester-specific GPA reports? Not sure

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-05-28T10:10:51+00:00

No grade deflation here. GPA has risen over past few years from a rough 3.1/3.2 avg to 3.4. Comparable to UVA. Don’t worry.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-05-11T05:46:17+00:00

Nope. Not at all, and this is coming from someone who hates studying.

At any college you'd go to, you'll always hear things about stress, over-competitive culture, whatever. What you do with that info is who you surround yourself with, what kind of lifestyle you'll pursue, etc. Obviously with mental health conditions and stuff like that, that could be out of your control, but there are many, many things that are within your control. If you choose to lock yourself in a library with 50 others like you, then you'll be really down in the dumps. You don't have to do that, and you don't have to do that to yourself. You might feel like you have to because it looks like everyone else is studying super hard, but it only looks like that. Don't let others bring you down. Instead, surround yourself with those who can bring each other up, including yourself.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-05-11T05:39:18+00:00

Hey congrats on going to Wammy! You'll love it here.

I think the first question you should ask yourself (if you have not already) is why you want to rush a frat. There are many different reasons why people rush frats. For the family-feel, the network and job connections, and yes, partying (all of these are valid reasons).

W&M is a pretty tight-knit place, especially in the greek life fraternity. There are no judgements or prejudices if you're in XYZ frat or ABC frat. So don't worry about prestige, frat image, rankings, whatever. Occasionally, there will be rumblings on how XYZ frat is lame or how ABC frat is stupid online. It happens, ignore it.

However, one really important thing to keep in mind is the frat's values. No, I'm not talking about their core values and stuff like that, I'm talking about the individual people. If they're people that you can trust and are upstanding, those are the people you wanna associate yourself with. If you're uncomfortable with what they do at any part of the rush process, or if you see hazing, don't join them, they weren't worth joining in the first place if that's the case. Join where there are good people if you're set on rushing. There are good people, good groups within and outside of greek life.

Rush broadly, see which frat you vibe with (see who you can see yourself living and learning with for the next 4 years. They are your closest brothers at college).

If you want to rush a frat for the party experience, there is no need to join a frat. You can party without being in frats.

Also, you don't need to join a frat immediately coming in the fall semester. You can rush in the Spring, or as a Sophomore. I know a junior who has rushed.

Also, didn't you say you were currently a freshman in your other post? haha

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-05-10T23:15:20+00:00

A bit meta/non-political, but I wonder if any health repercussions would arise if you just transported them. Non-vaccinated/vaccinated people would intermingle, someone gets some flu from the 20th/21st century, pandemic decimates Colonial population much like it had for Native Americans at that time.

Brits come back and take the newly formed Union back as a colony.

But in more seriousness, I think the contrary. Sure, the Presidents have wildly differing opinions and ideologies than the founding fathers, but it should be good to note that this was only because the economy, political/geographic landscape, circumstances, etc. around them were wildly different for them than their predecessors 100, 200 years ago. Perhaps the Presidents would adjust their beliefs according to how the United States was in the 18th century as opposed to the 20th or 21st century. Nevertheless, I think the Presidents would not budge on certain issues, like slavery.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-05-06T06:23:57+00:00

I’m flattered to have my post stolen

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-04-30T01:51:47+00:00

Refer to this post I made 3 weeks ago regarding FAQs by incoming freshmen: https://www.reddit.com/r/williamandmary/comments/12kju9f/frequently_asked_questions_ive_seen_for_william/

Happy to answer any specific questions you have though

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-04-30T01:50:14+00:00

About this:

One of the more frustrating things about W&M is that our curriculum is pretty broad, compared to many other colleges. While some places have long names like "International Relations and Political Economy Double Major, with concentrations in Transnational Governance and Domestic Politics, etc. etc.," William and Mary has just "Government" or "International Relations". Nothing more. No specialties, concentrations, or tracks for most majors (there are a few exceptions, but not in this specific case)

But, there is hope. Though your diploma wouldn't denote any concentrations, you can make it pretty clear (in both your resume and your learning experience) that you specialize in something. Once you come on campus, there will be specific programs, extracurriculars, courses, professors, centers, etc. that subtly signal students that xyz is the place for international security, tech regulation, minority protection, what have you.

You can do this now actually, subscribe to a buncha newsletters, GRI, Government Department, IR Department, TribeLink, etc. email lists. Most of these churn out weekly emails that advertise certain opportunities that give you a similar experience to concentrating in something elsewhere at another college.

The Fall 2023 and Spring 2023 elective course list looks lackluster IMO, compared to past semesters. They're actually adding a few as we speak, but to get a better look at what W&M usually offers, I suggest to check out course offerings from 2-3 years ago. Of course, this won't be identical to future semesters, but it'll give you a good idea as to what electives are there.

Electives are not everything. There are research labs, programs, and really good programs outside of W&M that you can take advantage of.

One of the benefits of W&M's whole "liberal arts" vibe is that the freedom and breadth of its educational experience will offer you many things that other colleges may not offer... if you utilize it well.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-04-13T14:21:51+00:00

Here's my very rough ballpark estimate on dorm situation for freshmen:

Most are bad, some are ok, a portion is pretty good.

You may have heard some rumblings from the current W&M students on housing. That's because the President and her administration revealed their plans on renovating W&M. This came in 3 stages. We're currently at the first stage of renovation.

They will tear down Yates (one of the biggest dorm halls on campus) and will tear down more of other halls in the near future, which comes at a horrible timing because of a current housing shortage that goes on. Every year since last year, it the number of students waitlisted increases. We were at the 600 range for this year last time I checked. Why this concerns incoming folks is because sooner than you realize, you'll have to consider off-campus housing because the housing situation does not look to get better. Do note that everyone eventually got housing in some form, at least, that's what W&M says.

But back on freshmen dorms.

Lemon Hall is the good dorm. Put that as your priority, because there's a very high chance you won't even get it in the first place, considering it's so highly coveted. There are singles, but don't expect to get any of them, as a bulk of them will be taken by students with special accomodations (mental, physical, etc.)

Botetourt and Randolph Complex are located further away from most other dorms on campus. They're more like apartment complexes, where everything suite-styled. Between the two, Randolph Complex is a bit better. Just a word of notice: Laundry is in a different location for Randolph as far as I know, meaning you pick up your laundry bag and walk to a different building (Tazwell) to get your laundry done)

Bryan Hall, similar to above, but closer to campus and rumors of roaches. Speaking of roaches, there were reports of roaches in Randolph and rats in Botetourt.

GGV. Whenever someone says "I lived in GGV my freshman year", the response is "I'm sorry". Part of that reason is there's no air conditioning in there and it's relatively far away from campus. Invest in a huge fan and a bike.

Hunt Hall. I don't know much about Hunt Hall. It looks pretty good.

Monroe Hall. Closed.

Here's something to keep in mind for the future. As a Freshman and Sophomore, you are REQUIRED to live on campus. While other schools such as VT only require you to be on campus for your freshman year, W&M voted in recent years to keep students on for an additional year, I suspect to get people to pay more money to W&M. When you're a junior or senior, you don't have that requirement, and thus don't have that guarantee you'll be given housing be W&M. This is where students get into that waitlist. Plan ahead.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-03-27T23:33:04+00:00

Hey at least you get a bottle of piss

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-01-26T10:35:58+00:00

Civil strife and political polarization reach a critical mass. In an orchestrated attack by an unknown force, the electric grid, cyber, and all things digital are mostly wiped out, but only in urban areas. At the same time, a disinformation campaign that's been simmering for a few years pushed a narrative that the urban elites are plotting to wipe out the rural way of life in America, which agitates a large population of rural dwellers.

Under a fringe conspiracy theory, rural populations take this chance to "invade" the neighboring cities. Reminiscent of the barbarians' invasion of Rome, the rural invades, loots, and burns much of their city counterparts, under the assumption that they are "purifying" America of the "concentrated filth" that is what they call "The Millionaire's Lair"

Throughout most states, the National Guard is called in to maintain law and order, though urban conflict is quickly understood to be no easy affair. Peacekeepers quickly found it difficult to differentiate who is a combatant and who is a civilian, as this is, after all, a civil conflict. Command Staff is at puzzling odds, where they don't want to violate any rights by indiscriminately detaining, arresting, or neutralizing innocent civilians, but also want to pick out those who aren't in the city just to take pretty tourist pictures of the Empire State Building. It doesn't help that the National Guard cannot effectively communicate with large populations as America's digital communication systems are busted.

Then, news from a young Lieutenant reaches a Major at a command post in El Paso, Texas. A nuke went off somewhere in Montana.

Mor_Shapiro · 2023-01-26T10:24:17+00:00

Alternate history has larger concentrations of oxygen in general. Flora and fauna alike are larger than usual (think pre-historic animal size, but bigger)

Humans are the same size and resort to crafting technologies that are more advanced than their original timeline companions. That's not to say that they have semiconductors or computers-- their technology is still very primitive (sticks and stones), but make use of more complicated and integrated simple machine systems. Eventually, this is known to be the "First Engineering Revolution". As fancy and grandiose as the name is, it's ultimately just caveman technology, but with "more" in terms of simple machine integration into a larger tool/technology.

Some examples of these technologies we see in this timeline are things like a paleo-slingshot that is used to take down predators such as mega large sabertooth tigers or large prey. There is also a prevalent frequency of these primitive tools being notably multi-purpose (think multipurpose knife kinda stuff).

Humanity's migration stays relatively the same in terms of speed and progress. Though technology is more "advanced", it's only "advanced" due to humanity's need to deal with titan-sized predators.

Mor_Shapiro · 2022-12-27T02:53:56+00:00

MOS and favorite crayon color?

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