Where to Explore Campus Life, Areas of Study, and the Virtual Tour on umw.edu

The University of Mary Washington homepage (umw.edu) links to all three in its “Want to dig deeper? Go exploring.” section: Life at UMW for campus community information, Areas of Study for its 100+ majors and minors, and Virtual Tour for remote exploration. The same section also links to Mary Wash Events and university news, so you can check current activity without leaving the homepage.

The three main entry points

Life at UMW

Use this if your question is about the student experience rather than academics. The homepage frames it as discovering “what it means to be part of our campus community.” For a feel of student perspectives before you click, the homepage’s “Our Voices” quotes come from current students and recent graduates — for example, Jaylyn Long (Class of 2024 SGA president, biomedical sciences major with an African American studies minor) on realizing there are “multiple paths” at UMW, and Sofia Taylor (Class of 2024, psychology) on community belonging.

Areas of Study

This is the entry point for academic planning. The homepage states UMW offers 100+ majors and minors; the link takes you to the full list to “find your fit.” If you already have a field in mind, go here first, then use Life at UMW to see how that program fits into campus life.

Virtual Tour

Choose this when you can’t visit in person. The homepage describes it as bringing “Mary Wash to you” — a self-guided look at campus from your own screen. It pairs well with the Events and News links if you want to see the campus in action rather than empty.

Checking current activity

Below the exploration links, Mary Wash Events (“Get in on the action”) lists upcoming events, and the University News section (“See all news”) covers the people and stories behind the university. Use these to confirm what’s happening now — open houses, info sessions, or campus events — before or after your virtual tour.

What the homepage signals about the university

The page’s “What We’re Known For” list gives context for what you’ll find in these sections: a top 10 public liberal arts college (U.S. News and World Report), a “best bang for the buck” and top 100 national liberal arts college (Washington Monthly), one of 11 Virginia colleges named “best and most interesting” (Fiske Guide to Colleges), and recognition for quality, affordability, and future earning potential (Money Magazine). These are the homepage’s own citations — check the linked sources if a claim matters to your decision.

A practical sequence

1. Start with Areas of Study to confirm the majors or minors you care about exist.
2. Open Life at UMW to see how students describe the community.
3. Take the Virtual Tour to picture the campus.
4. Check Events and News for anything you can attend or follow up on.

One caveat: the homepage presents these as navigation links, not detailed pages, so specific program requirements, visit scheduling, and event dates will be on the pages they lead to rather than the homepage itself.