James Madison University

I am currently a freshman bio major at JMU. Here are my pros and cons:

Pros: The campus is absolutely gorgeous. It really is impossible to visit this school without loving the campus. It is kept in beautiful condition year round and is very aesthetically pleasing. The Shenendoah Valley is an extraordinarily beautiful place to live, I cannot stress it. I love camping and hiking so first semester I had a blast going on trips. The facilities on campus are also very useful. The University Recreation center is top of the line. All the buildings are beautiful with their southern architecture and the quad looks like it's from a postcard.

The faculty members that I have experienced thus far at JMU have overall been very helpful and approachable. Faculty generally seems to care about their students. Dorm life in general also seems to be above average. For my first year, I was put in one of the smaller dorms and it has been a good experience. The dorm rooms themselves are generally spacious and meet all of the students' needs. As far as academics go, not too many complaints. Yes, GenEd classes do suck for the most part, but just get them overwith and who knows, you may find some to be enjoyable. The students here, as many will tell are, are pretty much friendly and approachable. BUT don't let these descriptions fool you; yes, students are friendly and the southern attitude is prevalent, but I have found most to be very shallow and self-absorbed, making it very hard to find down-to-earth, genuine people, as well as establishing meaningful relationships.

Cons: As I said, most of the students here don't have terrific attitudes. Don't get me wrong, I've met some great people, you just have to search a little bit harder than you would in a diverse community. Yes, the rumors are true...the girl:guy ratio is about 60:40 (though it feels like 80:20) and A LOT of the girls are very pretty. Speaking as a girl myself, it's very intimidating. Not only do I most of the time feel inadequate compared to the other females here, it makes it nearly impossible to find a decent guy with his head on straight because any guy who goes here basically has his choice of women. Guys, don't let this fool you either, yea the girls are hot, but most are very shallow. I'd say about 70% of the students are here to party and 30% are here to actually get a good education. Parties here are OK. There is always a party to go on the weekend and there's always free alcohol to drink which is good. But, often times parties get too crowded and you have to wait 30 minutes just to get a beer. So, unless you make a solid group of friends who like to hang out and drink on the weekend, most freshman are limited to overcrowded parties consisting mainly of girls.

Harrisonburg SUCKS. When I first visited JMU I really thought I could live down here, it appeared that Hburg was just your typical, cute southern town. Believe me when I say, there is NOTHING in this town...the only reason it is here is because of the university. Other than a Wal-Mart and the "Valley Mall" there's not much to do here. Also, transportation is hard to find as a freshman. Shockingly enough, in a town with a University of 15,000 students, there are no train stations in Harrisonburg (closest one is 20 mins south) and no Greyhound bus stations. This makes it hard, especially when freshman aren't allowed to have cars...it makes getting home a real pain in the butt. There is a Home Ride bus that runs on the weekends, but it only goes as far north as Vienna, VA (DC area) so it makes it tough for us northerners.I think that pretty much sums it up. If you are looking to come to JMU, my comments are completely non-biased. I don't love JMU but I don't hate JMU by any means. I am actually considering transferring next semester because I so desperately want to be in a city surrounded by more diverse settings. But don't get me wrong, I still do like JMU (which is why my decision is going to be a tough one) and it may, in fact, be the school for you.

1st Year Female -- Class 2009

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Surrounding City: D-

JMU is a really beautiful place, the food is incredible, and the general spirit is nice- the average JMU student is helpful,considerate, fun, and independent. Unfortunately, the average student is also a little bit dumb. The University forces a few too many easy and unnecessary general education classes on students, ESPECIALLY in my department. In general though, I really like it here. There are a thousand opportunities to get involved and make friends, and everyone is really spirited; that makes football games fun despite the crappy stadium and semi-crappy team. Let's not forget that we have the most AMAZING marching band on the East Coast! That alone makes games worthwhile. One other plus is that, though freshman general ed classes may be boring sometimes, they are really small for a university of this size. Freshman at UVa, Tech, and other such colleges sit in classes of 300, 400, even 700 people. As a first semester freshman, my biggest class is 40! I would recommend JMU to most anyone, except for the extremely intelligent who may be bored. I find myself bored right now, but I am loading up on classes and activities next semester to lessen that.

1st Year Female -- Class 2013

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Surrounding City: C-