James Madison University
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James Madison University - Comments and Student Experiences | |||||||||||||||||||
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There are some other decent schools in VA but they just weren't quite on par with JMU and VT for me. VCU(too close to home/too urban), Longwood(too much like high school), Mary Washington(too small), Radford(too easy to get into), George Mason(too commuter),
And of course U of R, and Washington and Lee, are good schools, if you have 40K to spend. Bridgewater and Randolph Macon just cost 40K.
So when I got into both JMU and VT, it was a TOUGH decision. After touring the campuses I ultimately chose JMU. JMU was a little smaller, and seemed a little more personable - the small college feel, with the big college amenities as the tour guide told me. The people at JMU seemed more sociable and relatable as well (less rednecks). JMU is also more liberal, which aligned closer to my political views. It didn't hurt that JMU was 60% female and the girls were way better looking than at Tech.
I would have been happy at VT as well. While JMU has a good reputation locally, VT has more of a reputation nationally. Even though I?m not that into football, the football scene at Tech was something I missed too. Though JMU has a very respectable football program now, as evidence by our win over VT last year! VT, being more research oriented, is better known for their science programs, whereas JMU is a liberal arts school, emphasizing an all-around education. Also, the Bar scene at Tech is better but the off campus house/apartment parties at JMU blow Tech out of the water. I found the people at JMU to be very active ? everyone was into something, whether it was Roller Hockey, the Equestrian Club, The Earth Club or Greek Life.
JMU and VT are comparable academically. Look at the admissions data - JMU admits a slightly lower percentage of applicants, but Tech's SAT/GPA numbers are slightly higher. If you were like me, it came down to where I could see myself for the next 4 years. My recommendation is to tour JMU and tour Tech and see how you feel about each. Also ask around to people who go/went there. Depending on your preferences you might choose JMU or you might choose Tech.
Student Body (B+)=Students are extremely friendly and helpful, but a big part of this school revolves around sorority sluts and fraternity idiots. (I was in a fraternity so don't think that I am just saying this because I didn't have friends and I dated 2 sorority girls, so don't judge me in that department either.)
Professors (A)= The professors are all approachable and extremely helpful. They are all knowledgable and creative when it comes to assignments.
Classes (A-)= The classes can be challenging and difficult, especially the business school, but overall are interesting and fair.
Surrounding Town (F)= Harrisonburg is the lamest town I have ever been to and there is absolutely nothing to do, but get drunk and smell the sweet smells of chicken shit.
Campus (A-)= This is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen, but don't get me wrong some of the Florida, California, and Arizona schools are a little better.
Cons: this school is inundated with white, upper middle class, typical American "hot" bros and biddies. There is certainly a white wash at this school and if you don't look like the typical JMU student, you may feel a bit isolated. This is especially true for the girls because of the way off ratio of women to men. This is coming from the perspective of a black woman with natural hair; if I had to stereotype myself, it would be a hippie health nerd. That being said, everyone is so nice and I didn't find it hard to get along with people, but I didn't make any true friends outside of my group of friends I made freshmen year. If you're not a typical JMU student, I would say definitely try to make a good group of friends early and stick with them, you guys will get each other through in a special and important way. But again, everyone is really nice, approachable, and open.
Pros: pretty much everything else! The campus is beautiful and well laid out, there are SOO many awesome student resources, the professors are great (for the most part, there are certainly bad ones), the academics are quality, and there are a lot of awesome opportunities. There is certainly a good party scene, but it's only exciting if you like to get very drunk in stuffed apartments with good looking white frat and sorority types. Don't get me wrong, I partied quite a bit when I was a freshman and sophomore, but by the end of my second year I was officially over that scene; some love it all 4 years.
The best thing about this university is that it is so student focused! During the search for graduate schools, I realized that many big universities with the academic quality of a place like JMU tend to be heavily researched based, at the expense of their students. My professors were incredibly accessible, overall friendly, and there are plenty of resources that the school put forward that ensure success. We recently got a new president (Alger) and he went on a listening tour throughout the university to create a development plan for JMU that will further launch the school. I got to be a part of this tour and there are a lot of exciting things that are about to happen at this school, it's a good time to enroll!If you're willing to put in the work and can take the overall homogeneous demographics...go to this school. I've met some of my best friends there, have grown into a competent young adult, and my degree is competitive. Myself and all of my alumni friends are incredibly proud of our alma mater and I can't think of any other school in the state that I would have rather gone to.
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