James Madison University

I came here to warn those of you who are looking to join JMU's Architectural Design program. If anyone is interested in studying Architectural Design at JMU, please take the time to read this comment; you may want to reconsider your field of study at this university. The current program is in dire need of restructuring.

The majority of ARCD classes (the required studio class for the major) are spent randomly cutting and gluing pieces of chipboard together, creating meaningless structures that serve no actual purpose. The class places a heavy emphasis on philosophy, and because of this, directions for assignments are left incredibly ambiguous. Some professors come in without lesson plans; every class is an "open discussion" or "critique" where the professor gathers everyone in a room and talks about just about anything to kill the time. As a passionate student who looked forward to learning about architecture, I felt completely unengaged for the majority of my time spent in ARCD classes. There were even days where we did Yoga as part of the class and I feel that this is completely unacceptable.

Grading is also very subjective; if you disagree with the anything the professors say, it results in a negative impact on your grade. This forces students to mindlessly agree to everything, which in the long runs hurts both the students and the university.Seeing some of the works of friends of mine from other schools (such as UVA and Tulane) absolutely blows me away. They create actual models of what could be turned into full scale buildings while we just cut and paste scraps together until we find a form that the professor thinks is aesthetically pleasing. I can't help but feel that I have wasted my time, money, and effort.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2018

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Useful Schoolwork: F

For me - a VA resident, looking to stay in-state, who didn't have the grades to get into William and Mary or UVA (because I actually had a life in High School), and looking for the "college experience" the choices were JMU, or Virginia Tech.

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.

4th Year Female -- Class 2004

Faculty Accessibility: A, Scholastic Success: B-

This is my second year at JMU and my second year playing on one of their Division 1 sport teams. Had I not chosen to play my sport in college, I more than likely would not have found myself at JMU, but the schools I would have picked don't have my sport, so here I am. I can't say that I am disappointed in my choice, each day I grow to love JMU a little more.

The Good-
I've found my professors to be great. Sure, some of them are boring, and some of them are just plain fucking weird, but I've always been able to get in touch with them during office hours if I needed to. As far as athletics go, they hook us up. There are also a shit ton of organizations or groups to join, and if you find yourself sitting alone in your dorm on a Friday night, that's your own fault. Also, if you choose to move off campus after your freshman year, the off-campus housing is not only affordable, but incredibly convenient. That's as long as you're not planing on living in a palace, I can't say my Ashby apartment is a 5-star hotel.... but anyways the majority of the housing is located on Port Republic Road and that makes going from party to party or what have you on weekends and such real easy. It's a great setup. Food is awesome, great variety. Lots of natury stuff to do. I can dig it. Parties are great in my opinion, but that's because I'd choose a house party over a bar anyday. If bars are your thing, don't come here...

The Bad-
PARKING SUCKS DICK. That's all I have to say about that. Gen eds are sometimes annoying as fuck. Why the hell should I have to take theatre? I shouldn't. Also, getting in to the classes I need is getting increasingly difficult. Oh and this whole building of the new stadium busines is getting annoying, but I guess it'll be worth it in the long run. Oh yeah and when you want a paper towel after you wash your hands you have to press this button down first in order to be able to push the paper towel lever. You only 2 pushes and not that much towel comes out. Also, I always imagine how dirty that button must be but they probably clean them.

The Ugly-
Girls walking around in Uggs, leggings (since when did it become okay not to wear pants?!), and a Northface. Tots cute. The ratio is terrible (if you're a girl).

Be careful, there are a lot of Bible thumpers, but there are also liberals. You gotta be careful who you agree to get coffee with these days...Overall, I really like this school. There is a ton of pride, and I'm starting to really feel this whole "i bleed purple" business. If I didn't go to JMU and play my sport, to be honest I'd probably be the world's biggest pothead burnout and my life would have amounted to nothing. So here's to you, JMU, for keeping me straight!

1st Year Female -- Class 2012

University Resource Use/ spending: A+, Perceived Campus Safety: C-