James Madison University

I transferred to James Madison University for the Spring 2014 semester and lived off campus, expecting to have the time of my life and meet many new faces. I was only able to experience this school for a mere three weeks so keep that in mind when taking this review into account.

My director for my health program incorrectly informed me of my required classes to apply for this health program, which I was not informed of until I had moved to the school and signed a lease. Word of warning, drill every adviser you can with questions until you are 100% sure if you are a transfer. This is what caused me to withdraw, I refuse to pay a school for an extra year and a half for their own incompetence.

Onto my perception of the campus...it's beautiful but this school is not commuter friendly in the least. Good luck finding a parking space after paying the 110 dollar (WTF) commuter parking pass. Someone has clearly made an error in the parking logistics department, as I would typically spend thirty minutes driving around looking for a parking space EVERY DAY. The parking garage is a safety hazard at best, being completely full 99% of the time. If you require us to pay for a pass, then you are required to provide ample parking space for all.

The buses would routinely fill up at one stop, not allowing many students to board thus having to wait for a second bus.

The parking is not the only logistics horror, as the gym is PACKED almost all day. The size of this gym is laughable given the amount of tuition money flowing into this school. Want to relieve stress by lifting weights? Good luck, all three rows of dumbbells were taken up by kids daily. As a part time personal trainer I almost vomited at the sight of this routine circus act.

The people at this school were generally friendly, though don't expect much in the way of diversity as others have stated. Basically, if you are a white female sorority clone, you will have the freaking time of your life...and possibly get raped...just saying.

A little about myself, I'm a 22 year old white good looking male that can get along with just about anyone...and I do not have a short fuse when it comes to stress. I loved the food and gorgeous girls (seriously, so many attractive girls) but this school has major flaws that need to be addressed and I do not suggest it for a transfer student. If you come to this school into dorm life right out of high school I can see the benefits of that route.

1st Year Male -- Class 2016

Campus Aesthetics: A, Surrounding City: D

Most of the students have a UVA fixation because that is where they wish they were. Even if you look at the reviews, you will see UVA mentioned many more times than what should be normal.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

I think JMU is a great school and has many strong points. In fact I love everything about it, only I would not recommend students who are seriously invested in archaeology to attend. I was disappointed to realize after my freshman year that the scope of the program offered at JMU is severely limited. There are apparently only 2 full time archaeology professors, which makes for a less than satisfactory learning environment because one does not receive a variety of perspectives or learn in depth about various schools of thought within the discipline. I am considering transferring after next year to go to a more prestigious university at which I will develop a better understanding of archaeology for all that it is. This would also increase my chances of being accepted into a good graduate program in the future. JMU is doing a great job for its size and funding, but it just doesn't have top academics. Coming from an excellent high school at which I was enrolled in 5 AP classes during my senior year, I was surprised to find that college was SIGNIFICANTLY easier than I expected. I just breezed through all of my classes with minimal effort and came out with a GPA of 3.93 for my first year. I'm not sure that it's supposed to be like that, JMU may just not be the best fit for me. At the same time I love JMU so much for the warm social environment and overwhelmingly positive attitude exhibited by all students, faculty, and staff that I have been seriously considering changing my major and life plan of being an academic archaeologist. I am very satisfied with the diverse people I have met and befriended and never felt bored, although I got a little sick of the never-ending party culture from time to time. I felt that there were other options to drinking every single saturday night, such as going to the movies or dances, shows and other events put on by organizations) only my friends and I were too lazy to pursue them (being car-less did not help). I would definitely recommend JMU for others who desire a well-rounded positive college experience. I, on the other hand, have always put academics first, and so the relaxed academic expectations leaves a little wanting.

1st Year Female -- Class 2016

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Education Quality: B-