Which is the better VA university: VA Tech or JMU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU has made a much bigger jump in the rankings lately than Tech has. I am not sure any one cares or even knows about Michael Vick. But if it takes a felon to bring fame and "prestige" to a university, whatever.

+1000
Is someone here actually touting Michael Vick as a draw for VT? I think s/he has been drinking too much rendered pig fat. Clearly, it really is true that "all back roads lead to Tech". No thanks.

[Anonymous]

^^^^^
Meant "all dirt roads lead to Tech".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU has made a much bigger jump in the rankings lately than Tech has. I am not sure any one cares or even knows about Michael Vick. But if it takes a felon to bring fame and "prestige" to a university, whatever.

[Anonymous]

So wait. Are all the JMU people just going to ignore the fact that Tech has higher stats? Honestly, if someone said UVA was better than VT and cited those same stats, no one would quarrel with the analysis. But if someone does the same with VT and JMU, there is a whole lot of additional discussion. Can't understand how all the nonsense and perception crap factors in. Those are the scores of the students entering the two schools. End of discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So wait. Are all the JMU people just going to ignore the fact that Tech has higher stats? Honestly, if someone said UVA was better than VT and cited those same stats, no one would quarrel with the analysis. But if someone does the same with VT and JMU, there is a whole lot of additional discussion. Can't understand how all the nonsense and perception crap factors in. Those are the scores of the students entering the two schools. End of discussion.

What stats? The one that says JMU has a higher ranked business school than VT? Or the one that says it has a lower acceptance rate than VT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So wait. Are all the JMU people just going to ignore the fact that Tech has higher stats? Honestly, if someone said UVA was better than VT and cited those same stats, no one would quarrel with the analysis. But if someone does the same with VT and JMU, there is a whole lot of additional discussion. Can't understand how all the nonsense and perception crap factors in. Those are the scores of the students entering the two schools. End of discussion.

Seriously? If there is much difference is selectivity between VT, JMU, than there is a mountain of difference between these two and UVA....gimme a break.

End of story.

[Anonymous]

JMU has the party degrees

[Anonymous]

1. JMU isn't ranked at all on the USNWR list of National Universities (or SLACs). VT is in the 60s last I saw.

2. Ignoring point #1, you know it's easier to "take a bigger jump in the rankings" when you have much more room to jump, right? Saying that JMU is "up and coming" or whatever says nothing to take away from VT. Tech is ranked high and harder to get into for anyone in the DCUM range.

3. Squabble on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. JMU isn't ranked at all on the USNWR list of National Universities (or SLACs). VT is in the 60s last I saw.

2. Ignoring point #1, you know it's easier to "take a bigger jump in the rankings" when you have much more room to jump, right? Saying that JMU is "up and coming" or whatever says nothing to take away from VT. Tech is ranked high and harder to get into for anyone in the DCUM range.

3. Squabble on.

OK I'll bite into this discussion because I actually have kids at both. Warning, I worked for USN&WR back in the 1980s as a data analyst so this perspective might be a little boring

1. Colleges and Universities are grouped in the USN Rankings based on number of Doctoral degrees granted (or more accurately, Carnegie Basic Classification). For example - GMU, VT, VCU and ODU all share similar Basic Classification for larger number of Doctoral Degrees and are ranked together as "National U"s...on the other hand JMU, Villanova, Providence College, Mary Washington, etc. all share similar Basic Classification for smaller number of Doctoral Degrees and are ranked together as "Regional U"s. In its (admittedly tougher) category, Virginia Tech is in the 70's. In its (admittedly easier) category, JMU ranks #5.

2. In point of fact, JMU and VT have both dipped in their respective rankings. Back in the 1980s when Wake Forest U (was always #1), Furman (often switched with JMU for #3) and the University of Richmond (always #2) were ranked as Southern "Regional U"s by US News, JMU was a consistent #3 or 4. VT on the other hand used to rank favorably with schools like UMCP in the "National U"s, but no longer.
3. I love squabbling but they are both fine schools. Over the years the schools have traded off in terms of SAT average of entering class. Currently VT's is about 50 points higher because James Madison has expanded their Entering Class Size from something like 1,000-1,500 in the 1980s to 4,000-4,300 today (and its acceptance rate is much higher than in the 1980s).

Another point of caution for you VT/JMU squabblers. I was looking at JMU's Institutional Research site. They awarded so many doctorates over the past few years that they will have their basic classification changed (just as UR, WFU and others have a decade ago). However, when it changes, it is likely to be grouped by USN in the "National Liberal Arts" Category (like UR) rather than "National U"s. So this debate will likely not be settled...

For the record, my opinion is that VT is better for STEM, JMU for Business and LA for what it is worth.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Point of clarification: when you say that VT is ranked "in the 70s" I think you mean 69th according to USNWR.

[Anonymous]

We stop counting after 50.

[Anonymous]

VA Tech is way too big for my standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VA Tech is way too big for my standards.

Same here. It's like a factory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We stop counting after 50.

That's sad. Kids should really be taught to count at least to 100.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. JMU isn't ranked at all on the USNWR list of National Universities (or SLACs). VT is in the 60s last I saw.

2. Ignoring point #1, you know it's easier to "take a bigger jump in the rankings" when you have much more room to jump, right? Saying that JMU is "up and coming" or whatever says nothing to take away from VT. Tech is ranked high and harder to get into for anyone in the DCUM range.

3. Squabble on.

OK I'll bite into this discussion because I actually have kids at both. Warning, I worked for USN&WR back in the 1980s as a data analyst so this perspective might be a little boring

1. Colleges and Universities are grouped in the USN Rankings based on number of Doctoral degrees granted (or more accurately, Carnegie Basic Classification). For example - GMU, VT, VCU and ODU all share similar Basic Classification for larger number of Doctoral Degrees and are ranked together as "National U"s...on the other hand JMU, Villanova, Providence College, Mary Washington, etc. all share similar Basic Classification for smaller number of Doctoral Degrees and are ranked together as "Regional U"s. In its (admittedly tougher) category, Virginia Tech is in the 70's. In its (admittedly easier) category, JMU ranks #5.

2. In point of fact, JMU and VT have both dipped in their respective rankings. Back in the 1980s when Wake Forest U (was always #1), Furman (often switched with JMU for #3) and the University of Richmond (always #2) were ranked as Southern "Regional U"s by US News, JMU was a consistent #3 or 4. VT on the other hand used to rank favorably with schools like UMCP in the "National U"s, but no longer.
3. I love squabbling but they are both fine schools. Over the years the schools have traded off in terms of SAT average of entering class. Currently VT's is about 50 points higher because James Madison has expanded their Entering Class Size from something like 1,000-1,500 in the 1980s to 4,000-4,300 today (and its acceptance rate is much higher than in the 1980s).

Another point of caution for you VT/JMU squabblers. I was looking at JMU's Institutional Research site. They awarded so many doctorates over the past few years that they will have their basic classification changed (just as UR, WFU and others have a decade ago). However, when it changes, it is likely to be grouped by USN in the "National Liberal Arts" Category (like UR) rather than "National U"s. So this debate will likely not be settled...

For the record, my opinion is that VT is better for STEM, JMU for Business and LA for what it is worth.

Hope this helps.

Great analysis. Thanks for contributing.