JMU or CNU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CNU is beautiful and I know students who love it. JMU is much larger, also lovely, and I know MANY students who love it.
If I were thinking about them I would note the size differences which lead to differences in the alumni networks— JMU network is HUGE compared to CNU. Alums helped my daughter find summer jobs, etc.

Of course a larger school is going to have a larger alumni network. But that also means there are far more students that may be seeking their help in looking for jobs, etc. (and there's only so much time/help to go around). The ratio of students to alumni and the percent of alumni in influential positions that can provide meaningful help can be just as important as the total number of alumni.

Good point

PP with a kid that graduated from CNU. I was randomly in a Walmart with my kid last summer. Kid was wearing a CNU tshirt. In the checkout line, the guy behind us (looked like a random suburban dad) struck up a conversation with us bc of the tshirt. Turns out subarban dad was a CNU graduate and had some high powered job on the Hill. He offered to connect my kid should he want to pursue work (my kid has a job, not into politics). Anyhow random incident, but my older VT graduate who pretty much wears nothing but VT swag when out has never had this kind of encounter. I mean Go Hokies and the fan base is rabid but I think the smaller nature of the CNU population may mean they look out for alums more? Who knows and I know this is N1.

Interesting! I talked to someone yesterday who told me that their daughter really enjoys JMU, but it has been challenging to register for classes needed to graduate on time. This concerns me.

DP. I’ve had two kids at JMU and neither ever had any issue registering for classes and graduating in four years - to include study abroad semesters.

NP. My daughter goes to JMU and course registration is the biggest negative of the school. They don't open up enough classes in a lot of cases. So far it has worked out, but it has been very stressful. All seniors register for classes at the same time, all juniors the same time the next day, and so on and so on. Daughter as well as everyone else in her year all get on early and refresh until it opens, which casues the system to not load properly sometimes and you have to guess whether it is better to wait for the page to load or start over. The gods need to be in your favor. If you aren't a lucky one then you need to stalk the class registration page or use coursicle to notify you when there is an opening and then you must act fast. If all classes are full, they should open up another section. This isn't just a one time occurance, this is something that regularly happens. Its not the case of there being an 8 am or a professor with a bad review with an opening. Even these are full. JMU really needs to get their act together with course registration/scheduling.

This is the case at most larger schools. Its not a JMU-specific issue.

CNU also has this issue, especially because they have a lot of core requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she got into JMU, I personally would go there. It’s a well-respected school with something for everyone and students absolutely love it. CNU seems nice too but I don’t know much about it.

I agree, but she seems very excited about the CNU Programs. I did some reading online though and it seems like an intense extra time committment and a lot of students drop out after the first years. I'm concerned about it.

Either schools would be fine. Colleagues' kids who went to JMU found friends and were happy. Exact same at CNU for other colleagues' kids. Really either one will be fine. This choice is about the "best fit" for DC - and different kids will have different best fit schools.

Visit both and then let DC decide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CNU is beautiful and I know students who love it. JMU is much larger, also lovely, and I know MANY students who love it.
If I were thinking about them I would note the size differences which lead to differences in the alumni networks— JMU network is HUGE compared to CNU. Alums helped my daughter find summer jobs, etc.

Of course a larger school is going to have a larger alumni network. But that also means there are far more students that may be seeking their help in looking for jobs, etc. (and there's only so much time/help to go around). The ratio of students to alumni and the percent of alumni in influential positions that can provide meaningful help can be just as important as the total number of alumni.

Good point

PP with a kid that graduated from CNU. I was randomly in a Walmart with my kid last summer. Kid was wearing a CNU tshirt. In the checkout line, the guy behind us (looked like a random suburban dad) struck up a conversation with us bc of the tshirt. Turns out subarban dad was a CNU graduate and had some high powered job on the Hill. He offered to connect my kid should he want to pursue work (my kid has a job, not into politics). Anyhow random incident, but my older VT graduate who pretty much wears nothing but VT swag when out has never had this kind of encounter. I mean Go Hokies and the fan base is rabid but I think the smaller nature of the CNU population may mean they look out for alums more? Who knows and I know this is N1.

Interesting! I talked to someone yesterday who told me that their daughter really enjoys JMU, but it has been challenging to register for classes needed to graduate on time. This concerns me.

DP. I’ve had two kids at JMU and neither ever had any issue registering for classes and graduating in four years - to include study abroad semesters.

NP. My daughter goes to JMU and course registration is the biggest negative of the school. They don't open up enough classes in a lot of cases. So far it has worked out, but it has been very stressful. All seniors register for classes at the same time, all juniors the same time the next day, and so on and so on. Daughter as well as everyone else in her year all get on early and refresh until it opens, which casues the system to not load properly sometimes and you have to guess whether it is better to wait for the page to load or start over. The gods need to be in your favor. If you aren't a lucky one then you need to stalk the class registration page or use coursicle to notify you when there is an opening and then you must act fast. If all classes are full, they should open up another section. This isn't just a one time occurance, this is something that regularly happens. Its not the case of there being an 8 am or a professor with a bad review with an opening. Even these are full. JMU really needs to get their act together with course registration/scheduling.

My kids have never had this experience at JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know that went to CMU is conservative and give off vibes similar to Liberty University.

It’s CNU. Please don’t listen to this poster. Obviously so far left that they can’t even recognize what moderate/centrist means.

Disagree. We visited CNU two weeks ago. I really wanted to love it and hoped my kid would find some gem in there. Like others, she was immediately put off by the admissions lobby (it felt like a hotel and fake) and then she sensed that the student ambassadors were a very different kind of person. We are a liberal family but with centrist and conservative roots and we hope our kid can find a school with balance. My kid immediately got vibes of a very conservative student from the ambassadors and she did not like it. It all felt very sterile and fake to her. From my perspective: Even pulling up felt like a commuter school, across from a strip mall. I really was hopeful she'd hear about the honors and PLP and think "wow" but it did not click. She also witnessed star treatment to a football player being interviewed with their coach and parent in the admissions room and that also turned her off. Yes, it is a reality, but it still made her feel weird. So no, she won't even apply.

[Anonymous]

CNU if student wants engineering. JMU if student wants broadcasting/mass-media

[Anonymous]

I don't believe any of the pro/con postings about alleged political tilt one way or the other at any VA public university. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know that went to CMU is conservative and give off vibes similar to Liberty University.

It’s CNU. Please don’t listen to this poster. Obviously so far left that they can’t even recognize what moderate/centrist means.

Disagree. We visited CNU two weeks ago. I really wanted to love it and hoped my kid would find some gem in there. Like others, she was immediately put off by the admissions lobby (it felt like a hotel and fake) and then she sensed that the student ambassadors were a very different kind of person. We are a liberal family but with centrist and conservative roots and we hope our kid can find a school with balance. My kid immediately got vibes of a very conservative student from the ambassadors and she did not like it. It all felt very sterile and fake to her. From my perspective: Even pulling up felt like a commuter school, across from a strip mall. I really was hopeful she'd hear about the honors and PLP and think "wow" but it did not click. She also witnessed star treatment to a football player being interviewed with their coach and parent in the admissions room and that also turned her off. Yes, it is a reality, but it still made her feel weird. So no, she won't even apply.

I'm sorry, but the problem here sounds like your daughter.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe any of the pro/con postings about alleged political tilt one way or the other at any VA public university. YMMV.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know that went to CMU is conservative and give off vibes similar to Liberty University.

It’s CNU. Please don’t listen to this poster. Obviously so far left that they can’t even recognize what moderate/centrist means.

Disagree. We visited CNU two weeks ago. I really wanted to love it and hoped my kid would find some gem in there. Like others, she was immediately put off by the admissions lobby (it felt like a hotel and fake) and then she sensed that the student ambassadors were a very different kind of person. We are a liberal family but with centrist and conservative roots and we hope our kid can find a school with balance. My kid immediately got vibes of a very conservative student from the ambassadors and she did not like it. It all felt very sterile and fake to her. From my perspective: Even pulling up felt like a commuter school, across from a strip mall. I really was hopeful she'd hear about the honors and PLP and think "wow" but it did not click. She also witnessed star treatment to a football player being interviewed with their coach and parent in the admissions room and that also turned her off. Yes, it is a reality, but it still made her feel weird. So no, she won't even apply.

I'm sorry, but the problem here sounds like your daughter.
DP

I had the same impression about your daughter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know that went to CMU is conservative and give off vibes similar to Liberty University.

It’s CNU. Please don’t listen to this poster. Obviously so far left that they can’t even recognize what moderate/centrist means.

Disagree. We visited CNU two weeks ago. I really wanted to love it and hoped my kid would find some gem in there. Like others, she was immediately put off by the admissions lobby (it felt like a hotel and fake) and then she sensed that the student ambassadors were a very different kind of person. We are a liberal family but with centrist and conservative roots and we hope our kid can find a school with balance. My kid immediately got vibes of a very conservative student from the ambassadors and she did not like it. It all felt very sterile and fake to her. From my perspective: Even pulling up felt like a commuter school, across from a strip mall. I really was hopeful she'd hear about the honors and PLP and think "wow" but it did not click. She also witnessed star treatment to a football player being interviewed with their coach and parent in the admissions room and that also turned her off. Yes, it is a reality, but it still made her feel weird. So no, she won't even apply.

My DD picks up snacks and prescriptions at the Harris Teeter, coffee at the Starbucks and late night Chipotle after practice. A convenient little strip center imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know that went to CMU is conservative and give off vibes similar to Liberty University.

It’s CNU. Please don’t listen to this poster. Obviously so far left that they can’t even recognize what moderate/centrist means.

Disagree. We visited CNU two weeks ago. I really wanted to love it and hoped my kid would find some gem in there. Like others, she was immediately put off by the admissions lobby (it felt like a hotel and fake) and then she sensed that the student ambassadors were a very different kind of person. We are a liberal family but with centrist and conservative roots and we hope our kid can find a school with balance. My kid immediately got vibes of a very conservative student from the ambassadors and she did not like it. It all felt very sterile and fake to her. From my perspective: Even pulling up felt like a commuter school, across from a strip mall. I really was hopeful she'd hear about the honors and PLP and think "wow" but it did not click. She also witnessed star treatment to a football player being interviewed with their coach and parent in the admissions room and that also turned her off. Yes, it is a reality, but it still made her feel weird. So no, she won't even apply.

My DD picks up snacks and prescriptions at the Harris Teeter, coffee at the Starbucks and late night Chipotle after practice. A convenient little strip center imo.

And the Rita's Frozen Custard is there and a great meeting up place!