Christopher Newport v. JMU and GMU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from the Tidewater area, where CNU is. I've never been to the campus, and only knew a couple of high school friends who attended. It's in Newport News, often referred to by locals as "Bad News" for being a rough area. If I had the choice, I would definitely pick JMU or GMU over CNU.

Johns Hopkins is also in a rough area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from the Tidewater area, where CNU is. I've never been to the campus, and only knew a couple of high school friends who attended. It's in Newport News, often referred to by locals as "Bad News" for being a rough area. If I had the choice, I would definitely pick JMU or GMU over CNU.

Johns Hopkins is also in a rough area.

PP here. Why the attitude? Hopkins isn’t part of the decision. I’m from the Tidewater area and also attended undergrad there—there’s just not a lot to do off campus, in addition to there being a lot of crime near CNU. I also think the other two schools being considered have better reputations, and are in less conservative areas.

[Anonymous]

modernmom4 wrote:Our daughter is trying to decide between these three schools. She is liberal, shy, and diverse. By the numbers, CNU seems like a less over-whelming option with only 5k students; however, we've heard it is has conservative leadership and a more conservative student body. JMU gets great reviews but is 22k kids. GMU about the same. Is CNU conservative? And what do is conservative mean at CNU? Can a shy kid be happy and thrive at JMU or GMU?

How is your daughter "diverse"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The surrounding area of CNU has beaches and lots to do. Don’t listen to that poster. It’s a beautiful campus, I drive by it every day.

The beaches aren't that close by. It's not like students head to the beach after class.

[Anonymous]

What major

[Anonymous]

My DS was also admitted to these 3 schools. I've heard similar stories to the PP about CNU, and was told that unless you're in the honors program it's not worth going. Plus my DS is very liberal and he doesn't think he'd be comfortable there. So it's between JMU and GMU. He has good friends going to GMU so that makes it more appealing, but he wanted to go somewhere farther from home. So I think JMU will be his choice, assuming he likes it after attending the admitted student day in April.

BTW, OP, my older DD has a friend who sounds like your daughter who is a junior at JMU, and she loves it! In fact, everyone I know with kids at JMU are very happy with the school.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, we know several students at CNU and they are LOVE it. None of them are really conservative. They really enjoy the small size of the school and the gorgeous campus. It's conservative leaning because the longtime president (and the guy that really came in and revamped its community college reputation in the 70s) is a former Republican senator - Paul Tribble. But it's not an overwhelming conservative prescence at all. I believe all the freshman are invited at some point to have dinner with the president and his wife. He's really nice, and supposedly his wife makes some killer peanut butter cookies.

Anyways, I would encourage you to give CNU a chance. Newport News may not be the nicest area, but the area immediately surrounded CNU isn't bad and there's a ton going on on the campus. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re CNU: close family friends have DC there. We have received nothing but horror stories, with an expression of real regret at the choice. Hazardous area. Exceptionally conservative. Such poorly-staffed faculty that students are routinely unable to get course placements that satisfy major requirements - so they get involuntarily extended, at considerable expense, and take more than four years to complete their programs. We've heard these observations and reports from sources that are known to us. We won't be looking there at all.

I heard a story like this too. Weird.

[Anonymous]

Re conservatism and college:

GMU is not a conservative school. Part of its economics department (Mercatus Center) reflects a particular strand of conservatism, as does part of its law school. Those schools have received Koch brothers funding for specific faculty lines/projects. GMU's graduate public policy program is also one that is considered politically "balanced"--somewhat out of necessity to serve graduate students in DC area working in a range of administrations. The rest of the university is more typical of other colleges/universities--a range of perspectives but overall a liberal tilt. Overall undergrad student body leans liberal, but not in a strong way.

CNU does lean somewhat conservative in both faculty and students than most colleges/universities. Politics aside, I think CNU has had a harder time attracting/retaining strong faculty and has some administrative issues. But it may be one of the few non-religious colleges and universities that has a politically conservative bent so it may serve a niche for some.

JMU is a traditional. slightly liberal college. Like most colleges, there are individuals-- student, faculty and administrators--who are conservative, but the overall feel is liberal-ish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS was also admitted to these 3 schools. I've heard similar stories to the PP about CNU, and was told that unless you're in the honors program it's not worth going. Plus my DS is very liberal and he doesn't think he'd be comfortable there. So it's between JMU and GMU. He has good friends going to GMU so that makes it more appealing, but he wanted to go somewhere farther from home. So I think JMU will be his choice, assuming he likes it after attending the admitted student day in April.

BTW, OP, my older DD has a friend who sounds like your daughter who is a junior at JMU, and she loves it! In fact, everyone I know with kids at JMU are very happy with the school.

I have yet to meet a student, former or present, who did not absolutely love JMU. It's got something for everybody and a seriously nice student body, to boot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The surrounding area of CNU has beaches and lots to do. Don’t listen to that poster. It’s a beautiful campus, I drive by it every day.

The beaches aren't that close by. It's not like students head to the beach after class.

There are these things called "weekends" though.