JMU EA is out

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Acceptance is very school dependent, and in my Fairfax County school Naviance data (McLean/Langley), a 3.6 gpa is not a safety or a slam dunk by any means. Even with a 34 ACT.

Interesting because I'm looking at Gonzaga scattergram and last year everyone with 3.2 and over got in, regardless of test scores (scores ranged from 1030-1500 but I'm not going to check who was test optional bc there are a ton of kids who applied), So a 3.6 with 34 GPA would absolutely be a slam dunk

FCPS Naviance shows weighted GPA, so not a direct comparison. I have a student at McLean/Langley and a weighted GPA over 3.5 and SAT over 1350 was a near guarantee for 2024.

You are not looking at the same scattergram I am looking at. 3.5 did not get anyone in.

McLean even has a couple below 3.0 that were admitted, so I guess it's tough to be a Saxon.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Marylander here and I agree state public schools should prioritize in-state applicants and require higher stats of out-of-state applicants. I think some VA publics do, including UVA and WM. It’s disappointing when publics prioritize higher OOS tuition over raising the academic caliber of the student body. But I’m not convinced that’s always the case when students with lower grades or SATs get accepted over others that are more competitive on those two metrics. We’re not privy to other equally important parts of the application.

I agree. But when the college website says to aim for at least a 3.6 GPA and A's and B's in core subjects, and posts it average test scores, you would expect the OOS-ers to have more than a 3.5 GPA. They should be 3.9+ and on the higher end of the median range of test scores.

Only like 30% of JMU enrolled students actually submit scores. Hard to enforce this if 70% don't even submit (which includes a bunch of OOS folks too).

They could require test scores from OOS applicants. If you have different minimum standards, you can require additional information. Personally, I think JMU needs to re-think the "optional" for an essay/personal statement and "optional" letter of recommendation. They should up their application requirements for in-state. It would seem less "random" to those deferred or rejected.

Why would any student serious about a school consider any essay or letter of recommendation as optional? That’s just dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance is very school dependent, and in my Fairfax County school Naviance data (McLean/Langley), a 3.6 gpa is not a safety or a slam dunk by any means. Even with a 34 ACT.

Interesting because I'm looking at Gonzaga scattergram and last year everyone with 3.2 and over got in, regardless of test scores (scores ranged from 1030-1500 but I'm not going to check who was test optional bc there are a ton of kids who applied), So a 3.6 with 34 GPA would absolutely be a slam dunk

FCPS Naviance shows weighted GPA, so not a direct comparison. I have a student at McLean/Langley and a weighted GPA over 3.5 and SAT over 1350 was a near guarantee for 2024.

You are not looking at the same scattergram I am looking at. 3.5 did not get anyone in.

McLean even has a couple below 3.0 that were admitted, so I guess it's tough to be a Saxon.

What years are your Scattergrams from? The one for my son's APS school are 2016-2020 which doesn't seem like it would be very accurate at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance is very school dependent, and in my Fairfax County school Naviance data (McLean/Langley), a 3.6 gpa is not a safety or a slam dunk by any means. Even with a 34 ACT.

Interesting because I'm looking at Gonzaga scattergram and last year everyone with 3.2 and over got in, regardless of test scores (scores ranged from 1030-1500 but I'm not going to check who was test optional bc there are a ton of kids who applied), So a 3.6 with 34 GPA would absolutely be a slam dunk

FCPS Naviance shows weighted GPA, so not a direct comparison. I have a student at McLean/Langley and a weighted GPA over 3.5 and SAT over 1350 was a near guarantee for 2024.

You are not looking at the same scattergram I am looking at. 3.5 did not get anyone in.

McLean even has a couple below 3.0 that were admitted, so I guess it's tough to be a Saxon.

What years are your Scattergrams from? The one for my son's APS school are 2016-2020 which doesn't seem like it would be very accurate at this point.

Where do you see that? Ours show bar graphs for 2020-2025, so I would assume those are the dates for the scattergram. If no acceptances are shown in the bar graph, it's just because there were fewer than 5, but the college counselor can provide them to you in email. We are in APS.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I will be over the moon if any of my three kids go to JMU!!! I went there in the 90’s as did my sister. Both of us have great careers and absolutely loved our time there.

One of the reasons I love hiring JMU grads is they don’t think their sh*t doesn’t smell.

Wow. That reflects highly on JMU. Eloquently stated.

Perfect reflection of the poster's point. JMU isn't full of elitist judgy snobs.

I don't get these comments. It isn't full of elitist judgey snobs because elitist judgey snobs can get into much higher-ranked schools.

Not a reflection on JMU but merely how the world works. Iowa State and University of Oregon and Colorado State (all generally the same rank) also aren't filled with elitist judgey snobs. GMU and VCU I gather are also not filled with elitist judgey snobs.

Is this all a veiled snipe at UVA or something?

Even among higher ranked schools, some are more known for their elitist judgy snob vibe—like Duke and, yes, UVA. High stats kids need not automatically be elitist snobs.

Many people on this site who are obsessed with rankings like to sneer at a school like JMU. What these comments are saying is that, yes, we know that our kids’ stats are not high enough for some schools, but we’re fine with that because we prefer the culture of the lower ranked school anyway.

Does that help?

DP. I would add that some of us JMU parents of students with stats that ARE high enough for some other schools also prefer the culture of the "lower ranked" school anyway. As PP said, high stats need not equal elitist snob.

I would also note that when new graduates of highly rated schools end up at Booz Allen or SAIC with JMU grads, their snobbery manifests even harder because they aren’t sure what they spent $350k on.

But in all honesty...they don't end up at McKinsey, or Citadel or Goldman Sachs or Blackstone with JMU grads...which is why their snobbery exists to start.

I would be disappointed if my kid went to work for McKinsey.

I doubt you would...but do you think Booz Allen and SAIC are doing God's work? We aren't talking about kids choosing the Peace Corps over McKinsey.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will be over the moon if any of my three kids go to JMU!!! I went there in the 90’s as did my sister. Both of us have great careers and absolutely loved our time there.

One of the reasons I love hiring JMU grads is they don’t think their sh*t doesn’t smell.

Wow. That reflects highly on JMU. Eloquently stated.

Perfect reflection of the poster's point. JMU isn't full of elitist judgy snobs.

I don't get these comments. It isn't full of elitist judgey snobs because elitist judgey snobs can get into much higher-ranked schools.

Not a reflection on JMU but merely how the world works. Iowa State and University of Oregon and Colorado State (all generally the same rank) also aren't filled with elitist judgey snobs. GMU and VCU I gather are also not filled with elitist judgey snobs.

Is this all a veiled snipe at UVA or something?

Even among higher ranked schools, some are more known for their elitist judgy snob vibe—like Duke and, yes, UVA. High stats kids need not automatically be elitist snobs.

Many people on this site who are obsessed with rankings like to sneer at a school like JMU. What these comments are saying is that, yes, we know that our kids’ stats are not high enough for some schools, but we’re fine with that because we prefer the culture of the lower ranked school anyway.

Does that help?

DP. I would add that some of us JMU parents of students with stats that ARE high enough for some other schools also prefer the culture of the "lower ranked" school anyway. As PP said, high stats need not equal elitist snob.

I would also note that when new graduates of highly rated schools end up at Booz Allen or SAIC with JMU grads, their snobbery manifests even harder because they aren’t sure what they spent $350k on.

But in all honesty...they don't end up at McKinsey, or Citadel or Goldman Sachs or Blackstone with JMU grads...which is why their snobbery exists to start.

I agree. But GS, McKinsey and Citadel are still going to only take top 25-35% from HYPS. So with middle tier grads from those schools end up sharing a cubicle at Booz with JMU grads, all they have to fall back on is their pedigree. And I speak from experience having to deal with a Brown grad at SAIC as a JMU grad. The Andy Bernard caricature of a Cornell grad (from the Office) at a job he perceives to be below his station is spot-on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will be over the moon if any of my three kids go to JMU!!! I went there in the 90’s as did my sister. Both of us have great careers and absolutely loved our time there.

One of the reasons I love hiring JMU grads is they don’t think their sh*t doesn’t smell.

Wow. That reflects highly on JMU. Eloquently stated.

Perfect reflection of the poster's point. JMU isn't full of elitist judgy snobs.

That's rich - I graduated from JMU, so I guess there's at least one. Way to stereotype and generalize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will be over the moon if any of my three kids go to JMU!!! I went there in the 90’s as did my sister. Both of us have great careers and absolutely loved our time there.

One of the reasons I love hiring JMU grads is they don’t think their sh*t doesn’t smell.

Wow. That reflects highly on JMU. Eloquently stated.

Perfect reflection of the poster's point. JMU isn't full of elitist judgy snobs.

I don't get these comments. It isn't full of elitist judgey snobs because elitist judgey snobs can get into much higher-ranked schools.

Not a reflection on JMU but merely how the world works. Iowa State and University of Oregon and Colorado State (all generally the same rank) also aren't filled with elitist judgey snobs. GMU and VCU I gather are also not filled with elitist judgey snobs.

Is this all a veiled snipe at UVA or something?

Even among higher ranked schools, some are more known for their elitist judgy snob vibe—like Duke and, yes, UVA. High stats kids need not automatically be elitist snobs.

Many people on this site who are obsessed with rankings like to sneer at a school like JMU. What these comments are saying is that, yes, we know that our kids’ stats are not high enough for some schools, but we’re fine with that because we prefer the culture of the lower ranked school anyway.

Does that help?

DP. I would add that some of us JMU parents of students with stats that ARE high enough for some other schools also prefer the culture of the "lower ranked" school anyway. As PP said, high stats need not equal elitist snob.

I would also note that when new graduates of highly rated schools end up at Booz Allen or SAIC with JMU grads, their snobbery manifests even harder because they aren’t sure what they spent $350k on.

But in all honesty...they don't end up at McKinsey, or Citadel or Goldman Sachs or Blackstone with JMU grads...which is why their snobbery exists to start.

I agree. But GS, McKinsey and Citadel are still going to only take top 25-35% from HYPS. So with middle tier grads from those schools end up sharing a cubicle at Booz with JMU grads, all they have to fall back on is their pedigree. And I speak from experience having to deal with a Brown grad at SAIC as a JMU grad. The Andy Bernard caricature of a Cornell grad (from the Office) at a job he perceives to be below his station is spot-on.

I am right there with you..though it's probably more like 50%-60% when you throw in FAANG and other SV unicorn companies (and honestly higher for Stanford).

Still leaves a bunch of kids that have to land somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will be over the moon if any of my three kids go to JMU!!! I went there in the 90’s as did my sister. Both of us have great careers and absolutely loved our time there.

One of the reasons I love hiring JMU grads is they don’t think their sh*t doesn’t smell.

Wow. That reflects highly on JMU. Eloquently stated.

Perfect reflection of the poster's point. JMU isn't full of elitist judgy snobs.

That's rich - I graduated from JMU, so I guess there's at least one. Way to stereotype and generalize.

Wait this is too funny! You said that PP’s statement reflects poorly on JMU (weird that you’d judge a 22,000 student school on one alum) and then turn around tell someone else to stop stereotyping and generalizing! I am at a loss for words at your lack of self awareness. I’m not a fan of the wording; I just think it’s stupid to admonish people in a thread and of course, act like a total hypocrite. You must have been sad when you Just Missed UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance is very school dependent, and in my Fairfax County school Naviance data (McLean/Langley), a 3.6 gpa is not a safety or a slam dunk by any means. Even with a 34 ACT.

Interesting because I'm looking at Gonzaga scattergram and last year everyone with 3.2 and over got in, regardless of test scores (scores ranged from 1030-1500 but I'm not going to check who was test optional bc there are a ton of kids who applied), So a 3.6 with 34 GPA would absolutely be a slam dunk

FCPS Naviance shows weighted GPA, so not a direct comparison. I have a student at McLean/Langley and a weighted GPA over 3.5 and SAT over 1350 was a near guarantee for 2024.

You are not looking at the same scattergram I am looking at. 3.5 did not get anyone in.

McLean even has a couple below 3.0 that were admitted, so I guess it's tough to be a Saxon.

I

What years are your Scattergrams from? The one for my son's APS school are 2016-2020 which doesn't seem like it would be very accurate at this point.

Where do you see that? Ours show bar graphs for 2020-2025, so I would assume those are the dates for the scattergram. If no acceptances are shown in the bar graph, it's just because there were fewer than 5, but the college counselor can provide them to you in email. We are in APS.

It says it below the scattergrams chart. At the very bottom. This is what it says: This is only representative of W-Ls classes of 2016 to 2020 data. Please use this as one tool in deciding on your chances for admission. These scattergrams only look at GPA and test scores, not the rigor of your high school course load or activities. Remember there is much more that makes a strong application. The scattergram does not designate if a stunt applied test-optional or not. GPA data is from final senior year GPAs.

[Anonymous]

Can some explain why a 3.7 at like Oakton or Chantilly would be looked upon differently than a 3.7 at say McLean or Madison or Fairfax or somewhere? Thank you in advance.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:JMU is going to continue to get harder to get in to…

Pretty campus
Rising sports programs
“Traditional College Experience”
Affordable In-State
Big enough but small than VT

It was much harder back in the 90s…only a 30% acceptance rate back then.

I remember this as a mid 90s grad. Our valedictorian went to JMU. What changed in the 2000s?

I went in the early 90s. It was truly Just Missed UVA (JMU) and much better than Tech. It went from 12,000 students in the 90s to 22,000 now. Selectivity went down a lot to grow it to almost double the size.

This is what I heard from a friend who is native to NOVA and went to VT back then, too. JMU lowered selectivity purposely to grow its size. Hopefully they're happy with their current size and can implement ED to better identify high performing students who really do want to attend, and then also be a little less selective during RD because VA needs schools like JMU (affordability, quality, size, athletics, good band, etc) for strong students who aren't tops in stats.

ED mainly benefits the school; not the student. I see no reason at the moment anyway,JMU would need to institute ED. It fills its freshmen class.
We have a student at JMU who came in who was “tops in stats” in a really competitive NOVA high school, good rigor, and an athlete. Her friends, not all from VA, are the same.

DP. I disagree completely about ED not benefiting the student. If a school is their first choice and they want to express that with absolute confidence, ED is an excellent way to do so - and to be done very early in the process. I sincerely hope both JMU starts using ED and I hope VT goes back to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the JMU vs PSU bashing are uncalled for. My daughter got into both and likes both. There are a lot of similarities between the two, and I’ve heard of many people over many years choosing one or the other. I think the deciding factor really comes down to the size of school.

I agree, they are both great schools and I know impressive alumni from both schools who have been very successful in their careers.

Graduates of JMU have tons of options, and the same goes for graduates of most good schools. It is rather ridiculous for people to get on here and bash JMU, or bash Penn State, or VT, for that matter.

DP. I agree and really wish that people would just report the stupid trolls rather than engage with them and derail the thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing against Penn State. I grew up in PA and graduated from there. I absolutely love it, but, please use another forum to discuss Penn State details. We are hear to discuss JMU.

+ a million. This thread is about JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU is going to continue to get harder to get in to…

Pretty campus
Rising sports programs
“Traditional College Experience”
Affordable In-State
Big enough but small than VT

It was much harder back in the 90s…only a 30% acceptance rate back then.

I remember this as a mid 90s grad. Our valedictorian went to JMU. What changed in the 2000s?

I went in the early 90s. It was truly Just Missed UVA (JMU) and much better than Tech. It went from 12,000 students in the 90s to 22,000 now. Selectivity went down a lot to grow it to almost double the size.

This is what I heard from a friend who is native to NOVA and went to VT back then, too. JMU lowered selectivity purposely to grow its size. Hopefully they're happy with their current size and can implement ED to better identify high performing students who really do want to attend, and then also be a little less selective during RD because VA needs schools like JMU (affordability, quality, size, athletics, good band, etc) for strong students who aren't tops in stats.

ED mainly benefits the school; not the student. I see no reason at the moment anyway,JMU would need to institute ED. It fills its freshmen class.
We have a student at JMU who came in who was “tops in stats” in a really competitive NOVA high school, good rigor, and an athlete. Her friends, not all from VA, are the same.

The "benefit" would be to the high-stats student who really does want to go to JMU but can be passed over because there are so many other high-stat students from their school/district who apply EA and JMU isn't going to accept them all. ED locks you in, and says to the school "If you accept me, I'm coming." Whereas EA says any of a number of things such as: I'm interested. You may or may not be a top pick for me. You may be a 'safety' application. It's 50/50 that I'll come if you accept me. I'm getting my applications - and safety acceptance - out of the way early so I/my parents can relax.

Maybe from the school's perspective there is no immediate need. But maybe they wouldn't have to guess as much in the EA process if they fill-up a small percentage from an ED process, and ultimately they can be even more selective. From just a compassionate perspective, they can be sure they are reaching more of the most passionate JMU applicants who will then be passionate JMU students and passionate JMU alumni.

Exactly!! JMU was the first choice of my high stats kid. It has everything they are looking for. Yet, DC was deferred, no doubt because the school thinks they’ll go elsewhere. ED would have been a no-brainer for my DC, if only they had it.
DP