VA Tech, JMU, Penn State

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean all of these schools have those things. JMU/Harrisonburg is considered pretty rural but there’s of course grocery stores, shops and a cute little downtown scene with lots of up and coming restaurants.

If she wants some more urban environment, she may want to consider something like Pitt or U South Carolina.

Have you been to Harrisonburg? it's rural, but the city has every chain restaurant known to man and every major chain store in the United States. It's also close to Shenandoah and Massanutten, so definitely a lovely area, and your kid will be comfortable there, and only about a 2.5 hour drive from DC to come home, however, in terms of academic strength, I would put Penn State the best, then Vtech, then JMU last. however if you are looking to save money and be in state especially for engineering vtech is probably the best option, however i will warn you its not been easy to get into any of these schools including jmu as there are too many kids going to college.

also Pittsburgh isnt' that more urban than Harrisonburg, everything shuts down after 12, if i was picking between UPItt (which isn't suggested) and the other 3 i would pick the va schools or pennstate.

???
Isn’t more urban?
Do you want to compare museums between the two cities? The performing arts scene? The major concerts that come through? The architecture? The density of downtown? How about the major league sports teams??

Re: closing down after 12 in Pittsburgh. Nope. Bars open. Clubs open. Plenty of options to go eat after a bar or frat party - easily until 2:30am, and El Jefe’s until 4am.

Pitt is not right for everyone, but saying it isn’t much more urban than Harrisonburg is so incorrect, it’s almost rage-baiting.

DP. Who cares? This thread isn’t even asking about Pitt. Could the two of you keep to the topic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP have you seen Blacksburg? I would not choose VT for that alone.

I have not, that's why I was hoping to get insights here.

Don’t listen to the PP. They are the usual anti-VT troll who can’t stand when anyone says positive things about the school.

Blacksburg is a long (4 hr) drive from NoVA - if that’s where you’re coming from. However, it’s a beautiful trip through the Shenandoah Valley (where JMU is) and then further on through the mountains. I personally love making the drive. The town is small, but cute and has everything you would need - grocery and drug stores, restaurants, etc. Christiansburg is a larger town about 15 minutes away where you can find Target, Barnes & Noble, etc.

People who prefer urban environments wouldn’t care for this location, but my kids absolutely love it. They definitely wouldn’t have been happy at an urban school with no campus. To each their own - I suggest you visit.

[Anonymous]

If you are coming from NoVa, the drives to VT and PSU are very similar. You will spend 3.5-4 hours on the highway (don't let GPS take you off it them), go though mountains, see a lot of cows and questionable billboards and then the college town appears out of nowhere. You pass JMU on the way to VT. It's about at the halfway point.

[Anonymous]

The drive to VT (and JMU) in the spring and fall is just gorgeous. Redbud trees all over the place in April and stunning foliage in the fall. Love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean all of these schools have those things. JMU/Harrisonburg is considered pretty rural but there’s of course grocery stores, shops and a cute little downtown scene with lots of up and coming restaurants.

If she wants some more urban environment, she may want to consider something like Pitt or U South Carolina.

Have you been to Harrisonburg? it's rural, but the city has every chain restaurant known to man and every major chain store in the United States. It's also close to Shenandoah and Massanutten, so definitely a lovely area, and your kid will be comfortable there, and only about a 2.5 hour drive from DC to come home, however, in terms of academic strength, I would put Penn State the best, then Vtech, then JMU last. however if you are looking to save money and be in state especially for engineering vtech is probably the best option, however i will warn you its not been easy to get into any of these schools including jmu as there are too many kids going to college.

also Pittsburgh isnt' that more urban than Harrisonburg, everything shuts down after 12, if i was picking between UPItt (which isn't suggested) and the other 3 i would pick the va schools or pennstate.

???
Isn’t more urban?
Do you want to compare museums between the two cities? The performing arts scene? The major concerts that come through? The architecture? The density of downtown? How about the major league sports teams??

Re: closing down after 12 in Pittsburgh. Nope. Bars open. Clubs open. Plenty of options to go eat after a bar or frat party - easily until 2:30am, and El Jefe’s until 4am.

Pitt is not right for everyone, but saying it isn’t much more urban than Harrisonburg is so incorrect, it’s almost rage-baiting.

I got angry. H2P!

[Anonymous]

I spent my freshman year at PSU long ago. I didn't have a car so the only time I went to the mall was the day my parents dropped me off. They took me and my new roommate there to buy some coordinated supplies. It wasn't convenient to campus.

During the year I was there, I went to a few restaurants, I bought a couple pieces of sterling silver jewelry from jewelry stores, and I bought some school supplies, books, greeting cards, and misc. from stores on the main street across from campus. I also patronized the small department store to order a uniform blouse required for a musical ensemble. I found the town pretty uninspiring and rarely went for fun.

A college girl was murdered in her apartment in collegetown during spring break of that year. It was never solved. That also made me feel a little creeped out.

One of my other memories of the collegetown is of going by the athletic gear store and seeing a sign that said "Why is the sky blue and white? Because God is a Penn State fan!" It was a bit much. That was back in peak JoePa days.

Overall...was not impressed.

I think VT and PSU have equivalent reputations OUTSIDE of their home regions so I would say pick VT if it's acceptable and less expensive. Locals are obviously going to prefer their home state school.

TL;DR it's not worth paying more for State College vs. Blacksburg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does she want to study? Will she be in large classes? Is the major guaranteed on acceptance or does it weed-out? Is she an organized self-starter? Can she double-check any info she’s given at a large school (think Penn State or VT)? Does she need a smaller world with less anonymity and smaller classes? Maybe JMU. At the big schools you can always find your people, but sometimes it takes longer. At the smaller schools, it feels claustrophobic sooner. What does she need to start college ?

IMO, this would apply more to the actual small schools, like less than 5,000. JMU is over 20,000 students on a fairly large campus that bleeds into the town. Lots of open space with mountain views. An arboretum you can walk around in if you want to "get away."

My kid didn't have clue 1 what she wanted in a school or what she should look for or where to start. We finally arranged two visits: one at a school of 1500 and then JMU. Before we even left JMU, she had decided the first school was too small. She determined she did not want a school smaller than her high school; but more importantly, she was afraid if she didn't find friends at the really small school, she would feel very isolated whereas if she didn't find friends at JMU, she would not feel so isolated because there was still a lot of activity going on around her. (I'm not wording it well...she articulated it much better). In the end, she didn't want "too small or too big." Never got a definition for "too big" but JMU is apparently neither too small nor too big for her.

[Anonymous]

JMU is a very nice school. Beautiful campus, good dining halls, school spirit, great programs. Close to DC so lots of good job potential. Love the school.

[Anonymous]

What if your kid get into the honors college at all 3? Does that change the equation?

[Anonymous]

DD is excited about the Honors College at JMU. Looks like it does a great job creating a smaller cohort for studious kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does she want to study? Will she be in large classes? Is the major guaranteed on acceptance or does it weed-out? Is she an organized self-starter? Can she double-check any info she’s given at a large school (think Penn State or VT)? Does she need a smaller world with less anonymity and smaller classes? Maybe JMU. At the big schools you can always find your people, but sometimes it takes longer. At the smaller schools, it feels claustrophobic sooner. What does she need to start college ?

IMO, this would apply more to the actual small schools, like less than 5,000. JMU is over 20,000 students on a fairly large campus that bleeds into the town. Lots of open space with mountain views. An arboretum you can walk around in if you want to "get away."

My kid didn't have clue 1 what she wanted in a school or what she should look for or where to start. We finally arranged two visits: one at a school of 1500 and then JMU. Before we even left JMU, she had decided the first school was too small. She determined she did not want a school smaller than her high school; but more importantly, she was afraid if she didn't find friends at the really small school, she would feel very isolated whereas if she didn't find friends at JMU, she would not feel so isolated because there was still a lot of activity going on around her. (I'm not wording it well...she articulated it much better). In the end, she didn't want "too small or too big." Never got a definition for "too big" but JMU is apparently neither too small nor too big for her.

DP. This is exactly the thought process my DC had! Loves JMU and has found his people there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if your kid get into the honors college at all 3? Does that change the equation?

IMO, no. Honors colleges sound nice, but they’re often just extra work in the end. A lot of kids drop it after their first year or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if your kid get into the honors college at all 3? Does that change the equation?

IMO, no. Honors colleges sound nice, but they’re often just extra work in the end. A lot of kids drop it after their first year or so.

That may be true, but there are lots of benefits that kids enjoy, at least at JMU:

- Priority housing in the honors dorm (and apartments for upperclassmen)
- Priority registration for classes
- 20 credits of seminar style classes
- Exclusive access to Hillcrest House (for classes, events, studying, hanging out)
- Social events, study abroad opportunities only open to HC.
- Option to pursue a capstone project and graduate with distinction (about 50% do this)

We just returned from a JMU Choices Event and I was impressed with the Honors College presentations by students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if your kid get into the honors college at all 3? Does that change the equation?

IMO, no. Honors colleges sound nice, but they’re often just extra work in the end. A lot of kids drop it after their first year or so.

That may be true, but there are lots of benefits that kids enjoy, at least at JMU:

- Priority housing in the honors dorm (and apartments for upperclassmen)
- Priority registration for classes
- 20 credits of seminar style classes
- Exclusive access to Hillcrest House (for classes, events, studying, hanging out)
- Social events, study abroad opportunities only open to HC.
- Option to pursue a capstone project and graduate with distinction (about 50% do this)

We just returned from a JMU Choices Event and I was impressed with the Honors College presentations by students.

+1

[Anonymous]

My kid got into Schreyer (PSU) and we are trying to figure out if it should be a serious consideration now.