JMU or CNU

[Anonymous]

My kid liked CNU and chose it over JMU. Had a great experience. Not in PLP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from CNU Spring 2025 and was in the PLP and Honors program. They had a great experience at CNU. I was skeptical at first bc of the size, but really it was big enough to have options for activities and friends but small enough that you didn't get lost. FWIW my kid ended up double majoring, got the minor in leadership through PLP (which a lot of kids drop out of) had an internship between junior and senior year which resulted in a full time job offer on graduation. Easy access to professors and advisors who actually have time/interest in working with students. CNU also just opened a brand new engineering building and they've got a pipeline to Jefferson Labs. My kid had a great friend group, plenty of social life and it's a really good D3 sports school ie no weekend revolving around the football game. Bonus is you probably know someone who played on a national championship team. Hate on it all you want, but for my kid it was a great choice.

Oh and I love JMU and probably would have pressured my kid to go there if they'd applied.

OP here. Thank you for this. It is very helpful to hear a first hand experience from the parent of a student. What did your student major in? How involved was the PLP program and do many students drop out? I saw a Reddit post that said 60% of students drop out within the first year

PP kid double majored in Finance and Accounting. The PLP appeared to be a lot of what may appear to be make work but it sounded like it was CNU wanted to make sure there was a thorough and broad exposure and not just box checking. There were lectures and papers throughout all four years which is why kids drop out IMO. You can’t just phone it in but kid met and had one ones with businesses leaders. I don’t think it was hard per se, but you had to manage your time and stay committed. Again it was not my first choice for my kid but it was a great experience.

[Anonymous]

It might be helpful to ED to UVA or WM or apply early action to VT. Depending on major and gender your DC could have a good shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only on DCUM can a campus be criticized for being nice looking.

JMU, VT and UVA have nice looking campuses as well without looking like a hotel or museum.

That’s just because they’re new. Give it a few years of wear and tear and it will look classic.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My vote would also be JMU and my kid (and I) are right there with you on the “hotel” feel of CNU’s interiors. It was enough to take it off the list for DC. Just didn’t feel enough like a school, DC couldn’t envision themself living there. Beautiful, but feels like a fancy hotel or museum inside.

The carpets and furniture felt very hotel-like, especially the design and I didn't really care for the university's library either. It felt limited and out of sight which made the hotel feel even more prominent. The dorms are amazing and my daughter loved them (probably the nicest we have seen). The tour guides were also great and very well spoken. I didn't like the lack of diversity and the guides were all involved with campus ministry which made me think because we aren't a religious family.

People should be careful in what they read here. Lots of good information but also lots that is just not accurate.
Regardless of how you feel about the school, the library at CNU is quite substantial in size and offerings and literally in the middle of campus. CNU is a very small campus so most of anything there is hardly "out of sight"!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It might be helpful to ED to UVA or WM or apply early action to VT. Depending on major and gender your DC could have a good shot.

Kids deciding between CNU and JMU aren't competitive to get into UVA or WM. No need to muddy the waters or waste time.

[Anonymous]

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

I did not get this impression when we visited.

[Anonymous]

Kids deciding between CNU and JMU aren't competitive to get into UVA or WM. No need to muddy the waters or waste time.

Aren't you special?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It might be helpful to ED to UVA or WM or apply early action to VT. Depending on major and gender your DC could have a good shot.

OP’s kid has already applied.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

VCU if you want health major or science major

[Anonymous]

My daughter loves CNU and chose it over JMU but you have to want a small school. The clubs are very active and she’s made lots of friends. They have great sports teams but it’s not rah-rah like JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VCU if you want health major or science major

No one is discussing VCU on this thread.

[Anonymous]

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

Yeah my CNU ultra liberal, LBGTQ, non white, agnostic child disagrees with this statement.