JMU vs. Colby

[Anonymous]

I try really hard not to badmouth schools in the college forum, and I think Colby is a perfectly good school. These are both solid, but very different options.

That said, I think people in this thread are very much overstating the name recognition for Colby, if that’s important to OP (JMU is a regional school, though agree that athletics may change that in the coming years). Colby is not well known beyond the Northeast.

[Anonymous]

Is this a trolling to mock JMU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I try really hard not to badmouth schools in the college forum, and I think Colby is a perfectly good school. These are both solid, but very different options.

That said, I think people in this thread are very much overstating the name recognition for Colby, if that’s important to OP (JMU is a regional school, though agree that athletics may change that in the coming years). Colby is not well known beyond the Northeast.

+1

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

[Anonymous]

One is a selective school with 10% acceptance rate and the other one is a 3rd tier state school with 78% acceptance rate.

Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Colby academics are respected in the Northeast US.

Will experience seriously cold weather. Lots of drinking.

JMU is fine, but it may depend upon the sport, the coach, and future teammates.

Two very different options. But, as another posted early in this thread, don't commit to Colby until you have experienced a February in Waterville, Maine. January, February, & March are not pleasant weatherwise. Also, once beyond the campus, there are a lot of strange folks in non-coastal Maine.

Also, may depend upon the student's planned major.

Athletics are more serious at JMU. (JMU's football team is great.)

[Anonymous]

I would think your kid is interested in one direction over the other (i.e., small D3 vs. large D1).

Figure out which, and then use your athletic offers as leverage to talk to other schools in the athletic conference.

Especially for D1. If your kid is not set on JMU specifically, look at the schools with which they compete and determine if one of the other schools is more appealing. Reach out to the coaches of those other schools and see if you can leverage your offer.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

Where is your proof?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

Where is your proof?

It also depends what you consider quality. The wealthy strivers who went to private schools but didn't do well enough to get into an Ivy or Williams or Bowdoin, but whose connections will continue to find them high paying jobs once they graduate from Colby. Or the hard-working MC and UMC kids who lived well-rounded lives throughou their childhoods, working hard enough to get merit aid for JMU, while making friends and living a balanced life, surrounded by beautiful mountains, excellent sports teams, and thousands and thousands of other students around which to build a network.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

Where is your proof?

Are you brain dead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

Where is your proof?

Are you brain dead?

Happy Holidays

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

Where is your proof?

Are you brain dead?

Happy Holidays

Loving your school and having pride is one thing.
Denying the reality and being delusional is another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

Where is your proof?

Are you brain dead?

Happy Holidays

Loving your school and having pride is one thing.
Denying the reality and being delusional is another.

No dog in this fight. Try to back up your claims of delusion next time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

Where is your proof?

Are you brain dead?

Happy Holidays

Loving your school and having pride is one thing.
Denying the reality and being delusional is another.

No dog in this fight. Try to back up your claims of delusion next time.

If you are serious, you do not advise your kid on college applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It is a tougher choice than I would have thought. If we were just looking at academic reputation in a vacuum, Colby is an easy choice. But it is also big vs. small school, isolated vs. close-enough to other things/big town. I am a bit of a reputation-snob myself but even I am struggling with advising DC. What they want as a major is offered at both. Sport would offer a friend-group at both.

The differential in acceptance rates tells you everything you need to know. If location was an issue, why did DC apply to Colby?!?

What does acceptance rate tell us?

It tells you something about the quality of the student body. JMU’s acceptance rate is over 80 percent. Colby’s is below 10 percent. The SAT/ACT and GPA figures are vastly different too.

JMU is much larger, so acceptance rate is an ineffective comparison tool. Acceptance rates can also be gamed in an effort to manipulate rankings.

You can’t be this ignorant. What does the size of the school have to do with its acceptance rate? JMU’s acceptance rate is 78%. Colby’s is under 10%.

In terms of size, Cornell University has about 5K kids in its 2027 class which is the same number as JMU’s class of 2027. Cornell’s acceptance rate is 8%. Please explain how acceptance rates are gamed to account for a 70 point difference.

JMU accepts more students than Colby to fill a larger class. Cornell receives more apps than JMU which means it wins a popularity contest with JMU. None of this equates to quality of student body as you suggest.

Oh, boy! You seem to be missing some basic analytical skills. By the same argument, JMU is as good as Harvard or Yale. Anyway, I give up…

Nope, not what I said. Do you have any evidence that acceptance rates equate to student body quality?

You are correct that acceptance rates are not an indicator of student body quality. But GPAs and test scorers are (though not perfect), and those show that Colby students are definitely a cut above those at JMU.

There's high level of correlation between acceptance rate and student body quality.

Where is your proof?

It also depends what you consider quality. The wealthy strivers who went to private schools but didn't do well enough to get into an Ivy or Williams or Bowdoin, but whose connections will continue to find them high paying jobs once they graduate from Colby. Or the hard-working MC and UMC kids who lived well-rounded lives throughou their childhoods, working hard enough to get merit aid for JMU, while making friends and living a balanced life, surrounded by beautiful mountains, excellent sports teams, and thousands and thousands of other students around which to build a network.

Sigh ... another post trying to disparage highly selective Northeast schools by falsely claiming that they're comprimsed of "strivers" who are much less well-rounded and much less "fun." No objective proof of this, of course, just subjective anecdotes. And for the record, JMU gives very little merit aid, at least for in-state students. And remember, when it comes to big alumni networks due to the sheer size of the school, that also means lots of recent graduates trying to make use of the network. Whereas smaller schools have a corresponding smaller network in terms of numbers, but less graudates try to utilize them so it's all a wash.