Can you tell me about JMU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The kids who went to JMU from her HS were generally bright, social and well rounded, but “just missed” UVA, WM or VT Engineering (and these programs are very competitive from NOVA— lots of top students get locked out). Humanities at JMU and VT seem to be similarly competitive.

My kid is a studious introvert and is loving WM. If she has not been accepted, she would not have attended JMU because outgoing, social party scene is not someplace she would have been happy. Her other applications were SLACs and UMW as a safety.

Like all colleges, it’s a fit. The kids in the top 10% to 30% of our large NOVA HS seem to excel there— especially kids whose ECs are athletics, drama or something similarly team based and want a balance of academic and fun.

I attended a SLAC, and one of my concerns about JMU and VT was that so many kids were off campus after the first year. I like the residential college vibe for my kids (of course, WM is renovating dorms and now only guarantees two years of housing, so *shrug*).

I also have a studious introvert who did choose JMU - and it’s been the best experience for him. He has come out of his shell in innumerable ways while still pursuing a very challenging major. I’ve honestly never seen him so happy and animated. He’ll probably always be an introvert at heart (like me!), but his world has opened up so much by attending JMU. I once asked him if he’d ever want to transfer and he said not in a million years.

And he lived on campus for his first two years. He’s now a junior and living off campus with his best friends. Highly, highly recommend JMU.

My son is both of these two. Freshman, planning off campus next year. Very high grade point average, went in with something like 20 credits. Only wanted JMU. WE KNOW SEVERAL CURRENT STUDENTS AND DOZENS OF ALUMNI FROM VIRGINIA TECH. THEY JUST AREN'T HIS PEOPLE. (SORRY, Spoke that not sure why all caps. Not yelling it) Wait listed UVA, withdrew when accepted to JMU honors.

Honors college is perfect for smart, friendly introverts. He made more close friends in the first two months than his entire life. All of them , except his friend from HS who roomed with him in honors' dorm, are honors college kids so that was probably the trick. He likes that the honors dorm is east campus, calmer vibe, better dining hall, URec is close, easy walk to "main" campus. The highway doesn't really make a difference unless you get last dorm choice. He gets two advisors, one for major & one for HC. NICE TO get different viewpoints.

His friends are liberal & open minded, honors college probably does make a difference than over general population.

Harrisonburg within walking distance of campus is safe. UVA is sketchy to put nicely.

Classes are no more than 30. Honors lecture was less than 15. Honors students get early class selection is a huge benefit. Teachers give lots of thoughtful feedback on work.

I agree with much of your post except the bolded. Honors college students aren't any "better" than general population students. My introvert was not in Honors College but very much found his people within his dorm, major, and clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:81% 86% what's the difference
you can pretty much walk in

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The kids who went to JMU from her HS were generally bright, social and well rounded, but “just missed” UVA, WM or VT Engineering (and these programs are very competitive from NOVA— lots of top students get locked out). Humanities at JMU and VT seem to be similarly competitive.

My kid is a studious introvert and is loving WM. If she has not been accepted, she would not have attended JMU because outgoing, social party scene is not someplace she would have been happy. Her other applications were SLACs and UMW as a safety.

Like all colleges, it’s a fit. The kids in the top 10% to 30% of our large NOVA HS seem to excel there— especially kids whose ECs are athletics, drama or something similarly team based and want a balance of academic and fun.

I attended a SLAC, and one of my concerns about JMU and VT was that so many kids were off campus after the first year. I like the residential college vibe for my kids (of course, WM is renovating dorms and now only guarantees two years of housing, so *shrug*).

I also have a studious introvert who did choose JMU - and it’s been the best experience for him. He has come out of his shell in innumerable ways while still pursuing a very challenging major. I’ve honestly never seen him so happy and animated. He’ll probably always be an introvert at heart (like me!), but his world has opened up so much by attending JMU. I once asked him if he’d ever want to transfer and he said not in a million years.

And he lived on campus for his first two years. He’s now a junior and living off campus with his best friends. Highly, highly recommend JMU.

My son is both of these two. Freshman, planning off campus next year. Very high grade point average, went in with something like 20 credits. Only wanted JMU. WE KNOW SEVERAL CURRENT STUDENTS AND DOZENS OF ALUMNI FROM VIRGINIA TECH. THEY JUST AREN'T HIS PEOPLE. (SORRY, Spoke that not sure why all caps. Not yelling it) Wait listed UVA, withdrew when accepted to JMU honors.

Honors college is perfect for smart, friendly introverts. He made more close friends in the first two months than his entire life. All of them , except his friend from HS who roomed with him in honors' dorm, are honors college kids so that was probably the trick. He likes that the honors dorm is east campus, calmer vibe, better dining hall, URec is close, easy walk to "main" campus. The highway doesn't really make a difference unless you get last dorm choice. He gets two advisors, one for major & one for HC. NICE TO get different viewpoints.

His friends are liberal & open minded, honors college probably does make a difference than over general population.

Harrisonburg within walking distance of campus is safe. UVA is sketchy to put nicely.

Classes are no more than 30. Honors lecture was less than 15. Honors students get early class selection is a huge benefit. Teachers give lots of thoughtful feedback on work.

I agree with much of your post except the bolded. Honors college students aren't any "better" than general population students. My introvert was not in Honors College but very much found his people within his dorm, major, and clubs.

Well I do think being open minded & liberal is more likely to make someone a better person, that isn't what I said. The honors college is more diverse than the rest of the college population.. It makes it easier to find like minded peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:81% 86% what's the difference
you can pretty much walk in

+1

Good to luck to you both, trying to just "walk in."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The kids who went to JMU from her HS were generally bright, social and well rounded, but “just missed” UVA, WM or VT Engineering (and these programs are very competitive from NOVA— lots of top students get locked out). Humanities at JMU and VT seem to be similarly competitive.

My kid is a studious introvert and is loving WM. If she has not been accepted, she would not have attended JMU because outgoing, social party scene is not someplace she would have been happy. Her other applications were SLACs and UMW as a safety.

Like all colleges, it’s a fit. The kids in the top 10% to 30% of our large NOVA HS seem to excel there— especially kids whose ECs are athletics, drama or something similarly team based and want a balance of academic and fun.

I attended a SLAC, and one of my concerns about JMU and VT was that so many kids were off campus after the first year. I like the residential college vibe for my kids (of course, WM is renovating dorms and now only guarantees two years of housing, so *shrug*).

I also have a studious introvert who did choose JMU - and it’s been the best experience for him. He has come out of his shell in innumerable ways while still pursuing a very challenging major. I’ve honestly never seen him so happy and animated. He’ll probably always be an introvert at heart (like me!), but his world has opened up so much by attending JMU. I once asked him if he’d ever want to transfer and he said not in a million years.

And he lived on campus for his first two years. He’s now a junior and living off campus with his best friends. Highly, highly recommend JMU.

My son is both of these two. Freshman, planning off campus next year. Very high grade point average, went in with something like 20 credits. Only wanted JMU. WE KNOW SEVERAL CURRENT STUDENTS AND DOZENS OF ALUMNI FROM VIRGINIA TECH. THEY JUST AREN'T HIS PEOPLE. (SORRY, Spoke that not sure why all caps. Not yelling it) Wait listed UVA, withdrew when accepted to JMU honors.

Honors college is perfect for smart, friendly introverts. He made more close friends in the first two months than his entire life. All of them , except his friend from HS who roomed with him in honors' dorm, are honors college kids so that was probably the trick. He likes that the honors dorm is east campus, calmer vibe, better dining hall, URec is close, easy walk to "main" campus. The highway doesn't really make a difference unless you get last dorm choice. He gets two advisors, one for major & one for HC. NICE TO get different viewpoints.

His friends are liberal & open minded, honors college probably does make a difference than over general population.

Harrisonburg within walking distance of campus is safe. UVA is sketchy to put nicely.

Classes are no more than 30. Honors lecture was less than 15. Honors students get early class selection is a huge benefit. Teachers give lots of thoughtful feedback on work.

I agree with much of your post except the bolded. Honors college students aren't any "better" than general population students. My introvert was not in Honors College but very much found his people within his dorm, major, and clubs.

Well I do think being open minded & liberal is more likely to make someone a better person, that isn't what I said. The honors college is more diverse than the rest of the college population.. It makes it easier to find like minded peers.

How do you figure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The kids who went to JMU from her HS were generally bright, social and well rounded, but “just missed” UVA, WM or VT Engineering (and these programs are very competitive from NOVA— lots of top students get locked out). Humanities at JMU and VT seem to be similarly competitive.

My kid is a studious introvert and is loving WM. If she has not been accepted, she would not have attended JMU because outgoing, social party scene is not someplace she would have been happy. Her other applications were SLACs and UMW as a safety.

Like all colleges, it’s a fit. The kids in the top 10% to 30% of our large NOVA HS seem to excel there— especially kids whose ECs are athletics, drama or something similarly team based and want a balance of academic and fun.

I attended a SLAC, and one of my concerns about JMU and VT was that so many kids were off campus after the first year. I like the residential college vibe for my kids (of course, WM is renovating dorms and now only guarantees two years of housing, so *shrug*).

I also have a studious introvert who did choose JMU - and it’s been the best experience for him. He has come out of his shell in innumerable ways while still pursuing a very challenging major. I’ve honestly never seen him so happy and animated. He’ll probably always be an introvert at heart (like me!), but his world has opened up so much by attending JMU. I once asked him if he’d ever want to transfer and he said not in a million years.

And he lived on campus for his first two years. He’s now a junior and living off campus with his best friends. Highly, highly recommend JMU.

My son is both of these two. Freshman, planning off campus next year. Very high grade point average, went in with something like 20 credits. Only wanted JMU. WE KNOW SEVERAL CURRENT STUDENTS AND DOZENS OF ALUMNI FROM VIRGINIA TECH. THEY JUST AREN'T HIS PEOPLE. (SORRY, Spoke that not sure why all caps. Not yelling it) Wait listed UVA, withdrew when accepted to JMU honors.

Honors college is perfect for smart, friendly introverts. He made more close friends in the first two months than his entire life. All of them , except his friend from HS who roomed with him in honors' dorm, are honors college kids so that was probably the trick. He likes that the honors dorm is east campus, calmer vibe, better dining hall, URec is close, easy walk to "main" campus. The highway doesn't really make a difference unless you get last dorm choice. He gets two advisors, one for major & one for HC. NICE TO get different viewpoints.

His friends are liberal & open minded, honors college probably does make a difference than over general population.

Harrisonburg within walking distance of campus is safe. UVA is sketchy to put nicely.

Classes are no more than 30. Honors lecture was less than 15. Honors students get early class selection is a huge benefit. Teachers give lots of thoughtful feedback on work.

I agree with much of your post except the bolded. Honors college students aren't any "better" than general population students. My introvert was not in Honors College but very much found his people within his dorm, major, and clubs.

Well I do think being open minded & liberal is more likely to make someone a better person, that isn't what I said. The honors college is more diverse than the rest of the college population.. It makes it easier to find like minded peers.

How do you figure?

Because they told us at HC tour. Seems to be held up from what my son has seen vs what his non-hc friends have said. JMU is not a diverse student body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As with everything, post college success depends on the kid and what they do with their opportunity. I think we can all agree JMU is not the most prestigious school in the state but that doesn’t mean someone can’t come out towards the top of their class and make a name for themselves. And have fun doing it.

The focus in DCUM is on prestige and selectivity. In my experience, the halo bestowed by this disappears quite quickly as you move down from the top schools or too long into your career. Yes, if you are an engineer who graduated from MIT or an aspiring politician who went to Harvard, people will take note and perhaps give credit based solely on that. In high tech, where I work, no one mentions alma maters. It is all based on what you have done and what you know.

Schools should be evaluated more on the education and opportunities they provide and the value they deliver. This is where JMU is a solid option. It will provide similar outcomes in the same majors in most cases compared to the more prestigious schools in state.

[Anonymous]

When we toured, JMU said it has the best 6 month job placement/further schooling rate of any school in VA. 96% as I recall.

While the admit rate overall is high, at our NoVA HS Naviance said the admit rate is closer to 55%. I hope my DD gets in. We liked the school. But she is not a walk-in and luckily already got at least one other admit, but I really like JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When we toured, JMU said it has the best 6 month job placement/further schooling rate of any school in VA. 96% as I recall.

While the admit rate overall is high, at our NoVA HS Naviance said the admit rate is closer to 55%. I hope my DD gets in. We liked the school. But she is not a walk-in and luckily already got at least one other admit, but I really like JMU.

We got the same quote from our NArl HS.
My DS is there and is meeting some great people with similar interests (not the party type - but that's at every school). He got accepted to several OOS schools but not with enough merit money to justify spending the extra money.

People who are making the derisive comments are small, sad people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The kids who went to JMU from her HS were generally bright, social and well rounded, but “just missed” UVA, WM or VT Engineering (and these programs are very competitive from NOVA— lots of top students get locked out). Humanities at JMU and VT seem to be similarly competitive.

My kid is a studious introvert and is loving WM. If she has not been accepted, she would not have attended JMU because outgoing, social party scene is not someplace she would have been happy. Her other applications were SLACs and UMW as a safety.

Like all colleges, it’s a fit. The kids in the top 10% to 30% of our large NOVA HS seem to excel there— especially kids whose ECs are athletics, drama or something similarly team based and want a balance of academic and fun.

I attended a SLAC, and one of my concerns about JMU and VT was that so many kids were off campus after the first year. I like the residential college vibe for my kids (of course, WM is renovating dorms and now only guarantees two years of housing, so *shrug*).

I also have a studious introvert who did choose JMU - and it’s been the best experience for him. He has come out of his shell in innumerable ways while still pursuing a very challenging major. I’ve honestly never seen him so happy and animated. He’ll probably always be an introvert at heart (like me!), but his world has opened up so much by attending JMU. I once asked him if he’d ever want to transfer and he said not in a million years.

And he lived on campus for his first two years. He’s now a junior and living off campus with his best friends. Highly, highly recommend JMU.

My son is both of these two. Freshman, planning off campus next year. Very high grade point average, went in with something like 20 credits. Only wanted JMU. WE KNOW SEVERAL CURRENT STUDENTS AND DOZENS OF ALUMNI FROM VIRGINIA TECH. THEY JUST AREN'T HIS PEOPLE. (SORRY, Spoke that not sure why all caps. Not yelling it) Wait listed UVA, withdrew when accepted to JMU honors.

Honors college is perfect for smart, friendly introverts. He made more close friends in the first two months than his entire life. All of them , except his friend from HS who roomed with him in honors' dorm, are honors college kids so that was probably the trick. He likes that the honors dorm is east campus, calmer vibe, better dining hall, URec is close, easy walk to "main" campus. The highway doesn't really make a difference unless you get last dorm choice. He gets two advisors, one for major & one for HC. NICE TO get different viewpoints.

His friends are liberal & open minded, honors college probably does make a difference than over general population.

Harrisonburg within walking distance of campus is safe. UVA is sketchy to put nicely.

Classes are no more than 30. Honors lecture was less than 15. Honors students get early class selection is a huge benefit. Teachers give lots of thoughtful feedback on work.

I agree with much of your post except the bolded. Honors college students aren't any "better" than general population students. My introvert was not in Honors College but very much found his people within his dorm, major, and clubs.

Well I do think being open minded & liberal is more likely to make someone a better person, that isn't what I said. The honors college is more diverse than the rest of the college population.. It makes it easier to find like minded peers.

How do you figure?

Because they told us at HC tour. Seems to be held up from what my son has seen vs what his non-hc friends have said. JMU is not a diverse student body.

if you look at the Common Data Set of all the VA colleges, diversity is not a strongpoint at most of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU All applicants 2021-22:

Applied: 21335

Accepted: 18380

Acceptance rate: 86.2%

Source: SCHEV

Weird that you don't include a link. Here's mine. Last year's admission rate was 81%. This year's admission rate was 71%. Did you really think no one would call you out on your false information?

https://research.schev.edu/iProfile/232423/James-Madison-University

I have no idea where your 71% figure comes from; not from the link you posted. The 81% figure is on the linked page: it's the in-state acceptance rate. OOS acceptance rate (in the same chart, next row) is 93%. You need to do a little arithmetic to get the overall acceptance rate of 86%. Lots of other interesting info at that link, too--thanks for posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we toured, JMU said it has the best 6 month job placement/further schooling rate of any school in VA. 96% as I recall.

While the admit rate overall is high, at our NoVA HS Naviance said the admit rate is closer to 55%. I hope my DD gets in. We liked the school. But she is not a walk-in and luckily already got at least one other admit, but I really like JMU.

We got the same quote from our NArl HS.
My DS is there and is meeting some great people with similar interests (not the party type - but that's at every school). He got accepted to several OOS schools but not with enough merit money to justify spending the extra money.

People who are making the derisive comments are small, sad people.

I truly don't get the compulsion to bash schools on this forum.

Not a fit for you or your kid? Cool, I hope you find the right match. But trashing them makes you look pretty pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU All applicants 2021-22:

Applied: 21335

Accepted: 18380

Acceptance rate: 86.2%

Source: SCHEV

Weird that you don't include a link. Here's mine. Last year's admission rate was 81%. This year's admission rate was 71%. Did you really think no one would call you out on your false information?

https://research.schev.edu/iProfile/232423/James-Madison-University

I have no idea where your 71% figure comes from; not from the link you posted. The 81% figure is on the linked page: it's the in-state acceptance rate. OOS acceptance rate (in the same chart, next row) is 93%. You need to do a little arithmetic to get the overall acceptance rate of 86%. Lots of other interesting info at that link, too--thanks for posting.

The acceptance rate for the fall 2022 entering class appears to be about 75%: https://www.jmu.edu/about/fact-and-figures.shtml

Also, the acceptance rate for the fall 2023 entering class will likely be lower given the big increase in early applications: https://www.jmu.edu/news/2022/11/18-bov-summary.shtml

[Anonymous]

My daughter absolutely loves JMU. She wanted to go to UVA but j think JMU is a much better fit. The professors are accessible, she’s made great friends as a freshman, and there are lots of clubs and sports to try. I’m very happy With the school from a parent’s perspective as well. There seems to be a lot of support for mental health, many opportunities for internships, study abroad, etc. It’s a great school.

[Anonymous]

NP but this is from the link above:

An admissions application update was provided for the 2023 freshman class with the following first-year demographics: early applicants at 24,156 (30% increase); 12,195 in state (25% increase); 11,573 out of state (32% increase)

If JMU was stock, I’d be buying lots of it right now. It’s a solid education and JMU is becoming much more well known around the country because of football and their entrance in the Sunbelt Conference.