JMU or GMU?

[Anonymous]

As parent of a senior looking at both these schools and have visited both: JMU too isolated for DS, although he did like the campus when we visited. I have heard it's a party school, others can chime in if true.

We went to look at GMU this week and I was actually impressed with the campus. I had thought of it as a glorified community college, but it's clearly much better than that. Very nice buildings, and on a superficial level, tons of food options. Feels very diverse, very lively, lots going on. Only thing I really know about is the music dept seems good.

DS is interested in political science and music, can anyone rate these VA schools for that: JMU, GMU, Mary Washington, VCU

[Anonymous]

DS is interested in political science and music, can anyone rate these VA schools for that: JMU, GMU, Mary Washington, VCU

It may depend on the specific musical interest, but I believe that GMU and JMU are the best schools for music in VA (assuming your student is looking at a double major and not just a music minor or opportunity to play/sing in an ensemble).

JMU only offers a B.M., GMU has a B.A in addition to a B.M., and would make it much easier to do a double major with political science. Although I guess if you're the parent of an accepted student, you probably already know this. I've heard that GMU has more performance majors and JMU has more education majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU. GMU is a glorified NVCC that has a basketball team that sometimes does well enough to thrust it into the spotlight.

I pass over all applicants who apply with GMU as undergrad and I’m not the only HR person who does this.

The 90s called, they'd want their version of GMU's reputation back.

[Anonymous]

GMU is a mid-ranked national university has been recently granted "R1" which is the highest rating for research (top I think 115 or so schools in the US). Its graduates have higher salaries on average than JMU and do internships at major companies in NOVA and DC. It's one of the most diverse universities in the US and is noted for low achievement gaps between white, asian, african american and hispanic students. That said, as the largest VA university it is also somewhat over-weighted to graduate programs (lots of dc-area folks get their masters' there) so it can take away that traditional "collegiate" feel.

JMU is a highly ranked regional university in an idyllic, but isolated setting. It is very much oriented to undergraduates. Undergraduate students rate their experiences there very well whereas undergraduate student experience at GMU seem a little more mixed in their reviews. In my view, I think GMU is more tied to the real world of work/diversity and JMU a bit more like an iconic "college experience." Both are solid schools. I'd recommend GMU for students really wanting to engage in applied research (technical or social sciences--less so basic sciences) and JMU for more traditional liberal arts. VCU would make most sense for pre-med, though GMU is just starting a new big initiative around personalized medicine with INOVA Fairfax and UVA and they just put up a brand new big health sciences building so that may be changing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

DS is interested in political science and music, can anyone rate these VA schools for that: JMU, GMU, Mary Washington, VCU

It may depend on the specific musical interest, but I believe that GMU and JMU are the best schools for music in VA (assuming your student is looking at a double major and not just a music minor or opportunity to play/sing in an ensemble).

JMU only offers a B.M., GMU has a B.A in addition to a B.M., and would make it much easier to do a double major with political science. Although I guess if you're the parent of an accepted student, you probably already know this. I've heard that GMU has more performance majors and JMU has more education majors.

Disagree. GMU has a very robust education major at Undergrad, masters and Ph.D. levels. https://gse.gmu.edu/

[Anonymous]

Student has to live with the decision. Neither is a mistake. Let them make it, researching it or not. When they put in the work/angst they will own the decision and work to make sure their decision has the best outcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU. GMU is a glorified NVCC that has a basketball team that sometimes does well enough to thrust it into the spotlight.

I pass over all applicants who apply with GMU as undergrad and I’m not the only HR person who does this.

The 90s called, they'd want their version of GMU's reputation back.

So true. I imagine the PP knows next to nothing about the GMU of today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GMU is a mid-ranked national university has been recently granted "R1" which is the highest rating for research (top I think 115 or so schools in the US). Its graduates have higher salaries on average than JMU and do internships at major companies in NOVA and DC. It's one of the most diverse universities in the US and is noted for low achievement gaps between white, asian, african american and hispanic students. That said, as the largest VA university it is also somewhat over-weighted to graduate programs (lots of dc-area folks get their masters' there) so it can take away that traditional "collegiate" feel.

JMU is a highly ranked regional university in an idyllic, but isolated setting. It is very much oriented to undergraduates. Undergraduate students rate their experiences there very well whereas undergraduate student experience at GMU seem a little more mixed in their reviews. In my view, I think GMU is more tied to the real world of work/diversity and JMU a bit more like an iconic "college experience." Both are solid schools. I'd recommend GMU for students really wanting to engage in applied research (technical or social sciences--less so basic sciences) and JMU for more traditional liberal arts. VCU would make most sense for pre-med, though GMU is just starting a new big initiative around personalized medicine with INOVA Fairfax and UVA and they just put up a brand new big health sciences building so that may be changing.

This is by far the most accurate and balanced post of the thread. I have a child at JMU and another one who is looking at JMU and GMU, in addition to others. My JMU student loves the traditional college experience he's been having, while at the same time he's taking very interesting and enjoyable classes. Both schools have so much to offer - many different majors that a lot of other schools don't offer. You really couldn't go wrong with either school.

[Anonymous]

I am one of the "two cousins" mentioned in this post, and as such I feel obligated to put in my two cents. As a millennial who graduated college and started working within the last decade, I've had a chance to see how my friends and I have navigated our first few jobs, med school, business school, and other post-undergraduate ventures. We are all roughly 8-10 years out of college now. Many of my friends graduated from UVA, Tech, JMU, GMU, UMD, Georgetown, GW, and other nearby campuses to give you an impression of the pool of folks we're talking about. Some of my friends are doing perfectly well on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley, some have stayed in the DC Metro area, some have traveled to Africa or Asia to do aid and development work, some are just graduating dental school or medical school and starting their residencies. What I've learned is that it really doesn't matter what college we all went to. We all have similar or equivalent jobs, and the college we put on our resumes now is just a nice coffee topic. What has really counted in the working world is the intrinsic motivation, drive, and overall happiness of the individual. I have some friends who blindly followed a trajectory that their parents set them on (med school, business school, etc.). Those who didn't choose these tracks on their own have almost all dropped out due to disinterest or lack of motivation or plain misery and unhappiness. Those who were intrinsically passionate and entered the field out of their own freedom have typically flourished.

My brother and I stayed in the area and I work as a web app developer for an financial investment firm while my brother works in IT auditing for a financial agency. We both make $130-140K currently, both having hit the six figures before we were 30. My fiancee is a Nurse Practitioner and is about to graduate with her MS in Nursing from UVA this May. I think any parent would be proud of us. Honestly, in the end it's not about a salary-measuring contest. Most of my cousins seem to believe in boasting about who makes more money in this economy as a measure of status and self-worth. I can assure you that anyone as poised, eloquent, and prescient about the world as I have tried to be is worth a lot more than a ruthless gold digger.

I don't know which cousin wrote the comment below, but I find it ironic that he or she felt the need to describe me and my brother, but neglected to describe anything about their own background. I suppose it's fitting, because I happen to know that none of them went anywhere good... not even anything like GMU

Best regards,

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just Missed UVA.
Need one for GMU.

Generic Mediocre University?

I have two cousins.

The first cousin attended VA tech for Computer Sciences and got kicked out for poor academic performances. He transferred to GMU and did well there. Got a job in the Federal Govt. and is a now a GS-14. Not great but good.

The second cousin attended UVA for Environmental Engineering at the same time as the first cousin. He graduated from UVA with honors and found himself jobless for 11 months. He is making much less than money than the first cousin.

In terms of CS and Engineering majors, GMU, UVA and VA Tech are pretty much the same, IMHO.

My take: you are jealous of your “cousin” who went to UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks pretty impressive to me. Heading off for med school as a child prodigy. https://www2.gmu.edu/focused-your-future/youngest-mason-grad-looks-toward-medical-school

Where does it say “heading off to medical school”?

[Anonymous]

Whichever place you end up at, do well and transfer to UVA, if possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whichever place you end up at, do well and transfer to UVA, if possible.

That is actually pretty funny. NVCC used to have a guaranteed transfer program to UVA after 2 years when I was attending. I don't know if the NVCC/UVA program is still active, but these links may be useful:

https://admission.virginia.edu/vccsguide
http://www.vccs.edu/students/transfers/

Cheers!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whichever place you end up at, do well and transfer to UVA, if possible.

I could be wrong on this, but I think UVA makes it difficult for transfers from GMU and JMU because it has to allot @ 800 seats every third year (what other schools call "junior year")for the NVCC students. The NVCC students must take a certain load of courses and get a certain GPA. Once they've done that, it is an automatic in at UVA for third year. For that reason alone, I think UVA makes it more difficult for GMU and JMU transfers . . . the system wants to keep them at GMU and JMU, because its priority is to make sure it has enough seats for the NVCC students but check that out. I could have it wrong. I have a senior at GMU and I've never heard of anyone transferring to UVA from GMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU. GMU is a glorified NVCC that has a basketball team that sometimes does well enough to thrust it into the spotlight.

I pass over all applicants who apply with GMU as undergrad and I’m not the only HR person who does this.

That is hilarious snobbery for such a career that doesn’t require any skills or brains.

Yes, and I'm sure you are missing out on some strong and very capable job applicants you've decided to dismiss based on your bias against GMU grads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whichever place you end up at, do well and transfer to UVA, if possible.

I could be wrong on this, but I think UVA makes it difficult for transfers from GMU and JMU because it has to allot @ 800 seats every third year (what other schools call "junior year")for the NVCC students. The NVCC students must take a certain load of courses and get a certain GPA. Once they've done that, it is an automatic in at UVA for third year. For that reason alone, I think UVA makes it more difficult for GMU and JMU transfers . . . the system wants to keep them at GMU and JMU, because its priority is to make sure it has enough seats for the NVCC students but check that out. I could have it wrong. I have a senior at GMU and I've never heard of anyone transferring to UVA from GMU.

Anecdotally, my friend's son applied for transfer from a SLAC to UVA last year. Parents were told that although his credentials were great, that admittance would largely depend on # of NVCC guaranteed transfers - they get the priority over other regular transfers, period.