James Madison University

I'm not a full-time student, so I don't have any personal experience with matters like social/residential life. That said, I've enjoyed my experiences thus far at JMU. The food here is GREAT. Be warned, though: much of it is really high in calories and fat, so you'll need to choose carefully if you pay attention to those sorts of things. Also, I've been impressed with my academic experience here. I expected to have huge intro classes with teaching assistants, which has not been the case at all. I'm taking Psych 101 this semester, which only has about 40 students. Even with this many, we have in-class discussions often. My Spanish class last semester only had 11 people. The resources here, especially for for first-year students, are abundant. There are tons of computer labs, a science and math tutoring center, and a writing center where you can get help with papers. Even though JMU is fairly large, I see people I know everywhere I go on campus. It's a good size; big enough for you to have some sense of autonomy, yet it retains a kind of community feel. The university does a good job of bringing in interesting speakers and planning events. There are movies and fun things to do on campus every night. On the other hand, if you like to party, you will not be disappointed. About half of the JMU population lives in apartment complexes a few blocks from campus, and parties can be found in any one of them beginning on Thursday night. (Be warned, though: a lot of these apartments are really poorly built. Just last semester, I was at a friend's apartment in one such complex, and there were some guys downstairs playing a video game that involved them running. ONE college-age student running in place was enough to SHAKE the entire building. We thought Virginia was experiencing its first earthquake...) ANYWAY...Oh yeah-UREC. This is the wellness facility that was built several years ago, and it is wonderful. There are TONS of classes offered, as well as all the equipment you could want and tons of space for intramurals.

And now the bad: parking SUCKS!!!!! There is nowhere to park at JMU, so if you come here and decide to live off-campus, for the love of God, RIDE THE BUS! Not only that, but the people in Parking Services are ridiculously fond of giving tickets. In any given week, somewhere around 1000 (!) parking tickets are administered. (Really, don't they have enough to do?) Also, the administration is not very accessible, and frankly, they're pretty stuck-up. All administrators received pay raises this year, right after they raised tuition for the second consecutive semester to make up for the cut in funding due to Virginia's enormous deficit. Traffic in H'burg is horrible, mostly due to JMU being smack in the middle of the city. Also, the Burg itself is not the most happening town. There's a mall, restaurants, a movie theater, and..oh yes, a Super Wal-mart. I recommend on-campus entertainment over any of these options. If you like the outdoors, though, you'll be near a ski resort and have plenty of opportunities to go hiking, camping, spelunking, etc. in the nearby mountains.

All in all, JMU is a good place to be. I think the education is excellent for the price, despite the minor annoyances mentioned above.

1st Year Female -- Class 2006

Friendliness: A, Education Quality: F