James Madison University

Date: Feb 28 2011
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
For me - a VA resident, looking to stay in-state, who didn?t have the grades to get into William and Mary or UVA (because I actually had a life in High School), and looking for the "college experience" the choices were JMU, or Virginia Tech.

There are some other decent schools in VA but they just weren?t quite on par with JMU and VT for me. VCU(too close to home/too urban), Longwood(too much like high school), Mary Washington(too small), Radford(too easy to get into), George Mason(too commuter),

And of course U of R, and Washington and Lee, are good schools, if you have 40K to spend. Bridgewater and Randolph Macon just cost 40K.

So when I got into both JMU and VT, it was a TOUGH decision. After touring the campuses I ultimately chose JMU. JMU was a little smaller, and seemed a little more personable - the small college feel, with the big college amenities as the tour guide told me. The people at JMU seemed more sociable and relatable as well (less rednecks). JMU is also more liberal, which aligned closer to my political views. It didn?t hurt that JMU was 60% female and the girls were way better looking than at Tech.

I would have been happy at VT as well. While JMU has a good reputation locally, VT has more of a reputation nationally. Even though I?m not that into football, the football scene at Tech was something I missed too. Though JMU has a very respectable football program now, as evidence by our win over VT last year! VT, being more research oriented, is better known for their science programs, whereas JMU is a liberal arts school, emphasizing an all-around education. Also, the Bar scene at Tech is better but the off campus house/apartment parties at JMU blow Tech out of the water. I found the people at JMU to be very active ? everyone was into something, whether it was Roller Hockey, the Equestrian Club, The Earth Club or Greek Life.

JMU and VT are comparable academically. Look at the admissions data - JMU admits a slightly lower percentage of applicants, but Tech's SAT/GPA numbers are slightly higher. If you were like me, it came down to where I could see myself for the next 4 years. My recommendation is to tour JMU and tour Tech and see how you feel about each. Also ask around to people who go/went there. Depending on your preferences you might choose JMU or you might choose Tech.