James Madison University

Date: May 22 2013
Major: Archaeology (This Major's Salary over time)
I think JMU is a great school and has many strong points. In fact I love everything about it, only I would not recommend students who are seriously invested in archaeology to attend. I was disappointed to realize after my freshman year that the scope of the program offered at JMU is severely limited. There are apparently only 2 full time archaeology professors, which makes for a less than satisfactory learning environment because one does not receive a variety of perspectives or learn in depth about various schools of thought within the discipline. I am considering transferring after next year to go to a more prestigious university at which I will develop a better understanding of archaeology for all that it is. This would also increase my chances of being accepted into a good graduate program in the future. JMU is doing a great job for its size and funding, but it just doesn't have top academics. Coming from an excellent high school at which I was enrolled in 5 AP classes during my senior year, I was surprised to find that college was SIGNIFICANTLY easier than I expected. I just breezed through all of my classes with minimal effort and came out with a GPA of 3.93 for my first year. I'm not sure that it's supposed to be like that, JMU may just not be the best fit for me.

At the same time I love JMU so much for the warm social environment and overwhelmingly positive attitude exhibited by all students, faculty, and staff that I have been seriously considering changing my major and life plan of being an academic archaeologist. I am very satisfied with the diverse people I have met and befriended and never felt bored, although I got a little sick of the never-ending party culture from time to time. I felt that there were other options to drinking every single saturday night, such as going to the movies or dances, shows and other events put on by organizations) only my friends and I were too lazy to pursue them (being car-less did not help). I would definitely recommend JMU for others who desire a well-rounded positive college experience. I, on the other hand, have always put academics first, and so the relaxed academic expectations leaves a little wanting.