<p>James Madison had been my top choice for almost my entire college search until I visited it. I found the campus to be not very diverse - that is to say, I swear I saw the same student 1,000 times. It just struck me as very white. Was it just where we were walking, or is the diversity not as present as they claim?
It just struck me as a very preppy social scene.
My other major issue is the Art Department. I plan on being an Art major, and I found the building to be way off the main campus past a tackle store, which was unfortunate.
Are there any JMU art kids out there who can help me out and tell me if it's fine or obnoxious? I'd like to major in Art Education (or Studio Art w/education minor or double major).
I did get accepted, and I am seriously considering attending - these are just the two issues that are keeping me from putting down the deposit etc.</p>
<p>The School of Art and Art History facilities are spread out in a number of buildings on the west side of campus. One of the spaces, Duke Hall (which is on the northwest side just past the quad) will be closed for renovation at some point over the next few years. </p>
<p>The art buildings towards Memorial Hall are mostly converted warehouse spaces, so they have interesting architecture and lots of open space. The gallery down there is one of my favorite spaces on campus. Pluses to being down there are you are right next to Memorial Hall if you have academic classes there, right by Greenbury’s (a great coffee shop), and there are many student off campus apartments very close. </p>
<p>The campus is pretty large and spread out - E-Hall, Festival, East Campus Library, and dorms on the East side of campus across I-81 (although when on campus you don’t really get the sense that I-81 runs through it), to Memorial Hall on the West side. Students often will have general education classes in buildings spanning the campus, and as a freshman I do not think you have a huge amount of choice in terms of dorm choice. Although, I believe the arts living/ learning community may be opening this fall, and is in the Bluestone area of campus close to the quad. Interested students will be given the opportunity to apply for this living/ learning community.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a smaller campus where things are very close together you may find the JMU campus larger than you would prefer.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your acceptance to JMU. Hopefully some current students will log on to answer your question. You could also try contacting the School of Art and Art History to see if they could put you in contact with a current student in the program. :)</p>
<p>My son is a jr @ JMU (not in Art however). The one thing about JMU that struck us is it does appear less ethnically diverse than many other schools. However, with 16,000+ undergrads, you can find more than enough students from probably any group you can imagine. My son’s friends are certainly a diverse lot. And NOT preppy. </p>
<p>I would contact the Art department and arrange to meet with a faculty member and someone from the major to get a better feel for the department. Many departments, I recall, host programs in conjunction with the admitted students day coming up next month. JMU has a very strong education department so the combination may be a good one for you.</p>