<p>So I am a high school senior and am trying to choose between James Madison University and the College of William & Mary. I have gotten into both (and got into the honors college and a $3000 scholarship from JMU). The tough part now is deciding which to go to. I am interested in medicine but do not necessarily want to be a doctor (I currently want to be a nurse practitioner). I visited both campuses and decided that an overnight with friends from each school was in order to help me decide. It made me more torn in my decision. I feel like I am a W&M person (I work a lot, am not as outgoing, etc) but want to be a JMU person (more laid back, have more friends, etc). I did an over night at each college and wrote about it in a blog (ted2016.blogspot.com). If y'all have any insight it would be much appreciated. I think either place would be fine but I need to choose eventually!</p>
<p>W&M is a much better school. Can you afford both?</p>
<p>W&M has the better rep</p>
<p>W&M is worth it, for only a $3,000 difference (if you are in-state). You can learn a great deal from your fellow students, and W&M has a great student body. Particularly if you are a serious non-partying student, I believe you will feel more comfortable with W&M. It also will open more doors as far as internships, interviews and networking.</p>
<p>However, if you want to be a nurse practitioner, you need a nursing bachelors degree first. You can get a nursing degree after getting a non-nursing bachelors degree, but that is an extra 2 years of work. I think JMU has a program that you apply into after you are a student, while W&M doesn’t have a nursing program. </p>
<p>W&M has a bachelor’s program designed to prepare students for many types of graduate health care programs.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/kinesiology/index.php[/url]”>http://www.wm.edu/as/kinesiology/index.php</a></p>
<p>A more likely option coming out of W&M would be to attend a physician’s assistant program ( if you don’t think you can make it into med school). Physicians assistant programs are competitive for admissions - so a W&M degree would be a plus. I’d talk to some advisors and research the available majors/career paths a little more.</p>
<p>Don’t try to change your personality to fit a school. Go to W&M if you feel it is the better match. In this case, it is also the better school.</p>
<p>yeah, if you seem to like w&m, i would choose it, if your able to afford it. william and mary is much more expensive and i’m not sure what state you live in which would contribute since both schools have in state and out of state tuition. So if money is not an issue, i would choose w&m. If it is an issue, then you need to plan out what you can afford. </p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>If you are attracted to both and see no significant reasons to choose JMU, then go with W&M. The latter has a much better national reputation in case you ever decide to move to another part of the country – or decide to apply to graduate school or a professional program in the future.</p>
<p>Thanks!
I do not think I want to go all the way and be a doctor because I do not want that life style or work for myself. I know I want to be a NP or PA (lean toward NP). I know W&M has the rep of being a good school but it’s rep is for liberal arts. I could do kinesiology (like charlieschm posted about) get my 4 year degree and then go on to an accelerated nursing program and grad school or go to JMU get my RN and BSN there and go right into grad school. I was (and still am a bit) leaning toward JMU because:
- It has nursing as a major (while I could only get kinesiology from WM)
- It would be easier to keep up with classes
- I could get good grades in classes (Defiantly not all A’s if I went to WM and what would be the point of a WM diploma if I got through with a mix of mostly B’s and some A’s?, Is it like how when applying to college they tell you to take hard ap classes even if you get B’s because they look better?)
- There seems to be a bigger student life but that is because it is a larger campus with more people
- The people there seem happier and more laid back</p>
<p>Reasons for WM:
- Top: Prestige (world renowned)
- People are more inclined to study and not party
- There is a lot of tradition
- It is a beautiful campus</p>
<p>The term I learned when I went to W&M was TWAMP which is an acronym (not initialism) for Typical William And Mary Person which is a person that:
- Doesn’t go out or have many social skills
- Studies all the time (few if any other activities) and gets over worked</p>
<p>I am currently this type of person in that I do not eat lunch and instead work stay after school in the library for 2 hours and work, and work more when I get home. This year has been the first time I have ever gone to lunch with friends, spent time with others outside of school, stayed up late (my usual bed time is 10 and I get up AT 6), and had fun. To sum it up, JMU seems like a college experience I could enjoy while WM is a college experience in which I could survive and be pushed to thrive. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Also what I hope to do is:
- Go to college
- Double major with Nursing and Psychology (go on an hopefully get a masters in it)
- Eventually get a BSN and a Doctorate in Nursing
- Complete a Nurse Practitioner program
- Work as an NP for many years
- Go back and teach Nursing and Psychology as a Professor</p>
<p>JMU has the highest STD rate in the nation? Want to be a part of that?</p>
<p>I wouldnt worry about it being like HS, there are hundreds of clubs and organizations, W&M is big enough you can find ppl who want to party (join a fraternity, go to basketball games, etc.). W&M is the better name to have on a resume.</p>
<p>It sounds like you really need to investigate whether you want nursing, ASAP.</p>
<p>You might also talk to an advisor at W&M and see if you can take some nursing courses at a nearby college and use it towards your W&M degree. Many colleges allow a certain amount of courses to be taken at another college, particularly if they are not offered at their own college. I think ODU has a nursing program, although that is not real close. You wouldn’t get a nursing degree right away, but you could cut down the amount of time it takes to get one.</p>