Hello - when I was going to JMU, it was still solidly behind schools like UVA, W&M, and VT.
Curious how the perception and tangible quality of JMU has changed since then. It’s a nice dream thinking about my kids going to the same school (that’s still more than a decade away) that their parents did.
I don’t know when you were at JMU, but when my wife applied to JMU her safety was VT.
JMU has been ranked in various places as the best VA college for getting a job in the past few years. Once again, JMU is the Best College in Virginia for Getting a Job - JMU
If you haven’t seen it, their new fitness complex is incredible and Niche rates their campus food as A+
For my daughter this year, it was the opposite. She was applying to VT and W&M and JMU was her safety. In our experience, JMU is seen as a very solid backup to tho big three in-state schools. High ranking kids in her class used it as a safety, although most got in to “higher tiered” schools. I think if it weren’t so close to NOVA, kids in our area might like it more. I hear a lot of “it’s the exact same thing as being at a FCPS high school” - meaning that so many FCPS kids go there that it feels too much like not moving on to college. But we know tons of kids who have gone there and loved it. As a parent I loved it when we visited.
On a national level, JMU is not at the level of a UVA (top large flagship), W&M (strong mid size public) and Va Tech…known for its food.
In fact, JMU is listed as a regional school by US News and I’d equivalate it to App State and College of Charleston.
But so what - it’s a fine school - and someone can do very well from there. It’s a nice campus, not too big, and if it works for a student, it’s great.
As a FCPS alum, we said the same thing about VT (and UVA) 30 years ago! There are so many bright students in the booming NOVA area, all of the VA schools can’t take them all! I think that is helping JMU.
I currently have a junior and two others in my office (of 10!) have freshmen. When we were doing the initial search, we didn’t think immediately think about it. S asked if we could go visit. We were impressed by how CLEAN it was. It felt like it was an up and coming place to be. My co-worker compared it to Disney World, though I wouldn’t go that far - but UREC IS amazing! H & I are so jealous!
I was impressed with everyone we talked to (except for the poor tour guide who must have been doing his first tour and couldn’t remember the words for dorm and cafeteria!). They were intelligent, happy, informative, and very well spoken. it jived with a young lady that I interviewed for an engineering position a few years prior. I didn’t even know JMU had engineering, but she was just very well spoken and confident. I liked her, but she went elsewhere.
The test scores/stats are slightly slower than VT and UVA/W&M, but I think all four schools have their own vibe. And if my kids had been interested in engineering, I still likely would have pushed VT. For younger S, it came down to UVA & JMU. Many of his HS friends went to UVA, but he loved the IA program at JMU. And JMU gave him the Madison scholarship which has saved him a lot of $$$. I personally think the vibe of JMU fits him better. He has thrived there and got a great internship for the summer near his brother. I don’t think he would have done any better at UVA.
@ClassicMom98 My son loved the IA Program.
I can honestly say that my son, who was already squared away when he arrived on the JMU campus as a freshman, is a completely different man now that he’s graduating. The school brought out the very best in him. That would never show up in a USNWR ranking, sadly.
I think JMU is still the fourth place VA public university, after UVA, W&M, and Tech. Followed by CNU, GMU, UMW, and VCU.
That said, it’s a great school! UVA and W&M are mainly for students in the top 10% of their classes, so for a lot of people, those schools are off the table. JMU seems to capture the students who were maybe in the top 15-35% of their class.
JMU has a beautiful campus in a safe area, a variety of majors, and JMU students seem to be exceptionally friendly and happy. Lots of school spirit, and now D1 football. Alums are very passionate about the school and helping current students. Campus food is top rated too. Cost of attendance is very reasonable.
As for academics, JMU’s programs are well-respected. The direct-admit business school shares professors with UVA, and one professor told his students that he thought the JMU program was harder/better than the UVA program. I know students who skipped applying to UVA because they didn’t want to risk not being a business major, as UVA only accepts about 60% to their business school, and it doesn’t begin until third year.
Other programs, like nursing and the School of Media Arts & Design, are top notch as well.
It seems to me that a lot of academically solid students choose JMU, get a great education while making good friends, and go on to be successful in their careers.