<p>I realize this is the JMU thread - so the answers might favor JMU - but I am curious - we live in Maryland - so Towson would be about $10,000 less per year for us - how comparable do you think the 2 are? We have not visited Towson yet - but on the surface - they are about the same size, my son could major in business or sports mgnt at either one, upperclassmen typically live off campus at both, sports seem roughly equivalent being both are DI - why would JMU be a better choice? I know JMU is listed in Fiske and Princeton Review and Towson is not - but besides that - am I overlooking anything that would favor JMU over Towson?</p>
<p>I live 5 minutes from Towson and have good friends who teach there. My daughter was accepted there and chose to go to JMU. I think Towson is an underrated school, but it is not on par with JMU. It may be one day, and I believe they aspire to be the JMU or VaTech of Maryland, but they are not there. It is true that kids at both school mostly live off campus after freshman year but at JMU, the school still remains the hub of activity. It’s hard to pry the kids away for the weekend. Towson still battles with the stigma of being a suitcase school. While I think that is unfair in large part and is getting better, there are still a lot more kids who live locally and whose social life is based on connections made locally rather than through school. The caveat is that, if debt will cover the difference in the tuition, then I think Towson is the choice. I think graduating with $40k in debt should rule out pretty much any school - Ivies included</p>
<p>That was very helpful - thanks. What about in terms of academics and job placement - how do you feel Towson and JMU compare in those areas?</p>
<p>I would say JMU has the edge in terms of academics and a communal atmosphere and such, but if out-of-state tuition is a big deal Towson isn’t a bad alternative. I went to JMU for a year (I was in-state) and would not break the bank to attend there if I was an out-of-stater. If it is cost feasible, then I would definitely choose JMU.</p>
<p>Why did you only attend for a year? Did you transfer elsewhere? My son will probably apply to both JMU and Towson - among others - I’m just trying to get a feel for how people regard Towson - whether the typical person would feel that JMU was worth the extra money.</p>
<p>I will be attending JMU this fall as a Freshmen and I have heard many bad reviews of Towson. We actually had a family friend attend Towson a few years back and she hated it. She just did not like the whole idea of the school after attending for a year because she did not feel the academics were up to par. Last year when i was applying for colleges i looked at Towson myself and read very many bad reviews of Towson, claiming that their academics are not up to par. The college review website i used is called students review. Hope this helps</p>
<p>Hi - thanks. I am wondering if the business dept is viewed as being better than the university as a whole - thanks for your input.</p>
<p>The distinctions between the two may be regional. If your son thinks he wants to stay in Maryland, Towson may be better. The opposite is also true.</p>
<p>Housing is a hot button issue in the Towson area. The relationship between the community around Towson and the college needs improvement and there are people working on that, but off campus housing can be a challenge. Harrisonburg is much more accommodating with regard to off campus housing and there are plenty of apartment complexes that cater to kids. They need to be reminded that their first apartment out of college will likely not be as nice as the ones in the area. </p>
<p>I think the business department is one of the stronger departments at Towson but it is not as strong as the department at JMU. One factor is that you are not accepted into the business department at JMU until after some core courses are taken and you have to have a certain GPA in them to be admitted. It is not uncommon to not make the cut so you do need a backup plan there. </p>
<p>Has he visited JMU? My D was having a hard time choosing among 4 different schools until she visited JMU and her other 3 dropped off the list. It was a drop dead gorgeous day and the quad presented a picture perfect view of college life. As a music major, she rarely has time to hang out on the quad but the image worked. </p>
<p>Is he planning on graduate school?</p>
<p>JMU has a beautiful campus and great facilities. There is a real sense of community there. Undergraduate research, mentoring and internship programs are well managed. Depending on your price point that may be worth the premium. Need-based financial aid is typical of larger state universities. Merit-based aid is practically non-existent. </p>
<p>We sent 2 kids to college in the past few years and have found some “comparables” depending on how far afield you are willing to go that would work for a student with stats for JMU or Towson.</p>
<p>I’m only including schools that have football teams as that was a decision point for my kids. There are others that are comparable academically and financially.</p>
<p>Some other schools to throw into the mix:</p>
<p>Private:
Elon - really beautiful campus and great learning opportunities, generous financial aid and low starting cost for a private. I think it was lower than the OOS cost for JMU when it was in the mix for us a couple years ago. </p>
<p>Public:
Appalachian State - North Carolina (really hard to get there. One of those you can’t get there from here places. But, everyone I’ve met who attends loves it.)
University of South Carolina
NC State</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Hi - my3tuitions - Elon is at the top of our list - so good pick. We did visit JMU and he liked it very much. Right now - going into junior year of hs - he has a 3.5 GPA - which is just under 4.0 weighted. He has not taken the ACT yet - but I would estimate a 27 - 28. (He had a 26 on the PLAN). JMU is the largest school we are planning to look at - which is what prompted me to wonder if we should also consider Towson - since it’s about the same size.</p>
<p>Cartera45 - the secondary admissions process for the business school at JMU is my worry - I have looked at the list of 10 required courses - the 2.8 GPA needed and the fact that not everyone who completes the prerequisite courses with a 2.8 GPA or better gets in - and that’s what concerns me. I think if he is still interested in JMU we will visit again in the spring and maybe meet with someone from the business department. He’s also thinking about sports mgmt with a business minor - might be a little easier.</p>
<p>A lot can change in 6 years - but at this point - I do not see him going to grad school - at least not right away. We have agreed on something reasonably practical that would facilitate getting a job after graduation - hence business or sports mgmt.</p>
<p>I went to Virginia Tech for a year, than JMU for a year, and then transferred to Uva which was my dream school as a kid. I always get puzzled looks when I say I have been to 3 schools, and I admit I am a bit of a vagabond, but I have had a diversity of experiences that most people in college have not had. I loved JMU. It is a very social college, which does have its downsides, becauses sometimes it feels like more people cared about the weekends and partying than school. Although that might have been because most of my friends were party goers. Being completely objective, its a fine university. As I don’t know too much about Towson I can’t provide much of a perspective on that school. But when it comes to the out of state money that it would cost to go to JMU, I personally would make sure that my son/daughter was really serious about academics, as I have seen many out of staters at JMU on academic probation due to an intense focus on the social aspect of college. Im not saying that a person has to abstain from partying and having fun on the weekends in order to be successful, but it helps to go there with set priorities. I haven’t found too many people that did not like to be at JMU. Business is a good program at JMU and is completely manageable. It all comes down to effort, if one puts in the effort, there is literally no excuse why one should not be on the dean’s list semester after semester. Many people would complain about certain courses being too hard, or too challenging, but those same people probably could not tell you with a straight face that they gave it their best. JMU definitely rewards people who put in the time.</p>
<p>Thank you so much - that was incredibly helpful. One thing I will agree with you 100% - everyone I hear from has good things to say about JMU. I don’t think I have come across any poster yet who has loads of negative things to say. And I really appreciate your comments on the business program - I don’t want to sell my son short by thinking he can’t do it - it just looks very rigorous to me - that’s all.</p>
<p>My D considered Appalachian State and Elon too. We both loved App State - I would love to live in Boone - gorgeous area and the nicest people we met anywhere. Elon wasn’t our cup of tea but I know it is loved by many. I agree that a kid needs to be disciplined with regard to partying, but that can be the case almost anywhere. I went to William and Mary many years ago - known then as the place partying went to die - but we still managed to find plenty of people ready to party at any time. Two girls transferred from my hall after the 1st semester because they went a little overboard and didn’t do well academically.</p>
<p>Hi, I am currently doing research to aid our decision with college selection. I have stumbled across this post from 2010 because I am in the exact same situation. My daughter has been accepted at JMU and Towson and we are MD residents, thereby making the instate tuition more attractive. I am wondering what decision you and your son made and if he is happy with his choice. Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>My son has JMU on his list and I was reading somewhere that JMU’s business program is ranked quite high, 28th I think, if you look at such things.</p>
<p>blt - I don’t think your question was directed at me, but I know both Towson and JMU well. My D will graduate from JMU in May and I live 5 minutes from Towson. Towson is improving steadily but it does not have the reputation of JMU. They are still pretty far apart in most ways. However, if going OOS means going into debt and Towson is a debt free choice, it would change my opinion. This is particularly true if you think your son will likely go to graduate school.</p>
<p>JMU is one of the best universities in Virginia which is a fact. I am also choosing between Virginia Tech and JMU at the moment since I have been admitted to both universities. However, I feel like in terms of job placements JMU & Virginia Tech for my decision each university has the same job placement. I don’t know anything about job placements for Towson, however for JMU, the “big4” recruits heavily at JMU and other F500 companies as well. JMU is on par with Virginia Tech in terms of academics, however engineering goes to Virginia Tech. JMU has one of the best business schools in the nation, as shown on businessweek undergraduate rankings for 2011 and other prior years. JMU is great which is why I am having trouble choosing between Virginia Tech and JMU. JMU has great social atmoshpere 10/10, and Virginia Tech has 7/10 social atmosphere in my opinion from when I visited each school yesterday. go JMU DUKES!!!</p>