I have a son considering James Madison. We are true New Englanders…wondering about the lifestyle at JMU…a bit concerned that so many kids live off campus. Is there a sense of community among students since so many live off campus? How do the out-of state kids fit it? Do VA kids take off home on weekends? Also-wondering about weekends and winters (weather/temps) He is deciding between JMU and UVM-extremely different schools. I know about UVM but not JMU.
I responded to your other thread about JMU (which seems to have gotten moved to the JMU board-not sure many will see it there so I’ll also add more here). I wouldn’t worry about so many kids living off campus. That is pretty typical at lots of colleges. There are usually pockets of students in town, or living in fraternities or sororities, as well as living in off campus apartment complexes that cater to students. JMU has good school spirit and good sense of community. It is not known as a commuter school. There are plenty of OOS kids, particularly from NY and NJ.
Thanks for the reply…I posted in a couple of threads to see if I could generate some info. We are travelling down to VA from CT tomorrow for a visit. From the looks of it, it seems like a lovely campus with some solid programs of study-was just interested in some social aspects…wondering about the winter weather and temps…sounds weird but UVM is a long winter but with lots of great ski mountains around to help the cold months pass. What is there to do in the area during the colder months or is it not that cold? Clueless New Englander…what can I say.
JMU will have four seasons. There will be snow. They do have a ski club with trips to places like Snowshoe and Massanutten. Shenandoah National Park is not that far away so hiking and camping are possibilities in warmer months . There are some caverns nearby that could be explored. It’s a nice area.