<p>I was wondering what my chances are at MSU, specifically Madison College. Is Madison more selective than the school itself? And could someone give me a little general info on Madison. Thanks.</p>
<p>Out of State: Westchester, New York</p>
<p>I know I'm applying late and it probably doesn't help that 2 other kids from my school have already been accepted, but both have much lower stats.</p>
<p>SAT: 620V 640M 650W</p>
<p>GPA: UW 89.9 out of 100</p>
<p>Rank: Top 25%</p>
<p>Extracurriculars: decent. Debate, tennis, student gov, some communinty service.</p>
<p>pretty good essay and some awards like highest grade on a NYS regents in the school and such.</p>
<p>You've got a good shot, xx13xx, but you don't apply directly to JMC. I just have one piece of advice, HURRY!!!! -- it may too late already, but you can apply on line. Below, I lifted JMC from their website @ MSU (good luck):</p>
<p>In order to be admitted to James Madison College you must complete the Michigan State University Application for Admission. Also, you must indicate on the MSU application, James Madison College as your intended major (Question #13 on the MSU application). For admission to the College, there are no additional requirements beyond those of Michigan State University. However, James Madison College is a very popular educational program for first-year students and typically reaches its enrollment limit by November. If interested, prospective students must apply early in their senior year of high school. For information on applying to Michigan State University, please visit their web page at <a href="http://www.admis.msu.edu%5B/url%5D">www.admis.msu.edu</a> <a href="http://www.admis.msu.edu">http://www.admis.msu.edu</a>.</p>
<p>Okay thanks for the info, I sent in everything today, so we'll see although now its looking like its going to be a lot harder to get in than i originally thought.</p>
<p>The hardest part may be your relative lateness in applying for JMC purposes. MSU claims admissions to James Madison is on a "space availability" basis after you've first been admitted to MSU. I've never been quite clear on specific Madison procedure after that. Yes, Im sure they fill early spaces by the early apps who designate JMC as a "major" (after which you designate the course "concentration" you choose to follow once inside JMC). But when the space gets tight, do they fill the last seats with the best qualified applicants based on academic record? I get the feeling, they do, but it's not entirely clear. </p>
<p>xx13xx, if you don't get into JMC, you can take a general course of political science-type electives which could be used toward a JMC degree (I'd check with an adviser) and, then, try and transfer at the end of you freshman year. If you don't get in JMC but MSU generally, you might consider this -- but again, Id contact JMC advisers first.</p>
<p>MSU leans decidedly to the left. It's a very tolerant community of not just different races and religions, but different lifestyles, as well, such as LBGT. Diversity is widespread, and there is a very large foreign born student and faculty population. Also, the city of East Lansing had the highest, by far, giving rate to the Kerry campaign compared to any other mid-Michigan town. While often not getting the rep as being an activist campus, it is on many levels. It was the 1st school, internationally for example, whose students pressured it to divest from companies doing business with apartheid-run South Africaother schools nationally, followed </p>
<p>As in any large community like MSU, there is a significant and vocal conservative community, but it's clearly subordinate to liberal community. (to get some idea of MSUs climate you should read the student paper online, <a href="http://www.statenews.com%5B/url%5D">www.statenews.com</a>, which is consistently attacked as too liberal by conservatives) There is a significant portion of students who seem A-political and are apathetic-- generally those who are partiers, who give MSU a party school rep like Wisconsin, UVA or UNC, but its really exaggerated. Many of these frat/party types are also materialistic and showy. Yet, the prevailing MSU mentality true to its pioneer land grant college roots-- is to frown upon demonstrative shows of wealth, so although, there's a significant wealthy segment of students; they just tend to downplay it.</p>
<p>MSU is also a strong artsy community (East Lansing bills itself as the City of the Arts) and, as you know, artists tend to be strongly left leaning. And MSU's journalism school houses both the oldest public radio station in the state and one of the oldest college-housed TV stations in the nation which are part of the NPR and PBS networks -- and you KNOW how conservatives constantly deride those networks as overly liberal (w/ MSU producing an abundance of broadcasters to those national stations, esp from its top-10 J-school)</p>
<p>There are always tons of national and international political figures visiting campus (former ambassador Joseph Wilson just last week; the nationally-known LeFrak Forum is housed at MSU which has hosted conferences broadcast on C-SPAN) reflect the strengths of the well-regarded political science dept and James Madison College.</p>
<p>Couple of comments. First, on Madison College, Madison is not allowed to "select." You apply to MSU, designate Madison as your preferred college, and it's first come, first served. To the extent that Madison is selective, it's self-selective, that is the students choose Madison, not the other way around -- assuming they're admitted to MSU. One other thing working in your favor is that Madison has been expanded in size in the last couple of years and so they're admitting a larger first-year class next year than last year. (The same is true of Lyman Briggs School.)</p>
<p>On MSU politics, actually MSU is not decidedly on the left. It's all over the map really, but more conservative, i.e., more centrist than, say UMich and UWis.</p>
<p>mackinaw's exactly right about the slight expansion in the Briggs and Madison programs, I just didn't know this had already been implemented.</p>
<p>I would take issue on the political thing, though. I guess, being an OSS during my MSU years and now, currently, living outside Michigan I, unlike many MSU people, tend not see a U-M centered universe. I see MSU against the panoply of all top state universities, of which U-M is but one. Sure, U-M and Wisconsin are among the most liberal Us in the country, but just because MSU may not quite have such a far-left reputation, that doesn't mean it's "centrist" or conservative. I maintain if you compare MSU to most colleges in the country, and even those in Michigan, MSUs comparatively liberal. Then compare other major land grant schools: Purdue, Penn State, TA&M, VaTech, UMd, etc..., way to the left of these which tend to more technical in nature w/ lesser artsy sides than MSU (UMass is a rare left-of-center land grant school, but I think that's more a product of it's location in America's most liberal state moreso than UMass' own atmosphere). East Lansing is inextricably tied to MSU, and you can't deny East Lansing's strong liberal leanings; its one of Michigans most "blue" cities voting in recent elections. And you know Mid-Michigan is decidedly conservative. Heck, E.L. is like Berkeley compared to the rest of central Michigan, LOL.</p>
<p>Thats good to know. Oh and my friend who applied much earlier and was already accepted just got a letter yesterday that was encouraging him to apply to james madison college, so I'm hoping that there must be spots left still.</p>