James Madison University Top Questions

The best part of the Madison Academic Experience is that faculty have a personal relationship with students. Professors take time to get to know students name's and that helps with the educational process.

Most of my proffesors know my name. I have some large classes that the teachers do not know all of the students names. However if I make the effort to attend office hours and approach the teacher, then they make the effort to know my name and get to know me. My favorite class was my GWRIT class. It was very hands on and the teacher was very encouraging. I have not run into any very competetive students. We all have study groups and sessions before exams to help each other do well. The GENED requirements are very large but I like how broad and how much variety there is within them.

some do, some don't. favorite class is italian. corbin is the man. least fave is negotiations. boooooring. yes it is common. yes they do have such convos. i guess they are competitive? justice studies major. no i do not. fair requirements. good to get a mix of things. learning.

Professors will always try to know your name by any means necessary. It's nice that almost every class is very small encouraging class participation and familiarity among students and faculty, which then lets students talk outside of class with each other. STudents study a lot, the standards have definitely risen, and become very conscious of their grades and how well they do, but at the same time it's not as stressful allowing for free time and activities inside the JMU community.

Almost all the professors in my department know my name and converse with me in hallways. My favorite class would probably be GHUM 251: Struggle for Human Rights taught by Prof. Mary Loe. My least favorite class would be GKIN, since it was boring. ISAT major students study probably 3 hours a school night. Class participation is very common and usually voluntary. Students are competitive, but they will help each other out. ISAT has very friendly professors that give an incredible amount of research opportunity to their students. I regulary converse with professors outside of class. The academic requirements obviously try to push everyone to be well-rounded, which can be a pain, but is helpful in the end. It really depends on the professor, but usually, professors keep job related skills and educations in mind.

In general, I don't appreciate GenEds because they "waste" alot of time when a person could be taking classes that are actually in his or her major. But...a lot of them are interesting and helpful for a rounded education. I particulary like my Religion and World History classes because they give a broader scope on different places and cultures in the world.

Professors almost always know your name, even in classes of up to 70 students. Its really all on you to get to know them, but if you go to their office hours even once its guaranteed they'll remember you. Classes are AMAZING, so much better than high school and so interesting. Class participation is almost always encouraged, and students study a lot outside of class, but I wouldn't say too much. The students for the most part are not that competitive, which is nice, but every once in a while you'll see someone looking over your shoulder at your test grade when you get them back. My major is psychology and I've had nothing but great experiences with the program. JMU professors do research, but they're not here for it. They're here to teach you and to make sure you get the best out of your experience. Some majors at JMU are geared towards getting a job (Business) but others are for learning (Philosophy). JMU really is what you make it.

Average class size is about 29 students. It is very nice. I had a class that only had nine people, and it was the greatest experience. We all got really close and are close friends now. Most of my professors know my name and they make an effort to do so. Even in my lecture classes professors try to get to know us. They also have office hours to help you outside of class and are extremely helpful and love it when student come to their office.

know your name - in geneds mostly NO, unless you make and effort, all other classes that are smaller in size, YES favorite class- GHIST 225, my professor is awesome and depicts sides of U.S. history I was never taught to look at. I actually want to do my work for this one! studying- This is more a mind over matter topic. If you can be disciplined to go somewhere quiet and focus, then good for you, but most have trouble spending multiple hours studying. CIS Major- The computer information systems major is good for someone interested in computers, but that doesnt want to end up being a programmer. The worst part about it is that you have to take all of the other required course within the College of business and a lot of these aren't of much use to most jobs I will ever encounter (accounting, marketing, finance). JMU academics- The gened requirements are structured to make sure a student gets a good general education. However, if a student wants to take some electives just to fill up credits, it is hard to find classes that a student meets the prereqs for and is not a gened. Also, some gened topics are to broad and/or bland.

My nursing professors do know my name and a handful of my GenEd professors did, especially the smaller groups, like lab groups. I believe students are competitive especially in nursing school! Many of us are Type A personality perfectionists....not always a good thing!