James Madison University Top Questions

Talk to the students at the college or university you are interested in. They will most likely be honest about the school and really let you know what the good and bad parts are. Choose the school that fits your personality the best, rather than the best rated school.

Make sure that you are going to college for yourself. Even if all of your friends from high school are going to a certain school, that will not ensure that it is the right fit for you. Make sure that you visit the school that you want to go to. It is a good idea to stay for a full weekend to ensure that the social life is what you are looking for.

In order to help you, parents and students, figure out which college or university is right for them I would encourage them to ask around. Colleges fluff their university by showing off everything it has to offer students in order to get the best of the best out of the application pool. Some univeristies can't walk the talk they give. It's also important to ask around because most administrators do no live the day to day life of a student, which is what your child or you yourself would actually be experiencing. It's also good to know where your school ranks nationally and state wide both academically, socially, and athletically. All of these are good factors to consder when trying to determine the appropriate school atmosphere for you or your child.

As a recent Bachelors Degree graduate, I would tell all parents and prospective students to settle on a school that is diverse, fits your personality in size, for instance if you prefer to be lost in a large pool of students or live in a small community setting where everyone knows your name, it makes a drastic difference on your experience. Another piece of wisdom I would pass on, would be that during your four years or so, make sure that you gain as much experience as is physically possible. Work part-time in your degree field, complete one or more internships and participate in activities where you can undertake leadership roles. Don't be afraid to get out of your bubble every day, talk to other students, frequent the teachers office, get to know your advisor on a personal basis and network with everyone in your field. One last thing I can is to not let social activities or romantic relationships dominate your world, the opposite sex will always come and go, but nothing will feel deserved in your life until you have searched every corner of campus and found yourself.

When choosing a school, I would most recommend welcoming the input of ones parents while maintaining a sense of what one is looking for socially because the parents will guarantee an academically acceptable school, while the student will find a socially comfortable environment, both of which are necessary, I believe, for a successful college experience.

Parents and students should work together and listen to each other about which college is right for them, but in the end let the student decide, because it is the college he or she will be attending, not the parent. I think that students should consider first what they want to study, and make sure that the college will be able to provide the academics for the student . Next the student should look at the location, and size of the college because some students feel alone in a large college and others feel confined in a small one. Then look at what there is to do outside of academic work, are there school related activities, social activities, and things to do in the community? Once you pick the right college you want to make the most of it because you only get to be this young and experience this once. Don't be shy when you're meeting people and get to know multiple people so that you don't feel alone. Many college offer first year involvement groups, so take advantage of them. Take chances, because you're only in college once (hopefully!).

I do not believe it is necessarily the college that makes much of a difference, but the attitude going into the school. If you are motivated and positive, that will make all the difference. Much of the same activities are found at multiple schools, if you want to find drinking, you can at any school. The difference is the people you choose to surround yourself with the first year. To make the most of your college years, do not stress over the work too much that you miss making friends. These are the people that will help you network and support you in your decisions after college is over. I truely feel, what you put into school is what you get back. If you focus on school, you will get those grades; but if you put all your energy on social aspects you will have many friends but no job support. College is a balance where resposibility is fully put on the students, sometimes for the first time and students get a chance to really discover themselves.

The best advice I can give is to be open-minded. I remembered feeling pressured and so worried to make the "right" choice, but do we ever really know what the "right" choice is? I visited many schools while I was applying but when I stepped onto the campus at JMU, I knew it was for me. However, even if you don't ever get that feeling... wherever you end up, college is about making the most of your time there, wherever that may be. Make new friends, try different majors, smile, make mistakes, learn how to correct them, join every club that you can handle, say hello to strangers on campus, read every book you are assigned, talk to every professor so they know you by name, and live everday in college like it will be all over tomorrow, because before you know it, it is.

Where a person decides to attend college will very likely change them greatly as a person, so the decision should not be taken lightly. I would have to say that the most important thing to remember when trying to find the right school is really just to look at all of the aspects of the school. Simply because a school is world-renowned and has great academics, that does not mean that it is the right school for everyone. Each person must look at the academics, size, place, social life, sports, clubs and other extracurricular activities and decide if it is a match for them.

Only go where you're comfortable becaue that will be your new home