James Madison University: Off the Record – College Prowler

Introduction from the Author

Three schools in three years—I’ve got quite the track record. I started on the West Coast my freshman year, the logical choice for a native Westerner, and here I am in Virginia two years later. West Coasters would say, “James Madison, that sounds like a nice school,” and although they’re right, most don’t know any details. Still, they have heard of the name. That counts for something, right? East Coasters know exactly what that “something” is. They know about the national awards JMU has acquired, the breathtaking landscape of the campus, and the admirable surroundings to match. Easterners have heard all about JMU’s reputation for academic greatness, and some have witnessed the University’s growth from a small, all-women’s college, to a blossoming university. JMU’s increasingly difficult admissions process is testimony to one a great many people want to be here. You bought the book, so you’re at least considering it, right?

At JMU, the grub is decent, the surroundings are breathtaking, the parties are kickin’, the teachers are knowledgeable, and the gym is spectacular. However, what it really comes down to is the people. Madison isn’t a school that exists solely to crank out tomorrow’s elite, like the next Bill Gates or the future president of the United States; however, each year JMU grads step out into the real world, and they are successful. Whatever they put in the shepherd’s pie and grilled cheese at D-Hall, it’s working. It’s hard to convey with numbers and words on a page what makes up a university. Maybe this guidebook’s stats will at least begin to pencil in the basics.

Deciding where to go to college is like learning to drive. Learning might involve some arguing with your parents, and steering down windy roads is a given, but once the process is all over, you feel darn good navigating your own course. I’m not here to make that decision for you, or to tell you that JMU will be the catalyst to your success; however, I hope this guidebook will live up to its title, and will at least point you in the right direction. If that direction changes several times, hang in there. If life really is a highway, the trick is finding the right exit to get off. Maybe you will wind up on I-81, taking exit 245 to James Madison University.

Sylva Florence
James Madison University