Why I Love JMU

As you all know, I am currently a senior at James Madison University, and I love it. However, my first year here, I did not. What I am going to explain to you today is how I went from really disliking the school to absolutely loving it by senior year.

Before my freshman year, I was SO excited to go to college. I was excited to leave my hometown and meet new people! But once I got there, I realized it was harder than I thought to make friends, succeed at school, and even get around campus quickly. It wasn't until that the weather got very frigid that I really had a hard time. My class were okay, but my dorm felt far away from everything, and I hated having to share a room and bathroom with other people (even though I got along great with my roommate). Plus, with covid still being an issue, I felt extremely isolated from everyone.

BUT! Once I started sophomore year, everything changed. I started to take classes more geared towards my major, I had my own apartment (and bedroom and bathroom), and I was able to drive to campus. Since then, things have continued to get better and better.

That being said, at this point I want to show you all of the things that I love about JMU:

The People

Something I love about JMU is the people. Almost everyone you meet will say hi if you sit next to them in class, want to help you if you need it, and are always there to hold a door for you (this one is a JMU tradition).

The Place

JMU's campus isn't in a typical college city. Tucked away in the mountains, nothing compares to the beauty of a Harrisonburg sunset or the way all of the leaves change during autumn. The beauty of this town is one of the things I will miss the most after leaving.

The Opportunities

As you know, I am a student of JMU's College of Business (COB). COB consistently does an amazing job in all aspects. They hire high quality professors, bring in top companies for students, and build a strong alumni network of working professionals who are committed to helping fellow JMU students. As I have gone through my four years, this support from the College of Business has made my experience in college even better than I could have imagined.

If you are reading this and are unsure about JMU or your school in general, my biggest piece of advice is to wait it out and try to get as involved as possible--I promise it will get better! Because of all of these things that I love, I will never forget my time here at JMU. I hope you found this article insightful! See you next time!