Bleed Purple! Bleed Gold!

Introduction
My advice to those considering JMU would be to buckle up because you're in for a joyride! You can definitely tell that the people here (including myself) have a lot of pride for this school. You can catch a lot of us with JMU apparel showing our school spirit. When I applied to JMU, it was actually my third choice. I chose to go here because this school gave me the most money and when I came to visit, everyone was so friendly (trust me, they don't act this way just to get you here, they actually are friendly). The kinds of students that I feel should stay away from this school are phony types and the rare kid who doesn't like fun.

Campus Life and Social Life
The social scene here at JMU is absolutely phenomenal! There is always something to do here. We have about 300 different clubs and organizations, which means there are always programs to attend.

As for the drinking/party scene, you're going to have more than a cool selection. On Wednesday nights, celebrate "Hump Day" by going to Main Street (hey, it's College Night!). On Friday nights, start off your weekend at La Hacienda (restaurant by day, hip-hop club at night). Parties are always popping here. A lot of people who live off-campus hold them in their apartments. No need to worry about transportation, since we have buses that shuttle you to and from these places free of charge! JMU is definitely not a suitcase/commuter school. Like I've said, there's always something to do on the weekend. People love it here and they love being around campus. To the point where a lot of us miss the place when we leave for breaks! Advertisement
Academics
JMU stresses academic excellence. Since I'm a freshman, I can't really tell you from experience which departments are great and which suck but from what I hear, we have top-tier Business and Psychology Departments.

In every department, the professors are required to have office hours. You can come in and ask questions, or just stop by and say hi. Take advantage of this, because a lot of professors enjoy getting to know their students. An important fact is that 81% of the professsors here hold terminal degrees (a.k.a. the highest degree attainable). Also, the TAs are great here, and I've never had or never heard of a TA teaching the class. The workload really depends on your major, but I think that with time management and dedication, it's not so bad.

Student Body
The "typical" student here is involved in some way, form, or fashion here at JMU. I'm telling you the Duke Dog Spirit here is contagious! Also, the "typical" student is one who knows (or figures out) how to balance academics, extracurriculars, and social life.

The "typical" student also has a $#*@load of JMU T-shirts (I personally have 9, all giveaways). As far as geographic background is concerned, a lot of the students here are from Northern Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. There are also a good number here from Tidewater and Central Virginia. A lot of the students here are into sports (Varsity and club), Greek life, and the party scene.

In Closing...
This is just a great school. Even though it was my third choice, I wouldn't go back and change my decision to come here for anything. The food here is great, the people are great...go Dukes.