James Madison University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Business Management – Concentration in Business Analysis and Consulting
Minors: Computer Information Systems & Sports Communication double minor
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Male
Summary
I’m part of the Student Government, I’m an intern with our athletic communications where I do statistical analysis, and I’m in a professional business fraternity.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public high school in Northern Virginia with a graduating class of 550 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Business Management – Concentration in Business Analysis and Consulting
Minors: Computer Information Systems & Sports Communication double minor
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the Student Government, I’m an intern with our athletic communications where I do statistical analysis, and I’m in a professional business fraternity.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
The Student Government has. We have the class counsel that plans fun events for the different classes, but at the same time there are eight committees ranging from academic affairs to university services to finance and we do a lot of great work. For example, on the finance committee, we’re granted about $80,000 per semester to give out to student clubs and organizations for events such as going to conferences or bringing in a speaker. The Student Government really opened my eyes to the inner workings of a university and all the things they could be doing, are doing, or not doing. I take great pride in advocating for my fellow students to make our JMU experience better.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
In the business school, you have a fair amount of pre-requisite courses. During my first year, the business classes had minimal work. There were a couple of classes where I was reading a chapter a week and doing some problems here or there. This semester in upper-level business courses I’ve been putting in two hours a day for each class for studying and doing problem sets.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They really prepare you for whatever concentration you’re going into. For example, I’m doing Business Analysis Consulting, so they have specific classes geared toward working with businesses and help them solve real-life problems. It gives you insights into what you could be doing in the future on a larger scale. Last year I worked for a company where I was a teacher. I worked and collaborated with multiple teachers in the company to come up with lesson plans. My interpersonal skills class taught me how to handle different situations like working with a difficult co-worker to solve problems together.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s relaxed, which isn’t something I particularly enjoy. I love getting motivated by my peers. When they want to do better, I want to do better. There are people that push themselves, you just have to find them. There are a lot of people here where academics aren’t the first thing on their mind, and that’s okay, but I like going to find students in Student Government or in the professional fraternity to study with because people who come out to those are driven students who want to do well.
How accessible are your professors?
They are very accessible. I’ve never had a class taught by a graduate student or a TA. Our professors always encourage us to come to office hours, even if we don’t have a problem they want to talk to us.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
JMU has one of the top business schools in the country so I decided to do that. There are lots of majors within the business school but I didn’t want to go into finance and manage people’s money, nor did I want to do accounting. I’m a very people-oriented person, so business management and consulting appealed to me. I also enjoy coding, which is why I picked up the Computer Information Systems minor.
Reasons to Attend
1) The professor accessibility. You’re able to interact and get all the resources you need.
2) It has a relatively low cost for in-state students. [Total in-state fees are about $23,000.]
3) We have really good facilities.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you’re an academically driven student, it might not be the best place for you. There are lots of students that don’t really care about their academics and sometimes it’s un-motivating. But, if you find your niche here, you’ll be fine.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Sophomore: Off-campus apartments with three other students
How was transitioning from your hometown in Northern Virginia to Harrisonburg, VA in terms of location?
JMU has a lot of in-state students, so there were lots of people from Northern Virginia and a lot of people from my high school came. It was a relatively transition. [76% of students are from Virginia.]
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve been relatively safe. Harrisonburg is a friendly city. The chief of police comes in to talk with the Student Government and the crimes that happen here are committed are relatively minor.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I’m not a big partier, I like hanging out and relaxing with my friends. I’m working pretty hard throughout the week, so I like to decompress on the weekends. I go hiking a lot to clear my mind because we’re close to Shenandoah National Park.
What are your favorite events or activities?
We had an event called Dukes Debate that SGA put on. We took the College Democrats and College Republicans and had a debate. There was a good turnout and it really solidified my participation in SGA. Also, I climbed the mountain with the highest peak in Shenandoah National Park with a bunch of friends last year. It was a whole day trip and at the end of it we all became super close.
How happy are you with the weekend options at JMU? Is there anything you would change if you could?
There’s always something to do. There are hundreds of clubs and once you join organizations you’ll find things to do. The toughest part is getting out there to join clubs, sports, or Greek life. Everyone is always trying to hang out and decompress after a long workweek. I can’t complain about the options that have been given to me.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Some of them were random people I met in classes, through my roommates, or people from home. I struggled in one of my classes last year but me and one other person studies a lot together and got better at it then became friends after that.
How would you describe the overall social scene at JMU?
It’s a lot. JMU is known as a party school and has a good social scene. There’s always something going on, and you can just show up to stuff and have a good time.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
JMU is a predominantly White institution, so we don’t have that much diversity. I’m upset that there isn’t that much mixing of different races. People tend to stay within their own boundaries. They could be doing more work to make all JMU students feel comfortable. [The undergraduate population is 6.7% Hispanic, 5% Black, 75% White, and 5% Asian.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
Greek life is relatively small at JMU. It’s big because they promote it, but there are less people than you would think that are involved in Greek life. There are open parties sometimes, and they mix with other sports teams. It’s a relatively good mix. [12% of first-year men join fraternities, and 23% of first-year women join sororities.]
How has your academic fraternity impacted your social experience?
We do a lot of good networking and professional events, but on the weekend we’re a group of friends who’re motivated to do well in school and enhance our professional careers. I made some great friends in that organization that I would have never met if I didn’t join. It has been an overall great experience.
How do you like the size of JMU? How has that impacted your experience? [JMU has about 20,000 undergraduates.]
It’s not huge but it’s not small. I think it’s a good size. I didn’t want to go to a small school. It’s growing slowly but steadily. I still run into people all the time randomly throughout campus.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Most of the people who do the career fairs are JMU alumni working for these companies. JMU was voted the best school in Virginia to get a job after graduating.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They help with resumes and help you get your name out there. They help you learn how to market yourself and interview well.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
They do extensive Excel stuff in the Business Analytics classes, and I’ve taken a class where we work with Python.