The College Years - James Madison University

Happy Thursday! Today I wanted to talk about something that is very near and dear to my heart. It’s not really a thing, but it’s a place. The best place on earth actually, James Madison University. This is where I spent the best four years of my life. I graduated from JMU in 2009 and have nothing but amazing memories to look back on now. Not only is it one of the top schools in the state of Virginia, but it’s also one of the funnest and friendliest places around. I know I’m completely biased, but who isn’t when it comes to their alma mater? JMU has it all. It's nestled right in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley in the small town of Harrisonburg and it’s just two hours from Washington DC. Let’s see, how much do I love JMU? Let me count the ways :)

The people. If you ever meet anyone who went/goes/has visited JMU they will most likely say “Oh I love it there!” or “Oh you’re going to love it there!” It’s one of those places that always makes you feel positive. Although it has a pretty big student body, 18,000 and growing, it has the ability to feel intimate. Because Harrisonburg is a small town the majority of it’s population is JMU students, which makes it really feel like a community.

The parties. I feel like that’s all I have to say, but I’ll go on :) JMU has an unwritten rule that everyone abides by, we don’t charge fellow party goers for alcohol. For example, at some colleges when you show up at a party you have to pay $5 for a cup that you can then fill with alcohol. Yuck right?! Well not at JMU, if you’re hosting then you’re buying. But you know that when you go to someone else’s house the next night you aren’t paying there. I think this adds to the community feeling, you feel like you’re going to a friend’s house to hang out, not a random strangers!

The professors. Amazing, what can I say?! I never had a professor that I considered lazy, rude or incompetent. They are the best of the best and they made learning a fun experience. They were also friendly and relatable, I couldn’t tell you a favorite because there were so many!

The campus. Stunning. I consider it the prettiest campus I have ever seen. The infamous quad makes it look like a college, meaning it’s what you always picture in your head when you think of college. The quad houses all of the first built buildings on campus, including Wilson Hall, the first ever. And on a nice day you’ll find it packed with students sunbathing, playing frisbee, playing guitar, taking a nap, catching up with friends, studying, eating lunch…really anything and everything. It’s a walking friendly campus, where you can walk to any building from anywhere if you wanted to.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures I posted, I know most of them are from football games, but that’s just because we had so much fun tailgating at them! And pictures below show one of our favorite traditions, at football games after we score a touch down we throw purple and gold streamers all through the stadium :) I also put a professional picture below that, just to give you a better look!

Here is really neat picture, in 2008 JMU celebrated its centennial. The originial university opened its doors in 1908. The university celebrated by having seniors stand on the quad and hold purple and gold card stock while a small airplane flew over and took this picture, pretty cool huh?! If you look closely :) my friends and I were holding gold signs at the top of the number "1"