James Madison University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Computer Science
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Half Asian and Half Caucasian Heterosexual Male
Summary
In the first semester, I was part of the Ultimate Frisbee team, and in the second semester, I joined Greek life.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Half Asian and Half Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public high school in Fairfax, VA with a graduating class of about 400 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Computer Science
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: In the first semester, I was part of the Ultimate Frisbee team, and in the second semester, I joined Greek life.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
None of them have had too big of an impact so far since I had to leave campus due to coronavirus.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
We now have online worksheets and small labs for the 100-level classes. For the 200-level class I’m in, we have five overarching assignments throughout the semester and no labs. The tests and the lab assignments make up the bulk of the final grade.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I think they are lacking in clarity of how they grade certain assignments. Like, I don’t understand how I get the grade I get on certain assignments. Other than that, it’s been good. One thing I think they do really well is they make it very easy to transition from class to class. At the end of CS 149, I felt very prepared to go into CS 159 and the transition was very smooth. The topics we were covering were the same in 149 as in 159, but just harder in 159, and we were able to apply the knowledge we learned in CS 149 to the programming assignments and homework assignments.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s more collaborative than competitive because we’re often working in groups during class or working with our peers on homework assignments.
How accessible are your professors?
They post their office hours and we can stop by anytime we want. We also use Piazza, which I think is helpful for solving problems without them.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
My high school offered a four-year course load in computer science. I took it in high school, found it very interesting, and decided to continue on with it.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Were there any resources available that helped you adapt?
I have a brother who goes to JMU and he’s helped me with finding [academic] resources through the JMU databases, talking with professors, and figuring out my coursework.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s a beautiful campus. The scenery is great.
2) There’s always something to do around campus. You’ll never be bored.
Reasons Not to Attend
I can’t think of any.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: McGraw-Long Hall with one roommate
How was transitioning from your hometown in Fairfax to Harrisonburg, VA in terms of location?
It’s a long drive, but it’s definitely worth it. The JMU campus is really great and it’s very pretty. There are a lot of activities to do around Harrisonburg and it’s a good time overall.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel completely safe. I never felt that my life or any of my peers’ lives were in danger in any way.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I like to hang out with my friends a lot. There are a lot of resources at JMU we can use to entertain ourselves. We have URec that we like to go to workout, and we have a lot of fields to go play soccer or football. Most weekend nights, I go to parties at off-campus houses. They hosted by Greek life organizations, clubs, and also just groups of people that we know.
What is the impact of Greek life on the weekend options at JMU?
Greek life makes going to parties and other weekend options a lot more accessible. There are a lot more opportunities on the weekends through Greek life and joining it this semester has increased my access to it. But I would also say that without Greek life, there are still plenty of club parties and other people just having parties. Parties are also generally not that exclusive. As a guy, I don’t feel that excluded because as long as you arrive with girls, you are okay.
How happy are you with the weekend options at JMU? Is there anything you would change if you could?
It’s great. It’s extremely entertaining. There’s always something to do on the weekends, whether that’s going to parties or doing other activities during the day.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them through my dorm. All of the people in my dorm are the closest friends I have at JMU. We’ve formed our own little family.
How would you describe the overall social scene at JMU?
The best I could imagine. There’s always something going on socially at JMU, whether it be a fundraiser, an activity, or just going to URec to play basketball.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I haven’t personally seen any boundaries between different races or people of different sexual orientations. I think it’s common to see diverse groups of friends around campus. Sure, you have the Asian Student Union and other societies, but they’re always very welcoming to others. [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?
People mix a lot. Normally, I can’t even tell if someone’s in Greek life. I know people have friends that are both in Greek life and not in Greek life. [About 12% of first-year men join fraternities and 23% of first-year women join sororities.]
How do you like the size of JMU? How has that impacted your experience? [JMU has about 20,000 undergraduates.]
There are a lot of freshmen, which made it a lot easier to be more social and be more active in the community. I attribute that to the large number of undergraduate students.
Careers
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
Currently, we’re learning Java and that mostly takes place on the IDE Eclipse.