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Places (POIs) visited during this tour

Place #1
Distance: 0.06mi , Attraction : Planetarium
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Miller Hall, 91 E Grace St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Miller Hall
Welcome to our first stop! Miller Hall holds the John C. Wells Planetarium, a room containing a really neat, state of the art system that allows viewers to travel around the solar system, orbit planets, and when back on earth, simulate what the night sky in the Shenandoah valley would look like without any light pollution. This facility also hosts astronomy classes and free viewings for JMU students, adult visitors, and young kids from schools across the valley. Let’s head on up to our next stop now, Wilson Hall. Continue up Madison drive, and once you get to the big stone circle with the sundial in the middle, head right, down the main stone walkway.
Place #2
Distance: 0.00mi , Attraction : History-Picture Spot
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Alumnae Hall, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Wilson Hall
Coming up on our left is the wonderful Wilson Hall! Wilson Hall is named after President Woodrow Wilson who was born in Staunton, Virginia, closeby to JMU. Wilson Hall has seen many different uses over the years. From housing the President’s and the administrative offices, to an auditorium, a post office, a recording studio, and classrooms, the building has fulfilled a lot of different roles. In 2019, the building completed its first major renovation since opening in 1931. It now hosts several history displays, a 3-D printing lab, classrooms, study rooms, and much, much more! The second floor of Wilson is one of my favorite studying spots because of its great view of the quad, and how few people know about it! Speaking of the Quad, if you haven’t already, take a look to your right.
Place #3
Distance: 0.64mi , Attraction : Picture Spot
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951 Madison Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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The Quad
There are few places elsewhere on campus that represent the lifeblood of the JMU student body better than the Quad. In the fall, swarms of students can be found playing frisbee, spikeball, relaxing on blankets and reading, or just talking with friends. In the spring, the Quad is an absolute fun frenzy! It’s the place that everybody wants to be on a warm, sunny day! Whether it’s playing pickup sports, chatting with friends, or attempting to study in the noise and chaos, the Quad comes alive with the energy of JMU Dukes who love their 4-year school and home! The Quad is surrounded by academic buildings, residence halls, and at the very bottom of it, the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, a building that hosts choral and instrumental concerts as well as theatrical productions. Let’s head on down to our next stop, the James Madison Statue. Keep heading straight, and I’ll see you in just a second.
Place #4
Distance: 0.12mi , Attraction : History-Picture Spot
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74-88 Bluestone Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Little Jimmy
Here is a life-size, yes, life-size, statue of the 4th President of the United States and the namesake of this university, James Madison. Standing at a whopping 5 feet, 4 inches tall, James Madison is the shortest President in the history of the United States. It must be said, if the Founding Fathers were a basketball team, with Washington and Jefferson at a towering 6’2”, Little Jimmy was still up there slammin dunks with them. He drafted the Bill of Rights, co-authored the Federalist Papers, and is widely regarded as “the Father of the Constitution.” There is another statue of James Madison on East campus often referred to as “Big Jimmy.” It’s massive presence inspires a lot more in it’s beholder, than this statue of James Madison. This statue is also a popular spot for graduation photos and students can be found taking photos with Little Jimmy during the holiday season when he is sometimes sporting different festive apparel. Now, take the crosswalk ahead of you to the other side of the street, and follow the sidewalk on the right side of the road to our next stop.
Place #5
Distance: 0.32mi , Attraction : Dining Hall
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900 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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D-hall
Feeling a little bit hungry? The main dining hall on campus has some sweet options. Known simply as “Dhall,” this dining hall on main campus has two floors. On the bottom floor, we have Chick-fil-a, Steak and Shake, Qdoba, a dining option similar to Tropical Smoothie, called Freshens, and my favorite, Market 64, an area that has an amazing bagel and coffee corner, a grab and go buffet that usually has some phenomenal mac and cheese and a superb bread pudding, and a barbecue bar and sandwich counter. But before we get into talking about all the immaculate choices on the second floor, make sure to head down the stairs to your right, towards the stadium. Anyways, the first floor of Dhall certainly has some intriguing options, but the 2nd floor is a whole different animal. Most students use “punches,” part of our dining plan system here at JMU, for admission into this all you can eat wonderland. There is stir fry, tacos, a healthy station that accommodates most all allergies known to man, a soup and salad bar, a pasta bar, hamburgers, turkey burgers, different rotating options like grilled cheese, buffalo mash, and much, much more. My personal favorite though, is the dessert bar. It’s dangerous. Soft serve ice cream, black forest raspberry cake, peanut butter pie, pumpkin cheese cake, froyo, you name it, if it's sweet and tastes incredible, you’ll find it here. Lastly, it’s worth noting that there is an everlasting debate over whether Dhall or our other main dining hall, Ehall, is better. My take? They are both equally delicious in their own wonderful ways.

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Place #6
Distance: 0.08mi , Attraction : Football
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900 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Bridgeforth Stadium
If you don’t know much about JMU, then you might not know how dominant The Dukes are when it comes to football. That being said, JMU is in the FCS division, a step lower in competition than FBS, the division containing perennial powerhouse football teams like Alabama and Clemson. JMU has won the FCS championship twice in the last 16 years, back in 2004, and most recently in 2016. The Dukes have made it to the playoffs 6 straight seasons now, and we just had our former starting quarterback drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. If you are a JMU alum or follow the football team at all, then you might know that JMU has sent several players to the NFL over the years, two of the most famous being Charles Haley, a former 5x super bowl winning linebacker and defensive end for the 49ers and Cowboys, and Gary Clark, a former 2x super bowl winning wide receiver for the former Washington Redskins. While JMU hasn’t seen many of its players reach stardom in the NFL in recent years, watching the players at home games is incredible. It is somewhat typical to watch The Dukes beat their opponents by 30-40 points. On game days in the fall, the parking lots can be found booming with tailgaters and the stadium roaring with the sound of students and fans cheering on the Dukes! Now, for our next stop, head left and take the sidewalk straight to the crosswalk going to the Bookstore.

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Place #7
Distance: 0.15mi , Attraction : Bookstore and Gift Shop
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241 Bluestone Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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The Bookstore
Welcome to the JMU Bookstore. It’s a popular meeting place because it’s roughly the center of all of campus, both Main and East. To get to the Bookstore, you just walked through the Godwin Transit Center, the main hub of JMU’s extensive and easily accessible bus system. The bus system has been such a relief to have, considering that I don’t currently own a car, and that buses come all the way out to my apartment complex off-campus, and they run every few minutes. To the left of the bookstore, is the Village. It’s seen as the residential heart of campus, and because of that, sees a lot of foot traffic throughout the day as students head to classes or back to their dorms. Next up, the tunnel. Hop on the asphalt sidewalk now, and cross the street, using one of the crosswalks once you you’ve it to the 4-way intersection. You’ll know that you’ve hit our next stop when you’re heading down the stairs.
Place #8
Distance: 1.14mi , Attraction : Tunnel to East Campus
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Carrier Dr Across From Hanson Hall, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Duke Dog Alley
You’ve made it to Duke Dog Alley. Many people wonder what it’s like navigating a college campus with a highway going through the middle of it! Well, when there is an obstacle in your way and you can’t go through it, and it would take too long to go around it, you go under it! Or as we’ll see later on in the tour, back over it too! Duke Dog Alley is a short, well-lit tunnel under I-81 for students to access East Campus and UREC! Speaking of UREC, head through Duke Dog Alley and head left at the fork in the road when you come out the other side! See you there!
Place #9
Distance: 3.08mi , Attraction : Recreation Center
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Pavillion, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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UREC
You’ve made it to our University Recreation Center, or UREC for short! After undergoing a massive renovation in 2017, UREC is looking quite nice these days. Any sport that you could think of, they have the equipment and space to play it. Coming in the main entrance, there’s a rock wall straight ahead, and to the left down the hall, there are more rock walls in the adventure center, where you can also rent out mountain bikes, camping gear, and a whole lot more at really low prices! The rest of downstairs consists of squash and racquetball courts, a Freshens restaurant, two pools, a hot tub, a sauna, and a counter to get free rental equipment like volleyballs and tennis rackets for your time at UREC. Upstairs, you can find basketball and volleyball courts, ping pong tables, massage chairs, and the fitness center. There is every kind of workout equipment in the world in the fitness center and on the third level, there is a jogging track that goes around the basketball and volleyball courts as well. When I lived on campus, my freshman year, I loved playing pool basketball with friends and hanging out in the hottub afterwards. I’d come to watch a couple of my friend’s water polo tournaments in the UREC pool as well. UREC is such a nice resource to have, to blow off the stress of classes and schoolwork and to spend time doing something fun and active with friends too. There are endless activities to do at UREC and JMU often hosts special events of its own such as cardio dance parties, different types of yoga classes, and even a huge “battleship'' tournament in canoes in the pool every year. To get to our next stop now, keep walking down this path, down past UREC, and get onto the sidewalk to the left after you’ve passed the mechanized gate. I’ll see you there!

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Place #10
Distance: 1.05mi
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Pavillion, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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East Campus
Welcome to East Campus! Technically we were already on East after we crossed through Duke Dog Alley, but nonetheless, welcome again! Please begin heading up the stairs to your right. If you can’t tell already, East Campus has the majority of the newest buildings at JMU. While East is definitely within walking distance of main campus, and well connected through Duke Dog Alley and the bridge over the highway, it can sometimes feel like its own campus. It has dorms, two dining options, it’s own library, the arboretum, and several academic buildings where classes are held. And most recently, JMU’s new basketball stadium, the Atlantic Union Bank Center was just finished in 2020 on this side of campus. Once you get up the stairs, head right and make another right again at the fork in the road.
Place #11
Distance: 0.83mi
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701 Carrier Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Make sure to keep heading right, past astronomy park and the amphitheater which should be on your left. See you in just a second!
Place #12
Distance: 0.44mi , Attraction : Residence Hall
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1651 Carrier Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Chesapeake Hall
You have arrived at the best dorm on campus. Well, that is certainly up for debate, but what’s not up for debate, is that I lived here my freshman year, and I absolutely loved it! The residence halls here on East are floor style, meaning that the majority of rooms house two people, and those rooms share men and women’s communal bathrooms that are cleaned by staff. However, there are also at least two suites on each floor, meaning that two rooms share and clean their own bathroom. I was fortunate enough to have lived in a suite and enjoyed the time spent with my roommate and suitemates! It is also worth noting, that JMU has several residential learning communities, or RLCs for short. They each represent a different major. I am part of MadisonBiz, the business RLC here. I lived on the same floor with around 15 other business majors in the RLC and together we all took a 1-credit class taught by the different department heads of the JMU College of Business and the staff of the department of Professional Development and Engagement here. It was a great opportunity to explore, in depth, the different business majors offered here at JMU. The class was extremely helpful in figuring out what I wanted to pursue academically and also helped me get a head start in building connections in the College of Business. Outside of the 1-credit class, I was able to make friends with the other students in the residential learning community through a service trip, doing an escape room together, and sharing a five course meal in which we learned proper etiquette. It was a great experience, and I’m really thankful that I was able to live in Chesapeake my first year and meet so many wonderful people. Onto our next stop though! Head up the hill, and go left at the fork in the road.

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Place #13
Distance: 0.22mi
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Bioscience Building, 951 Carrier Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Head right at the second fork in the road and continue uphill towards Festival, the building with a lot of wooden chairs in front of it.
Place #14
Distance: 0.32mi , Attraction : Dining Option and Conference Center
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2002 Alumni Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Festival
Welcome to Festival Conference Center! Festival has some great dining spots upstairs with a sandwich and sub place, Mexican food, Chinese food, wings, a burger studio, and much more. It also has multiple conference rooms, a grand ballroom, and a lot of fun things to do. There’s a hangout spot downstairs called the Cave with pool tables, air hockey, recliners, and super comfy, giant, bean bags that students are known to seek out for life changing naps. With a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge through the windows on the front side of the building, Festi is one of my favorite places on campus to share a meal with friends and watch the vibrant colors of a Harrisonburg sunset. To get to our next stop, go left down to the end of the building and start heading up the stairs.
Place #15
Distance: 0.01mi
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2002 Alumni Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Once you make it up the stairs, cross the street and hop onto the sidewalk on the other side!
Place #16
Distance: 0.04mi , Attraction : Library
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2002 Alumni Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Rose Library
You’ve made it to Rose Library! Also known as East Campus Library or ECL for short, this is the newest library on campus, built back in 2008. There are 5 floors total, the top containing administrative offices, and the other 4 used by students. The bottom floor has computers, regular printers, 3-D printers, and a Starbucks. As you go up floors, it gets quieter and quieter. On the third floor of Rose, they have sound-proof booths where I toiled on many long papers. Throughout the building there are tons of study rooms for students to use. While I don’t make it to Rose too often nowadays since I no longer live close by, I spent a lot of time there freshman year studying, writing papers, and working on group projects. Head down the street now, and I’ll direct you to our next stop once you get there.
Place #17
Distance: 0.13mi
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2002 Alumni Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Alright, swing a left now, and head down Carrier drive, using the sidewalk that you’re on right now. This is going to be a little bit further of a walk so I’ll check in as you’re heading to our next stop.
Place #18
Distance: 0.07mi
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901 Carrier Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Keep on chugging straight ahead, making sure to stay on the same sidewalk as you started out on.
Place #19
Distance: 0.07mi
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701 Carrier Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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Now, head around this loop to make it to our next stop! Keep it up!
Place #20
Distance: 0.16mi , Attraction : Academic Building and Research Labs
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57 Carrier Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
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ISAT/CS
You’ve made it to our last stop on East Campus! This is the ISAT/CS building, short for Integrated Sciences and Technologies and Computer Science. Most engineering, psychology, and computer science classes are held in this building. There are several levels and a plethora of research labs and large lecture type classrooms throughout the building. And, as mentioned previously during the tour, at the top of the stairs to your right, you’ll find another statue of James Madison, commonly referred to as “Big Jimmy,” looking off at the Blue Ridge. He holds a feather quill in one hand and the United States Constitution in the other. This is one of the many great places to watch the sunset with the mountains as a backdrop. Now, let’s make our way down across the bridge over the highway and cross over down at the stoplight.
Place #21
Distance: 0.55mi , Attraction : Residence Hall
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Weaver Hall, 400 Carrier Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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White Hall
JMU is definitely a school where alumni’s children often follow their parents, and it’s often more than just one child. It’s also a school where many siblings find themselves attending at the same time. My dad, 2 of my uncles, my oldest brother, and my cousin all went to JMU. On your right is White hall. My dad lived here, in White, back in the 80’s. He’s told me some great stories about his time here, even though there was a lot less going on back then versus what we have now, considering most, or all of east campus was cow fields when he was here. But it’s been neat to listen to my dad reminisce, to be able to visit my oldest brother before he graduated a few years ago, and to finally find myself here today. We only have a few more stops left on our tour! So, head left, down to the bottom of the hill and let’s walk through the rest of the village.
Place #22
Distance: 0.21mi , Attraction : Residence Halls
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Weaver Hall, 400 Carrier Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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The Village
The Village is considered the residential heart of campus by many students here. It serves as a bridge between main and east campus and sees a lot of students walking up and down the hill throughout the day. Unlike the newer dorms on East, which are primarily floor or hall style, the Village dorms are suite style, with communal bathrooms. So each hall usually has two suites and a bathroom, and the suites contain two or three bedrooms and a common area. While the Village dorms aren’t considered the nicest dorms on campus, they probably sit in the best location. Stay on the right side of the pathway, and once you get down to the bottom of the hill, I’ll give you more directions on how to get to our next stop.
Place #23
Distance: 0.06mi
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Bluestone Dr & Madison Union, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Now, you can cross the crosswalk and head over the train tracks and past Mr. Chips, the little convenience store on your right. Head up to the building called The Union after you’ve passed Mr. Chips. I’ll see you there!
Place #24
Distance: 0.06mi , Attraction : Multipurpose Building
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281 E Grace St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Madison Union
I’m glad you’ve made it! Madison Union is one of my favorite places on campus! It has a lot going on inside! There are several conference rooms, a post office for students who are living on campus, an interfaith chapel, the center for multicultural student services, the office of fraternity and sorority life, the student leadership center, a room dedicated to meditation and relaxation, some great study spots, and a whole lot more. One of my favorite things about the Union is that there’s a restaurant on the top floor called the Madison Grill that way too many students have no clue exists. Another awesome part of Madison Union is that it has Taylor Down Under, or TDU for short. TDU is essentially a hangout spot for students. There’s pool tables, ping pong, recliners, a dance floor and stage, and an Auntie Anne’s pretzel shop. They are always playing fun music and hosting fun events like lip syncs, salsa dancing, live music and much more. It’s one of the best spots on campus to relax with friends and unwind after a long day of classes. Let’s head right now, over to Hillside fields.
Place #25
Distance: 0.05mi , Attraction : Recreation Spot
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281 E Grace St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Hillside Fields
Welcome! A lot of intramural and pickup games are held here at the Hillside fields. To the left are the Hillside dorms. In the fall and spring, students can be found playing flag football, spikeball, frisbee and just hanging out. To the right of the fields are tennis and basketball courts that also double as roller hockey courts. This field is one of the few, almost completely flat places on campus, which is a nice relief when wanting to play sports. Let’s head to our last stop, the Student Success Center. Start heading up the hill, and I’ll give you more directions at point 26!
Place #26
Distance: 0.12mi
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281 E Grace St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Continue heading up the hill to point 27, and stay on the sidewalk to the left of the road.
Place #27
Distance: 0.02mi
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Health Center, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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Cross right, at the crosswalk, and head to point 28.
Place #28
Distance: 0.55mi , Attraction : Student Success Center
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Health Center, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA
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SSC
Welcome to our last stop! Thank you so much for joining me today to explore this wonderful school! This is our Student Success Center, or SSC for short. Inside, there’s a lot going on. There are a couple of classrooms, centers for free tutoring and writing help, the university counseling center, and one of my personal favorites, the Oasis, a room in the counseling center where students can relax in massage chairs, listen to music or the calming sound of running water, and let their stress completely melt away. SSC also has several great dining options from an italian place, a sandwich shop, a burger place, and more. This building and the services provided in it have made me appreciate just how much JMU truly wants its students to succeed. Having a whole complex called the Student Success Center with services spanning from improving mental wellness to tutoring to improve your grade in calculus, the services offered in this building really make students feel that their success is the #1 priority. Some closing thoughts: I didn’t choose JMU because it was my dream school. I chose it because it has a strong business program, it’s close enough but also far enough away from home, and because I liked it a little bit more than the other schools I toured. However, since stepping foot on campus for my first week here, the JMU community and campus has felt like home. I am so grateful for the great friendships that I’ve built here, the caring professors who have been willing to give of their time outside of class to help me further my own education, and for all the wonderful opportunities through classes, clubs, and extracurriculars that have helped mold me a little bit more into the best version of myself that I can be. Thank you again so much for walking campus with me today, I really hope you enjoyed it. If you want to do a little bit more exploring or are feeling a little famished, I’d recommend checking out Billy Jack’s or Cuban Burger downtown for some great food. Thanks again, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

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