Recently, it came to light that James Madison University was #5 on the Wall Street Journal’s list of “Right Choice” schools, determined by the number of students that said they’d choose JMU all over again if they got to start over. The best part: we beat Virginia Tech. AGAIN!

We did pretty well in other categories, too — nearly 9 out of 10 people said JMU was “worth the cost,” and equally as many people said they felt prepared for their careers after graduation.

So, empirically, our school is better than yours — unless you attend The Master’s University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Dordt, or Lousiana Tech. In which case we’re glad to hear you love your school just as much as we love ours!

What exactly makes us love JMU so much?

Is it the East Campus sunsets?

Is it the Quad, outdoor social hub and personal favorite nap spot?

Is it our uniquely unbalanced stadium that we all secretly worry will tip over if too many alumni come through?

Is it the availability of spaces like the Oasis, where you can get a massage and hide away from the world for a while?

Is it the fact that we have not one, but twoequally impressive libraries?

Is it the giant letters that, like mushrooms in the forest, pop up on campus, out of nowhere?

Is it the Bluestones?

Is it the way the leaves look in fall?

Is it the fact that even our flowers have school spirit?

Is it something intangible? Something that can’t be expressed in a photo?

Our FROGS and OPAs and Student Ambassadors don’t lie when they say JMU is the happiest place on Earth, right next to Disney World. There’s a sense of community on campus that can’t be found outside of Harrisonburg, and it goes beyond a beautiful campus and a tradition of holding doors. The JMU love is contagious, and when you love your school, you start to love the people in it. When my parents and friends come to visit campus, they always look at me with wide eyes and say “whoa—everyone is so kind and happy!”

Maybe they put something in the water that makes us all happy little robots. But I think it’s something more real and more powerful than that.

What do you think it is?