Lo and behold, the Founding Father came through with a convenient Admitted Students Day, scheduled for February 17th. Thus we made a date with Mr. Madison, and planned our attack--um, make that "Friday Field Trip...The Higher Education Version". Since Harrisonburg is about 4 hours away, I even granted verrrry rare permission for Derek to miss his afternoon of High School classes, so we could get on the road early, drive up the night before, and be well-positioned for a running start on Saturday's full slate of activities.
Now, we'd only done this trip once before, trusting the GPS directions--which led us on what seemed at the time like a wild goose chase, with a plethora of easy-to-miss turns, tiny rural roads, and even a brief period in what appeared to be neighborhoods. In short, it struck us as a ridiculously convoluted method of travel, so we determined to figure out our own--preferably highway--route this time. Aaaannnd, about that...oh, we stuck to major interstates, all right...but guess what? We discovered that doing so adds about a HUNDRED miles to the delightful trek...and 90 minutes in the car. Ugh. Lesson learned: take the crazy-ass roundabout way, and Suck. It. Up.
We weren't exactly aided by the weather this time, either. You see, when we left Chapel Hill, we'd been basking in a glorious (albeit somewhat freakish) 75-degree, sunny day. I mean, even I was able to don shorts and a t-shirt for the beginning of our outing, so you KNOW it was warm. However, as we headed north, we encountered an array of factors--variable amounts of rain, from a drizzle to a downpour...intermittent high winds that were strong enough to buffet even the stalwart Subaru...and possibly my favorite, visibility-killing FOG--all of which conspired to drop the temperature by about 25 degrees in Virginia...and prompted me to make a desperate wardrobe change in a nasty gas station bathroom when we stopped for fuel and snacks.
Anyway, we did eventually arrive, check into our hotel, and get situated. I'd done some homework to find a dinner spot that included gluten-free and vegetarian options on the menu...and as a bonus, it turned out to be located in the heart of downtown Harrisonburg. Thus Derek and I had a light meal at the Golden Pony, where our waiter was a charming probably-college-student and our food was simple, but also yummy...and inexpensive. (Win!)
Then we got down to the business of figuring out our agenda for JMU, Take 2. Of course, there were some official presentations being offered, but Derek really only wanted to try and attend the 3rd (Biology/Biotechnology) and 4th (General Ed) ones. Other than that, his Must Do List included walking every nook and cranny of the entire campus, popping into the bookstore, exploring the student union, reacquainting himself with the rec center...and researching the proximity of off-campus necessities, such as a drugstore, supermarket, and/or Target (to determine whether they were easily accessible to a vehicle-less college student). We also kept in mind that it would be in our best interest to get our butts in gear in the a.m., since there was an ominous prediction for a "wintry mix" to arrive by 4:00...and ideally, we wanted to satisfy all of our own personal requirements for the Open House, and then vamoose before that happened.
That's why we happened to be up, reasonably awake, and out the door headed for the university by 8:25 on Saturday morning. Yeeeahhh...make that "us, and about a thousand other potential incoming Freshmen"...which made for a big old gridlock situation, crawling onto campus and toward the designated parking lot. So we missed a few minute of the introduction--no harm, no foul (we definitely weren't the last to meander in, after all). It was a gloomy, chilly day, meteorologically speaking...but the mood couldn't have been more cheerful, from the upbeat comments given by faculty and staff, to the brightly-clad student ambassadors posted at regular intervals to answer questions, direct people, hand out JMU swag...or just chat about how much they loved the place, presumably.(When we arrived, there was even a group of them stationed outside the building to welcome visitors to the day's events. They were cheering and greeting people as they passed, which was sweet...but then they spontaneously broke into what I imagine must have been the alma mater song, which Derek and I felt was a bit...over-the-top...for first thing in the morning. Nevertheless, I applaud their enthusiasm...)
But Derek and I were on a...pedestrian mission, if you will...so we put the sneakers to the sidewalks and got moving. The first amusing thing that we noticed was that when we hoofed it from one corner of the grounds, diagonally to the far opposite side, it took us all of...7 minutes. We were so amazed by this that we did a full lap around, just to check and see if this was a fluke--and it still didn't take that long. This was useful information, because to us it meant that it's a compact campus that's easy to manage on foot..and yet it somehow manages to feel spacious at the same time, so that you never feel overrun by crowds.
After that, we scoped out the bookstore, which proved to be filled with a pleasingly extensive and tempting selection of purple merchandise (which we restrained ourselves from buying...at least until he decides once and for all where he's going to spend his next 4 years!). The rec center remained as impressive and enticing as we remembered it, with different types of courts (basketball, racquetball, volleyball), oodles of machines (weights, ellipticals, treadmills, bikes), various workout rooms (for yoga and other group classes), multiple pools (separated for "fun swimming", and laps), a track, and extras, like ping pong tables, several rock climbing stations, and a shop where you could purchase a healthy nosh before or after your exercise session.
On a related note, Derek wanted to see what the football, baseball, and soccer stadiums looked like--and, I suppose, judge whether they were up to his standards or not. (Hey, everyone has their own criteria for what's important for their collegiate satisfaction, right? Or whatever...I was just along for the moral support...) Honestly, the only thing that he found slightly...underwhelming...was the student union--but even that improved when we ascertained that there are 2 of them, one each for the East and West sides of campus. Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all of this...traipsing...we made it to one of the dining facilities to grab a drink...and a second one to actually sit down and eat lunch. (Also things that count as near and dear to a young adult male's heart...or, you know, "stomach"...) Suffice it to say, there were myriad options, most of which you could walk up and serve yourself--salad, sandwiches, pizza, waffles, other hot breakfast items, tacos, pasta, a bakery, ice cream, plus some that I probably missed in all the chaos (since it was afternoon by this point, and the late-starting coeds had now awoken and joined the fray).However, I think I made Derek's day when I pointed out--of all things--the dispenser of milk, which proclaimed that it was obtained from a local farm, and boasted separate taps for whole, skim...and CHOCOLATE. (That's right--we began giving Derek Quik-flavored moo-juice when he was an underweight toddler and the pediatrician was encouraging us to pack as many calories as possible into the little guy. And to this day, the now-almost-6-foot dude is completely unable/unwilling to drink plain milk. I'm not even kidding--if it comes down to a tie-breaker between the 2 universities, this might be what tips it toward JMU.) And the look of child-like joy on his face when he took a big gulp? It was downright priceless, y'all.
However, due to the circus atmosphere occurring in the hallowed halls of college eating, it took us a while to get in, obtain edibles, and scarf them down, which caused us to unfortunately miss most of Session 3. (Rats! But I consoled myself with the thought that he'll have plenty of time to talk to these folks if he ends up at J-Mad...and commits to a science major of some sort. So yeah, there are still a lot of unknowns, which is why we didn't sweat it too much...).
While we were regrouping and considering how to kill a few minute until the next presentation, we happened to glance out one of the large windows in the Convocation Center...at the suddenly snowy scene outside. Well, harrumph! I simply hate it when Old Man Winter blows into town 3 hours early! Derek and I scrambled to rewrite our carefully orchestrated playbook, to prioritize what he most wanted to accomplish before we got the heck outta Dodge--er, "Harrisonburg". Luckily, since we'd been so diligent about using our morning hours wisely, he really felt that he'd gotten the full campus experience that he was seeking on this jaunt. (Yay, us!) Furthermore, as the flakes swirled around us and tiny shards of ice pelted our heads, he mused that "It's good to know that a dreary, cold, bad weather day doesn't change how much I still like it here!"
The only thing he still wanted to examine was the aforementioned retail piece of the puzzle, so we retrieved the car and set out to find the nearest shopping mecca. The verdict was: while there was nothing within walking distance, it would be about a 5-minute bus ride to a strip that contains everything from CVS to Food Lion to Target, Kohl's, and Dick's Sporting Goods. So, done...and DONE!
It was definitely a whirlwind 28-ish hour undertaking--which both of us agreed was exhausting, but also thoroughly enjoyable, productive, and successful. Mind you, NOT that it helped Derek rule out one of his contenders; quite the contrary, he remained just as enamored of the university after spending another whole day there, during an actual semester, with campus life in full swing, wandering amongst the collegiate denizens.
But that's only half of our fact-gathering, of course. So in a couple more weeks we're doing it all over again with the University of South Carolina...where we most assuredly will not have to contend with any icy precipitation...and where we will be on the lookout for dairy-fresh chocolate milk, just in case it's needed when decision-time looms in April! To be continued...wish us luck...
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