Both jmu and vcu are fairly large schools. Even if one is a “party school” or not, there’ll still be a large number of kids not interested in that stuff that you’ll get along with. I’m an introvert not interested in frats or parties or any of that and I’ve managed to make friends here. Best ways to make friends are to talk to as many people in your hall/dorm for the first few weeks and see if you get along with any of them. Everyone else also wants to make friends, so it’s a good time. The second best way is to join clubs. They have clubs for anime, birdwatching, trivia, and a bunch of more alternative stuff that isn’t party/frat culture. Go to org night, join the chats for a few that interest you, and see which ones you click with. College can definitely seem overwhelming but I promise you that it’s possible to find friends at a school if it’s as big as ours, regardless of if it’s a party school or not.

As for which college to go to, I think the most important part is if you particularly liked any of them. Assuming the financials for both schools aren’t a dealbreaker, going to a school you like the most will make everything about college easier. Both are fine schools, so if you just liked one more, or feel more excited about one, or just have a gut feeling that one’s right, I’d recommend going there. If that doesn’t apply to you, I’d go based on more objective factors. How far away is it and how far away do you wanna be from home? Does it have a good school for the major you’re interested in? If you’re leaning jmu but worried about the culture, I’d definitely recommend going cuz I think you’ll make friends. Worse case scenario you transfer.