Okay, I am debating right now on which school is more "prestige" than the other. I am majoring in business. I heard good things from both JMU and V-Tech. It is extremely hard to pick which to attend. I have visited both campuses and each are beautiful. It all boils down to which is considered more "prestige". According to businessweek, JMU is ranked at #28 in national business school, below William & Mary (23rd). Virginia Tech is ranked (54), because it is mainly an engineering school. Also, US NEWS AND RANKINGS, ranks JMU at 2nd in public University and 6th combined with private and public schools for regional University. While Virginia Tech is ranked at a mediocre 73. I got into each of these famous/popular schools. Each have same characteristics, so it all boils to "prestige". Help me decide please!



James Madison University PROS: Excellent business (ranked 28th on Businessweek, right under William & Mary for Virginia), general education, arts & theater, Excellent Science, Research, and creative arts, located in a small urban city.
CONS: Too much of a "party" school, 2 hours from my house,not known "nationally".
__________________________________________________
Virginia Tech PROS: Mediocre National Recognition, Excellent Engineering, Math, Science, has the name "Tech" sounds pretty cool.
CONS: Sucky Business School ( ranked 53 or 54th on Businessweek for 2011 business undergraduate rankings), "Middle of Nowhere", takes 4+ Hours to travel from my house..., infamous reputation from Virginia Tech massacre.

Heres what it basically comes down to, where do you want to go more. You would probably learn more at tech and it has a better reputation nationally by far. JMU is becoming more and more of a party school. EVERYONE majors in business, and nothing says you wont change your major during college. You could always transfer if you decided to change but if you just care about how youre degree will look go Tech

Well, if you read my original post, JMU is ranked higher than Virginia Tech in terms of business. I LOVE BOTH PLACES!!! I can't decide on where to go... thats why Im asking here and there for some opinions. JMU and Virginia Tech are on par with one another.

William & Mary -> UVA -> JMU/VirginiaTech -> rest of Virginia schools.

Nobody outside if DMV knows what JMU is. Virginia Tech is the better bet.

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

But Virginia Tech has same recruiting aspects as to James Madison University, Big4, F500, and etc. hire from both schools.

^yeah. be like this douchebag and live your life based on what you think everyone else thinks.

nnnjnjnjn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ^yeah. be like this douchebag and live your life
> based on what you think everyone else thinks.


"Prestige" is based on what other people think.

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

^ Im only asking for opinions... I don't consider other opinions official. I just want some opinions on what they see in JMU and V-Tech

^ that was for nnnjnjnjjn

You should decide which school has the strongest program in your desired major, whether it's accounting, finance, or management. The strength of the overall program should be next, and so on.

I've heard that VT had a good accounting program.

The business schools at UVA, William & Mary, and Maryland all have better reps. The reputation of the graduate business school carries more weight.

JMU is considered prestige imo... I have my own reasons though. JMU & Virginia Tech are both on the same level in academically. Besides that JMU = Business. and V-Tech = Engineering

I understand UVA's reputation. I won't hear from UVA until May or end of April. JMU & V-Tech are my safety schools. I want to know which safety school I will attend in case UVA back fires on me. JMU seems like the "better business-whole", while Virginia Tech has engineering, and is mediocre national ranked.

Why does it have to be such a hard decision!

I like Virginia tech for being known nationally, good football team, okay academics, good engineering program.

I hate virginia tech for its massacre, long ass trip to get there from and to my house, extremely rural area.

I like JMU for its business oriented classes, nationally ranked in business.

I hate JMU for not being known nationally, and takes 2 hours from and to my house!

As was noted, business undergrad ranking isn't that important. Your MBA school is more important.

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

http://som.gmu.edu/

BEST in VA. Go.

haha, whats funny is that I am transferring out from GMU (Mason) with a 3.84 GPA to UVA,JMU, V-Tech.

MBA... seems to far for me to think atm. Plus, you can't directly get into an MBA program after graduation.

DukeorHokie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MBA... seems to far for me to think atm. Plus,
> you can't directly get into an MBA program after
> graduation.

I'm just saying "prestige" really isn't an issue with an undergrad biz degree.

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

Here's the rankings of the undergrad business schools. Click on the state column and scroll down the table to isolate the Virginia schools for your comparison.

http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/bs_ugrank_tab_0303.html

I think they're ranked roughly according to the median salary for recent grads. The nationally known schools, such as UVA, obviously have the highest. Tech has somewhat a lower figure than the others. That may be because of their location in the Southwest corner of the state. They draw students from the rural areas as well as DC, Richmond, and the Tidewater area.

So... basically JMU & Virginia Tech, either way I go can't go wrong right?

DukeorHokie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So... basically JMU & Virginia Tech, either way I
> go can't go wrong right?


I think you are fine either way.

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

ha ha you should be studying, stop posting on here loser. No JMU nor VT for you. Don't even think about UVA.

WashingTone-Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DukeorHokie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So... basically JMU & Virginia Tech, either way
> I
> > go can't go wrong right?
>
>
> I think you are fine either way.


haha, funny I never study for exams =D.
Your second sentence make no sense.. I specifically said I already got into VT and JMU within 2 weeks of sending my application!

Anyways, thanks to everyone. I think I may have made my decision! Good Luck in your academic careers as well!

First, people switch majors all the time in college. So don't count on one. Second, VT is more well known overall.

Dukeor Hokie-If you are still checking this out I'd like to throw a few suggestions at you:
1) You've got a little over a month before the main round of acceptances/rejections go out. Use that time to get to know both of your current choices better. Reputations and rankings are well and good, but understanding why schools have those reputations and rankings, and how it will affect you (This is one of the few times when it should be all about YOU) is better.
2) Culterally I don't think JMU and Tech are all that similar. I think each school tends to draw different types of students. I get the impression that for most of the kids at Tech, VT was their first choice. I see that much less in the JMU students.
3) The party school rep at JMU is a bit overblown, based on a few incidents largely caused by nonstudents. There is plenty of partying at both schools, and at some other well known Virginia schools. In addition you say Tech to many and they will think of the Virginia Tech shooting rampage.
4) YOu say business, but what particularly? What is it you see yourself doing in a few years, and where? Which school is more likely to get you there. Also I believe JMU's business program is a 4 year program. Not sure about Tech, but for other Virginia schools it is a two year program.
5) I went to one of those "90% of students came from the top 10% of their HS class" schools. This does not describe either Tech or JMU. It does describe the students in certain programs at both schools. If you are interested in one of them, how do you feel about that from a "safety school"?
6) What about the "extras"? Would you like to be at a school that plays football games against opponents you've heard of? How about drama and fine arts? Do you want to be within a couple of hours drive of DC, or of Bristol?

To the OP, wherever you go to school do not be a business major. Life is too short to be spent in business. I never met a biz major who was not a total douche.

Here's what each school is known for:

VT - Massacre and Michael Vick

UVA - Thomas Jefferson and beating LAX girlfriends to death

JMU - Nothing and nothing

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

WTL-I'd hate to see your assessment of Mary Wash, ODU and Christopher Newport.

Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WTL-I'd hate to see your assessment of Mary Wash,
> ODU and Christopher Newport.


Easy. They are all known for nothing outside of DMV.

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

JMU may be the lowest cost school in the list unless you stay home and go to George Mason. It used to be an all-girl school with reputation for training teachers. The ratio of girls for every guy is likely to be much higher than other schools.

DukeorHokie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, if you read my original post, JMU is ranked
> higher than Virginia Tech in terms of business. I
> LOVE BOTH PLACES!!! I can't decide on where to
> go... thats why Im asking here and there for some
> opinions. JMU and Virginia Tech are on par with
> one another.


Go with Tech. Besides having Tech be recognized nationally, Tech's campus is much better than JMU's. JMU is like a fucking truck stop right off of 81 and Harrisonburg is turning into something resembling Manassas - fucking lights and strip malls everywhere. Tech is much more quiet. That doesn't mean there's nothing to do, it's just not an ugly fucking clone of Manassas, Fredericksburg, etc.

P.S. - All schools are party schools.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

You are spending way too much time worrying about which school is more prestigious. In the real world, no one will much care where you got your undergrad from after your first job. Go to the school that YOU find most appealing and where you will have the best experience based on whatever criteria you value. You're only young once - enjoy it.

true^ Either way I go, I should be fine, I understand. Virginia kids are so spoiled for having so many choices in terms of school. I should be mainly focusing on what I want to do for the rest of my life haha.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2012 04:28PM by DukeorHokie.

Also, US NEWS AND RANKINGS,
> ranks JMU at 2nd in public University and 6th
> combined with private and public schools for
> regional University. While Virginia Tech is ranked
> at a mediocre 73. I got into each of these
> famous/popular schools. Each have same
> characteristics, so it all boils to "prestige".
> Help me decide please!
>
>

The "2nd place" ranking for JMU was grouped with schools that do not usually offer a wide range of PHD's, termed "regional universities". They are ranked high as they are grouped with lesser institutions.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-south#



Tech is ranked among national universities.


http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+8



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2012 09:20PM by Stinkfist.

My take:

Went to Tech.

Went to Mason.

Best bet is to start at NVCC part time while working.

Make money.

Save money.

Do well at NVCC.

Transfer anywhere you want after a few years with your bank account bursting.

GMU Hokie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My take:
>
> Went to Tech.
>
> Went to Mason.
>
> Best bet is to start at NVCC part time while
> working.
>
> Make money.
>
> Save money.
>
> Do well at NVCC.
>
> Transfer anywhere you want after a few years with
> your bank account bursting.


+10. That's the advice I'm telling my kid who doesn't know what he wants to do. Get your core class nonsense out of the way while you figure it out. The only drawback is that you're not starting out like everyone else - fresh out of high school and not knowing anyone. You sort of miss out on making those initial "hey, we're in the same boat" type of bonds with people. To this day, most of my closest friends are guys/girls I met during my freshman and sophomore year of college.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

Jesus, it's like choosing between getting punched in the nose or kicked in the nuts. Two terrible choices. VT is full of football maniac low-class hillbillies. JMU has hot chicks, but it could be the ugliest school in all of VA (campus split by I-81), stinks like dog food and is filled with dimwitted frat-tards.

If you can't go to UVA or W&M, just join the MArines or something. Do yourself a favor.

It's Madison Time!



Fairfaxunderground rules: Lilliputions, not ok. Midgettville ok. I got it now.

As a parent, I have sent two children to JMU. After researching dozens of colleges, my second child ended up there as well. JMU changes you in a positive way. My son entered as a very bashful freshman and left JMU a leader, and a very successful businessman that had a job lined up in October of his senior year with a salary that was phenomenal - including a signing bonus! He has continued to excel in the business world. Go into most businesses around and they will tell you the JMU graduates are standouts. My daughter is doing well there and loves it. My advice to students searching for the right school... Go to the campus and talk to students. When we visited JMU I was impressed by the students willingness to talk to you and their enthusiasm was electrifying. And it was real. Good luck in your search and don't bad mouth other schools - it's all about what is right for you.

The rankings are also based on median salaries of graduates and will be skewed by proximity to DC metro area. It doesn't necessarily tell you whether the school is better or more prestigious.

You need to narrow down your choice of major before you decide unless it's general business. Certain schools are stronger in specific majors, such as business administration and law (UVA/W&M), accounting/finance (VT), and so on. I know someone with a marketing degree from JMU who's still working in retail at 28.

Look at the National Rankings, they are basically what matters.

Schools that are ranked nationally on US News & WOrld Report rankings:

UVA
Georgetown
American
Virginia Tech
George Mason
VCU
JOhns Hopkins
William & Mary
Catholic University
University of Maryland

********

Not on list:

James Madison
Marymount
Old Dominion
Radford
Christopher Newport

Mind you, those are national ranked full universities.

You also need to consider the liberal arts colleges (those where graduate degrees is not a major operation within the school).

Radford, JMU - very high female-to-male ratio, historically known for training teachers

Nice Flamebait.

Now back to reality. Kiplinger ranked the va public schools UVA, W&M, JMU and VT in its top 50, in that order.

JMU and VT are obviously the two best known "backup schools" for UVA and W&M...but they are fine schools. GMU, VCU are also fine schools but considered safety schools to the safety schools.

JMU is ranked higher than VT in the latest Kiplingers.

JMU is an easy school. The pubs use the high graduation rate as one factor in determining value for cost.

You can tell it's not well-regarded school. Only 359 international students out of a total student enrollment of almost 20,000. Very few Asians go there.

http://www.jmu.edu/about/fact-and-figures.shtml

JMU is not a well regarded school but is ranked higher than Virginia tech according to Kiplingers

VT by a landslide (i have a kid there now - my third VA school experience). Much better campus, environment. Nationally known. Place has a nice feel. A huge, loyal network of alumni in the NOVA area. Great football. Also, the cost of living down there is very low, which equates to a nice apartment when you move off campus.

all lot of less-driven UVA students would probably be better off there.

Downside is the long-ass drive. Oh well.


good luck.

JMU is 95% white and 80% female. Who isn't into white chicks these days except fans of Mead Skelton?

Virginia Tech is way better than them Yankee schools. We got us a Football team and know how to tailgate. Who cares if we have 300 kids in a class, nobody can party on game day like the Hokies! And while you all study useless stuff like Liberal arts we have practical topics like engineering and animal husbandry.

Let's be pretty clear about it: VT is the third best college in Virginia. It's in the top 100 nationally. It's known around the country for engineering and football. That's pretty good, but not great.

JMU isn't nationally ranked. It's ranked #6 among regional universities. Nobody outside of the VA/MD/DC/WVA area has heard of it. Hell, I didn't know where it was until this year. I still don't know where it is, vis-a-vis NOVA.

VT is the choice, IMO.

Not sure about that. According to Kiplingers, James Madison is ranked #3 :

http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-ki...ble=public#gwfYpO8mdYAkmsyR.99

Let's be pretty clear about it: James Madison is the third best college in Virginia. JMU is nationally ranked, and in fact is ranked higher overall (#20 versus #28) than Va Tech.

JMU has a higher ranked Business School according to Businessweek.

Heck, nobody outside of the VA/WVA area has even heard of Va Tech. Hell, I didn't know where it was until this year. I still don't know where it is, vis-a-vis NOVA.

JMU is the choice, IMO.

Nice Flamebait.

Now back to reality. Kiplinger ranked the va public schools UVA, W&M, JMU and VT in its top 50, in that order.

If your child is studying business there is no choice: James Madison by a mile.

Good luck,

http://www.businessweek.com/reports/business-schools/best-undergraduate-b-schools-2012

Overall ranking don't have much to do with the qualify of the programs. VPI has a large number of undergrad and graduate programs listed among the nation's best.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/virginia-tech-233921/overall-rankings

By comparison, JMU only has a couple of programs ranked educationally.

Wahoowa13 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's be pretty clear about it: James Madison is
> the third best college in Virginia. JMU is
> nationally ranked, and in fact is ranked higher
> overall (#20 versus #28) than Va Tech.
>
> JMU has a higher ranked Business School according
> to Businessweek.
>
> Heck, nobody outside of the VA/WVA area has even
> heard of Va Tech. Hell, I didn't know where it was
> until this year. I still don't know where it is,
> vis-a-vis NOVA.
>
> JMU is the choice, IMO.

First, pretty damn uncreative copy and paste job. JMU is not nationally ranked, but VT is. Nobody has heard of JMU outside of this area. People all over the country have heard of Virginia Tech, not always in a positive way.

Unless you're going into business, VT is the better option by far.

I didn't go to (or apply to) either one.

JMU seems to have passed Tech in prestige lately. GMU has become a lot more competitive, too. Pick your school based on the particular program, not some opinion of schools from the 1990s.

JMU Is a teacher's school. 60% female enrollment. Education is a soft major and typical gpa is 3.6 and above. Take your pick between JMU and Radford.

Pics of Coed girls of GTFO!

Boilermaker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JMU Is a teacher's school. 60% female enrollment.
> Education is a soft major and typical gpa is 3.6
> and above. Take your pick between JMU and
> Radford.

Tech is a sausage fest. Almost 60% dudes. Girls get creeped out by the place.
With a sky-high 67% acceptance rate, no wonder so many guys who can't get in to a decent school end up at Tech. It does have the best animal husbandry program in Virginia, though. So it's got that, I guess.

Acceptance rate doesn't mean anything as the offers are non-binding. The kids apply to multiple schools. Not many apply to top schools and use GMU or JMU as a secondary school.

The relevant stat for incoming frosh are percent in top 10% of HS class and range of SAT and ACT. The top three are W&M, UVA, and VT.

There are plenty of all-girl schools near UVA and VT.

Sweetbriar Debutante Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Acceptance rate doesn't mean anything as the
> offers are non-binding. The kids apply to
> multiple schools. Not many apply to top schools
> and use GMU or JMU as a secondary school.
>
> The relevant stat for incoming frosh are percent
> in top 10% of HS class and range of SAT and ACT.
> The top three are W&M, UVA, and VT.
>
> There are plenty of all-girl schools near UVA and
> VT.

Yield is a relevant stat. And third-party rankings, right or wrong, have a significant effect on competitiveness and perception. UVA and W&M, along those lines, are in a class of their own in VA. The rest are just the rest. Tech is fine. Nothing special.

Sweetbriar Debutante Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Acceptance rate doesn't mean anything as the
> offers are non-binding. The kids apply to
> multiple schools. Not many apply to top schools
> and use GMU or JMU as a secondary school.
>
> The relevant stat for incoming frosh are percent
> in top 10% of HS class and range of SAT and ACT.
> The top three are W&M, UVA, and VT.
>
> There are plenty of all-girl schools near UVA and
> VT.


If you know anything about college admissions lately, you know that the "top 10%" number is completely bogus. Almost no schools report class rank anymore. At least not in NoVA. So Colleges make that optional to report and the only people that report it are those in the top 10%. Larger schools can puff this number because they have more kids who still get class rank and it looks like their percentages are higher.

Yield is probably a more accurate number, but the colleges game this one to in what as known as the "Tufts effect," where schools reject kids likely to be accepted at a higher rated school.

The Professor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sweetbriar Debutante Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Acceptance rate doesn't mean anything as the
> > offers are non-binding. The kids apply to
> > multiple schools. Not many apply to top
> schools
> > and use GMU or JMU as a secondary school.
> >
> > The relevant stat for incoming frosh are
> percent
> > in top 10% of HS class and range of SAT and ACT.
>
> > The top three are W&M, UVA, and VT.
> >
> > There are plenty of all-girl schools near UVA
> and
> > VT.
>
>
> If you know anything about college admissions
> lately, you know that the "top 10%" number is
> completely bogus. Almost no schools report class
> rank anymore. At least not in NoVA. So Colleges
> make that optional to report and the only people
> that report it are those in the top 10%. Larger
> schools can puff this number because they have
> more kids who still get class rank and it looks
> like their percentages are higher.
>
> Yield is probably a more accurate number, but the
> colleges game this one to in what as known as the
> "Tufts effect," where schools reject kids likely
> to be accepted at a higher rated school.


Hahahaha! "Tufts Effect." I've known quite a few folks from Tufts, Fletcher School mostly. Those Fletcher kids are great. Smart, ambitious, unpretentious. The undergrads at Tufts are the biggest bag of dicks I've ever come across. Serious chips on their shoulders, so it's not surprise they reject kids who are bound to get into Dartmouth, Williams and the like. The biggest bitch I ever met went there and was such a snob to me about where she went to school. I actually went to an Ivy, but she was such a bitch I told her I went to George Mason to yank her chain. She was like, "I've never heard of that. What is that a community college?" And I was like, "Well, we just turned into an accredited four-year school. But all the same, it has Phi Beta Kappa and my thesis advisor is great. I'm doing my thesis on Kant and Spinoza. My advisor thinks it has a shot of getting published. Did you do a thesis?" She was like, "Ummmm, yeah, Camp and Spindzoza,,,,yeah, I know about them." Hahaha!

The reality is that these two schools are pretty much in the same league, with one being better than the other only depending on particular circumstance. For example, Business is one of the top populated degrees at both schools...#1 in fact in terms of number of students at each.

Wanna see how the top ranked undergraduate Business Schools in VA fare?

Let's see:

http://www.businessweek.com/undergraduate_mba_prof...s/bschools/rankings/index.html

Top 50 Business Schools (DC/MD/VA only):

2 University of Virginia (McIntire)
14 Georgetown University (McDonough)
15 University of Richmond (Robins)
25 College of William & Mary (Mason)
32 James Madison University
38 University of Maryland (Smith)

Delusional. There is a a HUGE gap between the selectivity of UVA and W&M and that of VA Tech.

There is like zero daylight between Va Tech and JMU in terms of SAT, GPA and selectivity.

The choice between the two schools relates to choice of major. For Business, the choice is clear - JMU. For Engineering - Va Tech. For Sports - Va Tech. For a solid rounded experience (read: party time) - JMU.

For Food both are great. For quality of undergraduates, both are mediocre.

Let's get real. Arguing which is better is like arguing whether a beige Honda is more prestigous than a Burgundy Toyota.

There's two big dropoffs. UVA and W&M at the top, VT next, and JMU, URI, and GMU are the third level.

UVA and W&M are the dominant liberal arts colleges, business schools, and law schlls.

VT is a top-tier engineering, agriculture, and architectural school.

JMU is very strong in education.

Sweetbriar Debutante Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Acceptance rate doesn't mean anything as the
> offers are non-binding. The kids apply to
> multiple schools. Not many apply to top schools
> and use GMU or JMU as a secondary school.
>
> The relevant stat for incoming frosh are percent
> in top 10% of HS class and range of SAT and ACT.
> The top three are W&M, UVA, and VT.
>
> There are plenty of all-girl schools near UVA and
> VT.

Take the rankings with a pound of salt. The rankings mix national and regional universities but apply different criteria. They're more lax in weighing school reputation and high school class standing for regional universities.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2012/09/11/methodology-undergraduate-ranking-criteria-and-weights-2

Flower Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The reality is that these two schools are pretty
> much in the same league, with one being better
> than the other only depending on particular
> circumstance. For example, Business is one of the
> top populated degrees at both schools...#1 in fact
> in terms of number of students at each.
>
> Wanna see how the top ranked undergraduate
> Business Schools in VA fare?
>
> Let's see:
>
> http://www.businessweek.com/undergraduate_mba_prof
> ...s/bschools/rankings/index.html
>
> Top 50 Business Schools (DC/MD/VA only):
>
> 2 University of Virginia (McIntire)
> 14 Georgetown University (McDonough)
> 15 University of Richmond (Robins)
> 25 College of William & Mary (Mason)
> 32 James Madison University
> 38 University of Maryland (Smith)

This looks accurate. JMU does have a better undergraduate Business school than VT.