Why is George Mason so often overlooked?

[Anonymous]

Seems like a hidden gem of a school with a top econ dept.

[Anonymous]

Because it's very local, suburban, and viewed as a commuter school

[Anonymous]

Can't speak to undergrad; seems like a decent enough but not UVA/W&M-level school.

Fwiw, I considered a masters in econ there and the interactions with their staff felt like a huge sales pitch; the admissions counselor was heavily steering me toward online classes, which I repeatedly said I do not want to pursue. Yes it's affordable compared to other programs in the area but felt a little bit like you get what you pay for.

That being said I have friends who work in other departments there who have great reputations in their fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because it's very local, suburban, and viewed as a commuter school

And also skews conservative, which isn't appealing to many in the immediate DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it's very local, suburban, and viewed as a commuter school

And also skews conservative, which isn't appealing to many in the immediate DMV.

This is refreshing and one of its greatest appeals, especially as it applies to its law and business/ economics programs.

[Anonymous]

The campus definitely has commuter school vibes. Great school for some students, but lots of high schoolers want a more traditional American college experience.

[Anonymous]

It's basically like a bigger version of NVCC.

Not many people want to pay a university price for a community college experience.

I've not met anyone who graduated from there who would also allow their kid to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it's very local, suburban, and viewed as a commuter school

And also skews conservative, which isn't appealing to many in the immediate DMV.

Well, just the econ and law. There's not a single other department or faculty that skew conservative in the least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it's very local, suburban, and viewed as a commuter school

And also skews conservative, which isn't appealing to many in the immediate DMV.

I saw this written in another thread a few weeks ago.
Where do you get this from?
I have no idea how credible the "Niche" website is--but Niche seems to think the school is more liberal--twice as many students identify as Democrat than Republican
https://www.niche.com/colleges/george-mason-university/students/

[Anonymous]

Because it's perceived as a big brother of local CC or VT/UVa's little brother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's basically like a bigger version of NVCC.

Not many people want to pay a university price for a community college experience.

I've not met anyone who graduated from there who would also allow their kid to attend.

Well, most people who graduated from there back when it really was a commuter school, but it had grown like mad and is now an R1 institution with a great reputation. It still has a sizeable commuter population, but a bit over 6k undergrads (+ international students) live on-campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it's very local, suburban, and viewed as a commuter school

And also skews conservative, which isn't appealing to many in the immediate DMV.

I saw this written in another thread a few weeks ago.
Where do you get this from?
I have no idea how credible the "Niche" website is--but Niche seems to think the school is more liberal--twice as many students identify as Democrat than Republican
https://www.niche.com/colleges/george-mason-university/students/

Because its Econ department is basically an outpost of the Chicago school. Its law school also hires and manages to draw very prominent conservatives. In both cases it manages to hire very much about its weight, so the embrace of conservatives is definitely working from that perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it's very local, suburban, and viewed as a commuter school

And also skews conservative, which isn't appealing to many in the immediate DMV.

This is refreshing and one of its greatest appeals, especially as it applies to its law and business/ economics programs.

Only if you're a RWNJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The campus definitely has commuter school vibes. Great school for some students, but lots of high schoolers want a more traditional American college experience.

+1

Lots of commuters, older students, and low 6-year graduation rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it's very local, suburban, and viewed as a commuter school

And also skews conservative, which isn't appealing to many in the immediate DMV.

I saw this written in another thread a few weeks ago.
Where do you get this from?
I have no idea how credible the "Niche" website is--but Niche seems to think the school is more liberal--twice as many students identify as Democrat than Republican
https://www.niche.com/colleges/george-mason-university/students/

Because its Econ department is basically an outpost of the Chicago school. Its law school also hires and manages to draw very prominent conservatives. In both cases it manages to hire very much about its weight, so the embrace of conservatives is definitely working from that perspective.

Ok, but the students don't skew conservative, right?
And if you're not majoring in Economics or going to law school, you won't really have much interaction with the above. Do departments skew conservative or liberal?