George Mason as alternative to UMD for Marylanders

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price a issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

My DC is looking at Loyola, too, but even with $25k/yr merit, it's much more expensive than Towson, though cheaper than GMU oos without merit. The current COA for Loyola is knocking on $80k/.

Loyola is also so different from the other two. It's a tiny college.

My older kid wants a big school so we ruled out Loyola. Also he is not interested in a business/accounting degree which are Loyola and Towson strengths. But my younger kid will definitely be considering these two schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price a issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

Well, Loyola's sticker price is $76K per year...so with $26k in merit it's in the same range as GMU OOS, but definitely not a price-sensitive option compared to in-state MD options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Biggest university without a football team.

They have a club football team, maybe it will eventually expand to be Div III?

Also, they have a basketball team and the games are fun. I'm actually a fan of a different team within their conference (University of Dayton) so I've been to a few of their games at GMU. GMU has a great band that plays at the games too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price a issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

Well, Loyola's sticker price is $76K per year...so with $26k in merit it's in the same range as GMU OOS, but definitely not a price-sensitive option compared to in-state MD options.

GMU OOS tuition is $38k. If high stats kids get $17k to $20k merit it is $18 to $21k. Loyola tuition is $57k so you would need $36k to $40k merit to make the 2 comparable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price a issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

Well, Loyola's sticker price is $76K per year...so with $26k in merit it's in the same range as GMU OOS, but definitely not a price-sensitive option compared to in-state MD options.

GMU OOS tuition is $38k. If high stats kids get $17k to $20k merit it is $18 to $21k. Loyola tuition is $57k so you would need $36k to $40k merit to make the 2 comparable.

I have heard Loyola gives merit in mid $30ks. We applied but won't consider unless the merit is in that range. Also concerned that their Forbes financial health score is now in the Cs. I don't understand how Jesuit schools afford to discount so deeply and wonder if most are in financial danger with the exception of Georgetown. Think the Jesuit schools would be a good fit for one of my kids but the financial futures of these schools gives me pause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price a issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

Well, Loyola's sticker price is $76K per year...so with $26k in merit it's in the same range as GMU OOS, but definitely not a price-sensitive option compared to in-state MD options.

They offered that to my daughter in 2018 when tuition was lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price a issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

Well, Loyola's sticker price is $76K per year...so with $26k in merit it's in the same range as GMU OOS, but definitely not a price-sensitive option compared to in-state MD options.

GMU OOS tuition is $38k. If high stats kids get $17k to $20k merit it is $18 to $21k. Loyola tuition is $57k so you would need $36k to $40k merit to make the 2 comparable.

Also comparing Private school to a public school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price a issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

Well, Loyola's sticker price is $76K per year...so with $26k in merit it's in the same range as GMU OOS, but definitely not a price-sensitive option compared to in-state MD options.

GMU COA OOS is close to $60K. Loyola is close to $80K.

[Anonymous]

How is the amazon connection benefiting GMU? Is it just for’the CS kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biggest university without a football team.

They have a club football team, maybe it will eventually expand to be Div III?

Also, they have a basketball team and the games are fun. I'm actually a fan of a different team within their conference (University of Dayton) so I've been to a few of their games at GMU. GMU has a great band that plays at the games too.

Different poster.

I hope that GMU expands their football team to div 3. It would really improve the status of the school among graduating seniors to add that "normal" part of college culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price a issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

Well, Loyola's sticker price is $76K per year...so with $26k in merit it's in the same range as GMU OOS, but definitely not a price-sensitive option compared to in-state MD options.

GMU OOS tuition is $38k. If high stats kids get $17k to $20k merit it is $18 to $21k. Loyola tuition is $57k so you would need $36k to $40k merit to make the 2 comparable.

I have heard Loyola gives merit in mid $30ks. We applied but won't consider unless the merit is in that range. Also concerned that their Forbes financial health score is now in the Cs. I don't understand how Jesuit schools afford to discount so deeply and wonder if most are in financial danger with the exception of Georgetown. Think the Jesuit schools would be a good fit for one of my kids but the financial futures of these schools gives me pause.

In my opinion, Jesuit schools have tried to minimize their Catholic heritage in an attempt to draw in secular students or students. But instead, they only succeeded in pushing away Catholics, including Catholic donor support.

Notre Dame is one of the few Catholic universities who have managed this well.

The Jesuits, by and large, have done it poorly, making it look like they are rejecting Catholicism and Catholic heritage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What majors are well regarded at GMU?

NP but we are looking at Schar school of Policy and Govt and on paper the faculty, majors and course offerings are more interesting than those at UMD and the location is great for internships, networking etc. We are going to visit schools when we get final acceptance and merit offers so I cannot speak to the culture (or "vibe" as my kid would say). My kid is not interested in football so not sure that matters.

My kid from MoCo also interested in GMU for a specific major (don't want to say as it's very very niche). Location is perfect for this major, and yea, DC doesn't care about football. They also wanted to be in a city/suburb and not a rural area.

UMDCP doesn't have the major DC wants, so I hope, fingers crossed, they get some merit.

So tell us it’s forensics without telling us it’s forensics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Townson is in state and if you live in Maryland a way shorter commute to pick up and drop off kid.

If price an issue and want to stay close look at Loyola my daughters good friend has medical issues where she needs to see a doctor a lot and lives in Bethesda. She wanted a school not that far away she could live on campus and her budget was only the MD in state rate. That was what her parents agreed to pay.
$35k typical merit package from Loyola with reasonable stats. Possibly everyone gets at least $25k.

She was suprised when she got accepted to both Towson and Loyola that with merit aid Loyola tuition was lower than Towson. She also applied JMU but even with merit aid it could not beat Loyola offering below in state tuition.

So on the second tier schools Loyola for folks wanting to stay close is a great option. She did not want to apply, but my older daughter got a 100k merit offer from their (25 a year four years) and when we talked to school cause on fence they liked my daughter and threw in an extra 1K a year and said that was it. So 104K off tuition! She still turned it down the stinker.

Well, Loyola's sticker price is $76K per year...so with $26k in merit it's in the same range as GMU OOS, but definitely not a price-sensitive option compared to in-state MD options.

GMU OOS tuition is $38k. If high stats kids get $17k to $20k merit it is $18 to $21k. Loyola tuition is $57k so you would need $36k to $40k merit to make the 2 comparable.

Also comparing Private school to a public school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biggest university without a football team.

They have a club football team, maybe it will eventually expand to be Div III?

Also, they have a basketball team and the games are fun. I'm actually a fan of a different team within their conference (University of Dayton) so I've been to a few of their games at GMU. GMU has a great band that plays at the games too.

A friend got a full ride + Honors program to play in that band. Now in law school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What majors are well regarded at GMU?

NP but we are looking at Schar school of Policy and Govt and on paper the faculty, majors and course offerings are more interesting than those at UMD and the location is great for internships, networking etc. We are going to visit schools when we get final acceptance and merit offers so I cannot speak to the culture (or "vibe" as my kid would say). My kid is not interested in football so not sure that matters.

My kid from MoCo also interested in GMU for a specific major (don't want to say as it's very very niche). Location is perfect for this major, and yea, DC doesn't care about football. They also wanted to be in a city/suburb and not a rural area.

UMDCP doesn't have the major DC wants, so I hope, fingers crossed, they get some merit.

So tell us it’s forensics without telling us it’s forensics

Could also be public policy (DC); Game Design (Bethesda Softworks/Microsoft); and/or cybersecurity (GMU has the high tech Manassas campus and Seoul Korea for practice)