George Mason University - What's it like?

[Anonymous]

If you goal is a job in the DC area after college, Mason is a shrewd choice.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Like any college, it is what you make it. I grew up in Arlington and went to Mason. I lived on campus for 2 years and then got a townhouse within walking distance with friends. It was no different than being anywhere else. I joined a sorority, went to frat parties, was a tour guide, was in the dance company, on a club sport team, and I loved it.

An introvert can struggle on any college campus as easily as an extrovert can thrive on any college campus. GMU has everything any other large college does except for football tailgates. Students don’t really come together over the sports like they do at big 10 or SEC schools.

This! GMU was a great experience for our DD who lived in the dorms all four years. GMU has an xlnt computer science program (off the top of my head the best known are: engineering; animation; serious game design; economics and computer science, but it is huge so there is something for everyone. She had no interest in greek but made friends in her major and dorm. All of her friends lived on campus except one whose parents leased a townhouse near campus (it can be expensive). There are a lot of graduate students on campus, as well. It is getting more difficult to get in, year by year. I know several Nova families who were disappointed. 75th percentile for enrolled students last year had a 3.9; the median was a 3.7, and the bottom 25th percentile had a 3.4. ACT was 30 at 75th percentile, which is where you need to be if applying from Nova. Check out the Honors program if you qualify. It provides distinct perks. One of the nice things about GMU is that the Commonwealth keeps pumping money into it to grow so DD's dorms were like hotel rooms. The computer department was state of the art. The downside is that she experienced never-ending construction while she was there.

Baloney. Mason accepted 84 percent of FCPS applicants last year and 86 percent of Arlington applicants. No way these kids all had a 30 on the ACT!

Fine, believe what you want. But the 75th percentile for entering students last year was a 30. Period. I know quite a few disappointed families who didn't get in. All Virginia and NOVA.

Dude, you're the one pushing SCHEV. It shows that 85 percent from NOVA got in, and that 2/3 of the student body is from NOVA! So you can't know that many rejects.

And it is considered "selective" by USN&WR. Why is that? As explained above, the public high school counselors are the gatekeepers into the Virginia public institutions. They counsel parents and students away from schools where an application would be wasted and towards those publics where they have a shot. They provide the ranking information. They write the letter of recommendation. They are the ones who check off how rigorous your child's curriculum is. The same happens in other states with public schools, which is why Berkeley's selectivity is a high 16%. If it were not a public serving California, it would be lower.

Here is the "selective" comments by USN&WR>

GMU Admissions
George Mason University admissions is selective with an acceptance rate of 87% and an early acceptance rate of 92%. Half the applicants admitted to GMU have an SAT score between 1110 and 1320 or an ACT score of 24 and 30. However, one quarter of admitted applicants achieved scores above these ranges and one quarter scored below these ranges.

So bash away but yes, I know NOVA families and students who really want to go there and were not accepted. Quite a few as it happens.

"Selective" is a relatively low bar at US News. UVA, for example, is categorized as "most selective." And answer me this: if high school counselors in NOVA are deliberately only steering applicants to state schools they think the kids will get into, why are only 30 percent of NOVA applicants getting into UVA?

[Anonymous]

US News has UVA as "most selective," Virginia Tech as "more selective," and GMU as "selective." So GMU is two steps below UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:US News has UVA as "most selective," Virginia Tech as "more selective," and GMU as "selective." So GMU is two steps below UVA.

Yes, but still "selective". That was the point. It's not just walk in the door like NVCC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This! GMU was a great experience for our DD who lived in the dorms all four years. GMU has an xlnt computer science program (off the top of my head the best known are: engineering; animation; serious game design; economics and computer science, but it is huge so there is something for everyone. She had no interest in greek but made friends in her major and dorm. All of her friends lived on campus except one whose parents leased a townhouse near campus (it can be expensive).

So can anyone who wants to live in the dorms all four years do that?

My son got in (CS) and I can't see him wanting the responsibilities of living off campus. If he can just nerd out all day, stopping by a dining hall for a burger when he gets hungry, he'll be happy as a pig in shit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like any college, it is what you make it. I grew up in Arlington and went to Mason. I lived on campus for 2 years and then got a townhouse within walking distance with friends. It was no different than being anywhere else. I joined a sorority, went to frat parties, was a tour guide, was in the dance company, on a club sport team, and I loved it.

An introvert can struggle on any college campus as easily as an extrovert can thrive on any college campus. GMU has everything any other large college does except for football tailgates. Students don’t really come together over the sports like they do at big 10 or SEC schools.

This! GMU was a great experience for our DD who lived in the dorms all four years. GMU has an xlnt computer science program (off the top of my head the best known are: engineering; animation; serious game design; economics and computer science, but it is huge so there is something for everyone. She had no interest in greek but made friends in her major and dorm. All of her friends lived on campus except one whose parents leased a townhouse near campus (it can be expensive). There are a lot of graduate students on campus, as well. It is getting more difficult to get in, year by year. I know several Nova families who were disappointed. 75th percentile for enrolled students last year had a 3.9; the median was a 3.7, and the bottom 25th percentile had a 3.4. ACT was 30 at 75th percentile, which is where you need to be if applying from Nova. Check out the Honors program if you qualify. It provides distinct perks. One of the nice things about GMU is that the Commonwealth keeps pumping money into it to grow so DD's dorms were like hotel rooms. The computer department was state of the art. The downside is that she experienced never-ending construction while she was there.

Baloney. Mason accepted 84 percent of FCPS applicants last year and 86 percent of Arlington applicants. No way these kids all had a 30 on the ACT!

Fine, believe what you want. But the 75th percentile for entering students last year was a 30. Period. I know quite a few disappointed families who didn't get in. All Virginia and NOVA.

Dude, you're the one pushing SCHEV. It shows that 85 percent from NOVA got in, and that 2/3 of the student body is from NOVA! So you can't know that many rejects.

And it is considered "selective" by USN&WR. Why is that? As explained above, the public high school counselors are the gatekeepers into the Virginia public institutions. They counsel parents and students away from schools where an application would be wasted and towards those publics where they have a shot. They provide the ranking information. They write the letter of recommendation. They are the ones who check off how rigorous your child's curriculum is. The same happens in other states with public schools, which is why Berkeley's selectivity is a high 16%. If it were not a public serving California, it would be lower.

Here is the "selective" comments by USN&WR>

GMU Admissions
George Mason University admissions is selective with an acceptance rate of 87% and an early acceptance rate of 92%. Half the applicants admitted to GMU have an SAT score between 1110 and 1320 or an ACT score of 24 and 30. However, one quarter of admitted applicants achieved scores above these ranges and one quarter scored below these ranges.

So bash away but yes, I know NOVA families and students who really want to go there and were not accepted. Quite a few as it happens.

"Selective" is a relatively low bar at US News. UVA, for example, is categorized as "most selective." And answer me this: if high school counselors in NOVA are deliberately only steering applicants to state schools they think the kids will get into, why are only 30 percent of NOVA applicants getting into UVA?

Trust me, at least in our NoVA county, counselors are expressly telling people not to get their hopes up for UVA unless they are top 10% and even then it's more like a crapshoot. If you're top 5%, yes you can look at as a potential match. Our counselor told my DD specifically that she "hates" UVA because kids get their hopes up and realistically they are not going to get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is in his 2nd year at GMU after TJ. He turned down Canergie Mellon and attended GMU to save money. He already has a job at Amazon technology division. He will have over 200K in the bank after graduation for not attending CMU. He said classes at GMU are much easier than TJ.

I've heard this a few times re: VT vs TJ as well. TJ is so hard that regular college is a walk in the park. I think that's indicative of something wrong with TJ...but that's just me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This! GMU was a great experience for our DD who lived in the dorms all four years. GMU has an xlnt computer science program (off the top of my head the best known are: engineering; animation; serious game design; economics and computer science, but it is huge so there is something for everyone. She had no interest in greek but made friends in her major and dorm. All of her friends lived on campus except one whose parents leased a townhouse near campus (it can be expensive).

So can anyone who wants to live in the dorms all four years do that?

My son got in (CS) and I can't see him wanting the responsibilities of living off campus. If he can just nerd out all day, stopping by a dining hall for a burger when he gets hungry, he'll be happy as a pig in shit.

This is our DD. She was in the dorms for five years (SN -needed more time due to double major). But a caveat - firm availability was changing when she left so call and check in it. Freshman are required to live on campus. As fast as they are building there isn’t enough dorm space, especially desired by the internationals and OOS (a few of whom DD roomed with). One year the dorms were oversubscribed so some of the seniors were told to look off campus. Because kids at that age will protest at anything, there was a mini protest that all students should have guaranteed housing. Our kid was in an LLC so that may have protected her because she got a single again for fifth year. Try to get your child into the Honors program -they have their own dorm. Try to get into an LLC. Housing around GMU is expensive and usually requires a car so we were grateful for the dorms -most of which are fabulous because they are new. One year DD got a hotel room style dorm complete with kitchen. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Dorm capability.

[Anonymous]

Different perspective: I live in a neighborhood bordering the main GMU campus. The difference in campus activity level between previous years and this past year has been stark, so I do believe that in normal (non-pandemic) times, there's lots to do - just driving/walking by, I see concerts, intramurals, homecoming celebrations (basketball), flyers for all sorts of clubs and meet-ups. The dorms and fitness facilities are almost all brand-new and state of the art. Lots of adjunct faculty actively working in their fields, which is great for real-world perspective and connections. DH is doing grad school classes in the Engineering dept and says the quality is not great, so YMMV in terms of academic rigor, but as a stepping stone to a good local/regional job, it's a great option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Different perspective: I live in a neighborhood bordering the main GMU campus. The difference in campus activity level between previous years and this past year has been stark, so I do believe that in normal (non-pandemic) times, there's lots to do - just driving/walking by, I see concerts, intramurals, homecoming celebrations (basketball), flyers for all sorts of clubs and meet-ups. The dorms and fitness facilities are almost all brand-new and state of the art. Lots of adjunct faculty actively working in their fields, which is great for real-world perspective and connections. DH is doing grad school classes in the Engineering dept and says the quality is not great, so YMMV in terms of academic rigor, but as a stepping stone to a good local/regional job, it's a great option.

Wierd because the engineering program is very highly rated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:US News has UVA as "most selective," Virginia Tech as "more selective," and GMU as "selective." So GMU is two steps below UVA.

Yes, but still "selective". That was the point. It's not just walk in the door like NVCC

No one ever said it was walk in the door. But Mr SCHEV is wrong to suggest that GMU is any more selective than any of the third tier VA state schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like any college, it is what you make it. I grew up in Arlington and went to Mason. I lived on campus for 2 years and then got a townhouse within walking distance with friends. It was no different than being anywhere else. I joined a sorority, went to frat parties, was a tour guide, was in the dance company, on a club sport team, and I loved it.

An introvert can struggle on any college campus as easily as an extrovert can thrive on any college campus. GMU has everything any other large college does except for football tailgates. Students don’t really come together over the sports like they do at big 10 or SEC schools.

This! GMU was a great experience for our DD who lived in the dorms all four years. GMU has an xlnt computer science program (off the top of my head the best known are: engineering; animation; serious game design; economics and computer science, but it is huge so there is something for everyone. She had no interest in greek but made friends in her major and dorm. All of her friends lived on campus except one whose parents leased a townhouse near campus (it can be expensive). There are a lot of graduate students on campus, as well. It is getting more difficult to get in, year by year. I know several Nova families who were disappointed. 75th percentile for enrolled students last year had a 3.9; the median was a 3.7, and the bottom 25th percentile had a 3.4. ACT was 30 at 75th percentile, which is where you need to be if applying from Nova. Check out the Honors program if you qualify. It provides distinct perks. One of the nice things about GMU is that the Commonwealth keeps pumping money into it to grow so DD's dorms were like hotel rooms. The computer department was state of the art. The downside is that she experienced never-ending construction while she was there.

Baloney. Mason accepted 84 percent of FCPS applicants last year and 86 percent of Arlington applicants. No way these kids all had a 30 on the ACT!

Fine, believe what you want. But the 75th percentile for entering students last year was a 30. Period. I know quite a few disappointed families who didn't get in. All Virginia and NOVA.

Dude, you're the one pushing SCHEV. It shows that 85 percent from NOVA got in, and that 2/3 of the student body is from NOVA! So you can't know that many rejects.

And it is considered "selective" by USN&WR. Why is that? As explained above, the public high school counselors are the gatekeepers into the Virginia public institutions. They counsel parents and students away from schools where an application would be wasted and towards those publics where they have a shot. They provide the ranking information. They write the letter of recommendation. They are the ones who check off how rigorous your child's curriculum is. The same happens in other states with public schools, which is why Berkeley's selectivity is a high 16%. If it were not a public serving California, it would be lower.

Here is the "selective" comments by USN&WR>

GMU Admissions
George Mason University admissions is selective with an acceptance rate of 87% and an early acceptance rate of 92%. Half the applicants admitted to GMU have an SAT score between 1110 and 1320 or an ACT score of 24 and 30. However, one quarter of admitted applicants achieved scores above these ranges and one quarter scored below these ranges.

So bash away but yes, I know NOVA families and students who really want to go there and were not accepted. Quite a few as it happens.

"Selective" is a relatively low bar at US News. UVA, for example, is categorized as "most selective." And answer me this: if high school counselors in NOVA are deliberately only steering applicants to state schools they think the kids will get into, why are only 30 percent of NOVA applicants getting into UVA?

Trust me, at least in our NoVA county, counselors are expressly telling people not to get their hopes up for UVA unless they are top 10% and even then it's more like a crapshoot. If you're top 5%, yes you can look at as a potential match. Our counselor told my DD specifically that she "hates" UVA because kids get their hopes up and realistically they are not going to get in.

You people are maddening. This is a totally different issue. The point is that Mr SCHEV insists that GMU admits 85 percent of NOVA applicants because school guidance counselors don’t even let kids apply there if they don’t think they’d get in. I called BS, and asked if that’s the case why are they letting so many apply to UVA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:US News has UVA as "most selective," Virginia Tech as "more selective," and GMU as "selective." So GMU is two steps below UVA.

Yes, but still "selective". That was the point. It's not just walk in the door like NVCC

No one ever said it was walk in the door. But Mr SCHEV is wrong to suggest that GMU is any more selective than any of the third tier VA state schools.

MR. Schev never said that. Please take your negative attitude elsewhere so we can discuss GMU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different perspective: I live in a neighborhood bordering the main GMU campus. The difference in campus activity level between previous years and this past year has been stark, so I do believe that in normal (non-pandemic) times, there's lots to do - just driving/walking by, I see concerts, intramurals, homecoming celebrations (basketball), flyers for all sorts of clubs and meet-ups. The dorms and fitness facilities are almost all brand-new and state of the art. Lots of adjunct faculty actively working in their fields, which is great for real-world perspective and connections. DH is doing grad school classes in the Engineering dept and says the quality is not great, so YMMV in terms of academic rigor, but as a stepping stone to a good local/regional job, it's a great option.

Wierd because the engineering program is very highly rated.

+1. Maybe PP is talking about grad school engineering. The GMU Engineering department is very well regarded. I know several kids who dropped out because of its difficulty.