Is there any academic reason to pick George Mason over W&M?
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Anonymous
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W&M's surrounding area is absolutely terrible - filled with elderly (white) retirees and (white) rural types. It's isolated, the closest signs of civilizations are Richmond and Virginia Beach - 45 minutes drive away. Location affects academics.
It is indeed very popular with older individuals for whom the school was very prestigious when they were young. The same really doesn't hold true any more. GMU is in a major metropolitan, magnitudes more cosmopolitan and a 20 minutes drive to Washington DC. GMU has a strong IT program (top 10 in the country), provides engineering & nursing degrees; W&M doesn't have any of these programs. GMU was considered an extremely mediocre commuter school for a long time, so you will see older people always prefer anything other than it. That view does not really hold true today after the massive economic expansion in Northern Virginia. |
Anonymous
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National universities:
W&M #39 GMU #143 Top Public schools W&M#11 GMU #65 Undergrad teaching W&M #4 (tied with Princeton) GMU ?? W&M has a 3-2 program with Columbia for CS. Columbia is in the T20 for CS. GMU is #102 for engineering. |
Anonymous
| ^^ forgot to mention W&M has its own CS major too. |
Anonymous
| Please note that admission to Columbia is not guaranteed for that 3-2 program and while at Columbia you pay their tuition. |
Anonymous
They’re not stingy with grades; the average GPA is a 3.3 or so, comparable to similar schools like UVA. |
Anonymous
Gotta remember that UVA has an entire engineering school which brings down its overall gpa. |
Anonymous
THIS! W&M will feel like a slac and more competitive, but GMU has its pluses. The engineering school at GMU is top drawer as is computer science and Game Design (GMU has the only Game Design major amongst the VA publics). GMU also has the new Cyber Security major. The grads of the latter two departments have internships and job offers before they graduate. If lookkng at Game Design or Cyber Security, be sure to look into the Manassas campus because that new high-tech campus is where most of games, computer scientists and Cyber Security majors have classes. Our DS spent two summers interning at VSGI -Virginia Serious Game Design Institute. GMU is a better pick if you think your child will have difficulties making the transition to campus life. All freshmen are required to live on campus unless a waiver is granted so the commuter school image is long gone. Also, GMU is the most diverse of the VA publics. IF, however, your child wants to get a PhD in English and attend a Slac type college, then W&M is the better pick. |
Anonymous
GMU has been on the cusp of greatness for 20 or so years. |
Anonymous
JFC, George Mason is near Fairfax City (a nothing burger “city”) and has one of the ugliest campuses there is. It may be ok for a self-motivated type, sure. But overselling just is bizarre. |
Anonymous
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Here are a few reasons. I know the question is about academic reasons, but a lot of it really comes down to price-performance-ratio. A deal at GMU (University Scholars, decent merit money from the honors college) changes the equation considerably.
1. Program availability: engineering, nursing, cyber security, game design (either arts-focused or applied cs), conflict analysis and resolution, hospitality management are options at GMU but not William & Mary. 2. Access to internships year-round: anything DC-specific (Hill, State Department, international orgs, etc.) and the Dulles Tech Corridor are amazing places to start careers. 3. W&M deflates grades more than other VA publics. If GPA is critical, such as in law school admissions, W&M will be a much rougher ride. 4. Diversity of student body and surrounding area. 5. CS and related fields — other posters are more familiar and have made a good case. 6. International relations and related fields: access to DC for internships, networking and uniquely situated adjunct faculty. More foreign languages are offered at GMU. If the counter argument for W@M on this one is the St. Andrews joint degree, then I beg to differ. It’s certainly international, but highly competitive and one pays a special rate well above in-state prices to participate. |
Anonymous
| The GMU cheerleaders here are to be admired for sticking up for their school. They are absolutely right that the question would have been met with laughs 20 years ago. Their arguments establish that it’s not your father’s GMU anymore. |
Anonymous
What do you accomplish by posting JFK here or written out as you have ... in the college forum? Can’t you express yourself any other way. FWIW, I’ve taken summer courses at the 677 acre campus in Fairfax and love the suburban campus, especially during summer. DC lived for five years on campus so I can speak to the quality of the dorms -three of his looked like hotel rooms with private very nice full bath and kitchen. The beauty of GMU is the state-of-the-art facilities, which is important in computer sciences, game design and cyber security. GMU also has three other campuses in No. Virginia, in particular I know about the Cyber Security and Game Design Majors. Finally, there is the huge Mason Korea campus which DS took advantage of. |
Anonymous
Very true. I’m one of GMU’s cheerleaders in this thread and I went to W&M. |
Anonymous
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Good grief! Yes, GMU has come a long way in 20 years and good for the school and its students. I received a
masters from GMU and it was a supportive environment and the degree has served me well. But make no mistake. For an undergraduate experience there is little that can compare to W&M. The history, the gorgeous campus, the teaching quality, alumni network, student teacher ratio... the list goes on. I think it is a magical place if you are looking for an exceptional liberal arts experience. But I think most people know that already and just like to be annoying. |
Anonymous
It’s “JFC” and I have never written it out. So you’re wrong about that. It was a way of responding to what I though was a, shall I say, overstated argument. But it appears that some people enjoy the campus. Good. One could argue, I suppose, that its location has worked out well, given that it’s part of an economically thriving area. |