The Other Virginia Colleges: VCU, ODU, GMU, CNU, UMW . . . .

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:VT is my personal favorite. Best combination of academics and college experience, but obviously better if your child leans more towards the math and sciences.

That aside, my two cents:

VCU - decent school. good marketing program. urban campus in a fun part of Richmond. basketball program has been really good, so maybe people outside of Virginia have heard of it, but still not going to look good on your resume if you end up outside of Virginia.

ODU - exact same thing as above, but replace a "fun part of Richmond" with "near a shitty part of Norfolk".

GMU - much better academics than VCU or ODC, but lame commuter school with no college experience.[i]

CNU - never heard of it.

UMW - surprisingly good school, but nobody knows that so what good does it do? i.e., I was interviewing a MW kid and everyone assumed he was an idiot because of his undergrad choice.

VCU is one of the best Art schools in the US.

You must be ancient . Carnegie designated GMU as a Tier 1 Research Institution snd Residential college decades ago. All freshmen must live on campus. You aren’t even aware of the five campuses or the. Cybersecurity major are you? Hottest major in the US. Also there’s Mason Korea. Computer Science, game design and engineering are also bog. GMU is also the most diverse institution of higher learning in Virginia so you sound pretty racist

Incoming students who "have close residency to campus (defined as Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William and Loudon counties) with a a parent or legal guardian" are granted exemptions so no, there are lots of freshmen who commute and don't live on campus.

6200 GMU students live on campus and 75% of all freshman do. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/gmu-3749#:~:text=The%20main%20campus%20houses%20more,one%20of%20the%20residence%20halls.

Yes, but there's a big difference between ALL freshmen living on campus and 75% of freshmen living on campus, to the tune of more than 900 freshmen. And those exemptions are granted liberally.

Ah, another silly woman who just has to split hairs over and over to try to feel better about herself. HOW MANY FRIENDS DOES YOUR KID NEED? There are over 6200 students at GMU living in 40 dorms (most of which are gorgeous). My DS lived in them for six years (special needs) and made friends from all over the world but certainly didn't need to meet all 6200 of them. Nor did he need to meet the 40,000 students who attend the five campuses. And before you say 6200 students can't give you a vibrant night life, GMU has a great night life. Jitney buses run into Old Fairfax. Concerts and event are held daily at the arena. Jitney buses go to D.C. regularly. It's a great school. Maybe you need to educate yourself about what is actually going on there:

"George Mason University is an entrepreneurial Tier 1 research institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located just outside of Washington, D.C., our beautiful 677-acre residential campus boasts a diverse student population. Over 6,200 students live on campus in over 40 residence halls. As the largest public research institution in Virginia, Mason enrolls more than 38,000 students in over 210 degree programs at the undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and professional levels. Students at all levels are routinely recognized with national and international scholarships and awards. Faculty members have received some of academia's highest honors, including twice winning the Nobel Prize in Economics. Our connection to the D.C. area results in engaged and dedicated faculty members who are at the top of their respective fields. This connectivity extends to our students, who take advantage of our unparalleled internship and research opportunities, and who secure careers at national and international companies and organizations, ranging from Amazon, Deloitte and Northrup Grumman to the Smithsonian Institution, the CIA, NASA and the White House. Many of our innovative degree programs are the first of their kind, including the first Ph.D. program in biodefense, the first D.C.-based undergraduate program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, the first dedicated Cybersecurity Engineering program in the region, and one of the most innovative performing arts management programs in the United States. Mason is at the forefront of the emerging field of biotechnology, is a leader in the performing arts, and holds a preeminent position in the fields of economics, electronic journalism, and history."

My kid had four internships in his field and a job from Microsoft before graduating. He also did a term at Mason Korea. And he has only $24K in student debt via FAFSA unsubsidized loans. That's it. He's already made that four times over in his job (in case you don't know, GMU has excellent outreach to all of the I-270 corridor businesses and the Dulles businesses. Chairs of the departments and advisors meet monthly with local companies to find out what their upcoming needs are and to place students.

And here is the link requiring all freshmen to live on campus. https://housing.gmu.edu/apply/new-students. Sure, apply for the waiver and deprive your kid of dorm life. That's what you are arguing, are you not? You are arguing that 6200 students living on campus doesn't give a full campus experience, right? Then how does living at home with mom and dad give him a full campus experience?

Because UVA and W&M can't grow (established early and now landlocked), the Commonwealth is pumping money into the other 30 great public institutions we have in Virginia. Go tour Mason. It's construction everywhere. Go to the Science and Technology campus - again see more construction for Cybersecurity, VSGI (Virginia Serious Games Institute) and Computer Science. Here's the wiki on that:

Science and Technology Campus

The Science and Technology campus opened on August 25, 1997, as the Prince William campus in Manassas, Virginia, on 134 acres (0.209 sq mi; 540,000 m2) of land, some still currently undeveloped.[74] More than 4,000 students are enrolled in classes in bioinformatics, biotechnology, information technology, and forensic biosciences educational and research programs.[75] There are undergraduate programs in health, fitness and recreation. There are graduate programs in exercise, fitness, health, geographic information systems, and facility management. Much of the research takes place in the high-security Biomedical Research Laboratory.[76] The 1,123-seat Merchant Hall and the 300-seat Verizon Auditorium in the Hylton Performing Arts Center opened in 2010.[77][78]

The 110,000-square-foot Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center is operated by the Mason Enterprise Center.[79] The Mason Center for Team and Organizational Learning stylized as EDGE is an experiential education facility open to the public.[80] The Sports Medicine Assessment Research and Testing lab stylized as SMART Lab is located within the Freedom center. The SMART Lab is most known for its concussion research.[81] On April 23, 2015, the campus was renamed to the Science and Technology Campus.[82]

In 2019, the university engaged in a feasibility study of creating a medical school at the Prince William Campus. The proposed medical school would be completed in 2022.[83][84] (the school has yet to be completed, but GMU has guaranteed pre-health programs leading into medical school with two other schools. https://prehealth.gmu.edu/pre-medicine/sophomore-entry-programs/).


Then go read about Mason Korea:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mason_University#/media/File:Songdo_Campus,_Mason_Korea..jpg


Then read about Mason Arlington.

and the list goes on.

That's why the university is now a top Tier 1 research facility and has attracted over 40,000 students.

Gee, get defensive much? I was just pointing out for people who may not be that familiar with GMU that no, not ALL freshmen have to live on campus, and that a sizable chunk (25%) don't. I did NOT state or even imply that GMU is only a school for commuters or that there isn't a vibrant residential life for freshmen. That implication instead came from hyper-defensive GMU boosters who can't tolerate any perceived criticism of the school. And I find it rather silly for anyone to think it's "splitting hairs" to note there's a difference between 100% and 75%. Would it be "splitting hairs" to correct a teacher claiming that all of her/his students passed an exam when in fact a quarter of the class failed it? Of course not.

I'm so done with this thread. Goodbye -- write another treatise if you want.

There's only one poster that I think is a defensive GMU booster. The other folks seem more measured. I think that GMU sometimes gets a bad rap from 'locals' based on outdated assumptions, so some "boosters" get a bit defensive and read more criticism than is intended. I don't have a direct connection (I didn't go to GMU, my kids didn't go to GMU), but I'm interested in and knowledgeable about higher ed from a policy perspective and think it's an interesting institution that will likely weather the coming storms in higher ed better than most. GMU has traditionally suffered from not paying its faculty enough and not having as strong undergraduate engagement as some other institutions, but is improving on both these points.

[Anonymous]

Our new HS grad is off to VT soon. It came down to JMU vs. VT vs. a few other schools mentioned here. It has to be what fits your child best -- not only in terms of what they want to study, but their personality, too. Our grad didn't like JMU being split down the middle by an interstate, and having to take a bus between classes. The campus is nice, but is too spread out. Liked that VT has a traditional college campus feel with classes a short walk, national name recognition and the latest technologies applied to every major, even the humanities.

I have a feeling younger sibling will end up at VCU in a few years for its excellent CS and art programs. We are lucky to live in a state with so many good options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our new HS grad is off to VT soon. It came down to JMU vs. VT vs. a few other schools mentioned here. It has to be what fits your child best -- not only in terms of what they want to study, but their personality, too. Our grad didn't like JMU being split down the middle by an interstate, and having to take a bus between classes. The campus is nice, but is too spread out. Liked that VT has a traditional college campus feel with classes a short walk, national name recognition and the latest technologies applied to every major, even the humanities.

I have a feeling younger sibling will end up at VCU in a few years for its excellent CS and art programs. We are lucky to live in a state with so many good options.

My kid also had a hard time deciding between VT and JMU as well (both great schools). He liked VT's campus layout, food, greater name recognition, broader alumni network, and more "big time" sports feel (ACC vs. Sun Belt conference). But he had heard negative things about the Math Emporium, was wary of large class sizes (24.4% of VT classes have 50+ students, compared to 13.4% at JMU) and more use of TAs, and didn't like having to choose a major when applying for admission and possibly not being able to change to a major in another VT college. On the flip side, he really liked the "vibe" at JMU, its comparatively greater focus on undergraduate instruction, and the relative flexibility in choosing/changing majors. But he wasn't crazy about the campus layout (e.g., long walk or having to take a bus over the Interstate from the east side dorms to lots of the classroom buildings) and felt students at VT were, in general, more academically focused. In the end he chose JMU because of its honors college that provided small school advantages/feel within a big school and JMU had a niche major he was potentially very interested in that wasn't offered at VT. (The VT honors program was kind of "meh" in comparison.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT is my personal favorite. Best combination of academics and college experience, but obviously better if your child leans more towards the math and sciences.

That aside, my two cents:

VCU - decent school. good marketing program. urban campus in a fun part of Richmond. basketball program has been really good, so maybe people outside of Virginia have heard of it, but still not going to look good on your resume if you end up outside of Virginia.

ODU - exact same thing as above, but replace a "fun part of Richmond" with "near a shitty part of Norfolk".

GMU - much better academics than VCU or ODC, but lame commuter school with no college experience.[i]

CNU - never heard of it.

UMW - surprisingly good school, but nobody knows that so what good does it do? i.e., I was interviewing a MW kid and everyone assumed he was an idiot because of his undergrad choice.

VCU is one of the best Art schools in the US.

You must be ancient . Carnegie designated GMU as a Tier 1 Research Institution snd Residential college decades ago. All freshmen must live on campus. You aren’t even aware of the five campuses or the. Cybersecurity major are you? Hottest major in the US. Also there’s Mason Korea. Computer Science, game design and engineering are also bog. GMU is also the most diverse institution of higher learning in Virginia so you sound pretty racist

Incoming students who "have close residency to campus (defined as Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William and Loudon counties) with a a parent or legal guardian" are granted exemptions so no, there are lots of freshmen who commute and don't live on campus.

6200 GMU students live on campus and 75% of all freshman do. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/gmu-3749#:~:text=The%20main%20campus%20houses%20more,one%20of%20the%20residence%20halls.

Yes, but there's a big difference between ALL freshmen living on campus and 75% of freshmen living on campus, to the tune of more than 900 freshmen. And those exemptions are granted liberally.

Np...Are you arguing with PP about this for a specific reason? Your comments seem petty. PP seems to have a pretty good grasp of GMU life and is articulating it well, you seem to just be throwing random useless spitballs. 6200 students with roughly 3000 freshman living on campus is a sizeable number and comparable to many other schools.

+1. Agree! And I had a GMU kid who loved her dorm life there. In fact, she was quite upset when there was a push to get the upperclass students out of f the dorms to give the rooms to the freshman. Fortunately, for her, she was in a living learning community and petitioned to stay in the dorm so it all ended well (apartments in Fairfax are expensive if you can find one). She loved it

[Anonymous]

All of these schools are excellent - VA students are very lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

For VT, they need to provide a lot more financial aid for low-income students. They are really pushing on admitting more first gen but then expect them to take a lot of loans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

DP: 3% when you are in the minority makes a big difference. Culture and support programs also do too. And to the PP congrats to your son on his admission to excellent schools and a good first year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

Maybe you need to retake basic math. 3% is a big difference. Would you want a 3% raise or a 6% raise? Also, I don't have kids at either school but Google says it's a 4% difference. Again, a lot! Congrats to your son OP. My DD wants to go to Vandy. She's not a minority but it's her dream school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

Maybe you need to retake basic math. 3% is a big difference. Would you want a 3% raise or a 6% raise? Also, I don't have kids at either school but Google says it's a 4% difference. Again, a lot! Congrats to your son OP. My DD wants to go to Vandy. She's not a minority but it's her dream school.

Is it???

3% DIFFERENCE in the percentage of AA students is NOT big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

Maybe you need to retake basic math. 3% is a big difference. Would you want a 3% raise or a 6% raise? Also, I don't have kids at either school but Google says it's a 4% difference. Again, a lot! Congrats to your son OP. My DD wants to go to Vandy. She's not a minority but it's her dream school.

Is it???

3% DIFFERENCE in the percentage of AA students is NOT big.

There are 6.48% AA students at UVA. 3-4% makes that 1.5 times as many. It's a big difference. 3-4% more also means 3-4% less of the dominant group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

Maybe you need to retake basic math. 3% is a big difference. Would you want a 3% raise or a 6% raise? Also, I don't have kids at either school but Google says it's a 4% difference. Again, a lot! Congrats to your son OP. My DD wants to go to Vandy. She's not a minority but it's her dream school.

Is it???

3% DIFFERENCE in the percentage of AA students is NOT big.

There are 6.48% AA students at UVA. 3-4% makes that 1.5 times as many. It's a big difference. 3-4% more also means 3-4% less of the dominant group.

This attitude is exactly why things will never change. Diversity goes way beyond race and color, maybe people need to start focusing on other things beyond color of skin.