Is there any academic reason to pick George Mason over W&M?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I think you are overselling the history, alumni network and campus quite a bit.

Yes it has a long history...but an illustrious one only for the colonial period 240 years ago. Since then, the school has been quiet and frankly irrelevant. It was private and went bankrupt and closed, was later re-opened as a public teaching school (as in, a school to teach teachers similar to Mary Washington).

As for the alumni network...does it even have one? I don't think old people being impressed by the school's name can be considered a network.

The campus is great for a tourist visit. You shouldn't pick a college based on how pretty the campus is, more so the opportunities in the surrounding area.

Obviously the undergraduate student education is likely going to be better there than GMU for many subjects. I don't think anyone here is disputing that, they are just providing fields where GMU may be better (i.e. IT) and degrees that GMU provides than W&M doesn't (engineering).

DP. Your words “frankly irrelevant” suggest that you have a chip on your shoulder.

So we are only allowed to praise universities based on false characteristics now?

The school has an "illustrious" history is this was 1776. It's not. The past 244 years of American history have gone by and again nothing illustrious has happened at the school, other than shutting down multiple times due to multiple bankruptcies, then being re-opened years later by the state as a school for schoolteachers.

This is simply stating facts, rather than embellishing a magical history that does not exist. We are not talking about Harvard, Yale, Princeton here, which were great in colonial times and have contributed ever more to American history since.

To say W&M has been quiet and irrelevant, to be frank, is an understatement. Multiple bankruptcies and closures, then being reopened as a state school for schoolteachers, are embarrassments.

You think that schoolteachers are embarrassments? I’m just going to leave that right there. You’ve lost me.

Schoolteachers are not embarrassments, but anyone who thinks that being a public school for schoolteachers is an "illustrious history" is an embarrassment.

Lets talk about how James Madison and Mary Washington also have illustrious histories.

Maybe focus instead, on why your school has an illustrious history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, zero reasons. W&M's reputation is vastly superior. No brainer.

This.

[Anonymous]

OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

Sounds like your mind was already made up. Enjoy George Mason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

I hope he at least finds time for the ladies. That can be done at either school. Good luck at GMU!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

Sounds like your mind was already made up. Enjoy George Mason.

Because the people who pushed W&M were so rational about it? Before I mentioned what the kid was interested in, people were saying "It makes sense for CS, but not much else." Well, that's what he's into.

Also, I'm not the one going, so there isn't really anything for me to enjoy or not. But I guess it's a good reminder that kids often know what they need better than anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

I hope he at least finds time for the ladies. That can be done at either school. Good luck at GMU!

Ew, are you Roll Tide dad? Chill with the heteronormative stuff, please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

Sounds like your mind was already made up. Enjoy George Mason.

Because the people who pushed W&M were so rational about it? Before I mentioned what the kid was interested in, people were saying "It makes sense for CS, but not much else." Well, that's what he's into.

Also, I'm not the one going, so there isn't really anything for me to enjoy or not. But I guess it's a good reminder that kids often know what they need better than anyone else.

For this kid, Mason sounds like a perfect fit. Knowing what you want is a great first step to adulthood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

I hope he at least finds time for the ladies. That can be done at either school. Good luck at GMU!

Ew, are you Roll Tide dad? Chill with the heteronormative stuff, please.

"Heteronormative"? Jesus Christ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

My brother in law got his BS and MS in Computer Science from GMU and has a great job in DC metro. I also work with lots of IT companies in the area who've hired a fair number of GMU CS/IT grads. It is a great choice for that field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

Sounds like your mind was already made up. Enjoy George Mason.

Because the people who pushed W&M were so rational about it? Before I mentioned what the kid was interested in, people were saying "It makes sense for CS, but not much else." Well, that's what he's into.

Also, I'm not the one going, so there isn't really anything for me to enjoy or not. But I guess it's a good reminder that kids often know what they need better than anyone else.

OP, maybe you should have mentioned his interest in CS up front. While a small liberal arts school may not be the right fit for your son, if he got into W&M he would have been a strong candidate for VA Tech which makes more sense than either of them. And FYI, USNWR rates both GMU and W&M #68 for CS. I hope your son finds the right fit and I wish him good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, and thanks to everyone who explained GMU's advantages in a way that made me see how it could be a great fit for this particular kid, who just wants to bathe in all things CS and get an job in the field. He doesn't care about location, he's not looking for proud traditions, he's not going to be staying up late debating the meaning of life or the perfect way to balance the needs of society and the needs of the individual.

Oh, and to everyone who felt the need to trash GMU, thanks. I can be a bit of an intellectual snob, and you let me see how very gross that is.

Sounds like your mind was already made up. Enjoy George Mason.

Because the people who pushed W&M were so rational about it? Before I mentioned what the kid was interested in, people were saying "It makes sense for CS, but not much else." Well, that's what he's into.

Also, I'm not the one going, so there isn't really anything for me to enjoy or not. But I guess it's a good reminder that kids often know what they need better than anyone else.

OP, maybe you should have mentioned his interest in CS up front. While a small liberal arts school may not be the right fit for your son, if he got into W&M he would have been a strong candidate for VA Tech which makes more sense than either of them. And FYI, USNWR rates both GMU and W&M #68 for CS. I hope your son finds the right fit and I wish him good luck.

Might not have gotten into VT for CS. I know kids who got in W&M this year but not VT.

[Anonymous]

My preference would definitely be for William and Mary, but he should choose based on what fits him and what works financially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, zero reasons. W&M's reputation is vastly superior. No brainer.

This.

And UVA's reputation is vastly superior to W&M.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

A couple of comments. First, William & Mary has a DC program and office and was ranked #1 in Princeton Review for internships among public schools.

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=top-20-best-schools-for-internships-public-schools

Second, William & Mary does not "deflate" grades. It has a higher average GPA for graduates than other Virginia publics listed on Gradeinflation.com (W&M, UVA, Virginia Tech, JMU, Old Dominion). I don't think OP is interested in law, but the attached link also shows for the most recent year, William & Mary also had the highest median GPA of all Virginia public schools listed in the top 240 law school application feeders (W&M - 3.44, UVA - 3.43, VT - 3.39, JMU - 3.31, GMU - 3.29, VCU - 3.25 , ODU - 3.05. William & Mary had a higher percentage of students applying to law than the other Virginia schools.

https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/council_reports_and_resolutions/May2018CouncilOpenSession/18_may_2015_2017_top_240_feeder_schools_for_aba_applicants.authcheckdam.pdf