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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

For arrogance.

[Anonymous]

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.

This.
The PP is delusional.
I'm from the West Coast and and W&M and UVA were part of a handful of East Coast public that I always knew of as being terrific schools. I hadn't heard of GMU until we landed a few miles away in NoVA. My kids attended summer camps at GMU and when I mentioned it to friends on the West Coast, I would preface the conversation with "there's a college not far from us called George Mason University..."
Nothing against their CS program, but let's get real.

[Anonymous]

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.

This.
The PP is delusional.
I'm from the West Coast and and W&M and UVA were part of a handful of East Coast public that I always knew of as being terrific schools. I hadn't heard of GMU until we landed a few miles away in NoVA. My kids attended summer camps at GMU and when I mentioned it to friends on the West Coast, I would preface the conversation with "there's a college not far from us called George Mason University..."
Nothing against their CS program, but let's get real.

Did your West Coast friends not follow March Madness in 2006?

[Anonymous]

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.

This.
The PP is delusional.
I'm from the West Coast and and W&M and UVA were part of a handful of East Coast public that I always knew of as being terrific schools. I hadn't heard of GMU until we landed a few miles away in NoVA. My kids attended summer camps at GMU and when I mentioned it to friends on the West Coast, I would preface the conversation with "there's a college not far from us called George Mason University..."
Nothing against their CS program, but let's get real.

Did your West Coast friends not follow March Madness in 2006?

I'm guessing this means GMU achieved something in 2006 but if that's the case, it didn't leave a lasting impression. I've never heard of this before (and I live 5 miles away) and no one ever said to me "of course, of March madness 2006 fame!" in those conversations.

[Anonymous]

Wow so many people on here are such status chasers! I know many successful people who graduated from Mason, one a federal court judge, someone who went into the foreign service, a very successful poet (Mason’s English Dept is great & it ranks #2 for its Masters in a creative Writing), people who did Political Science / Government who are now in great positions. Proximity to DC can mean a lot if one wants to go into politics, consulting, law, and more. It’s also very international which can be a big comfort factor to BIPOC. It runs a bit conservative politically in terms of student body. It is a great option for the cost especially in state and proximity to the energy of DC is a really good fit for many!

Here is an informative blog post on Mason from College Vine:

https://blog.collegevine.com/george-mason-why-you-should-attend/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow so many people on here are such status chasers! I know many successful people who graduated from Mason, one a federal court judge, someone who went into the foreign service, a very successful poet (Mason’s English Dept is great & it ranks #2 for its Masters in a creative Writing), people who did Political Science / Government who are now in great positions. Proximity to DC can mean a lot if one wants to go into politics, consulting, law, and more. It’s also very international which can be a big comfort factor to BIPOC. It runs a bit conservative politically in terms of student body. It is a great option for the cost especially in state and proximity to the energy of DC is a really good fit for many!

Here is an informative blog post on Mason from College Vine:

https://blog.collegevine.com/george-mason-why-you-should-attend/

I know lots of very successful people who went to lesser schools than GMU. Stop being such a status chaser!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow so many people on here are such status chasers! I know many successful people who graduated from Mason, one a federal court judge, someone who went into the foreign service, a very successful poet (Mason’s English Dept is great & it ranks #2 for its Masters in a creative Writing), people who did Political Science / Government who are now in great positions. Proximity to DC can mean a lot if one wants to go into politics, consulting, law, and more. It’s also very international which can be a big comfort factor to BIPOC. It runs a bit conservative politically in terms of student body. It is a great option for the cost especially in state and proximity to the energy of DC is a really good fit for many!

Here is an informative blog post on Mason from College Vine:

https://blog.collegevine.com/george-mason-why-you-should-attend/

I know lots of very successful people who went to lesser schools than GMU. Stop being such a status chaser!

Imagine! Successful people come from all over and from all schools! Which is the point I was trying to make 🙄

[Anonymous]

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.

How ignorant you are. Do you realize that there was a small conflict that occurred between 1861-1865? In the post war period Virginia was not even a state, but Military District No. 1. Virginia and the South were punished by destitution for their secession. HYP were on the winning side, flush with money from the newly industrialized North.

William and Mary had been a small, Anglican institution, providing a classical education thought to be essential for a Gentleman. With industrialization Northern institutions quickly became trade schools. It was Southern education that provided the great statesmen of the revolutionary period.

You spend a great deal of time railing against an institution of understated irrelevance. Guess you never received the kind of well rounded liberal education that William and Mary provides.

[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.

+1 OP, he will do great! Good luck to him!

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:

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.

Fwiw, I know a girl who got into WM for com sci tnis season, but did not get into UVA (was waitlisted, I think), didn't get into
VT. Did get into GMU, but pretty much wanted to go to WM regardless.

Apparently WM admissions officers have a different checklist than VT admis ofcrs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think W&M has more opportunities - including their prestigious overseas program.

And it has a lot more kudos, generally.

George Mason - high 87% acceptance rate
William & Mary - 37%

..."prestigious overseas program?" Do you mean study abroad?

[Anonymous]

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.

+1

W&M STILL touts Thomas Jefferson and people from that era among its "famous alumni" because there hasn't been anyone of that caliber since. It is resting on its laurels and an old reputation among older people, like another PP said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How ignorant you are. Do you realize that there was a small conflict that occurred between 1861-1865? In the post war period Virginia was not even a state, but Military District No. 1. Virginia and the South were punished by destitution for their secession. HYP were on the winning side, flush with money from the newly industrialized North.

William and Mary had been a small, Anglican institution, providing a classical education thought to be essential for a Gentleman. With industrialization Northern institutions quickly became trade schools. It was Southern education that provided the great statesmen of the revolutionary period.

You spend a great deal of time railing against an institution of understated irrelevance. Guess you never received the kind of well rounded liberal education that William and Mary provides.

I+1000. I was just about to post the PP was really disingenuous, since the bankruptcy occurred as a result of the Civil War, which left VA economically devastated.
That poster clearly has an axe to grind.

[Anonymous]

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.

+1

W&M STILL touts Thomas Jefferson and people from that era among its "famous alumni" because there hasn't been anyone of that caliber since. It is resting on its laurels and an old reputation among older people, like another PP said.

I know he has issues in today's age, but how many Virginians have the stature of Thomas Jefferson or higher in Virginia? I can only think of one - George Washington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
William and Mary had been a small, Anglican institution, providing a classical education thought to be essential for a Gentleman. With industrialization Northern institutions quickly became trade schools. It was Southern education that provided the great statesmen of the revolutionary period.

Oh, absolutely. Harvard Institute of Technology 4evah!

Any idea which Southern school Madison went to?