Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GMU isn't among the most beautiful, but it isn't among the ugliest either. In Virginia, I'd say it is something like this:

W&M
UVA
CNU
VT
MWU
JMU
VCU
GMU
Radford
ODU

I know I've omitted some schools.

Richmond would have to be at or near the top. Also W&L.

I was only listing publics. Richmond, W&L, and Sweet Briar are very nice.

Anonymous wrote:GMU isn't among the most beautiful, but it isn't among the ugliest either. In Virginia, I'd say it is something like this:

W&M
UVA
CNU
VT
MWU
JMU
VCU
GMU
Radford
ODU

I know I've omitted some schools.

I looked up Radford and it's quite lovely. Not sure why you'd put it near the bottom.https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=radford+university&chips=q:radford+university,g_1:campus:evhb2Zsf4ro%3D&usg=AI4_-kQN-PFDC6rV4p8b2KshBYsa8rGBbw&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi59Pvv9NrgAhUNOK0KHZlEAigQ4lYIKigC&biw=1097&bih=534&dpr=1.75#imgrc=uuIfm9lb-HqFWM:

Also, Mary Washington is gorgeous - much prettier than VT.
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=university+of+mary+washington&chips=q:university+of+mary+washington,g_1:campusafs7overkU%3D&usg=AI4_-kQHntE31blrcT_C_DFiOddJnKjMZQ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj45qO39drgAhVHQq0KHXarDNsQ4lYIJigA&biw=1097&bih=534&dpr=1.75

I think what this thread proves is simply that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach there. Please show me where is "industrial" in this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpj5ZiJox-0

. It just looks like a hodgepodge of random buildings. Yuck.

So you want the buildings to match like an outfit?

PP - you’ll like JMU, then. The building are ALL gray.

FWIW, Stanford looks like a town built by Taco Bell.

Nah, JMU is a different kind of ugly. The gray is the nicest part of the campus, the bluestones - the 70s "village" and 80s brick boxes are way uglier. The school is a patchwork of buildings (including a dorm that is a former HoJo) because they didn't plan their growth, not to mention the train tracks AND interstate running through campus. That's no knock on the qualify of the school, but it's campus is neither cohesive nor overall pretty (some spots are, but the overall effect is not), particularly compared to some of the other universities in Virginia.

I also always love visiting Lexington - the military gray blocks of VMI versus the red brick W&L is quite a contrast.

You do realize Rockingham Hall was only meant to be temporary and has been torn down, right? Might want to update your knowledge of the campus.

Anonymous wrote:GMU isn't among the most beautiful, but it isn't among the ugliest either. In Virginia, I'd say it is something like this:

W&M
UVA
CNU
VT
MWU
JMU
VCU
GMU
Radford
ODU

I know I've omitted some schools.

Richmond would have to be at or near the top. Also W&L.

GMU isn't among the most beautiful, but it isn't among the ugliest either. In Virginia, I'd say it is something like this:

W&M
UVA
CNU
VT
MWU
JMU
VCU
GMU
Radford
ODU

I know I've omitted some schools.

Nice new dorms, though, with power outlets and AC

It seems like GMU provides a great education at a not-outrageous price. I would not be deterred by the fact that it may not be a drop-dead gorgeous campus.

Back in the 1990's, I attended a college that is at the top of the list of most beautiful campuses. I was a tour guide on campus for 3 of my 4 years. Parents and prospective students would come on our tour and just be in awe at the beauty, and immediately wanted to apply. I doubt it's a good idea to choose a college based on its campus (even if that's what I did).

Anonymous wrote:Old Dominion University has mostly soulless 60s brick buildings, and is surrounded by some iffy neighborhoods that make Fairfax look absolutely charming.

My friends who went to ODU would take us on the campus mugging tour for fun. Most people I knew who went there lived at home and commuted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach there. Please show me where is "industrial" in this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpj5ZiJox-0

. It just looks like a hodgepodge of random buildings. Yuck.

So you want the buildings to match like an outfit?

PP - you’ll like JMU, then. The building are ALL gray.

FWIW, Stanford looks like a town built by Taco Bell.

Nah, JMU is a different kind of ugly. The gray is the nicest part of the campus, the bluestones - the 70s "village" and 80s brick boxes are way uglier. The school is a patchwork of buildings (including a dorm that is a former HoJo) because they didn't plan their growth, not to mention the train tracks AND interstate running through campus. That's no knock on the qualify of the school, but it's campus is neither cohesive nor overall pretty (some spots are, but the overall effect is not), particularly compared to some of the other universities in Virginia.

I also always love visiting Lexington - the military gray blocks of VMI versus the red brick W&L is quite a contrast.

GMU isn't even the ugliest public college of Virginia.
Old Dominion University has mostly soulless 60s brick buildings, and is surrounded by some iffy neighborhoods that make Fairfax look absolutely charming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We drove a few blocks off campus in all directions to get a vibe of the neighborhood. Have you driven back behind the new Hylton Performing Arts Center?

That's at the Prince William campus. Pretty sure OP is talking about the main Fairfax campus.

What is "industrial" about the area around the Fairfax campus? I live literally a mile from the school, and it's just suburbs. I have no idea what the op is talking about.

Anonymous wrote:The Manasses campus is awful.

No, it isn't. It's the Science and Technology campus for GMU. DC spent a year there working at the Virginia School Game Institute (VSGI) and is now employed by Zenimax. If you want Science and Tech. you want a new campus with state-of-the-art buildings and facilities. BTW GMU now has five campuses, one in Korea. Here's what the Science and Tech campus looks like. All four campuses in the U.S. are connected by shuttle buses from the main campus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mason_University#/media/File:Aerial_Photo_of_the_Prince_William_Campus..jpg

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from an "ugly campus" college (that SUNY school on Long Island), which was more than compensated for by the quality science education I received.

+1

I posted about SUNY Binghamton earlier. Great school, but fugly campus.

+2 I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The setting is gorgeous but the campus itself was quite ugly with a really random set of buildings. Still, loved my time there and got a great education.

Anonymous wrote:We drove a few blocks off campus in all directions to get a vibe of the neighborhood. Have you driven back behind the new Hylton Performing Arts Center?

That's at the Prince William campus. Pretty sure OP is talking about the main Fairfax campus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from an "ugly campus" college (that SUNY school on Long Island), which was more than compensated for by the quality science education I received.

+1

I posted about SUNY Binghamton earlier. Great school, but fugly campus.

Mediocre school, ugly campus.