Anonymous wrote:College should let you experience something new and different. Being raised in NOVA and staying in NOVA is neither new, nor different, OP. Help your kid break out of the bubble. He may end up back in NOVA after graduation, but at least he had a few years to expand his world view beyond the provincial environs of NOVA. It would be good for him.

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Anonymous wrote:If you live in NOVA, GMU might be nice in the sense that your kid can come one easily whenever he wants (which could be helpful).

This seems like a negative. The kid should be developing independence not running home frequently.

OP here. I agree with that. Good to have him close enough where coming home can be accomplished in a few hours if necessary, but don't want to encourage that as a frequent practice. Its important that he develop independence whether its on campus 30-40 minutes away, or 3 hours (CNU is about 2 1/2)

My DS just finished his freshman year at GMU and he lived on campus, although we are 30 minutes away. He rarely came home to spend the night, but we would occasionally see him for a meal or to pick up something he needed from home (like his winter coat). It was convenient to have him close to home for doctor/dental appointments. He has ADHD/HFA and sees his doctor every month or so for checkups and refills. I’m very proud of him and I think he made the right choice of school. His other options were VCU, UMW, and JMU. He made Dean’s list both semesters at GMU and seems happy.

That's an amazing success story. Congratulations to you and your DS! Our son initially chose CNU over VCU, and also had Hofstra as an option with substantial merit. Hofstra has a well-regarded program for LD/neurodivergent kids, but it was still very expensive even with merit, and was a bit far away at almost 5 hours with New York traffic.

Your scenario would be a dream for us and our DC. With his ADHD/HFA, what kind of supports have been available to him at GMU? Have you found them helpful?

I tried to get DS to register with the Office of Disability Services, but he refused. Alas, he is 18 so I have to accept it. He has always been very prickly about his ADHD/ASD and doesn’t use any accommodations. I was shocked when I found out how well he did this year. He did have some roommate difficulties first semester, but got a new roommate and it was a lot better after that. He signed up for a single room in an upperclass suite next year, so I hope that will be good for him.
I’m crossing my fingers that his remaining time at GMU goes well, but so far so good.

I think that is a mistake and can articulate why but it will be a long post. ARe you interested in hearing a GMU graduate's parents thinking on registering with the disability services office?

NP - Our student has started the process of applying for accommodations at GMU. Are you saying that might not be a good idea?

OP here.

+1

OP, I’m the NP above. I’m curious to know what the poster is suggesting about the GMU disability office. I will say that our older kid is a rising senior at different school and the disability office and case manager have been very helpful and in fact crucial to her success. She has a chronic illness, so it’s possible that might be a different experience than trying to get EF related accommodations. To me there’s not a downside to engaging the disability office if the kid needs it and qualifies.

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Anonymous wrote:If you live in NOVA, GMU might be nice in the sense that your kid can come one easily whenever he wants (which could be helpful).

This seems like a negative. The kid should be developing independence not running home frequently.

OP here. I agree with that. Good to have him close enough where coming home can be accomplished in a few hours if necessary, but don't want to encourage that as a frequent practice. Its important that he develop independence whether its on campus 30-40 minutes away, or 3 hours (CNU is about 2 1/2)

My DS just finished his freshman year at GMU and he lived on campus, although we are 30 minutes away. He rarely came home to spend the night, but we would occasionally see him for a meal or to pick up something he needed from home (like his winter coat). It was convenient to have him close to home for doctor/dental appointments. He has ADHD/HFA and sees his doctor every month or so for checkups and refills. I’m very proud of him and I think he made the right choice of school. His other options were VCU, UMW, and JMU. He made Dean’s list both semesters at GMU and seems happy.

That's an amazing success story. Congratulations to you and your DS! Our son initially chose CNU over VCU, and also had Hofstra as an option with substantial merit. Hofstra has a well-regarded program for LD/neurodivergent kids, but it was still very expensive even with merit, and was a bit far away at almost 5 hours with New York traffic.

Your scenario would be a dream for us and our DC. With his ADHD/HFA, what kind of supports have been available to him at GMU? Have you found them helpful?

I tried to get DS to register with the Office of Disability Services, but he refused. Alas, he is 18 so I have to accept it. He has always been very prickly about his ADHD/ASD and doesn’t use any accommodations. I was shocked when I found out how well he did this year. He did have some roommate difficulties first semester, but got a new roommate and it was a lot better after that. He signed up for a single room in an upperclass suite next year, so I hope that will be good for him.
I’m crossing my fingers that his remaining time at GMU goes well, but so far so good.

I think that is a mistake and can articulate why but it will be a long post. ARe you interested in hearing a GMU graduate's parents thinking on registering with the disability services office?

NP - Our student has started the process of applying for accommodations at GMU. Are you saying that might not be a good idea?

OP here.

+1

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you're better off at GMU also their CS program is stronger too.

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Anonymous wrote:If you live in NOVA, GMU might be nice in the sense that your kid can come one easily whenever he wants (which could be helpful).

This seems like a negative. The kid should be developing independence not running home frequently.

OP here. I agree with that. Good to have him close enough where coming home can be accomplished in a few hours if necessary, but don't want to encourage that as a frequent practice. Its important that he develop independence whether its on campus 30-40 minutes away, or 3 hours (CNU is about 2 1/2)

My DS just finished his freshman year at GMU and he lived on campus, although we are 30 minutes away. He rarely came home to spend the night, but we would occasionally see him for a meal or to pick up something he needed from home (like his winter coat). It was convenient to have him close to home for doctor/dental appointments. He has ADHD/HFA and sees his doctor every month or so for checkups and refills. I’m very proud of him and I think he made the right choice of school. His other options were VCU, UMW, and JMU. He made Dean’s list both semesters at GMU and seems happy.

That's an amazing success story. Congratulations to you and your DS! Our son initially chose CNU over VCU, and also had Hofstra as an option with substantial merit. Hofstra has a well-regarded program for LD/neurodivergent kids, but it was still very expensive even with merit, and was a bit far away at almost 5 hours with New York traffic.

Your scenario would be a dream for us and our DC. With his ADHD/HFA, what kind of supports have been available to him at GMU? Have you found them helpful?

I tried to get DS to register with the Office of Disability Services, but he refused. Alas, he is 18 so I have to accept it. He has always been very prickly about his ADHD/ASD and doesn’t use any accommodations. I was shocked when I found out how well he did this year. He did have some roommate difficulties first semester, but got a new roommate and it was a lot better after that. He signed up for a single room in an upperclass suite next year, so I hope that will be good for him.
I’m crossing my fingers that his remaining time at GMU goes well, but so far so good.

I think that is a mistake and can articulate why but it will be a long post. ARe you interested in hearing a GMU graduate's parents thinking on registering with the disability services office?

NP - Our student has started the process of applying for accommodations at GMU. Are you saying that might not be a good idea?

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Anonymous wrote:Our DC was just admitted off the waitlist to GMU’s computing and engineering school. He is committed to CNU for comp sci, and is deciding if he should rescind that commitment and go to Mason.

He is an IB student in a very diverse FCPS school, and has had an IEP since 5th grade for ADD (inattentive). He came up through the FCPS AAP program, taking high school math since 7th grade. His grades have spanned the spectrum from A’s to the occasional D, with his biggest challenges around writing.

He’s especially bright, but struggles with executive functioning. We believe Mason’s Executive Functioning program (at additional cost) would really help him navigate the college academic experience.

He chose CNU over VCU (and two OOS schools with substantial merit) because he thought the smaller school and the opportunity to know his instructors and they know him, would be a better environment. Theres a lot we like about CNU, and not to overemphasize “rankings, but it doesn’t have the reputation - overall and in Comp sci - of Mason. Mason also has a large internship network, which is critica in a technical field.

He would live on campus at GMU and Although smaller, we expect CNU would be more of a “traditional” college experience than Mason, as the latter has a fair number of commuters. However, he’s never really been interested in the experience, and is more focused on what his degree will provide. That said, we (and he) believe he needs to build his social skills and friend base, as he struggled “finding his tribe” in high school.

Anyone with experience at Mason (or CNU for that matter), I would welcome your input as we try to make this decision.

GMU stopped being a commuter campus in 2010/2011 when the Carnegie foundation reclassified it as primarily residential. All freshmen live on campus unless they have filed a waiver and it was accepted. Yes, many of the grad students commute but go look at all of the dorms available for undergrad (My DS's second year was like a hotel room, with full, nice private bath and kitchen). My DS lived on campus all four years. His roommates were OOS and international. He had a great four years. Game Design major. Anything computer is terrific there. Be sure to visit the tech campus out near manassas. AMA

I’ve read about the Carnegie designation, but wondering exactly what the criteria are for that. US News states that GMU only has 6200 undergrads on campus, among 27000 total. That’s not a lot though in comparison to about 5k total at CNU, it’s more than comparable. Also, I understand that a lot of students live in off-campus housing nearby.

Did your DS do the Game Design major that’s arts/fine arts focused? I believes there’s that (BFA) along with a Game Design concentration within the CS major.

I don't think Carnegie classifications have anything to do with a university being residential or. Kt. It has to do with hishest degrees awarded (and count) and level of research.

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Anonymous wrote:If you live in NOVA, GMU might be nice in the sense that your kid can come one easily whenever he wants (which could be helpful).

This seems like a negative. The kid should be developing independence not running home frequently.

OP here. I agree with that. Good to have him close enough where coming home can be accomplished in a few hours if necessary, but don't want to encourage that as a frequent practice. Its important that he develop independence whether its on campus 30-40 minutes away, or 3 hours (CNU is about 2 1/2)

My DS just finished his freshman year at GMU and he lived on campus, although we are 30 minutes away. He rarely came home to spend the night, but we would occasionally see him for a meal or to pick up something he needed from home (like his winter coat). It was convenient to have him close to home for doctor/dental appointments. He has ADHD/HFA and sees his doctor every month or so for checkups and refills. I’m very proud of him and I think he made the right choice of school. His other options were VCU, UMW, and JMU. He made Dean’s list both semesters at GMU and seems happy.

That's an amazing success story. Congratulations to you and your DS! Our son initially chose CNU over VCU, and also had Hofstra as an option with substantial merit. Hofstra has a well-regarded program for LD/neurodivergent kids, but it was still very expensive even with merit, and was a bit far away at almost 5 hours with New York traffic.

Your scenario would be a dream for us and our DC. With his ADHD/HFA, what kind of supports have been available to him at GMU? Have you found them helpful?

I tried to get DS to register with the Office of Disability Services, but he refused. Alas, he is 18 so I have to accept it. He has always been very prickly about his ADHD/ASD and doesn’t use any accommodations. I was shocked when I found out how well he did this year. He did have some roommate difficulties first semester, but got a new roommate and it was a lot better after that. He signed up for a single room in an upperclass suite next year, so I hope that will be good for him.
I’m crossing my fingers that his remaining time at GMU goes well, but so far so good.

I think that is a mistake and can articulate why but it will be a long post. ARe you interested in hearing a GMU graduate's parents thinking on registering with the disability services office?

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Anonymous wrote:My son will be in that same department at CNU. He really loved the small department that is growing with the new school. He met many professors at the open house on admitted students day, and felt really comfortable there. He loved CNUs campus and vibe, and the location. We are already registered with the disability office. We toured GMU and it’s probably better overall but it is larger and close to home and those were negatives for our son.

We attended admitted students day in April and had a chance to speak with the CS department head. Is your son and incoming freshman? What type of HS is he coming from? Anything you can share regarding the disability office and what supports they will provide?

The disability office does as much as they can to help if you have had testing done. There is an intro meeting during orientation and they welcome private meetings to discuss. We will see what is approved and how well things work in practice.

Interesting. At our admitted students day, one thing that the Dean of students (I believe) made clear was that while the school was committed to and provides support for all students to graduate in 4 years, he was not big on “accommodations), even saying that he was barely even familiar with a 504 Plan. It was an interesting, if revealing comment 🙂

504s don't apply in college.

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Anonymous wrote:If you live in NOVA, GMU might be nice in the sense that your kid can come one easily whenever he wants (which could be helpful).

This seems like a negative. The kid should be developing independence not running home frequently.

OP here. I agree with that. Good to have him close enough where coming home can be accomplished in a few hours if necessary, but don't want to encourage that as a frequent practice. Its important that he develop independence whether its on campus 30-40 minutes away, or 3 hours (CNU is about 2 1/2)

My DS just finished his freshman year at GMU and he lived on campus, although we are 30 minutes away. He rarely came home to spend the night, but we would occasionally see him for a meal or to pick up something he needed from home (like his winter coat). It was convenient to have him close to home for doctor/dental appointments. He has ADHD/HFA and sees his doctor every month or so for checkups and refills. I’m very proud of him and I think he made the right choice of school. His other options were VCU, UMW, and JMU. He made Dean’s list both semesters at GMU and seems happy.

That's an amazing success story. Congratulations to you and your DS! Our son initially chose CNU over VCU, and also had Hofstra as an option with substantial merit. Hofstra has a well-regarded program for LD/neurodivergent kids, but it was still very expensive even with merit, and was a bit far away at almost 5 hours with New York traffic.

Your scenario would be a dream for us and our DC. With his ADHD/HFA, what kind of supports have been available to him at GMU? Have you found them helpful?

I tried to get DS to register with the Office of Disability Services, but he refused. Alas, he is 18 so I have to accept it. He has always been very prickly about his ADHD/ASD and doesn’t use any accommodations. I was shocked when I found out how well he did this year. He did have some roommate difficulties first semester, but got a new roommate and it was a lot better after that. He signed up for a single room in an upperclass suite next year, so I hope that will be good for him.
I’m crossing my fingers that his remaining time at GMU goes well, but so far so good.

Good to hear, and I commend him for wanting to move forward without accommodations. Did he look into a single room during freshman year?

This sounds like my son. Hoping we can have similar success!

He didn’t request a single room for his freshman year. He wanted to experience having a roommate, but he is going with a single room next year. Dorm rooms are tiny and unless you and your roommate are very compatible, it’s challenging to share such a small space.

Really good to know about the dorm size. That was a strong point for CNU. They have really nice, spacious dorms - even the traditional first-year digs - and all were suite style instead of having a communal bathroom on the floor. Without revealing too much, was your DC in public or private HS? Did he find himself well-prepared for college-level academics, or did he have a significant adjustment curve?

I saw four dorms as my kid worked her way through GMU. They were all nicer than anything I ever had. One (a double) looking like a very nice hotel set-up with kitchen and full bath. Lots of space. Another was a suite. Each woman had her own room. She also had two very nice sized singles.

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Anonymous wrote:If you live in NOVA, GMU might be nice in the sense that your kid can come one easily whenever he wants (which could be helpful).

This seems like a negative. The kid should be developing independence not running home frequently.

OP here. I agree with that. Good to have him close enough where coming home can be accomplished in a few hours if necessary, but don't want to encourage that as a frequent practice. Its important that he develop independence whether its on campus 30-40 minutes away, or 3 hours (CNU is about 2 1/2)

My DS just finished his freshman year at GMU and he lived on campus, although we are 30 minutes away. He rarely came home to spend the night, but we would occasionally see him for a meal or to pick up something he needed from home (like his winter coat). It was convenient to have him close to home for doctor/dental appointments. He has ADHD/HFA and sees his doctor every month or so for checkups and refills. I’m very proud of him and I think he made the right choice of school. His other options were VCU, UMW, and JMU. He made Dean’s list both semesters at GMU and seems happy.

That's an amazing success story. Congratulations to you and your DS! Our son initially chose CNU over VCU, and also had Hofstra as an option with substantial merit. Hofstra has a well-regarded program for LD/neurodivergent kids, but it was still very expensive even with merit, and was a bit far away at almost 5 hours with New York traffic.

Your scenario would be a dream for us and our DC. With his ADHD/HFA, what kind of supports have been available to him at GMU? Have you found them helpful?

I tried to get DS to register with the Office of Disability Services, but he refused. Alas, he is 18 so I have to accept it. He has always been very prickly about his ADHD/ASD and doesn’t use any accommodations. I was shocked when I found out how well he did this year. He did have some roommate difficulties first semester, but got a new roommate and it was a lot better after that. He signed up for a single room in an upperclass suite next year, so I hope that will be good for him.
I’m crossing my fingers that his remaining time at GMU goes well, but so far so good.

Good to hear, and I commend him for wanting to move forward without accommodations. Did he look into a single room during freshman year?

This sounds like my son. Hoping we can have similar success!

He didn’t request a single room for his freshman year. He wanted to experience having a roommate, but he is going with a single room next year. Dorm rooms are tiny and unless you and your roommate are very compatible, it’s challenging to share such a small space.

Really good to know about the dorm size. That was a strong point for CNU. They have really nice, spacious dorms - even the traditional first-year digs - and all were suite style instead of having a communal bathroom on the floor. Without revealing too much, was your DC in public or private HS? Did he find himself well-prepared for college-level academics, or did he have a significant adjustment curve?

DS came from a FCPS high school - in mostly honors classes with a few AP’s. His gpa was mediocre due to poor performance during COVID but he had a great SAT. He felt very prepared.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in NOVA, GMU might be nice in the sense that your kid can come one easily whenever he wants (which could be helpful).

This seems like a negative. The kid should be developing independence not running home frequently.

OP here. I agree with that. Good to have him close enough where coming home can be accomplished in a few hours if necessary, but don't want to encourage that as a frequent practice. Its important that he develop independence whether its on campus 30-40 minutes away, or 3 hours (CNU is about 2 1/2)

My DS just finished his freshman year at GMU and he lived on campus, although we are 30 minutes away. He rarely came home to spend the night, but we would occasionally see him for a meal or to pick up something he needed from home (like his winter coat). It was convenient to have him close to home for doctor/dental appointments. He has ADHD/HFA and sees his doctor every month or so for checkups and refills. I’m very proud of him and I think he made the right choice of school. His other options were VCU, UMW, and JMU. He made Dean’s list both semesters at GMU and seems happy.

That's an amazing success story. Congratulations to you and your DS! Our son initially chose CNU over VCU, and also had Hofstra as an option with substantial merit. Hofstra has a well-regarded program for LD/neurodivergent kids, but it was still very expensive even with merit, and was a bit far away at almost 5 hours with New York traffic.

Your scenario would be a dream for us and our DC. With his ADHD/HFA, what kind of supports have been available to him at GMU? Have you found them helpful?

I tried to get DS to register with the Office of Disability Services, but he refused. Alas, he is 18 so I have to accept it. He has always been very prickly about his ADHD/ASD and doesn’t use any accommodations. I was shocked when I found out how well he did this year. He did have some roommate difficulties first semester, but got a new roommate and it was a lot better after that. He signed up for a single room in an upperclass suite next year, so I hope that will be good for him.
I’m crossing my fingers that his remaining time at GMU goes well, but so far so good.

I think that is a mistake and can articulate why but it will be a long post. ARe you interested in hearing a GMU graduate's parents thinking on registering with the disability services office?

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our DC was just admitted off the waitlist to GMU’s computing and engineering school. He is committed to CNU for comp sci, and is deciding if he should rescind that commitment and go to Mason.

He is an IB student in a very diverse FCPS school, and has had an IEP since 5th grade for ADD (inattentive). He came up through the FCPS AAP program, taking high school math since 7th grade. His grades have spanned the spectrum from A’s to the occasional D, with his biggest challenges around writing.

He’s especially bright, but struggles with executive functioning. We believe Mason’s Executive Functioning program (at additional cost) would really help him navigate the college academic experience.

He chose CNU over VCU (and two OOS schools with substantial merit) because he thought the smaller school and the opportunity to know his instructors and they know him, would be a better environment. Theres a lot we like about CNU, and not to overemphasize “rankings, but it doesn’t have the reputation - overall and in Comp sci - of Mason. Mason also has a large internship network, which is critica in a technical field.

He would live on campus at GMU and Although smaller, we expect CNU would be more of a “traditional” college experience than Mason, as the latter has a fair number of commuters. However, he’s never really been interested in the experience, and is more focused on what his degree will provide. That said, we (and he) believe he needs to build his social skills and friend base, as he struggled “finding his tribe” in high school.

Anyone with experience at Mason (or CNU for that matter), I would welcome your input as we try to make this decision.

GMU stopped being a commuter campus in 2010/2011 when the Carnegie foundation reclassified it as primarily residential. All freshmen live on campus unless they have filed a waiver and it was accepted. Yes, many of the grad students commute but go look at all of the dorms available for undergrad (My DS's second year was like a hotel room, with full, nice private bath and kitchen). My DS lived on campus all four years. His roommates were OOS and international. He had a great four years. Game Design major. Anything computer is terrific there. Be sure to visit the tech campus out near manassas. AMA

I’ve read about the Carnegie designation, but wondering exactly what the criteria are for that. US News states that GMU only has 6200 undergrads on campus, among 27000 total. That’s not a lot though in comparison to about 5k total at CNU, it’s more than comparable. Also, I understand that a lot of students live in off-campus housing nearby.

Did your DS do the Game Design major that’s arts/fine arts focused? I believes there’s that (BFA) along with a Game Design concentration within the CS major.