Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't see how the dorm experience there can be that great-an ugly campus out in suburbia? It amazes me what people will pay for. It is just like community college, only you are spending 10x as much with no guarantee of being able to transfer somewhere better.

It's nothing like community college. Do some research, set foot on campus. Most of the students there don't want to "transfer somewhere better". They've found the right school for them.

The dorm experience is fine. Identical to my SLAC, although we had girls' floors and boys' floors. It's actually much better than my SLAC - no more running down the hall to go to the bathroom. Most dorms are "suites" so you share a bathroom with one or two other people. It is definitely no longer a community college. 75% of freshman live on campus. More would do so if they had room. Mason is converting its hotel into more dorm expensive due to need for dorms. My wishy-washy SLAC is not $57,000 a year plus airfare. Mason is $9,080 per term, and, yes, you can transfer to UVA or apply anywhere as a transfer student for that matter. Do go and visit the campus. We were blown away by what we saw on our tour - we had no idea this was going on in our own backyard. Definitely DC's first pick and we did go EA or ED.

The other thing about Mason is that of the 33,000 students there, over 1/3 are doing doctoral or Master's work. So you get exposed to the newest trends in your field. Read up on the school, it's really amazing what is going on there: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mason_University. That's why it got the no. 1 rank for "up and coming universities". And $9,080 for tuition. Pretty good deal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't see how the dorm experience there can be that great-an ugly campus out in suburbia? It amazes me what people will pay for. It is just like community college, only you are spending 10x as much with no guarantee of being able to transfer somewhere better.

It's nothing like community college. Do some research, set foot on campus. Most of the students there don't want to "transfer somewhere better". They've found the right school for them.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I've been there-for a Yo Gabba Gabba concert, and I had friends who were commuter students there in the 1990s. (I'm local). The campus is hideous.

Anonymous wrote:I just don't see how the dorm experience there can be that great-an ugly campus out in suburbia? It amazes me what people will pay for. It is just like community college, only you are spending 10x as much with no guarantee of being able to transfer somewhere better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems foolish to go to gmu if you are local. Why not just do the community college program in VA where you can upgrade to a great school like UVA after 2 years? Save a fortune

Your approach works for some kids. I know some who are doing it but they have to be willing to do all the driving from home, parking, and back and forth. Those that have tried it say sometimes they come home, get involved in something with a friend, and say "oh hell" and don't return to NOVA for their second glass of the day - they eventually give up. Also you have to take a particular set of classes in order to do the transfer after two years. But if you are aggressive and can maintain the GPA that the VA University demands for transfer (and it varies from VA state university to state university) then that option is great. My kid is not that type of kid.

So why Mason instead? It's got a fabulous campus (lots of new buildings). DC is in a dorm with a great group of kids. The teachers come from all over - many are professionals from the Dulles Tech corridor and are outstanding. DC is getting the campus experience and dorm life experience. It's much more diverse than NOVA is - roommates include Muslims and other international students and AAs from the south. RA is from California. Everything DC needs is right there - food, classes, library, computer lab, washer/dryer = much more efficient than running back and forth from home. Mason also has the premiere department in the U.S. next to Carneigie Melon for the particular major DC wants. No driving back and forth. Lots of on-campus support networks and clubs. And we get all this for only $9,080 a year (plus cost of dorm room).

3.0 is the required GPA to transfer to any VA state school. And if they can't get a 3.0 at a community college then they shouldn't really be at college at all.

And yeah, GMU must be great compared to Carnegie Mellon...if your CS kid wants to work in the Dulles tech corridor all their life. Nobody outside of the DC metro region or state of Virginia has any name recognition when it comes to GMU. Same with JMU. UVA, W&M, Virginia Tech, on the other hand..nationally ranked and recognized across the country.

Anonymous wrote:I think if the OP's kid is happy at GMU, and the OP feels the money spent on tuition is a good investment, that's great. The thread seems like a big PR piece, however, so the responses aren't surprising. I keep waiting for the OP to tell us that GMU is the Harvard of Fairfax Station.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems foolish to go to gmu if you are local. Why not just do the community college program in VA where you can upgrade to a great school like UVA after 2 years? Save a fortune

Your approach works for some kids. I know some who are doing it but they have to be willing to do all the driving from home, parking, and back and forth. Those that have tried it say sometimes they come home, get involved in something with a friend, and say "oh hell" and don't return to NOVA for their second glass of the day - they eventually give up. Also you have to take a particular set of classes in order to do the transfer after two years. But if you are aggressive and can maintain the GPA that the VA University demands for transfer (and it varies from VA state university to state university) then that option is great. My kid is not that type of kid.

So why Mason instead? It's got a fabulous campus (lots of new buildings). DC is in a dorm with a great group of kids. The teachers come from all over - many are professionals from the Dulles Tech corridor and are outstanding. DC is getting the campus experience and dorm life experience. It's much more diverse than NOVA is - roommates include Muslims and other international students and AAs from the south. RA is from California. Everything DC needs is right there - food, classes, library, computer lab, washer/dryer = much more efficient than running back and forth from home. Mason also has the premiere department in the U.S. next to Carneigie Melon for the particular major DC wants. No driving back and forth. Lots of on-campus support networks and clubs. And we get all this for only $9,080 a year (plus cost of dorm room).

Anonymous wrote:Seems foolish to go to gmu if you are local. Why not just do the community college program in VA where you can upgrade to a great school like UVA after 2 years? Save a fortune