US university exchange: George Mason, Goucher or Roanoke?

[slim04]

All of those colleges are regional in nature and isn't going to impress any graduate program of any stature. Per U.S. news, George Mason is ranked #133 for national universities, Goucher is #111 for liberal arts schools, and Roanoke is #133 for liberal arts schools.

If it was me, I'd pick the school where I felt I got the best repoire with my potential advisor. I'd ask to interview with them over the phone and ask references to current students or recent grads of the program. They are going to make or break your academic experience and potentially provide you with a good reference for graduate school. I'd avoid the schools where I thought the faculty were indifferent to the students.

All else being equal, I'd pick George Mason for its proximity to DC, its great adjunct faculty for most programs (a lot of current or retired high level U.S. government officials), and its growing stature as a research university. The downside, it will probably be the most impersonal of your choices.

[Spaten_Drinker]

Originally Posted by SoulJourn

Actually, I'd put Roanoke and Goucher above George Mason.

None are bad schools though, but the first two are better known. I'm not even sure of where George Mason is located. Virginia or West Virginia? Not sure.

GMU is located less than 20 miles west of DC in Fairfax, VA. My currently attends school there. It is a great school for IT majors due to the amount of defense contractors and IT work in the area.

[choff5]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Tallybalt, Have you visited all three of the colleges mentioned? Goucher is in walking distance of the large mall with the town immediately behind it. Roanoke college adjoins the town of Salem with a great main street and has free bus service to the city of Roanoke. Roanoke has public transportation, including an airport.

I agree with you about the location of George Mason and it's proximity to DC, but the OP also expressed concern about it being a suitcase school, which I have heard is true. Do you know about that point?

OP, you might want to post your question on College confidential. International Students - College Confidential There are more posters there that are of college age. There are several forums listed on the main site.

While George Mason has been known as a commuter school, it definitely has an on campus presence now days. They have built more residence halls in the last ten years and it is not all commuters. My son lived on campus, even our home was about 5-10 miles away and he was always busy.

I can't speak to the strengths of each program, but GMU has a lot going for it due to location. Roanike is a very small school. As others said, far from the DC area. Researching Civil War may work from there given the location, but it would be deficult to do much with DC itself.