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I am currently a PhD student. Few of my professors have warned me about GMU before I applied to this school. I wish that I had listened to them. I agree with the previous negativities regarding the parking problems, commuting etc. In addition to those I have found people (faculty, students, administration) unfriendly. It seems like as if they are forced to be at GMU. In terms of Undergrad programs GMU still is a third-tier college. When it comes to grad programs I do not see much difference. In terms of career opportunities, finding jobs other than ordinary federal jobs might be a problem. If you consider an academic career after GMU, GOOD LUCK (there are not much success stories) When it comes to a professional career, I have heard mixed reviews.
If I were you I would stay away from GMU. It will be a waste of your time and money.
If I were you I would stay away from GMU. It will be a waste of your time and money.
Not to be rude the above comment is not even remotely close to being true. GMU is a good public school, and it will offer an excellent education to anyone that takes thier education seriously. Are all thier faculty/staff, and degree programs top-notch? Most likely not, and the same applies to every other public and private college in the United States. I wouldn't consider attending GMU as settling for something or nothing. The bottom line is a student is ultimately going to "get out", what they "put into" thier education, even if they attend Brown, Harvard or Dartmouth! Of course there are "better ranking" schools, but to say that going to GMU "will be a waste of your time and money" is a truly an ignoramous comment.
Last edited by seldomseen; 07-10-2007 at 07:25 AM..
Ignoramous comment? Have you ever heard about the drop out rates? Do you know how many professors actually show up in classes? GMU has also a bad reputation as one of the most unhappiest campuses in the US. There is a reason why so many people do not like GMU including the majority of its students. You may like this or not but this is a fact.
Lower tuition rates and a good basketball team are underlined everywhere. So what? If I were those potential applicants I would have paid more and attended a better school. If the objective is to get a degree, then there are godzillions of alternatives for a potential college student. It is obvious that this school is not a top-notch one and with this mind set it will never become one.
I just finished my undergraduate program (finance/economics) at George Mason, and it's not really that bad. I mean, it's a third-tier school (to be honest, I don't really know what that really means) for the most part (unless you're looking at it's law school, in which case it's top tier) but it really depends on what you're studying. I actually transferred here halfway through my degree from VT, and academically, I didn't feel a major difference. In fact, being in Northern Virginia was a huge, huge bonus for me because I was set up with a great job during my senior year at one of the major national financial firms, and I landed a job on Wall Street for after graduation. This is the same for many of my classmates; the ability to land great jobs in the area while in school was unbelievable to me. You get out of it what you put in.
Also, one thing I really enjoyed about the academics was the use of real professionals as adjunct faculty, due to our proximity to all the major companies and federal agencies. We had as professors practicing corporate lawyers, former CFOs, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, etc. I never got to have any of our Nobel Prize winners for a teacher though, since they don't teach undergraduates.
Socially, it is very much different. Yes, it's commuter school based on how many people are on campus compared to commuters, but to put it in perspective, the number of people living on campus outnumber the entire student bodies of many other schools, Duke, for example. So it's really what you make of it. I think the bulk of any negatives to be said about GMU is about the social aspects, which is kind of silly because it's a school, not a club; but unfortunately, this often gets the most attention. That's not to say that GMU is lacking in this area, but that people just like to gripe about it.
As for the commute/parking, I think we all liked to make it seem worse than it was, myself included. A lot of this has been alleviated since they have built new parking garages. Getting to campus 20 minutes before the start of class usually precluded any traffic woes around campus.
I took a computer science course in the Spring of 2007 in hopes pursuing a Master's degree. GMU has it's pro's and con's
I can best compare it to VCU in Richmond where I earned my Bachelor's.
Most teachers I talked to are pleasant, intellectual, and helpful. Too bad I can't say the same about administration which are not helpful and have attitudes. My particular TA was Indian and often seemed irritated when students asked for help. Not to discriminate Indians, because I've known friendly Indians outside NOVA, but the work-study Indians were always rude and didn't know much English to answer your questions or help you. Campus
I spent a lot of time on campus and the social part of it is in ethnic groups and fraternities/sororities. The student program board created many activities throughout the weekends (all free). Concerts, movies, stand-up comedians, live music, food festivials.
Diversity:
VCU and GMU are equally diverse, however it's not really cross-cultural. International people were always with their own country's people. Even though there were groups that promoted friendship among different nationalities, there were very few. Very high percentage of Indians and Asians.
People
The "cool guys" and "hot girls" were only in fraternities/sororities.
Fairfax is literally "fair". I've had more fun and met nicer people (young professionals) in NW, DC. However the middle-aged adults are very nice in Fairfax as well.
Transportation
I lived by the Vienna metro and would either drive to campus down Old Lee Hwy (15min.) or take the Cue Bus (free for students but 20min. ride). You can find a close parking spot before 9am, but in the afternoon you can expect to park in the last row of most lots.
The class availability is poor, I can't work full-time if I go back to GMU in the fall, because a required course lecture is in the evening BUT the LAB is only available in the day time. The lab is taught by TA's. Most of the other "good" things people have said here I agree with.
Bottom-line
It's too difficult to work FT in DC and go to school part-time.
I graduated a few years ago and I would have to say that overall, I enjoyed going to college here. I have a really high paying job in the DC area. I think if you want to go to school in the DC area that is affordable so that you do not have tons of debt when you graduate, this is a great choice. I work with people that went to Georgetown, American and George Washington and they have about 5 times more debt than me and I get paid more than them. It really depends on what you want to study. The law school is Tier 1 and one of the best in the country. All of the big companies in DC recruit here. The business school and engineering schools are really up and coming. If you want a great education, with quality professors, you should go here. It is not as much of a party school, than say JMU or UVA, but it is fun to go to Washington, DC on the weekends.
Very diverse! Met so many people from other countries and feel more cultured from learning from them. I chose GMU over UVA, JMU and VT mainly because of the culture and more urban atmosphere (good city feel), rather than rural country feel. If you are a country boy or girl, the other schools might fit you.
Rent is very high, anywhere near GMU. The GMU grads seem to do well. Many years ago, it was a place for people to go to school, who weren't ready to be on their own. Maybe they had a tough time at Summer Camp. The campus does seem very secure. I know they will bust 20 year olds for having beer in their systems, even if they are walking. That's a far cry from the 980 kegs of beer my fraternity consumed in one school year at JMU.
For people saying that GMU is a commuter school, that is not entirely true. It depends how you look at it. The 30k number is comprised of undergrads and grads from their Fairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun Campuses. With that in mind, Fairfax is currently the only one that has apts. and dorms. I couldn't find any raw numbers but if I was to estimate, I would assume the Fairfax campus students is around 16-18k. When you throw this into the equation, I believe the current number of students living there is around 6,800, with 1,000 more rooms being built. Bringing the numbers of on-campus students to 7,800 which surpasses JMU,ODU, and Radford if I recall correctly. The thing about the rest of these forementioned schools is that they are in more remote areas, making off campus house accomodations on par with the on-campus ones. Shoot, you can find an apt. down the street from JMU's campus for $410/month excluding utilities/electric. Most people that go to JMU,ODU,UVA, and Radford, are from other places of the state and country, so of course the student population tends to be more active and cohesive.
Education wise, after transferring from the SFS school-Georgetown to NVCC, and then to GMU, I think the educational value is on par for govt./int. relations. Georgetown housed some very heavy hitters like Madeline Albright, and alot of diplomats/influential people, but George Mason also provided professors who have served there country in all of the respected agencies like State,DHS,Justice,etc. I've sat in some classes at VCU,UVA, and JMU, and let me tell you, they were mostly textbook professors. Some of the educational values I have gathered from my adjunt proffs. are outstanding and mind opening.
Campus wise, I would rate it an OK. I find the color of the brick buildings rather redundant, but during the spring the campus and trees is quite lovely. Alot of new buildings are sprouting up, and that's a great thing. I would love for the school to build something mind-blowing next instead of following the old ,traditional architectural exteriors of schools that have been in existence past a century. GMU is about the new and innovation, why not show it by having architectures sculpt something spectacular in suburban Fairfax? All of the older facilities are getting re-vamped so that's a good thing with some of the more outdated bathrooms and whatnot.
Socially, I guess its just who you know. The easiest way to knowing the people that know whats happening later weekend night is to be friends with GMU athletes and your set. Most GMU sports teams interact with other GMU student athletes, so they tend to party together. Most people that I have talked to at GMU are rather more goal-oriented then party oriented, like the mixture at JMU and Radford for example. I make the 30 minute voyage/commute from my house all the time, and let me tell you, it is dull but knowing that I'm able to meet up with my "brohams" which is slang for friends, allows me to do it everyday.
Overall, the George Mason of today is an outstanding institution that keeps on growing. It's been said that in 5-10 years, GMU will be regarded as the 3rd or 4th best public university in the state. I'm glad I made the decision to transfer, and if I had to make a choice again in high school, I would have picked GMU first ahead of Tufts, NYU, UVA, JMU, Georgetown, and William and Mary. Actually cross that, NYU first because Manhattan is the bomb, but then GMU a near second.
If anyone has any questions regarding this school please feel free to ask.
What are your other choices besides GMU? and what is the Graduate Program you are pursuing. Typically, choice of Graduate school is determined by a) Field of Study b) Full Time or Part Time c) Funding - Are you paying for it or depending on scholarships.
Fairfax is a very nice suburban area but does not have ambiance (I am told) of state schools such as Berkeley or Austin.
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Not Bad
