George Mason University

Went here for my undergrad and then masters. Great school, campus has mostly new and clean buildings, and there is always some sort of developments going on. If I’d consider doing a PHD, GMU would definitely be one of my top choices.

I’ve attended several different schools, all over the world, and have a few thoughts about GMU.
Pros:
Beautiful campus
great on-​campus transportation service (cue bus, mason shuttle, biking/​pedestrian friendly)
great perks for students (free access to gyms on campus, library, etc.)
commitment to multicultural sensitivity/​diversity
vending machines in almost every building & they take credit cards
main bookstore has reasonable hours
big variety of food places on campus
Cons:
Extremely difficult to get in-​state tuition, even if you have lived in the area for years
Master’s programs do not support work-​life balance, VERY rigid about only being allowed to miss 1 class, even if it’s related to work-​injury, pregnancy, family crisis, etc.
Areas where students can print for free are very hard to find
Specific info about Master’s in Counseling Program:
Pros:
Professors are highly qualified, well-​educated, published, etc.
Most professors seek to make classes engaging
Curriculum is based on latest research, very forward thinking & culturally aware
Professors bring in guest speakers & for the most part are very willing to connect you with people they know in professional world, write recommendations for internships, etc.
Cons:
Culture of this program in terms of some of the more controversial issues is extremely liberal, so if you’re conservative, you won’t be treated with hostility, but you won’t be making a lot of friends either…
Several required classes are only offered once a year
Program is super anti-​online classes: none are offered & they don’t transfer in classes that were taken online
Professors are not all on same page when it comes to academic advising, which is pretty disorganized
Overall, I feel this program has provided me with a solid education in Counseling; however, it would’ve been a better experience had they been more workable in terms of that work-​life balance, especially being a mom & full-​time employee while taking full-​time classes.

Parking could be better, but the campus has grown over the past 5 yrs! :D

Great university. I transferred here from another college and I love it here. I have met some amazing people who have become lifelong friends. The professors really care about you and want you to succeed. Parking is a downside though. Overall GMU is what you make of it.

The worst school.

My husband goes here and he’s really happy with his education he has gotten.

The campus wireless network is complete garbage and tech support is nowhere to be found.

The first day of school parking is impossible. It is super crowded. I’ve commuted to school all 4 years. I like the classes and school atmosphere. I used the Cue buses too and it was awesome. Free and it took me to work everyday!
I didn’t eat too much on campus, but I know that they improved the JC food court quite a bit.

I spent four years here for my undergraduate and am coming back for my graduate degree in education. I loved it here and it was a fantastic experience. Yeah there is lots of construction and parking sucks but keep in mind you’re here to get an EDUCATION — it’s not about the stupid inconvenience.
The three departments I have been with are Education, Economics, and Music and they are all outstanding and staffed by incredibly passionate and smart professors. Maybe other departments aren’t like this but I have always had great experiences there. The music department specifically is ON POINT.

Great university for studying economics. The school of Public Choice was founded at Mason and many renowned economists studied and taught here. In-​state tuition is reasonable enough. Many Greek and other clubs available to become involved in university life, however GMU is largely a commuter school and you have to seek these programs out and make a valid effort to get involved. Minus 1 star for the nightmare that is parking. God forbid you arrive to campus 30 minutes prior to a 10:30am Tuesday class and hope to make it to class on time. Not happening. Otherwise I recommend this school for undergrads and graduates alike.

I wnet to GMU for my undergrad and I enjoyed it. My Psych professors were great and I wish I did more with them in regards to research. Oh well!

I went here for my undergrad prior to their huge construction boom. They started it my freshman year. During the college tour, they were quick to sell how easy it was to access Metro (which prior to the regular shuttle service, it wasn’t), and talked all about the college life it didn’t have. It’s a huge commuter school that’s working on defining it’s culture as a university.
Some professors were outstanding, but overall, I was extremely dissatisfied. A few of them were downright pompous and arrogant beyond belief, and on top of that, incompetent. Classes were large, students were cliquey, and professors (even the good ones) were almost impossible to get to know.
My advice: don’t go. Pick one of the other fine schools in the DC Area.

Went to the Alumni Drag Show to watch my friend’s perform and to donate some money to the scholarship. It was fun!

GMU is an idyllic looking campus smack in the middle of Fairfax, Va. I agree that it is mostly a commuter school (although this has been rapidly changing) but I found that a lot of my classmates were entrepreneurial moguls on the side, thanks to Northern Virginia’s booming technology industry.
I was lucky enough to live both on and off campus and found the school to be a bustling hot spot of student activity… if you actively seeked it out. I met a lot of people who complained that GMU was not a «real» school but these were the people who went to class and then ran back home to their mommy and daddy’s house after their two hours was up.
A few notes:
— Although you will be tempted to eat Chickfila every single day, please don’t. It WILL catch up with you.
— As an added bonus, you will graduate with a masters degree in finding a parking spot in a crowded lot in the end of your term here.
— La Pat has the BEST chocolate croissants in the world.
— GMU Basketball love runs deep.
— Asians hang out on the third floor.
— Don’t be surprised to see people praying on mats several times a day. GMU is a truly international school and you will feel more cultured by the end of your tenure here.
— First Fridays are a cheap way to get entertained on the cheap! First run movies, drag queen karaōke, free food, and more!
Simply put:
I met the love of my life here and am getting married to him this summer and I now have a gig with the greatest company in the world thanks to my edumacation here. What more can you want?

There’s the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good: I took a Japanese summer class here for fun and it was fabulous.
The bad: I tried taking a biology 101 summer class here, and it was pathetic. The teacher would pronounce polysyllabic words like the students had learning disabilities. I dropped the class and asked for my money back after the first day.
The ugly: The parking — I was here for a school competition, and after winning, I found a 50 $ parking ticket on my car, even though I was parked legally. Parking was basically a mess when they were doing all of the construction. The cherry on top was that after attending a friend’s graduation, the attendees were so crass that they caused me to dent the back of my car. The campus police were no help after that. They told me just to drive away, basically, and not report it. (I have a moral code, so I definitely reported it) I’ve made a solemn oath never to drive back there again.

Ok, so I waited until I had a few class sessions under my belt before I went here. I can definitely say, with this being the fourth university I’ve attended in my life, this is a commuter school. A few thoughts:
1. Parking is tricky — it is a commuter school and the lots are a challenge.
2. The student body activities seem a bit disjointed, of course, I don’t seem to observe many undergrads going away dissatisfied.
3. There are just as many dorks on campus as a regular school — I observed a rather large group of geeks playing «magic» in front of the Chik-​fil-​A.
We’ll see more as time goes on and I take other classes, but so far, so good.

Foreword: If you’re using Unilocal to make college decisions, I strongly suggest considering other tools. Buy a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges — it’s like Unilocal for universities! Better yet, talk to your high school guidance or career counselor.
George Mason prides itself at being a big bad up-​and-​coming university, and I have to agree — this place is becoming slicker every day. I grew up across the street and have really had the opportunity to see this university grow with me, too.
I can’t speak much about the academic programs here — although my sister, an undergraduate, says the Art & Visual Technology group is killer — but as a destination, there’s a lot to attract your attention. Here are a few notables:
1. The Aquatic & Fitness Center, as a gym, is unparalleled. There’s a great summer deal for students, around $ 100 or so for 4 months!
2. The Southside Dining Hall is a fine place for lunch or dinner, buffet-​style with plenty of options. It’s on Unilocal.
3. The Center for the Arts is a venue that has a lot of great groups come through. Check it.
4. The Patriot Center is a pretty huge arena. I graduated from high school there, saw Disney on Ice years and years ago, and have seen Sting and Trans-​Siberian Orchestra there, too. Great location.
The next plan of action is to stay a night in the new on-​campus hotel that’s sprung up, the Mason Inn. Would love to review that soon!

I checked in here when I was going to class for some reason, and Unilocal keeps bothering me.
I could write a lot about why this school is awful, but it’s not worth my time. It sucks. The end.

It’s the bee’s knees…
The cat’s meow…
Plus I like to call it Jorge Mass-​soon for sh*ts and giggles…
Oh, so many great memories of days passed… so long ago.
**tears up as that warm nostalgic feeling comes over him**

OH GMU, how I love U.
Great education. especially for the cost.
Obtained my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from GMU. Best bang for the buck. So much construction going on though. you can definitely tell the college is expanding. Currently over 30,000 students. with some of the best graduate programs in the area. Public university = cheap tuition for in-​state students. My M.S. degree only cost $ 15k.