George Mason University

Mason is AWFUL! I have been going here for two years, and have yet to make a friend on campus that I didn't know before I started going here. The only way you can make friends is if you join a greek sorority or a frat. I even joined the Accounting Fraternity thinking that I would make friends, but no one really talks to each other except for the president/treasurer/secretary and their little clique. Other than that, the people who attend the meetings just leave right afterwards and aren't friendly at all.

I, like all other commuters at GMU, am very frustrated at the whole parking situation. I have even had an altercation where someone has actually got out of my car, yelled at me, threatened me, and hit my window for "taking their spot." (Only because she had "asked" another girl on the other side of the lot where she was parking and was no where near the parking spot at all.) You have to follow people walking from class to their cars to even get a spot unless you want to walk a 1/2 mile to get to class. I don't even know why they charge $265 a year for a parking permit because that doesn't guarantee that you'll get a parking spot and be on time to class.

The only good thing that is worth going to GMU for me is their School of Management. While it is a bit rigorous, a lot of teachers know what they're talking about and you do actually get a solid education. Most of the teachers I have had have been excellent and willing to work with you. However, the teachers I've had outside of the School of Management have been awful and not willing to work with you at all! Not to mention extremely hard to get a hold of.

By the way, for any of you who do apply to GMU, you can never take any classes anywhere else. They are so stringent on making sure that they get your $600 per 3 credit class that they make you jump through hoops in order to "prove" to them your need. (Taking online courses through NOVA is a no too!) So I would definitally suggest that you make sure you have all your core requirements done before you get here.If I had a choice whether or not to go to Mason again I would definitally not go. While the teachers are pretty good, it's always a struggle to get to class. I guess I can say one positive thing about the parking situation over here; it has definitally taught me to become a really agressive driver!

2nd Year Female -- Class 2004

Education Quality: C+, Individual Value: F

My time at George Mason University has been a deplorable experience. When I transferred here with my AA, I learned that transfer students do not get on campus housing. This was not communicated to me when I applied nor was I told this when I accepted my offer of admission. I

was required to live independently off-campus, and incur many additional expenses.
The student interaction at Mason is unacceptable. I came here looking for the college experience that a real university should offer. What I found were pre-established regional high-school cliques, an over-representation of older, returning to college adults, and non-inclusive ethnic circles. It did not take two years to learn that none of the students want to talk to anyone around them. They walk around campus talking on their cell phones, go to class, then leave.

The level of assistance from the financial aid department was unacceptable as well. This department did little outside of recite and dispense my FAFSA results. My financial aid advisor, Tom Perdiou, was especially unhelpful. With regard to Virginia’s financial aid guidelines which cap a student’s loan amount, but do not consider the costs of living in Northern Virginia, his response was basically that of a waitress who shrugs her shoulders and says “This isn’t my station.”

In conclusion, Mason misrepresents itself as an “innovative,” non-traditional university. The reality is a commuter school with no university culture or sense of campus community. Its highly flaunted ethnic diversity amounts to nothing more than tribalism. Certainly there is a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicities at Mason, but those groups generally do not interact with each other.

If I could make this decision again, it would be not to attend George Mason University. To everyone I meet who is considering colleges, I will emphatically advise against going to Mason.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2004

Perceived Campus Safety: A, Education Quality: F

The bottom line here is that GMU is a Commuter University. Straight and simple. N. VA comm. college is a few miles down and I dont see many differences except that GM is a 4 year school, better campus and facilities and ofcourse programs. Socially NVCC and GMU are the same. The school is filled with pre-arranged cliques. People go here because its convenient, academically decent and overall ok.

Housing is decent on campus. Plenty of construction going on but it will be some time before that has a major impact. Faculty Administration is trying to change the overall "image" of the school but I sense atleast 6-10 years before you will notice significant differences.

There is a complete lack of friendliness, spirit.....the list goes. UNLESS you go greek, live on campus or get into a sports team, I truly recommend not going here especially if you will be commuting. You could get hit by a bus and nobody would move their eyes, its that pathetic. You trip on the grounds of JMU and people are eager to help or open doors for you.

But if you like a school where you take classes, not interact, leave campus for work and dont want a different experience......haha...come here.

Overall, this is not a true 4 year college and it will be some time before that changes.

1st Year Male -- Class 2007

Surrounding City: A, Individual Value: F