George Mason University

Date: Jan 09 2003
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
I only went to GMU for two semesters; nevertheless, those two semesters were enough to convince me not to return. GMU is primarily a commuter school whose students walk around talking into their cell phones instead of talking to the people around them. Furthermore, the GMU housing that IS available is absolutely terrible. Instead of a regular dorm room, I was placed in a study room at the end of a hall. Four other girls were in this room, which was partitioned off with furniture in order to house all of us. When conflicts soon arose, I managed to move into another room for the spring semester. This room had a faulty door lock. Maintenance did nothing about it.I moved a broken dresser drawer set out into the hallway, in order to allow for more space in the room. Though I requested the drawer set be taken away and repaired/put elsewhere—and my request was met with "that's fine"—I was later nagged and insulted by housing personnel for moving this broken dresser out of the dorm.

The housing horror story had yet to end, however. I put in my request for sophomore-year housing, assuming GMU wouldn't give me a raw deal two years in a row. What happened? I was put on the housing waiting list. Soon thereafter, I was taken off the housing waiting list without notice or permission. I was far from alone in this situation, though. Later that month, the school sent an official letter to housing wait-listed students, telling them to seek housing elsewhere, and that the housing deposits would be refunded shortly. Hah. Only after MONTHS of inquiring and persistent phone calls did I get my money back. It was never mailed to me; I had to go to the school to pick it up on my own initiative.
The commuter atmosphere and (inadequate) housing at GMU make for a dissatisfying undergraduate experience. Academic merits of the school notwithstanding, GMU is terrible. Don't go to GMU if you're looking for a classic college experience.