George Mason University

Date: Sep 18 2013
Major: Computer Science (This Major's Salary over time)
So, I suppose this'll be multi-part. I very, very much like George Mason. I think it's the absolute best school as far as bang for your buck goes - if you are an in-state student. I wouldn't know about out of state.

First, with the parking. Yeah, it sucks. But as a transfer from University of Florida… it's not that bad. The General Admission annual pass is a lot of money, so I bought the Lot M and P pass and brought a bike with me. I've never had trouble finding a space, and I've shown up after 1 in the afternoon on Tuesday. Also, the bike isn't necessary - the campus is small and walkable.

Yes, this means I'm a commuter student. But I've been here on weekends because I happen to do homework. There are a few really wonderful, quiet places to do that on campus. There are a lot of students that live in dorms - but they actually do their homework. This isn't a party school, but you will actually get stuff done.

To address some of the other concerns voiced on here - Fairfax is great. City Center/old town is practically around the corner, with some neat eateries, a really fantastic tattoo shop, and Trader Joes. I cannot express how much I missed Trader Joes at University of Florida. Or good food in general for that matter. GMU has multiple Einstein Brother's bagels, a chick-fil-a, burger king, subway, starbucks, a good dining hall, and they sell sushi at the Johnson Center. And that's just on-campus. Domino's is literally across the street, as is Giant and a comic book store. You can actually buy your own groceries and cook without a car. You can also get wasted at Fat Tuesdays and walk back to your dorm, if that's your thing. There's also a movie theater, in addition to the one in the Johnson Center.

If you have a car, there is really no excuse. There are bars, live music, pool tournaments, karaoke everywhere you look. There are malls, museums, concerts, community theaters, and DC. Special mention to Seven Corners and Merrifield. The Udvar - Hazy Center has one of the very few real IMAX theaters in the nation, and an Air and Space Museum that includes the Enola Gay. A lot of this can be reached with public transportation as well and Metro runs until 2 in the morning on Saturday.

So I don't know why anyone would be bored. Also, if you go on meetup, the MidAtlantic Hiking group does hikes every weekend to the Shenandoah - with a car pool, so you don't need a car. Ask people for suggestions if you're bored.

Those annoying events at the Patriot Center? The Student Involvement office hands out free or discounted tickets for them. And they are things like Fallout Boy/Panic at the Disco or Sir James Galway(famous classical flute player). Aziz Ansari is the next one. And this is on campus.

The first month or so clubs and organizations recruit pretty heavily. I'm getting emails from the National Society of Black Engineers, the Electrical and Computer Hacking Organization, and the ACM(competitive programming). They have events that help you meet employers, improve your skills, all of it.

Students are fine. It's an extraordinarily diverse population - I have seen students in burkhas and other traditional middle eastern dress, there's a guy who goes around in a full suit and waistcoat every day, plenty of people have tattoos and undergrads who are in their late twenties or over. My major might be skewing my view a bit, but there seems to be a definite nerdy thread going through Mason. Lots of love for Dr. Who and Portal, one girl walking around with a full on katana, etc. People are easy to talk to for the most part - I've added plenty of new numbers to my phone, and none of it was because of a club or social thing.

The professors have been really great for the most part. I only have one whose class is boring, but he is nice and very helpful when he isn't lecturing. My advisor has actually emailed me things without me asking, and I'm not talking form letters. The department chair for mathematics sat next to me once, and has me 75% convinced I should add a math minor to my curriculum. The administrative staff have been good too - My transfer credit messed up, I made an appointment, it's fixed. My email account/authorizations have been screwy, one email to ITU, and fixed. Blackboard/Piazza are used extensively, so it's easy to keep track of everything.

Course content is very relevant to eventual job placement - I heard some students discussing deliverables from an upper level CS class, and I had only heard that term in conjunction with corporate jargon before. I'm getting specifications in 300 level courses. Internships are great, simply because of the location - Reston and DC are a half-hour to an hour away, with all their Military-industrial complex money. You will get a job a month before graduating if you get a master in information security, and it will be very close to six figures. There's plenty of regular programming jobs, too.

I like the new buildings, too. If that's what the construction brings, I'll put up with it. Floor to ceiling windows are amazing, as is the ability to plug in your laptop in every class instead of taking paper notes. Not that you even need to do that half the time - most professors put their notes online.