George Mason University Top Questions

The best thing about GMU was that I met two great roommates there. The school was rather large, and sometimes felt overcrowded. When I tell people I went to GMU, they are usually pleased. I had a great college experience. I would have to say that there was not much school pride at GMU. The only sport to really rally around was basketball. While I was there, GMU did make it to the final 4 and that was really exciting. That was the most school spirit I ever saw.

Close to Washington, D.C. School size is fine. Parking is horrendous. I do not spend most of my time on campus. I wish Fairfax was more of a college town. Not a lot of school pride, at all. School of Management is atrocious.

Lots of students this semester! Everything is torn up. It's all kind of crappy having everything under construction. I won't even be going there to see the results. They could've done the construction in stages or something.

GMU has a fairly large student population with various activities and events occurring daily. There is always something happening on campus. The best thing about GMU is how close it is to DC and how easily accessible it is. It's a great location.

The best thing about GMU is the basketball team. This is because the team brings unity to the campus. One thing I would change about GMU is people's opinion of it. Many think it is too much like a community college. I like the size of the school as it is. It is small enough that everyone is connected but it is big enough that you can blend in if you want to. When I tell people that I go to GMU I usually get a pretty positive response. Prior to the Final Four, I got a lot of, "where is that?" but this has improved tremendously. I spend the most time on campus in my dorm room or in the Johnson Center. Fairfax is not a college town. The school exists because of the town. I have no problem with GMU's adminstration. Everything has ran pretty smoothly since I have been here. At GMU I wish there was more school pride. Things have again improved a bit since the Final Four run in 2006. The one experience I will always remember about GMU, is the feeling on campus when GMU basketball was going through the Final Four. Student complaints I mainly hear about the construction, the lack of parking, and the fact that nothing is open on campus on the weekends.

I transfered into Mason from Lord Fairfax Community College and I have been there 2 years and will be graduating in May. Here is what I know: First and foremost PARKING SUX. They are in the process of building another parking garage but that will be expensive to park in. (As are the other garages) I am not sure whats up if you live on campus. Your prob. better off although the campus is big and it will prob. be a hike from your dorm. (Depending on which dorm) Second of all, I would like to say Mason is a great college and I have enjoyed getting my education there. I had to live off campus because there was a shortage of dorms. Students were housed in nearby hotels last year if that gives you an idea. They are also building more dorms so that problem may be satisfied. Overall, its a beautiful campus (despite construction) and a diverse community of students who have lots of school pride. Thanks to the final 4 run. I would reccomend it 3 out of 5.

The best thing about GMU is the laid back people. It isn't a huge party school but there is always something going on if you want to party. Theres a good balance of hard work and fun. If I could change one thing about GMU, it would be the parking! Since so many people live off campus, the parking lots fill up and if you have class anytime after 10:30am, you need to get on campus at LEAST 45 minutes before your class starts to try and find a spot somewhere. The school is the perfect size, because although it is one of the biggest schools in VA, once you make friends and meet people it becomes so much smaller because you see people you know all the time. When I tell people I go to GMU, they are impressed because it is becoming a more known school and not just because of our basketball team -- we are putting ourselves on the academic map. I spend most of my time in the JC when I'm on campus because all the best food is there, the bookstore, as well as a lot of places to study. The administration for the most part is amazing, and I have only had a few professors I thought were sub-par. The biggest recent controversy on campus was either the protesters who come every now and then and hate on almost any type of person you can find on campus (race, religion, sex, etc.) or the suicide that happened about a year ago in the Johnson Center. There is a lot of school pride, and we have a large and active greek life so its hard to meet someone who isn't always wearing either a GMU t-shirt or letters. One thing unusual about GMU is that we have an underwater hockey team. One experience I will always remember is when Barack Obama and Bill Clinton came to speak at the JC. The most complaints from students that I have heard is about parking.

The size is just right, there's nothing good about the school, the place is boring, the administration's not the best, and what college town?

Because I'm from California, I constantly get asked, "Why'd you pick MASON?". My short answer is that I like the area, I needed to be in a good music program, and I'm comfortable far away from home. Now that I'm here, I can say that it is definitely my place, and the people make it. I feel that many people come to the state school for financial reasons, which makes it a big commuter school. Because some people do not have many options for college, I feel that Mason students are more humble than those at a school with a much higher tuition. Mason is also extremely diverse - walking between classes it's impossible not to hear another language. It's more real-world, different from the 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} white sheltered suburbs I grew up in. Mason is also home to the Patriot Center and the Center for the Arts, two huge venues for Northern Virginia. Concerts, performances and speakers come through Mason and we often get free tickets. Many people on the west coast have only heard of Mason's basketball team (woohoo!), if that. I was originally reluctant to go to a school that didn't have a big name, but I got over that quickly. Everyone in the area knows Mason and it's a great place to be. Like at many colleges, people sport Mason clothing and paraphanalia all the time. I imagine that since the Final Four, Mason's school pride has skyrocketed. School pride is most obvious in the Patriot Center for men's basketball games. Students go all out with facepaint, signs, and anything else green and gold. It's difficult to say what I would change about Mason because I've accepted it and I love it. I think I would add more practice rooms in the Performing Arts Building and a new rehearsal hall...Oh and I would improve the food. Mason's not known for it's food, but it is improving.

The best thing about GMU is the student organizations, there are so many. I really like the diversity and the opportunities to meet different types of people. I spend most of my time on campus at the Johnson Center, Aquatic Center, and the Field house. I enjoy playing basketball and working out but I am very disappointed in George Mason's recreational facilities. GMU fails to accommodate it's paying students when they close down the very few basketball courts they have. Maybe it reflects the few students who live on campus, and I am hoping for the construction of more facilities. Mason parking is also very inconvenient, I feel this way and I live on campus. I don't look for parking everyday, but I can see and hear all the complications that come with Mason parking. Most of my needs derive from the fact that I live on campus, and end up comparing Mason to the other universities that house a lot of students.