George Mason University Top Questions

Sports teams and greek life are the biggest organizations

Not to be a biased source but athletics is deffinately something very popular to be apart of. Because of the different sports teams' gear and the usual "gym clothes" get up you can usually tell who the athletes are and there sure are a lot of us. The athletes also seem to travel in packs. However sororities and fraternities are also popular and you definately see the masses sporting their letters in the Johnson center. I can say last weekend I was at a swim meet, and then in down time was doing homework. Not so much the glamourous life, however being a student athlete and a nursign student, I have to structure my time very carefully.

Anyone who leaves their doors open on a college campus is playing a game of luck. No group is more popular than another. I'm in the premed club, Alpha Lambda Delta (honors), and chemistry club. Athletic events are popular. People date here. We have Mason students perform in the theater as well as visiting casts. We have a lot of guest speakers for different department and club events. Mason has a lot of festivities (Mason Mayhem and other activities by the Program Board). There are Sororities and Fraternities, meaning formals and parties. There isn't a lot off-campus and on-campus going on over the weekends. You'd have to drive or go to DC or be satisfied watching movies in the JC cinema or University mall movie theater across the street from campus.

Greek life and student government are quite popular. Some people get really into the basketball games, but I personally could care less. I personally was involved in Greek life and quite enjoyed it. Now I am involved in many academic and community service clubs. We are lucky enough to have the Patriot Center right on campus so there are a lot of cool concert and speakers. Most notable is probably Obama and Hilary Clinton and I've enjoyed Gorillaz, Pink, and I would have liked to see Russell Brand. I don't know what the dating scene is like because I'm dating my high school sweetheart. Mason is suitable for all sorts of people, there are plenty of activities that don't involve drinking, but there is also Ikes, which is open all night and a great place to go when you are drunk and hungry.

Frats are small compared to the student body but fast growing and visible. A few have off campus housing arrangements, but not all. If you want to get drunk at GMU you can get drunk. Lots of good guest speakers - especially political. Lots of bands come to the Patriot Center: at 10,000 it's a perfect concert venue. If you got the money there's the DC scene.

Some cool organizations: ACM Programming team, Robotics, Game Design, etc. Social life usually consists of drinking in somebody's dorm, carefully monitoring your volume as to not get caught. A couple of off-campus parties can be had, but there's usually only a couple good ones every month, if that. Meeting people can be tough if you're not on campus, commuters usually have clicks if they hang around campus. I'd staunchly recommend living on campus for at least a semester to establish some friends. Some very cool speakers drop by occasionally. Greek life is here. But not something I'd want to be involved in.

George Mason is host to many great political speakers, in large part due to the proximity to Washington DC. Students who are interested in government and current affairs will find some way to communicate this interest via College Democrats, College Republicans, Students for a Democratic Society, and other on campus organizations. Greek life is also popular on campus. I would stress that it is not absolutely necessary to join a fraternity or sorority in order to experience any type of social life. While most of the party atmosphere is centered around fraternities, girls do not have to be a part of a sorority to intermingle at these events, but males who are not in a fraternity may (as at most colleges and universities) find it more difficult to get into these types of functions.

There's a vast amount of clubs/organizations....fraternities/sororities that students can get involved in at Mason. The performance arts department is definitely a very successful part of Mason. Our Program Board is a big part of Mason because these students are the ones who provide activities for other students on campus like planning homecoming, Mason Day, concerts, movies....etc.

There is almost always an event, a speaker, or a presentation that is on campus. Most of the time, students can get free tickets, and if not free, then discounted. All are well attended by people on campus as well as those in the area.

Mason offers an endless amount of activities. From Greek life to underwater hockey. You name it, they've got it. The Greek life is somewhat popular at Mason. I had quite a few friends in fraternities and sororities. Mason also has many different religious groups, ethnic groups, club sports, etc. Mason may only have a club football team, but they have a great turnout every season. Our basketball team is phenomenal. When it comes to resident life, yes there are parties every weekend, yes people are up all hours of the night and yes there are plenty of activities to do on weekends that don't involve drinking. Mason plans activities for each weekend to keep students away from drinking. Such things include the on campus movie theater, two game rooms, a late night diner, trips to DC, concerts, shows, etc.