George Mason University Top Questions

College town, or "what college town?" Mason is located in Fairfax, VA which is a very large city in Northern Virginia. It is not your average college town because we are so close to everything. There are both good and bad sides to living in Northern Virginia. For example, a great thing is the access to Washington, D.C. which leads us to great internships and job possibilities for the future. The negative thing about being in Fairfax is that we as Mason students don't have the typical college experience of living in a small town, getting away with having parties, etc because George Mason conveniently uses the police service of Fairfax county so they are not as lenient as a smaller town.

It is a large commuter based school, but also many out of state students. Out of state students are mostly from PA, NJ, New England area.

I would change the Greek life here at GMU. I am an active member of Alpha Phi and I can honestly say that President Merten, as well as, all of mason does not recognize greek life because we do not have a greek row or are given the freedom like most other colleges that have greek life. Because the state of Virginia enforces that no more than 6 women in a househould is a brothel, women cannot have greek houses here. Which I believe is insane because thats why most people are attracted to greek life.

I love the size of the university and not knowing every single I walk by on campus. It really helps you extend your social network and reach out to people you may not have normally reached out to in a small school. Also, this university actually offers a lot of fun events for its' students at no cost which is really good for those who are running low on cash but still want to do something. Most of the time, when I tell people I go to this university, I don't really get a reaction. A lot of people still don't know about this school. However, I'm still glad I chose this school. For the most part, the professors are helpful and makes themselves really available to its' students. Also, you really do get to meet people from everywhere.

The best thing about GMU is how they put all the freshman in one area together. I lived in the Park and I had the best time of my life, that was my favorite year by far. You really get to know a lot of people in your class and it helps you to meet people. I would change how much they charge for parking on campus and for how many parking tickets they give out! I would also change where people are allowed to smoke on campus because I always hated walking out of the JC into a huge cloud of smoke, very gross and annoying. The school is getting to be too large for how much space they have. When I tell people I went to GMU, they now know what school I'm talking about since we went to the final four! When I was on campus I spent most of my time in the JC, and other than that, I spent most of my time in the dorms. GMU/fairfax is not a college town at all, that is one major downfall of going here. You don't have as much school spirit coming from the community as you do at other schools. I think GMU's administration is great, I really liked my professors in my Major (Tourism and Events Management). I think there is more school pride now after making the Final Four and then doing pretty well this year. The most frequent student complaints are parking and lack of food choices on campus.

The best thing about GMU is the area for sure! I would change the fact that they are completely unprepared for the growth they encouraged. I think the size is great!!! People are almost always impressed when I tell them where I went to school! I think it's great that being a part of the final 4 two years ago really put us on the map:) When I went there, I spent a lot of time in the JC and my dorm. What college town? I think the administration needs some work. Parking and housing are huge complaints and Mason administration really needs to expedite work on these things or they're gonna find their admission numbers dropping.A

Mason is huge and very diverse. I love the diversity in ethnicities and cultures, but I hate how they dismiss "the majority". White people are sometimes treated like second class in an attempt to overly please minorities. Christians are completely overlooked and often criticized altogether.

1. best thing is our location 2. one thing i would change the people hired as gmu police officers 3. gmu is just right 4. most common reaction "the final four school" 5. most of my time is at student activities, the staff is great 6. what college town, but who needs one with DC so close by 7. i don't think gmu's administration listens to the student body enough 8. one of the benches in the quad area was vandalized 9. depends who you ask, i don't have a lot of school pride but i didn't in high school either 10. i have never encountered anything unusual 11. one experience i will always remember is the first shack-a-thon even during greek week 12. most frequent complaints are parking and food

My best experience was with GMU Intramural Sports. I have learned so much from being a supervisor. I feel that it has prepared me for my future career in law enforecement. I have a tremendous resume and work experience from it. That job would not have been possible at any other university. The people I worked for were very good people.

GMU has a fabulous English Literature department - and for a bit more than $7000 (in-state) a year, it's a nice bargain. GMU is basically a commuter school - there is very little in the way of a 'school community.'