George Mason University Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Jessica

No, because the growing majority of students are not commuters. It is true George Mason University does have a lot of commuters but it is also in the heart of Northern Virginia. Most of the students I know are not commuter students they live on campus for their four years in college.

Brooke

These stereotypes are accurate to some extent. But George Mason students also work on campus as well. Additionally, everyone at this school has a job. Some students have the luxury of focusing on their academic success and participating in several campus events. While students at George Mason are pretty diverse, the diversity isn't seen everywhere on campus. In most classes, the students are still mostly white with one to five minorities for the most part.

Brooke

These stereotypes are accurate to some extent. But George Mason students also work on campus as well. Additionally, everyone at this school has a job. Some students have the luxury of focusing on their academic success and participating in several campus events.

Matt

Ten years ago, yes. Today, however, Mason has over 5,000 beds on campus with 2,000 more expected by 2010. The average GPA of incoming freshmen is above 3.5 and for the first time most applicants are rejected.

Rory

Mostly, with a few notable exceptions.

Patrick

Genesee talks about GMU stereotypes.

Patrick

Chris talks about the stereotypes at GMU

Patrick

Joe talks about the stereotypes at GMU.

Patrick

Steve talks about some stereotypes at GMU.

Patrick

Tim talks about the stereotypes associated with GMU students.

Andy

It does have a large commuter population, but it is important to recognize that the students who do live on campus are very active, so students who chose to live on campus (as I would recommend) will not feel all alone. George Mason is also not a “backup school” or “easy to get into”. Admission is becoming more and more competitive every year. Currently, College Board reports that only 56{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students who apply are accepted, making it an extremely competitive University. (For example, the same source lists Virginia Tech's admission rate at 67{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}).

Nicholas

No

Owen

Sometimes.

Heather

Yes, it's true it was a commuter school, but GMU is quickly changing that. Construction is underway for new research facilities for all the sciences and for new studio space for the fine arts. Also being built are new on campus housing buildings.

Alissa

Mason is certainly not a commuter school anymore. We have grown so much since we became our own university in 1972 that we now have over 30,000 students enrolled at our 4 different campuses. THe image of a commuter school is a thing of the past.

Jess

Not at all

Tim

Absolutely, except for the small crowd who doesn't know any better.

Tiffany

Of course not. George Mason is a university, and a great one at that. We have sports teams and, believe it or not, on-campus housing.

Claire

No. This stereotype could not be any more false. There will be nearly 7,000 students living on campus by the Spring of 2009. We are currently one of the top three residential campuses in Virginia, soon to be in the top 50 in the country. People don't go home on the weekends, they're just not in the dorms because they're around campus participating in activities or in D.C. at a concert, show, or a nice restaurant.

Bevan

yes and yes.

Jordan

some, but ot all I do find that a lot students are well endowed with money Mason also does have a lot of commuter, but campus life is fun as well as the weekends even though sometimes the weekend are dull soemtimes its okay to not have a party going on every weekend

Sara

No they are not, although I do notice that it is not as competitive as many of the schools I've visited, and many students I've noticed are not very focused.

Tate

Yep

Emily

Yes, it's a diverse university and it allows you to meet all kinds of people.

Alex

No

Scarlet

While, yes, most of the students do commute, starting next year the freshman cannot have cars (which will lower the percentage of people living on campus leaving on the weekends). Personally, it's not that big of a deal having people who normally commute not there on the weekends because you'll probably be friends with people who stay around long enough to make friends with you in the first place.

Gene

George Mason is in fact one of the most diverse schools in the nation. It is always growing and is fast becoming more than "just a commuter school."

Jordan

Most people haven't heard of it, so I couldn't say.

Alicia

some.

Renee

The university itself is actually pretty good academically, especially if you enter it with the intentions of getting a quality education and pushing yourself. Also, most of the faculty has a lot of real-world experience that is meaningful in a classroom. The university is also constantly improving its academic status, and it is really trying to make a bigger name for itself. Unfortunately, a lot of the student population does reflect the stereotype. However, there is a wide spectrum of students at Mason, so you'll find a lot of intelligent and driven people here as well. The school is definitely still a commuter school, although there is a concerted effort to make it less so. This is evident in the endless (and often frustrating) amount of construction throughout the campus. For this reason, traffic is frequently atrocious! Also, as a commuter school, it is rather difficult to meet people and get involved on campus (although it is slowly getting better). If you want this kind of involvement, you have to make a deliberate effort to find join clubs or activities.

Alex

No, the education is very good here, with some fantastic professors.

Kelly

We are more known for being a commuter school but it is not all the way true. GMU trys and does make life interesting for students that live on campus with activities like Every Freakin' Friday. It is true that it is hard to get in if you are from Northern Virginia.

Harper

for the most part

Hillary

Hell no! It's just annoying. I'm sure you can already tell that I LOVE mason, right?

Niki

NO

Wade

N/A

Lorie

For the most part some are but you have to go beyond the surface from an individual stand point.

Hanna

I don't think so, we may not be a traditional school, but every GMU student I know loves the location, campus, and most of all the DIVERSITY!

Kelsey

*sometimes

Carson

No. When people sometimes stand up and introduce themselves at the beginning of the semester, they usually say they're from other states or from a southern area of Virginia. And about parking...people complain because they're too lazy to park in the back of the F lot. I always park there and there's plenty of space.

Jimmy

I don't know.

Paul

To some degree, yes it is.

travis

you bet

Lisa

A bit. Many GMU students commute and GMU is very diverse so yeah we'll see groups of asians at a time. There's a campus life but nothing too huge to boast about.

Vinna

Probably.

bobby

yes

Megan

for the most part yes....Mason is a commuter school however, as the years go on, it is becoming less and less of a commuter school by bringing more out-of-state students to live on campus. The social life will increase and turn Fairfax into more of a college town. However that can only happen if they are willing to acknowledge the fact that Mason is the largest college in Virginia. Although I do not know for sure if the stereotype of professors speaking english as their 2nd language is true or not, more than half of my professors have had a very hard time communicating with students to to language barriers. Since we do not have a football team, students do not acknowledge the fact that there are other sports team at Mason. It is starting to increase awareness because of the Final Four back in 2006 and with the Game of the Week emails that are sent out to the student body. And on the last note, i can definitly tell you that for the most part, ALL of the Mason Police Officers could care less about Rape, Stealing, Abuse or Assault Charges and CARE WAY MORE about filling quotas and how many people they can arrest for underage drinking instead of making sure these students are safe while walking back to their dorms.

Roxie

student body is still made up with many commuters. hot guys can be found.

Kat

n/a

Cristina

Some, i have heard of people coming because they like to have a big time team like our basketball team. I just know thats how many of my friends from home knew about Mason, because of us going to the final four.