EA Decisions Thread!

The finalists will be notified in mid-January and invited to participate and come to Mason on February 23 and 24 to participate in the final, on-campus stage of University Scholars selection. If you are a finalist, you will be notified via an email sent to the account you provided on your application, so please check that account.

@raclut I’m curious about University Scholars selection. My son was accepted to the Honors program and has been invited to come to Mason on the 22nd and 23rd for two different events. However, he has never received anything that specifically discussed University Scholars or interviews. I’m going to assume this means he was not selected as a finalist for this opportunity. He has a 1530 SAT score (not superscored)/SAT Subject test in Math II was a 780, as well as two other very high SAT subject test scores for Chemistry and World History/straight A’s/Commended National Merit Scholar/AP Scholar with Distinction/National Honor Society/Spanish Honor Society/Many leadership positions in other organizations/Co-Captain of his swim team and MVP Sophomore and Junior years. Plus volunteering and more. His schedule this year is 5 AP classes, a forensics/chemistry class, and a class at the Community College in Calculus III because he ran out of math classes that he could take at his High School. He was not offered any merit either. Just curious as to what it takes for Mason to offer Merit or to be invited to be selected to compete for University Scholars.

@VAMom2019 My daughter has almost identical stats and similar EC profile and was also not invited to interview for University Scholars. She was offered a $15,000 scholarship but we are out of state so that is just to help align the cost with in state tuition. It seems that the pool of students must be very competitive.

@jenna99 Congrats to your daughter on her accomplishments. Yes, I’m sure you are correct, that it’s a competitive pool. I can’t help but be curious as to what they are looking for with University Scholars. I wish there was more information on how they choose the applicant pool.

@VAMOM2019 I am surprised to hear that. Were you invited to honors college orientation on those days? I would contact the school directly about the scholars program because it appears your son would qualify. Is he genuinely interested in attending the school? Did he portray that in his essays and talk about how he wants to make a difference in the community? I would think he would qualify for merit at least. Is this his first choice school? I am wondering if they may have thought this applicant will not likely attend if offered due to high stats and the fact he may get better offers elsewhere.

@raclut Yes, the event he was invited to on the 23rd is the Honors College program and the event on the 22nd I believe is a general tour/event. My son applied to four colleges. All the schools he applied to are schools he’d be happy to attend. He’s a practical kid. If one were to offer money, it might win over the others. Otherwise, there is one he might choose over the others, if no money is offered. So far he’s been accepted to two and we’re waiting on two.

The Honors College event is a chance for all those accepted into the honors program to attend a reception and hear all about it from current participants. I believe parents can also attend and you’ll be given the opportunity to ask questions there. A lot of the applicants attending may not actually decide to enroll at GMU so you may at first feel it is a crowded event. In reality less than 200 students per class enroll in the honor’s college program. I will say the opportunity to have priority registration is a big plus and along with that the student will also have an honors college adviser along with their dept adviser.

@raclut I definitely agree that there are perks to the Honors program. It does add to the appeal.

GMU has approximately 36,000 students but by participating in the honors college you get the small school feel with the smaller classes (25 students) and personal attention given to the students. There are also special opportunities to work on research and community development projects. It’s nice to know your teacher and have them know you. Wouldn’t expect that at a big public school but this is one of the advantages of participating in the program. There is also a separate study lounge for these students.

We just came back from the University Scholars weekend and we were very, very impressed. My son has also gotten early admittance to the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, but if he gets the University Scholar award, there is going to be some serious discussion about Mason. I want him to be a part of that crew. He already received a 15k merit scholarship, but will still take on debt if he doesn’t get the University Scholar. And if he’s taking on significant debt, he will do that at Georgetown over Mason. He was also a semi-finalist for the Jefferson Scholarship at UVA.

He profiles as:
SAT I 1530
Major: International Politics
ACT: none
GPA: 4.5
Class Rank: #4 out of approximately 520
AP (if applicable): Will have 12 AP classes under his belt when done. Got 5s on all 7 tests he took so far
Honors:Several
ECs: Many, including being an intern with a NJ Assemblyman and the Finance campaign for a US Congressman
Any other: Many hours of community service including working in inner city Detroit and the refugee population in Houston.

I’m wondering how others felt about the University Scholar weekend???

Being a University Scholar is an exceptional opportunity. He would be awarded four years of tuition and I believe not more than 20 students get selected for it. Wonderful opportunity at such a diverse school.

The diversity itself was something that additionally caught both his and my eye. Do you have experience with the school?

Yes my child graduated from there this past year. DC is just a metro ride away. He would have opportunities to do internships there with all the embassies in the area and the World Bank as well.
The area around the campus is surrounded by law offices because there is a courthouse so close by. The county as a whole is a very multicultural area. There are also opportunities to study abroad.

Thanks for the information! We are hopeful to hear by Friday or Monday at the latest.

My son just got a scholarship from Georgetown too, so we are hoping we hear from Mason today!

I have family members and friends that have attended Georgetown and UVA. It’s a very different vibe than GMU. It really depends on what you are looking for. For each student fit is important. My suggestion would be to visit both schools and take a chance to sit in on some classes and talk to current students. You will get a feeling of the culture of each campus and will be able to come to a decision. Also think of post graduate plans. If there is a possibility of attending grad school for further education take as less debt for undergrad if possible. For example students planning on medicine or law school want to graduate from undergrad debt free if possible. UVA has a very different vibe than GMU. Take all of this into consideration when making your final decision.

Thanks for the advice. We are. He has already sat in a class at GU during his junior year in HS. He does indeed have post graduate plans… but he also may have a year under his belt due to AP tests… so a lot to consider! We are going to GU for the weekend for the early admitted students in late March, so I feel we will know a lot after then.

Unfortunately, we have not heard back from GMU. We were hoping to hear by Friday or Monday the latest as they stated. As impressed as I was, maybe it’s not meant to be! I feel like we would have heard already.

This forum is a great way to get me thinking… thank you! Plus we are still waiting to hear from 10 of the 14 schools he applied to. (Yes, I got suckered into letting him apply to 14 schools. He’s my first. Won’t make that mistake again!)

If he has applied to 14 schools the challenge is portraying genuine interest in attending a school. Hopefully he was able to convey that interest in his interviews.

I was accepted!

Major: Tourism and Event Management

SAT I (if applicable): 1040
GPA: 3.59
Class Rank: 349/582
Honors: All County/District Band
ECs: Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Youth Symphony, Beta Club

Strengths: Kept grades up in classes
Weaknesses: SAT

My son found out he is a “University Scholar”! We are thrilled! George Mason is now my #1!