any opinions on GMU would be very helpful. I just want to get the idea of what they’re reputation is.
My S loves GMU and it’s one of his top school picks. It’s located near DC but in a nice area of Fairfax so there’s tons of internship & job opportunities nearby. It’s also a very diverse school and offers many different majors. As for reputation, it use to be kind of a so-so school but each year it seems to get more competitive. I think I read that the average gpa of incoming freshman is around 3.5 & the average SAT score is around 1710. I also read that nationally it’s one of the top 10 up and coming schools in the country. There are about 5000 students living on campus so there are things to do on campus on the weekends. The students we know who are there love it and my S got a very good vibe during both of our visits.
My son is in his 3rd year at GMU and has loved it. GMU is definitely improving its reputation every year with new majors such as a BS in Cyber-security, and they are usually ranked #1 in Up and Coming Universities.
@bookmouse — I think I saw your name on another Mason thread. I posted on the other thread asking for any tips about the first year. My son will start there this fall. He wants to do Computer Science but got waitlisted at Tech. After Tech, GMU was the clear second choice from Virginia schools in what he wants to do. Not sure if you can remember back to your son’s first year, but any tips to make the transition easier would be appreciated!
Hello Jughaid, congratulations to your son. My number one tip for him is to get involved and take advantage of all the opportunities at Mason (or whichever college he winds up at). Right away he can join the SRCT, a student run computing and technology group that is organizing Mason’s first Hackathon, among other great projects. He’ll meet other students and start doing some cool stuff. He should attend as many of the Engineering School events as he can- there are many- and meet as many faculty members and students as possible. Apply for the scholarships (one application will get him considered for any Mason scholarship for which he qualifies, though there are more available for upperclassmen). Research internship opportunities early and keep applying- he shouldn’t be discouraged if he don’t hear back from the first batch, just keep plugging away until a “yes” materializes. Good luck!
Sorry - decided to start new thread instead of hijacking this one.
@bookmouse — thanks for all the info. I think he will like the SRCT group…that’s a great tip. I am not in the CS world (it’s a wonder I can get on this site!) but it all appears to be similar to the art world: a portfolio of some sort will get you jobs/internships more than simply the degree. Unfortunately, we can’t make the April 19 open house for new students, so our first time back will probably be orientation in June. Did you (or anyone else reading) attend their student’s orientation days? I’m trying to figure out if the parents have to be there for the whole time or if we drop him off.
Jughaid, I think the parents and students split into separate groups for the orientation. So you could certainly all go, or you could drop your son off. I went just because I wanted to attend, but I don’t think it was necessary. Certainly my son was more interested in hanging out with his new roommates than his parents!