<p>Im interested in Longwood, James Madison and maybe George Mason. Is George Mason more like a community college setting? I drove around it for about 20 min. (visiting soon) and it just seemed small. And how is it for Chemistry?</p>
<p>yes it is.</p>
<p>George Mason is primarily a commuter school and if I remember correctly, it is one of the most diverse schools in the country. Don't forget how well located George Mason is...............terrific for internships in DC and the surrounding areas. George Mason has one of the top law school's in the country. Longwood is not even in the same category as George Mason...........not even close. George Mason is considered a much more "serious" college and has a much better reputation than Longwood, Radford, etc. JMU is more of the powerhouse of those you listed............but it has it's drawbacks as well. </p>
<p>JMU
George Mason </p>
<p>and way down there is Longwood. Sorry, that's just the way it is in MHO</p>
<p>Consider this about George Mason and ODU for that matter.........when a school of that size is primarily a comuter school and yet has a great reputation...................the students that DO live on campus are actually quite close and bond very well.</p>
<p>um i wouldnt suggest GMU...it is a commuter college and is pretty much like a community college to virginia high school students who couldnt get in anywhere else. ( they are mostly the kids who were not social at all in high school and will continue to live at home. or the more popular ppl who did nothing in school and only got into mason.)..just a perspective from a NoVA kid....i honestly dont know why out of state students come...but i hear there nursing program is really good though.</p>
<p>and the campus is pretty much in the center of a suburban neighborhood..not a very good college experience for those wanting it...unless you go greek..i hear it helps</p>
<p>It is more of a commuter school, but they are trying to break that image. There's been A LOT of construction going on - building new academic and dorm buildings and parking garages. By next year, I think they'll have finished building at least 3 new housing buildings and food/activity areas. If you are planning on entering college in a year or two, definitely visit Mason, they will have much more than they are offering now. We (students now) are just stuck with loud construction noise and traffic detours :.</p>
<p>GMU is not a commuter school anymore, go on campus and you will see for yourself all of the housing they built in the last year. They have built huge blocks of on campus housing and i am not sure on the statistics but its probably around 7,000 -8,000 more on campus students now than before. It’s a huge school near the DC area and is growing dramatically. The on campus gyms are amazing and beautiful looking.</p>
<p>Gym is very nice, I second that.</p>
<p>I just got back from George Mason orientation with my son. I can assure you that George Mason isn’t a commuter school anymore. We met students from California, Colorado, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire. They claim to have students from 48 states. Based on the few people I spoke with, this is trues. 1900 freshmen are living on campus - in dorms that are brand new and beautiful. There are students who do commute, but there are many that dorm and stay there on weekends also. By the way, we are not from Virgina!</p>
<p>DS is considering GMU from out of state. Would welcome any updated feedback about whether it feels more like a commuter campus or a traditional college campus.</p>
<p>Twenty years ago, it was a commuter school. Today, no way. I know people commute there, but the kids from the NOVA high school my kids attend live on campus. Lots of alumni support too, which bodes well from a career perspective and also says a lot about how people feel about the school. It’s on my son’s list for next year’s applicants but he would absolutely not go if he had to commute. My D has several friends (seniors now) who are thrilled to be going-and living- there next fall.</p>
<p>Likewise - GMU has changed radically, even in the last five years. Certainly not a commuter school.</p>
<p>GMU is not a commuter school anymore! That is an outdated concept. GMU has grown dramatically for the better in recent years and that is why it always lands on top of the “up and coming universities” list of U.S. News & World Report. Like any state university there will be students from the nearby area, but most of these kids live on campus these days even if they could commute. The dorms are new & nice and thousands of students live in them. Virginia recently released information about the value of Virginia colleges and GMU came out very well - with computer science grads earning over 60,000 the first year after graduation and psychology majors over 40,000 - other Virginia colleges had higher tuition and lower starting salaries for their grads. There are more top students attending Mason now and many more living on campus. The University has also put active effort into making sure there are activities going on on weekends - they call it Weeknds @ Mason.</p>
<p>I would agree that you will get a complete college experience at GMU now. There will always be commuters because it is situated in the most educated part of the country and people demand educational opportunities. The typical commuter is a 30 year old engineer from UVA or Va Tech that is working on his/her MBA. So, even if continues to have the commuter moniker - it is fading, it’s not your average commuter school.</p>