George Mason University Campus Experience

I am an international student (Mason Patriot) here at GMU (George Mason University) and this is a review of the university, from the same perspective.

University Life:

The University is huge, with almost 800 acres across four campuses, the largest of which is the Fairfax campus and you will end up here most of the time. There are interesting events every week. If you register for the right services, your mailbox will be full of emails inviting you to them. For international students, there are excellent services provided by OIPS. Owing to its location, the university has a higher per-credit cost if you are paying out-of-state tuition, which shoots up your budget. There is a lot of quality research going on along the lines of Computer Science. They have an excellent faculty for teaching Artificial Intelligence, which has currently got everyone interested. Additionally, they have good ties with government agencies here in DC, and the university keeps getting funds for research generously. I can say apart from CS, other streams are progressing equally and the university is rising through the ranks every year.

Life in Fairfax/DC:

Fairfax is a rich neighborhood and is cited in the top three richest counties in the US. This is the reason the cost of living is high. I am sharing the apartment so that doesn’t cost as much as if you would want to go for a single-family home. There is a lot to explore around Fairfax – Luray Caves, Great Falls, and Shenandoah Valley for example are excellent places to spend a weekend. There are a lot of places to hike too. The nightlife in Fairfax is okayish, they got a few pubs downtown but the college people generally end up in DC for the weekends. Proximity to DC helps in every possible way, even here. There is an excellent public transport service in and around Fairfax, which can take you to almost anywhere you want to travel. The metro service is new and expanding. Since the city is on the way from Dulles Airport to DC, connectivity is not an issue.

Part-Time Jobs

As the university is huge, there are 100’s on-campus jobs, right from Help Desk to Graduate Research Assistants, you can choose a job from multiple streams as you like. Plus there are the dining halls and fast-food chains where you can work too. The size of the university has created a lot of opportunities for the students.

Full-Time Job Scenario:

Mason has a lot of advantages of being located in the elite suburbs of DC in Fairfax. There is a huge IT corridor between Dulles Airport and DC which includes many high-tech companies. But a big chunk of them requires GC or USC because they are federal contractors. Apart from this, the DC Metro Area (Northern Virginia, DC, and Parts of Maryland) is turning out to be a huge market and there are a lot of opportunities if you strike the right chord.

Overall, the experience is great and the life here closely aligns with the city where I come from has helped me settle down quickly.