火爆社区

With the 鈥渘ation鈥檚 capital in its backyard,鈥� George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia offers 鈥渟trong academics鈥� combined with proximity to a bustling center of industry and innovation. Mason prepares its students to enter by offering a 鈥渓arge variety of academic programs鈥� and providing a solid infrastructure that is 鈥渃onstantly growing鈥� and 鈥減roviding many excellent opportunities for students,鈥� including research opportunities for undergraduates. The 鈥渉umanities and economics draw on the local Washington D.C. talent鈥� 鈥渁nd the engineering school has an 鈥渁dvanced鈥� IT program that 鈥淚s developed with concentrations in information security, healthcare, networking, and more.鈥� Students note that 鈥渏obs in all the fields that Mason provides are just within a 10-mile radius of campus,鈥� including 鈥渢op tech companies,鈥� which 鈥渃ome to Mason because there is a huge Mason alumni community in the Northern Virginia area.鈥� One grateful student notes 鈥渋t was easy to transfer to with NOVA鈥檚 Pathway Program鈥� because they had an 鈥渆asy outline of what classes I needed to take at NOVA to transfer over and pursue a certain degree.鈥�

This is one school where 鈥渄iversity鈥� is truly an accurate term in all its breadth. Students choose Mason for this wide representation of culture and experience. 鈥淎s a first-generation student of color,鈥� one student says, 鈥淚 think representation is integral to creating a sense of belonging. Because I could see myself reflected in the students, I chose Mason because I knew that I wouldn鈥檛 be bothered or feel like I was the minority.鈥� There is a 鈥渓arge population of immigrant-heritage students, international students, and students from almost every state in the United States,鈥� and the 鈥渓ittlest differences like different name spellings, accents, dress, and more importantly, different political ideas and perspectives are respected and acknowledged, and even more so, celebrated here at Mason.鈥� While there are 鈥渕any students who entered straight from high school...there are also many students who are already working and are returning to school as well as many international students.鈥� The 鈥渃ampus keeps growing, housing over 6,000 residents,鈥濃�攐f the 38,000 or so total students. 鈥淒ue to the enormous and intimidating physical size of GMU, the school offers many ways for students to feel included and engage themselves in extracurricular activities should they choose to do so,鈥� one student offers.

With Washington, D.C. just 鈥渁 metro ride away,鈥� 鈥渢he majority of students at Mason are commuters,鈥� meaning 鈥渕any of them are not very involved.鈥� Even in the 鈥渃lose-knit layout of the main campus,鈥� in fact, even for on-campus residents, most campus life happens off campus, including the partying, since fraternities are off-campus. There are many social clubs and organizations, however, with 鈥渕ost students taking part in several.鈥� Examples include the a cappella group and swing dancing. Many also 鈥渕eet to practice for competitions, including the Indian dance troupe.鈥� Mason has a 鈥渇ree shuttle bus that takes students to the metro鈥� for activities in D.C. The Johnson Center is another 鈥渕ajor place that students spend time: there is a food court, a library, meeting rooms, kiosks, the cinema, and huge study areas.鈥� Students will also 鈥済o to one of the three gyms on campus and work out; a lot of people bike around campus.鈥�

Students receive 鈥済reat career service support鈥� from faculty and staff at George Mason University (GMU). Career Services connects students with employers via the Handshake platform and networking events, and also schedules 鈥渓ots of guest speakers and opportunities to engage with experts in the field.鈥� They also offer the Clearance Ready Program to students who wish to prepare for positions in national intelligence at federal agencies or government contractors.

Inside the classroom, passionate professors demonstrate a willingness to adapt to the job market, involve students in research, and connect them to real-world experiences like 鈥渨orking with clients and gaining materials to show companies.鈥� One student raves that their department 鈥渋s amazing and really goes the extra step to help students succeed academically and career-wise.鈥� Micro-internships, internships, and 鈥渃ountless opportunities for鈥�research and mentoring鈥� pay off: the number one way GMU graduates find jobs is by turning an internship into a permanent position. Many agree that the proximity to the D.C. area鈥檚 top companies provides a significant advantage in the job search, which merely amplifies the university鈥檚 strong alumni presence. One student is 鈥渘ot worried about getting a job here because I know how influential the Mason community is [in] this area.鈥� Students surveyed by PayScale.com reported a median starting salary of $60,700, and 49 percent felt their work is making a meaningful impact.