George Mason visit - Day 2
Today was the day of our George Mason campus visit. We arrived (late) at the Johnson Center (home of the Admissions department) and joined our tour (already in progress) led by bright enthusiastic student Ambassadors, who answered parent and prospective student's questions.
After a walk around the campus where the dorms and major academic buildings were pointed out, we grabbed lunch at the Johnson Center and hit the bookstore for GMU t-shirts and the like.
We wandered over to the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering, where we were fortunate enough to catch up with the Associate Chair of the department. She sat and talked with us about the program for a good 30 minutes -- not bad for having no appointment.
We left extremely impressed and pleased with our choice of George Mason. All this is beginning to get real for youngest son.
As it was only about 2:45, we headed into DC via the Metro. Students can take the free GMU shuttle to the Vienna/Fairfax station but we drove to the station.
We took the Metro to the Smithsonian stop, then stayed at the Museum of American History until closing. We hit an exhibit on Lincoln which, not unexpectedly was informative and entertaining. I've found as much as one knows about history, there is always more you don't know. We were chased (gently) from the exhibit on America's wars by guards telling us it was time to leave. We'll be back today. One other surprise -- the portrait within a portrait within a portrait of Stephen Colbert hung by one of the elevators. I noticed many people posed for pictures with Stephen!
After a walk around the campus where the dorms and major academic buildings were pointed out, we grabbed lunch at the Johnson Center and hit the bookstore for GMU t-shirts and the like.
We wandered over to the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering, where we were fortunate enough to catch up with the Associate Chair of the department. She sat and talked with us about the program for a good 30 minutes -- not bad for having no appointment.We left extremely impressed and pleased with our choice of George Mason. All this is beginning to get real for youngest son.
As it was only about 2:45, we headed into DC via the Metro. Students can take the free GMU shuttle to the Vienna/Fairfax station but we drove to the station.
We took the Metro to the Smithsonian stop, then stayed at the Museum of American History until closing. We hit an exhibit on Lincoln which, not unexpectedly was informative and entertaining. I've found as much as one knows about history, there is always more you don't know. We were chased (gently) from the exhibit on America's wars by guards telling us it was time to leave. We'll be back today. One other surprise -- the portrait within a portrait within a portrait of Stephen Colbert hung by one of the elevators. I noticed many people posed for pictures with Stephen!
We and our fellow museum buffs spilled out on the Mall. Looking one way, you could see the Congress building, the other way, the Washington Monument. We chose the Washington Monument.
As an aside, I'd only been to Washington once before, about 15 years ago. That trip I focused on art museums. This time - no art.
We walked from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, lingering for a while at the World War II Memorial. My dad was in the Navy during that conflict, and I wanted some pictures for him of the memorial with his grandson.
We finally trudged back to a Metro Station and at dinner at the Union Station Mall before heading back, footsore and in awe, to Fairfax.
Comments
I can't wait to go back!
You are correct - it's awe-inspiring to be so close to so much history.