Category: Uncategorized

Is your student nervous about transitioning to college and taking on the many challenges first-year students can face? Mason’s Peer Student Success Coaching program is here to help!

This free program pairs incoming freshmen with current undergraduate students who have already completed two or more years at Mason. These coaches have already experienced the demands the first year of college can bring, and they work closely with students to help them adjust to life at Mason. Peer Student Success Coaches can help students:

• Explore their strengths and interests
• Integrate their learning (including experiential opportunities and internships)
• Connect with people and resources
• Create and implement action plans to achieve their personal, academic, and professional goals

With a coach at your student’s side, he or she will always have someone in their corner. Coaches respond to questions and concerns right away, check in frequently, provide motivation, and help students to stay motivated and accountable to their unique goals and aspirations. To apply for coaching, encourage your student to visit studentsuccess.gmu.edu to complete an application.

If your student has already completed two or more years at Mason and is interested in coaching an incoming freshman, encourage him or her to apply for the position in the spring when applications open. For more information, visit studentsuccess.gmu.edu or email psscoach@gmu.edu.

Sally Lorentson, Ed.D.
Assistant Dean
University Life

Housing and Residence Life is excited to welcome students and families back to Mason soon! We will welcome our first-year residents to campus on Thursday, August 24 and our upperclass residents back on Saturday, August 26.

Since move-in is right around the corner, we want to make sure you understand Mason’s move-in day procedures. All students are assigned a move-in date, time, and campus entry point; students will receive this information in their Mason email. Move-in times are also posted on the Housing and Residence Life website. Be sure to arrive at the appropriate entrance and at your student’s assigned time to ensure you have access to move-in help from volunteers and the greatest availability of moving bins.

When can my student check in?

Freshmen & transfer students

• All freshmen students may check in on Thursday, August 24 at or after their assigned check-in time.
• All transfer students may check in on Saturday, August 26 at or after their assigned check-in time.
• Please view assigned check-in times here. All check-in times are based on your student’s housing assignment.
• Attending Orientation on Wednesday, August 23? All first-year and transfer students registered for orientation on Wednesday, August 23 may check-in on Wednesday, August 23 after orientation is completed. Please check in for move-in at your student’s neighborhood desk.

Returning residents

• Returning students may check in on Saturday, August 26 at or after their assigned check-in time.
• Please view assigned check-in times here. All check-in times are based on your student’s housing assignment.

Can my student check in early?
Freshman students are not allowed to check in early unless participating in a university-sponsored activity or registered and attending the August 23 orientation.

Any upperclass student who successfully volunteers for freshmen move-in as part of our Move Crew will be able to arrive early. Students who wish to sign up to be a Move Crew volunteer can do so here.

Where does my student check in?
Check-in for all freshmen on Thursday, August 24 is centralized via neighborhood until 4 p.m. It is important to follow directions and enter campus as instructed for your student’s assigned neighborhood. View and download move-in maps of each neighborhood here.

• If your student is assigned to the Shenandoah Neighborhood (all Presidents Park buildings), you are to enter campus via Braddock Road onto Roanoke River Lane into Lot C. Look for signs and volunteers. You will remain in your car for check-in and then proceed to your area for unload.
• If your student is assigned to the Rappahannock Neighborhood (Commons, Piedmont, Commonwealth, Dominion), you are to enter campus via University Drive and proceed to park in the Rappahannock parking deck. Your student will exit your vehicle and check-in will be in person at Hanover.

If you and your student arrive to campus for move-in after 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, please park your vehicle in a campus visitor lot and proceed by foot to the neighborhood desk of your student’s assignment. Here your student will receive a temporary parking permit to use during move-in.

• Shenandoah Neighborhood (all Presidents Park buildings): Eisenhower Desk
• Rappahannock Neighborhood (Commons, Piedmont, Commonwealth, Dominion): Piedmont Desk

Upperclass move-in
Upperclass move-in is on Saturday, August 26 and will take place in the building where your student is assigned until 4 p.m. Vehicles should be parked in a lot adjacent to your student’s building. Your student will then be able to proceed by foot to the building where he or she will receive a temporary parking permit for move-in.

If you and your student arrive to campus for move-in after 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, please park your vehicle in a campus visitor lot and proceed by foot to the neighborhood desk of your student’s assignment. Here your student will receive a temporary parking permit to use during move-in.

• Shenandoah Neighborhood (Liberty Square and Potomac Heights): Eisenhower Desk
• Rappahannock Neighborhood (Hampton Roads, Blue Ridge, Sandbridge, Piedmont, Tidewater, Northern Neck, Eastern Shore): Piedmont Desk
• Aquia Neighborhood (Townhouses, Student Apartments, Rogers, Whitetop): Whitetop Desk
• Mason Global Center Desk

If you have any questions, please contact Housing and Residence Life at (703) 993-2720 or housing@gmu.edu. We can’t wait to welcome you and your student to Mason!

Melissa Thierry
Associate Director, Housing Services
Housing and Residence Life

August 24	Freshman Move-In Day
August 24-25	The Preamble
August 26	Upperclass Move-In Day
August 26-September 16	Welcome2Mason
August 28	First day of classes
August 28	Tuition and fee payment deadline
August 30	Part-Time Job Fair

Whether you are preparing to send your student to college for the first or fourth time this fall, it is normal to have questions about the transition. To help answer some of the most frequently asked questions, we have highlighted some trending topics below:

How will my student know which textbooks to buy, and where should he or she buy them?
Students can visit George Mason University’s bookstore online or in person in the Johnson Center on the Fairfax campus to find out what materials are required for each class. George Mason University’s Barnes and Noble Bookstore price matches Amazon.com, bn.com and local competitors to ensure your student gets the best deal on textbooks. For most materials, students have the option to rent or buy used or new textbooks. Renting or buying used versions usually help to cut costs. More information about textbook rentals can be found here. When purchasing or renting materials online, your student has the option to ship to his or her address, or arrange pick-up at the on-campus bookstore. More information about payment, shipping and delivery options can be found here.

What happens if my student is waitlisted for a class?
If your student is waitlisted for a course, he or she should check their waitlist status daily in anticipation of an override that would allow him or her to register for the course. Waitlist overrides are issued as students drop from classes. When an override is granted, an automated email from the Registrar’s Office will be sent to your student’s Mason email address. Once an override is granted, students will only have 72 hours to register for the course. Students can then follow these directions to register with the waitlist override.

Some important reminders about waitlist procedures:

• Not all courses offer a waitlist
• Your student’s waitlist position does not guarantee issuance of a waitlist override
• The last waitlist overrides are issued three days before the semester begins
• All waitlists are purged on the first day of the semester

For more information about waitlists, visit the Registrar’s website.

Which meal plan is best for my student?
Choosing a meal plan will depend on whether your student lives on or off campus, and if your student has access to a full kitchen or not. For all freshman and sophomores living on campus without a full kitchen in their room, the Independence Dining Plan is required. This plan gives students unlimited access to all three dining halls on the Fairfax campus and includes additional bonus dollars that can be used at any of the on-campus retail dining locations. The Liberty Meal Plan is designed for juniors and seniors, and includes a designated number of meal swipes for dining halls and a set amount of flex dollars that can be used at all on-campus dining locations.

Additional meal plans are available to meet the needs of students who live off-campus or on-campus in a residence hall where meal plans are not required. These additional meal plans feature tax-free dollars to be used at on-campus dining locations. More information about meal plan options can be found on the Dining website.

While transitioning to college and for the duration of your student’s time at Mason, Orientation and Family Programs and Services is here to serve as a centralized resource for you. If you have additional questions, or if we can help in any way, please call (703) 993-2475 or email families@gmu.edu.

Lindsey Conner
Project Coordinator
Orientation and Family Programs and Services