There's some stuff in your thread I agree with, and some I disagree with... I agree with your points about Mason not being the best choice for someone going into STEM. Though one of the things it does give is opportunity. Out of various schools in the nation, we're one of the only one Lockheed Martin, a very respected aerospace and defense company, recruit from. I disagree with the fact that you seem to be actively picking fights and taking the opposite side (in this case Virginia Tech) on an internet forum, specifically the forum of said school you are badmouthing. If you wanna trash talk any school, go ahead, but seriously on the /r/gmu subreddit? Anyway, this is my two cents, maybe i'll get you to see things in a different light, or maybe i'm wasting my time., we'll see.
What sets Mason apart from other Universities is that they actively recognize the negative reputation they have built with being associated as a commuter school, and are striving to change that image. This past year they required all Freshman to live on campus first year, with special exceptions to those within commuting distance. I agree, Mason isn't the most prestigious overall, but in the NOVA area? Its location and bang for the buck isn't that bad. Some people just want their degree and to get out, and others want that college experience. You're the latter, I get that, but even so, think about it. Has Mason been THAT bad for you? You haven't made friends here or gone out to the events, enjoyed spirit week, or ordered some Panera for lunch? You haven't griped through finals like we all have, or talked with some of the nice staff we have here, or spent time around downtown Fairfax? I mean.... do you have friends you chill out with at the JC or do you like scurry off of Campus as soon as your classes finish 'cause you harbor so much hatred for an institution that's actually trying to be better for its students? Or have you TRIED giving yourself that college experience you claim GMU has "robbed" you of? Sounds like more of a personal failure to me. That ain't Mason's fault.
Regardless, the main complaints I have for Mason is that the housing could be better, the dining halls aren't too great, and the advisers/councilors could be better. Other than that this is a pretty solid university to have on your resume, especially for those looking to get into private sector work. Despite all this rambling i've done my conclusion is that generally, Mason isn't the hell-hole your comments are making it out to be. This isn't like Radford or something (sorry RU fans!) nor is it Harvard. But thats the point - we aren't a pure party school that doesn't care to clean up its image nor a 60k a SEMESTER university that bleeds you for money. It's already well known how fucked up American upper-level education can be, would you really want to spend an extra 50k potentially on your education? For the same type of degree? No matter where you go anyway, I know for the most part CS is a lot of teaching yourself code and logic. A good programmer isn't one that knows 100 languages, but one that can quickly and flexibly learn new ones to keep up with the demands/trends of the tech industry. In the end is an Ivy League really worth being a debt slave for the rest of your life? I mean CS is already as over saturated as it is, so you're competing with people across the entire world...
With this all i'm trying to say is for your education, it doesn't matter where you go for your bachelors. Over 70% of students today who graduate from High School will go to college anyway. And in Virginia, a good chunk of those will end up at Mason. Getting a bachelors isn't special anymore. Just do it at a place that A. You enjoy, and B. Gets you the connections you want; since you are ultimately paying for it, unless you got a sugar daddy. It isn't about how high its rankings are, its what your satisfaction is with the school. Mason wasn't a good fit for you, I get that, but just chill man. Look back on your experiences. You make it sound like it was Auschwitz or something.
Double checking one more time I see you also talk a lot about the English language/Latin in this thread here... are you sure you are interested in CS? Cause being legit here, if that isn't truly where your heart lies, you are going to hate it. I assume you go to Tech now, and while that's fine and dandy, why do you keep pressing the fact its better than us on paper? Yeah okay, its ranking is higher since Mason has literally been around maybe a few decades. In all honesty you should probably go into Political Science or something of the sort cause you seem to like to argue... pick a better argument than reiterating the fact Mason was so terrible to you. If it was then clean out those skeletons in your closet, focus on VT, and find a more productive way to spend your summer than bitching on reddit