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One thing that I know is happening at Gonzaqga that I wish I wasn't seeing is that we are expanding too much for this city and for our Gonzaga community. It's starting to get harder to get into classes, find housing, and afford to go here. I heard one comment that Gonzaga is slowly becoming the size of a state school with the price of a private school. The small size of Gonzaga is what I was drawn to at Gonzaga.
Brittany Sophomore
The best thing about Gonzaga for me is that it is far away from Michigan. The campus is visually appealing and the people are all really nice and it doesn't take long to make friends (like I thought it would being a transfer junior and all.) One thing I would change about Gonzaga is the office hours of Foley, and not to mention the office hours of the Prof. and staff it is so difficult to get one on one time with the professors.....There are also very little opportunities to get tutors for classes that you are having problems with, everyone takes for granted students, like me, who didn't know anyone and don't know the processes to go through to get help with academics. I think Gonzaga is borderline too small....You see the same people basically everyday and you recognize them...it's less interesting than if I had gone to a larger school in that respect. People react like they are impressed or they mention basketball when they hear that I am going to Gonzaga. I spend most of my time at Foley on campus. Spokane is not a college town at all. I don't have a car this semester and it sucks because everywhere is soooooooooo far away. I don't mind it so much but it really starts to wear you down. I don't know what the biggest controversy on campus was....as far as I know there hasn't been any.....There is a lot of school pride but I feel like it gets carried away sometimes especially at basketball games, kids might get a little carried away and be rude. I don't know if there is anything unusual about Gonzaga, other than the fact that it is over 100 years old which is pretty impressive. I mean you know they're doing something right. Most frequent student complaints would have to be about professors not posting things on blackboard yet they expect us to check it daily. Also, without a car in this city you are lost.
Mark Junior
The best thing about Gonzaga University is it's small size. It correlate into much smaller classes than many Universities and a great student to Professor ratio. Despite the fact that Spokane is a really interesting city, it's not the most exciting place in the world. There aren't many things right around campus - but once you get into the city there is lots to do. Another good thing about GU is the school spirit, which is mostly centered around the basketball team. Everyone gets really excited for games and the NCAA tournament. There is just a really cool basketball culture here that gives Gonzaga a "big university" feel.
Leah Freshman
I have found Gonzaga to be a very rewarding experience. I can walk around the campus and recognize most of the students and feel comfortable always knowing I can find someone I know. Gonzaga has a great reputation and while it is know for its basketball team, the academic reputation is strong as well. I spend most of my time on campus hanging out doing different events with my hall and we are a very close unit of guys that have a very strong friendship. Gonzaga was a big change from San Diego. The weather was quite different but not bad I really enjoyed the snow and the plentiful opportunities to go snowboarding. Also Spokane is not as big but there are things to do such as lasertag, bowling, football in the park to keep you busy. I enjoy it because of the quality people I have met and become friend with and the pride they exude about being a part of the community here.
Matt Freshman
By far the best thing about Gonzaga is the people. GU students are on the whole exceptionally friendly, always making people feel welcome in the community. I also love the size of the school. At a little over 5,000 undergrad students, it is big enough that you will always see new faces and yet small enough that no matter where you go you'll see someone you know. I love this. Also, because of the size of the school, I feel like an individual in my classes about whom the professors legitimately care, not just another number in their gradebook. I do wish that there was a little more diversity on campus (most of the minority students pretty much stick to their own groups). Other than that, however, GU is really an amazing place.
Josie Sophomore
Gonzaga is a great school. It is really well-rounded. We have great sports teams (namely, basketball, but the other sports do well too), there are a lot of extra curriclars for any interest, from the school newspaper, to dance, music, leadership, etc. In general the students are really supportive of other student's projects and clubs and turn-out for events hosted by students or the school is usually really well attended. I think Gonzaga is the perfect size because it is small enough to have a small, intimate classroom size - one where you know your teacher and they know your name - but it is also big enough so that you don't know everyone on campus. Also, spokane is great because it is not a "college town," the city is still alive and hoppin in the summer when school is out. This is great because there are a lot of city/community events that are fun to attend (festivals, concerts, etc.) People in Spokane LOVE Gonzaga students. We get discounts at loads of places, and when you say you go to Gonzaga, people smile and get really interested in you and what you are studying - it is great for networking. The administration at Gonzaga tends to be really conservative. To a fault sometimes. They are set in their ways and do not like change. There are so many offices and different areas of administration, financial aid, registration, etc that dealing with anything outside of the classroom can be frustrating. Despite the administration, I REALLY have enjoyed all of the classes I have taken here, they are interesting and there is a large variety of courses, so I can take what appeals to me. There are many study abroad progams, I really reccomend studying abroad. Gonzaga even has their own satelite campus in Florence, Italy and Paris, France. I went to Florence and had the best year of my life! The school really emphasizes experiential learning, so we traveled a ton in this program and had the opportunity to see many different places and experience many different cultures! On Campus, in Spokane, there are a lot of student activities and events- they do a good job of providing stuff to do outside of the classroom that connects students. Gonzaga does a lot to help with the post-college career situation. They have a career center where you can look for jobs, get your resume reviewed or practice interviewing, they have an online job search where you can post your resume for employers to look at, a mentor program - you can partner with someone in the community who has a career you are interested in and either be trained or observe to see if that career is truly what you want to do. Gonzaga has a lot of school pride and spirit and I have not met one person who has graduated from here and regrets it (although, many leave in debt - it is an expensive school).
Heather Senior
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