Gonzaga University Top Questions

It is a great college

As a non-traditional transfer student, I was extremely picky in the selection process for my four-year transfer. In the mix, I had some large state schools in Colorado and a few private schools in California. I ended up settling on Gonzaga because they had the smallest class size and ended up giving me the best financial aid package. I couldn't be happier. Because of the small class sizes, you can be sure that every professor will know who you are, and many of them are world-class. While the business program doesn't receive as much attention as it should, I feel this will change as the school grows in size. I will say that as a non-traditional student, it has been slightly more difficult adjusting to the social scene of the school, since there really are very few true "peers." That is starting to change in my third semester however, so I'm withholding judgment on that for now. Finally, if you weren't a basketball fan when you went in, you will be leaving. You owe it to yourself to go to as many games is possible. all are a blast!

I love going to Gonzaga because of the school size. It is the perfect amount of students. Not too big or too small. You can recognize faces in the cafeteria and have some of the same people in your classes which helps make friendships.

Gonzaga is one of the smaller schools, although it is increasing these days (my freshman class was the largest they've ever had). If you go to Gonzaga, know anything about Gonzaga, or are even remotely aware of Gonzaga, you know that there is a TON of school pride. Our basketball games are always packed and some teams refuse to play at our stadium because of the fans, who are high energy and noisy. The reaction I get when I tell people I go to Gonzaga is either "Whoa! Think you could get me tickets to one of the basketball games?" or "You go to Gonzaga? Wow, you must've really done well in school to go there!" One of Gonzaga's perks is that it's a small school, as mentioned earlier. It's located in the middle of Spokane, but it's most definitely not a college town.

The best thing about Gonzaga is something simple, something that most people will glance over and not really notice. It is the fact that everyone holds the door open for everyone else. Something that takes two seconds that really shows how much we care. Honestly, i have walked around many other campuses and it has felt so cold and unfamiliar, especially when you are carrying a ton of stuff and the door gets slammed in your face. GU is welcoming and i can't walk from one side of the campus to the other without seeing 3-4 people i know and LOVE to talk to. I love GU cause it feels like home, even though it is in the middle of spokompton. School Pride is a must and Basketball games make you realize how incredible GU is!

The best part of the gonzaga experience for me has been the academics. I have been in small classes with teachers who really care if I succeed in their classes. The rigorous Chemistry program has helped me earn a sense of accomplishment in terms of home work and test grades.

Gonzaga's been great the two years that I've been there so far. It's got small class sizes (especially my broadcasting classes) and most of the professors are great. Spokane's an ok city to live in. It's got a pretty nice mall and movie theater, but it can get kinda shady downtown after dark, and the city itself isn't as clean as Boise (my hometown), at least in my opinion. The basketball games are a blast, and it's really easy to meet new people at school. Some of the dorms are pretty rundown, and the school tends to spend too much money on "campus beautification." I'm a broadcast major, and we desperately need more cameras for our department, but instead our school spends over a million dollars on a shitty reflecting pool/statue and a walking path that virtually no one uses. My only other quarrel with GU is the COG. The COG is the cafeteria at Gonzaga. The food is awful. You will rarely eat everything on your plate, you will spend a lot of money at Pita Pit instead of using your block meals, you will constantly look at COG food and ask yourself "What is that?", and you will most certainly get diarrhea. Yes it sounds nasty...because it is. Every student has to get a meal plan for the first two years, so choose the bronze plan or any other plan that gives you more flex and less COG meals. Any other GU student will recommend this.

Gonzaga is a pretty fun school. Most people are pretty chill and there are usually things going on. It feels almost like a big coffee shop. Most people like being here, but Spokane is a pretty weak city and the off-campus activities are lacking.

I am a transfer student. I transferred from the University of Redlands in Southern California and the adjustment from Redlands to Gonzaga was difficult for me, but what made it easier was the generousity of the students and faculty that understood the transition that I was going through. When people hear that I attend Gonzaga they tend to be impressed and ask a lot of questions about the difficulty of my studies and how hard I work. I got those questions when I was at Redlands but the reactions are much more impressive now that I go to Gonzaga. Something that I will always remember about Gonzaga is the openness of the student body and the friendly atmosphere provided by the faculty. My advisor is one of my good friends and a previous professor of mine. I'll never forget that the staff knows your name even if you took a class from a professor a year ago, they still remember you and they are always excited when a students just drops by their office to chat about school or something else. Spokane is not a college town, since Gonzaga is close to downtown you get this city life feeling but campus is quite large and the neighborhood is quiet so you also get a sense of a small town. The business' around Spokane are dedicated to Gonzaga, the students and the basketball team and that is something that makes such a large area feel like a tight-knit community.

Gonzaga is a very welcoming place. It's a very tight-knit society to those who fit in to the typical mold. However, someone just concerned with academic matters will likely find this an unsuitable school. The core curriculum is simply insane and does little to help students, especially science majors, to succeed. We, (as in all students), are required to take four years of philosophy, two of religion and history (a VERY limited selection of courses available), as well as a social justice course (hence the socialism part). The administration has set in place a variety of absurd expectations that are aimed at supporting the school and its various departments. For example, they take a students' obligation to purchase a meal ticket for two years as serious as the student's academic obligations. This is the only way that they can support campus dining (yes, it's terrible).