Gonzaga University Top Questions

Gonzaga is a university dedicated to the whole person~ mind, body, and spirit. As such they promote education and participation in religious studies, in athletics, and of course in academics. There is a strong emphasis on service and the students respond freely and with much gusto because at GU we log huge numbers of community service hours. It is one of my favorite aspects about GU. The school is just the right size--not to big so that you never see a face you know, and not too small so that you see too many faces you know. When people hear that I go to Gonzaga they always respond with positive feedback--o thats a great university, great basketball team ect. The alumni network is huge as well, it seems like no matter where I go I run into GU alumni who help out with info, directions or what ever I need! GU is for life! Gonzaga pride is unrivaled!

Gonzaga is a small school with a high teacher to student ratio which allows you to get to know your professors and fellow students well. They offer loads of extra curriculars and opportunities to get involved in the community and school. You are required to live on campus for two years, which further promotes a close knit community. The facilities are being updated and the campus is gorgeous. Spokane is not the most wonderful of cities but it has all of the necessities and the more you get to know it the better you like it. The surrounding area of mountains and Lake Coeur d'Alene make it a great place to get out and experience.

The neighborhood that Gonzaga is located in is a bit sketchy, the greater Spokane area on the other hand is full of friendly people and has a nice feel to it. The campus itself is nice and tight knit. You don't have to go very far to get to any of your classes and the campus is flat so you don't have to deal with hills.

its the right size people think basketball when they hear gonzaga, but there is more to it then that i spend most of time at Crosby and in GSBA - gonzaga student body association there is a lot of school spirit guys are really UGLY Spokane is even uglier

The best thing about Gonzaga is the community of students - "Zags". I feel that all of the students at Gonzaga are connected through our mutual love for this school. If we didn't like it here, we sure as heck wouldn't be paying this kind of money for an education that we didn't appreciate. I love how much "at home" I feel when I'm here. I think Gonzaga does an excellent job of making you feel like you belong. If I had to change one thing about Gonzaga, it would probably be its location. I'm not too thrilled about the fact that we're in downtown Spokane, but at the same time, the location of Gonzaga very much contributes to Gonzaga's identity. Gonzaga is JUST RIGHT, when it comes to its size. When I was considering Gonzaga as a senior in high school, the size was definitely one of the bases of its appeal. The good thing about Gonzaga's size is that you can go anywhere on campus at almost any point throughout the day, and you're more than likely going to run into someone you know - that wouldn't happen at a large state school, unless you're REALLY popular! :) On the flip-side, though, Gonzaga isn't so small that you feel like people are always in your business. You can still retain a sense of privacy, while also feeling like everyone you know is VERY closeby. It's perfect. The response I get most when I tell people that I go to Gonzaga is, "Ooh, that's a pretty good school!" Gonzaga certainly isn't Yale, Stanford or Harvard, but I do believe that it's gaining status in the higher-education world. Most people also question me about my opinions on Spokane. Spokane is definitely not my FAVORITE place, but it provides a new experience for me, which is a good thing. I spend a lot of my time on campus in my dorm, or in Crosby Student Center. There are always so many activities planned in the residence halls, that it's fun sometimes to just stay in and participate in the activities. This applies to all of campus, too, actually. There isn't much of a need to leave campus, because there is always so much to do ON campus. I would say that Spokane is and isn't a college town. The thing that's great about Spokane is that the entire city (and it's a large one - the biggest one between Seattle and Minneapolis, actually...) rallies behind Gonzaga, and you will see a LOT of "Go Zags!" signs in windows of houses throughout Spokane. It's really cool to see. But, at the same time, Gonzaga isn't the ONLY thing that Spokane has to offer, and I don't think that Spokane is defined by Gonzaga. I simply think that Gonzaga adds to Spokane's appeal. :) Often, the administration at Gonzaga gets a bad rap, as they are seen from the outside as "money-hungry." I would say that this is and isn't true. The goal of Gonzaga's administration from a realistic standpoint, is that they need to make sure Gonzaga can stay alive. This does require money. Father Spitzer has many plans to increase the endowment of Gonzaga, and although that makes him appear very "money-hungry," this endowment will ultimately go toward projects for the students (i.e. new dormitories, greater funding for internships/financial aid, etc.). Gonzaga has an unbelievable amount of pride, and I think that makes this school such an amazing one to go to. It definitely adds to the experience here. An "unusual" thing about Gonzaga that they don't like people forgetting is that Bing Crosby went here, and thus our "Crosby Student Center" is named after him. He is our campus celebrity, I guess you could say.

Gonzaga, for a lot of people, is a means to an end. It is not the best school in the world, it's not the most well known, it doesn't have the most activities, it is not perfect. But, in my experience, the people all know that. They are realistic and most of them have an in depth understanding of what they want to do with their life. They know exactly that they want to be a lawyer dealing with abused children or a senator or a music teacher in New York or a nutritionist. They are driven.

The best thing about GU is the opportunity to volunteer during school, and get involved in the community through social justice (required) and service learning classes, as well as weekly and weekend volunteer groups. It is a pretty small school, which is nice because the professors give a lot of extra attention when you need it (and they are required to do so as well). However, this can sometimes be a bit limiting, and kind of feel like high school, since the class sizes are usually about the same. The administration is fairly conservative, but they listen to students and parents. The bimost recent controversy on campus would be the changing of the Administration building or the 'Ad building' to the name 'College Hall', which was not only completely confusing, but took a large donation to do. A reflecting pool with a giant statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola was just built in front of it as well, and the money was definately needed in other places, such as building more classrooms and hiring more professors. There is a ton of school pride. The students are involved, and there is a lot of community support for the students, especially since the school gets so involved with the community, and has a lot of community events on campus. Spokane loves Gonzaga. Gonzaga is unusual, because it seems like there is a niche for just about every type of person, even though it is so small.

The best thing about gonzaga is how friendly everyone is. You feel right at home from the minuet you arrive. If i could change one thing it would be to chage the required classes, instead of having to take 4 phylisophy classes take 2 or 3. The schools small but i love the size. i spend most of my time in the dorms or studying. the administration is amazing. the biggest contraversy would be the pres of the college leaving. there is so much school pride here, it is every where!!

I am a distance degree student so I spend very little time on campus. However, the instructors are very friendly, helpful and go by their first names. People are surprised when they hear I attend Gonzaga because they do not believe that it is a school that is friendly to alternative learning styles such as the adult with a career and going to school at the same time. Gonzaga is typically considered a school only for young kids straight from high school. I have had great advisors thru every step of the process from application, course selections, financial aid, the bookstore, and technology help.

The student body is the best thing about Gonzaga. Everyone is very friendly and you find yourself meeting and saying hi to people all the time. People are usually very impressed when you tell them that you go to Gonzaga, but mostly bring up the basketball team. This school has just the right amount of people for now, but it is rapidly expanding which is not the greatest thing. There are some great spots to hang out around campus and around town, but sometimes there just really is not much too because Spokane is a fairly small city. Students have a lot of pride especially when it comes to basketball games.