University of San Francisco Top Questions

One of the things that I like best about this school is that it is not too large or too small. The campus is easy to get around because it is not that big, and along with that the classes are usually sized pretty well which gives you an opportunity to interact with your professors.

If you've never been to USF, it's an absolutely beautiful campus. Despite the construction currently going on, the school has wonderful aesthetics. On sunny days, everyone lays out on the grass to do homework, chat, play with frisbee's etc. It's in a perfect location too! Right near golden gate park and Haight-Ashbury. Everything is easily accessible by bus too. It's also a pretty decent size. I personally think it's just the right size because it's small enough that you can run into people you know and also large enough so that you can always meet new people. Also the class sizes are perfect (about 30 people per standard class--there are also auditorium style classes depending on your major, etc) and I am able to form great relationships with all of my professors. There is also a huge amount of school pride, especially with our sports teams (specifically the basketball team). The school's cafe is also really awesome. They always offer organic, handmade, and diverse options. It's also great for vegetarians, vegans, and everyone in between. The only main complaint heard around campus is how ridiculous is it to get up to the Lone Mountain campus because it's literally a built-in exercise program trying to get up to that building. I think it's great though; helps me stay in shape! Overall, I love my University. I feel like I'm getting an amazing education, the location is perfect, and I'm very happy here.

My favorite thing about the school is its location in the city. It is very close to the famous Haight street where Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix used to reside. It is also just blocks from Golden Gate Park. Downtown is also only a short ten minute bus ride away. The school is very in touch with the rest of the city more than any other of the colleges in San Francisco. The schools emphasis on social justice provides opportunities to apply studies to volunteer in around the city whether it be at a homeless shelter or a urban farm. I like that this school is very environmentally conscious. Typically people respond positively when I tell them I go to USF. The schools Greek Life is almost non existant. Instead, people go to each others houses off campus and have get togethers. DIY culture is big here, its not uncommon for a student to have a potluck during the week and a BBQ at the park on the weekend. One experience I will always remember about this school is the first time I pulled an all nighter doing homework on our Lone Mountain Campus that overlooks the city. As I came outside you could see the thick fog roll in and cover the city lights and the bay. It is one of the most beautiful views in the city.

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I first decided to attend USF because of it's location. Found in the very heart of San Francisco and perched on one of the tallest hills, USF offers spectacular views of a city bursting with diverse cultures and social scenes. As a university, it seems to gather respect from local bay area residents, although everyone in my hometown constantly mistakes it for SF State and UCSF. As a student, I appreciate the general scale of the university. I'm from a small town, and my transition from high school to college was made easy by the small, intimate class sizes and the general availability of my professors. However, I have felt some frustrations towards our administrations. I occasionally feel as though there is a lack of communication between the different departments, and there seems to be a lack of agreement between the academic and financial aspects of our school. Despite the number of problems I've had with housing and employment, as well as the number of complaints I've heard from fellow students, I've noticed that we share a quiet pride. Most of the students are willing to befriend everyone on their dorm floors, most are willing to experience new clubs and activities, and our basketball games can inspire enthusiastic cheer from even the least sports-savvy aka me.

The most appealing aspect of the University of San Francisco is the availability and proximity of the beautiful city of San Francisco. To risk the cliche, the city truly is part of the classroom. Many of the courses at the University feature an aspect of the class which involves the students immersing themselves in San Francisco culture, by utilizing its many museums, performance venues, and cultural centers. One aspect of the school I would change is the emphasis the school has on graduating in four years. I can remember in my orientation program, one of the first things which was addressed in the welcome speech was the need, almost the requirement of graduating in four years. This pressure sometimes looms over the possibility of things like study abroad programs, which, if timed incorrectly, could cause a student to fail in meeting this four year requirement. For a school which is located in one of the most popular cities in the United States, the University of San Francisco is the perfect size, small, but large enough to see and meet new people regularly. Athletics at the University are a palpable part of student life. Pride surrounding these sports teams and student life in general definitely makes being a student of the University of San Francisco something to brag about.

I truly love attending USF. Not only do you get the comforting setting of a real college campus, but it's a campus in the center of an amazing, mesmerizing city. The University provides a comfortable range of classes when it comes to size, subject and structure. The living situations of the school help students with their transitions from teenager into adulthood: slowly allowing for more responsibility at a comfortable rate. USF has few shortcomings, and they're not so much shortcomings as differences from most universities. We do not have a lot of school spirit when it comes to sports, so don't expect to spend a lot of time in sporting venues, and we don't have your "typical" fraternities and sororities; that is, we have them but they're clubs, they don't have houses, they don't have raging keggers. If you're looking for that USF is not the school for you. Instead the experience leans more towards the side of intimate with variety: you spend a lot of time in smaller groups, classes, and at parties but you are always hanging out with different groups because of the range of activities the city and school provides.

Overall I thoroughly enjoy the University of San Francisco. It is a great place to learn while having a lot of fun. USF offers abundant resources, such as the massive library and online library database, as well as a myriad of extracurricular educational events, making it easy for new students to become immediately immersed in academia. When you're ready for a break, USF's prime location makes for an easy escape into the heart of the city or Golden Gate Park. Between the school and the city there is never a shortage of things to do and in my entire first year of college I don't believe I ever fell victim to boredom. USF is a mid-sized school with an undergraduate population of about 5,000 students. I think this size is just right as it is large enough that I continue to meet new faces everyday, but I can still expect to run into acquaintances everywhere I go. I think USF excels over nearby public universities when it comes to class size. USF offers small classes (usually 20-30 students per), which allows for one to meet with teachers individually and get to know their peers. USF also offers excellent teachers; I've found ALL of my professors thus far to be highly knowledgeable and excited about the topics they teach. My main complaint about USF comes from dealing with administration. The "One Stop" office which helps students file paperwork and deal with administrative issues always takes more than one stop and usually leaves me feeling helpless and frustrated. To be fair I have an innate hatred of excessive paperwork, and I am not sure if I wouldn't have the same complaint about every college across the country. Despite the red tape, I have loved my time at USF; I've made many friends and discovered interests I never imagined myself pursuing. I recommend USF for both it's central San Francisco location and it's educational merit.

USF recently accepted another award for being not just a diverse university, but the number one most diverse university in the United States. This is definitely what I consider to be the best thing about this university. Growing up in the Mid-West it is easy to come across those exclusive suburban towns and cities that seem to be filled with people who all look alike. I did not grow up in one of those towns, but I did live in a place that was very segregated in who was considered acceptable by the town's authority figures. Coming to USF exposed me to world views that had previously been limited. Since coming to the university I have learned so much about Asian culture and history because of the friends I have made and discussions from fellow classmates. The Honors for Humanities program provides great classes for in-depth discussion on ancient Greece and Rome and the history of the Western world. The school is the perfect size, not too big but not too small. I can walk around campus and recognize people from my classes, but there are still plenty of new people to meet everyday. As for a college town, what type of college town do you need? USF is surrounded by the city of San Francisco, and that is one awesome college town! The school is right next to Golden Gate park, a twenty minute bus ride to the beach, a twenty minute bus ride to downtown, and a short walk away from Haight-Ashbury. Not to mention the university is close to some of the most important Muni bus lines to get you around the city. Sometimes people assume that I come from a wealthy family when I mention that I go to USF, but a lot of people I have met recognize USF as a good school that helps launch students into a career right after graduation. In fact, I have met many people who have gone to USF or know someone who has gone to USF and cannot stop praising the school for the opportunities it opened up and provided. If I could change one thing about the school, then I would change the amount of grass we have on campus. The school has recently been under construction and part of their plan for the new look of the campus took away a nice section of lawn that students used to sit and chat with friends during lunch or breaks between classes or meet to study and have small student meetings. Everyone is hoping that when the construction is over we will regain some of that lawn.

I love this school. Within in it there is something for everybody. Because we are a private school and therefore have smaller class sizes, communicating with our teachers or getting extra "out of class" help becomes much easier than it would be at a larger campus. The campus itself is small and as a result, it takes no more than 15 minutes to get to any class or building, granted you live on campus. The school is in San Francisco! One of the greatest cities in the world, on the weekends there's always a place to go and its basically "city life", something that's different than my original "suburb" life. The school is a great place where everybody is able to find a spot that fits them and allows them to become active on campus.