Gonzaga University Top Questions

About half are Catholic, and none of them really seem to want to have a good time.

It's a catholic school, but less than half the students are catholic. Even fewer actually practice the religion. That said, there are some very conservative catholics on campus, who are not afraid to advertise their beliefs regarding abortion, etc. Similarly, we do have a very active LGBT population and club on campus. There is plenty of room for discussion among the different facets of student life. Sadly, racial diversity is not our strong suit. A majority of students are from WA or at least the northwest, though my best friend was from Singapore. Students are really interested in social justice and care about the population around them. They also enjoy drinking and basketball. It's a fun place to be.

Gonzaga's student body is very welcoming and friendly, but not very diverse. Besides the basketball team, there are very very few African Americans, Asians or Hispanics. Most are middle to upper class whites from suburbia. This lack in diversity doesn't seem to lead to a lack in tolerance or acceptance, I think that Gonzaga has just traditionally attracted a particular demographic (which I hope will change in the future, but that is the way it is at the moment). Besides the athleticism mentioned before, Gonzaga students are fairly similar in the way they dress. Usually a laid-back/outdoorsy kind of style. I remember reading a student interview before I went there about the students' attire and he said "you know, it's your typical northwest abercrombie and fitch wearing school." Although I don't think it's quite abercrombie and fitch anymore, you get the picture a little preppy but not overly concerned with image. It's rare to see a girl in heels and very common to see sweats, running shoes, and flip flops littering the classroom.

Always fun, they have a lot of Gonzaga spirit, very social, friendly

We are a group of people who live to serve. There is a passion at GU for it. We play sports, exercise and eat right. We love to learn and about all things. Gonzaga offers a wide array of majors and minors. Religion is somthing everyone must learn about as it is a core requirement. You can see the motto~ mind, body, spirit. What do most students wear to class?!?~ Whatever they want. Sweats, heals, ties, you name it. Most GU students are from the west, and proud of it! GU by its private nature attract some wealthy students, but there are many, like myself, who come from average, everyday middle class America! I'd guess that most students at GU are right when it comes to politics, although I have several Demi friends who are loud and proud. I don't know that I've ever heard anyone talk about 'how much they'll earn one day'...there seems to be more to life.

Gonzaga's campus is not very diverse unfortunately. The majority is Caucasia, middle to upper class. Most students are from the mid-west and west coast, Washington, Oregon and California. As far as colleges go Gonzaga leans more to the conservative side of politics and are moderately active.

Limited racial and sexual diversity on campus. Huge geographical diversity. Most of the students seem to be athletic or at least interested in sport, especially basketball. Everyone is nice to each other though.

not much diversity but for the most part people are hella chill, welcoming, and down to earth

Because Gonzaga is a Catholic, Jesuit university, there are some beliefs that are deep-rooted in Gonzaga's philosophy, and this can cause a lot of controversy, especially regarding diversity issues. Gonzaga has a wide range of clubs and organizations on campus, including HERO (Helping Educate Regarding Orientation), our Gay-Straight Alliance on campus; GLBT resource center; GSBA (Gonzaga Student Body Association); GAB (Gonzaga Activities Board); BSU (Black Student Union); John Paul II Fellowship; Pro-Life club; etc. I feel as though a racial minority may find it a little harder on campus, simply because Gonzaga as a campus is not SUPER racially diverse. It DOES have diversity, but not as much as could be found in larger, more urban cities. However, I would say that Gonzaga does a good job of trying to make these students feel included in our community. Although Gonzaga lacks racial diversity, it is a very socio-economically, politically and religiously diverse. In terms of "attire" for class, I have seen kids who probably spend an hour getting ready in the morning, as well as those who come to class in sweats and probably only woke up 5 minutes before class (I fall somewhere between the two categories, but am definitely closer to the latter...). There isn't a dress code or anything, and for the most part, the professors are pretty lax about what students wear. I would say that there is definite interaction between different types of students. The students at Gonzaga are VERY accepting of students different from themselves, and that also makes me very proud to be a Zag. The question given: "There are four tables of students in the dining hall. Describe them." Welllll... I can't. Because there are more than four tables, and it is nothing cliquey like high school. I guess if I HAD to describe four tables, I would say that all four tables would be similar: a very diverse group of people sitting together that were talking and laughing. Many Gonzaga students are from Washington state, since Gonzaga is located in Washington. However, we have students from all over the country (and even some kids from other countries, too!). The states that a good portion of our students hail from are: Oregon, California, Colorado, Alaska, Arizona and Montana.

Gonzaga is a Jesuit institution, and they don't let you forget it. For the catholics out there, yes, the Jesuits are a little more liberal than most (they can hold their alcohol, trust me). But if you're looking for people who are a little less traditional, a little more tolerant, don't look at GU. The Vagina Monologues would never come here. The health center is banned from giving out condoms. The GBLT population meets in a basement. About half the students are Catholic, the other half are mostly Christian. There is a lot of discussion about religion, and you should be prepared to defend your beliefs at least once. I'm not saying this is a bad thing: it's been wonderful to actually get to understand why people believe what they do. But if you're uncomfortable talking about it, you want to be wary.