Gonzaga University Top Questions

Because of the small class sizes, no one can get lost in the crowd. There's participation in almost every class and the professor will make sure you talk at least once. Also because the classes are small, by the second week the professor knows everyone's name and says hi if you pass by them in the halls. Office hours aren't necessarily for talking about the class; I've talked to a few professors about non-school related things during office hours. The professors are very approachable as well. I reminded a religion teacher that not everyone at the school has read the Bible and he truly wanted to know my feelings about things we were studying in class. As a French major I've spent a lot of time in the Modern Languages Department and since there are only a few French teachers, I've gotten to know them very well. I plan on keeping in touch with my French professors, and many past students still call them. Gonzaga students are competative, but we enjoy ourselves as well. There are always people in the library and even in the Student Center. Most students are here for an education, but it's also important to us to take classes that we want to take, so a lot of people take an extra semester. There are many class requirements, some of which the school chooses for us (which bothers me) so it can be difficult to change majors. What bothers me is not the requirements, it give us a well-rounded education, but rather that we don't have many choices of which classes to take. For the philosophy requirement, we are placed in Phil 101, 201, and then can choose which 300 and 400 levels to take. But even then there aren't many choices in the 300 level.

Academics are great. I don't know if you can put a price on education (Gonzaga is pretty dang expensive), but you will definitely get a wicked good education. Class sizes are small, teachers always get to know you. It is not uncommon to develop great friendships with professors. Gonzaga is a very competitive school. Kids that come here are very bright.

Very good academics. Its tough but you feel good when you do well

Gonzaga does a good job with education. As a student we are exposed to a variety of different courses - the core classes include philosophy, english, history and religion. They are many classes I would not have normally taken, but I am very glad I did. All of the classes do a good job at connecting what you are learning with how to use it practically in the real world. Gonzaga also has a ton of smaller, academic and leadership programs that students can apply for to tailor their education to them. The Hogan program, honors program, Comprehensive leadership program are just a few. Class sizes are small (between 20-30 people) and professors know your name and are easily approachable outside of class.

All of the classes are great, and i almost always find them truly engaging. I feel like there should be some way to test out of speech and some of the other classes that are core that some people could benefit from, but most do not actually need to take. Class participation can vary depending on subject and time. For instance: My new testament class is a great class, really interesting stuff to me at least, but because it starts at 9 am, no one really is full awake or alive. so it can also vary day to day, what we are talking about, and that kind of thing.

The academics at GU are challenging. They make you think outside the box and outside of yourself. However, every teacher on campus is willing to help you.

Academics at Gonzaga are phenomenal. Class sizes are typically 25 or so. Science and business classes might get as large as 35 or 40, but NEVER any larger than that. This ensures that the professor knows each of the students in the class, and also allows for more individual, personalized attention from the professor. All Professors are required to keep office hours in which they are specifically in their office, available for any student to drop by and ask a question. Because classes are smaller, it is harder to hide in the back of the class unnoticed, and so class participation does tend to be higher. Also, there is an attendance policy, so habitual ditching of class will get you into trouble. Again, because there are a small number of students in each class, the teachers notice when you are not there. The education at GU is very liberal arts based. It requires four semesters of Philosophy, 3 of Religion, 3 of English, in addition to various social science courses. Because there is a focus on well-roundedness, however, students are required to take one lab science, one math, and an additional class in either science or math. It is an intense core, but the idea is that you leave Gonzaga a well-rounded, intelligent individual, capable of engaging in conversations outside of just your major. I am majoring in English and Religious Studies, and doing the Secondary Education Teacher Certification program. I really enjoy all of these programs/departments. Religious Studies classes focus more on historical and critical analysis of Christianity, and once you get into upper-division courses you get to learn more about non-Christian religions. The program does not, in any way, try to indoctrinate people. Rather, it seeks to inform the students of the religious beliefs and backgrounds of a majority of the world's population. The Education program is also amazing. The teachers are all very supportive and knowledgeable, and I feel as though it is great preparation for my future teaching goals.

All the professor are here to teach students and they center their lives around that. They usually work one-on-one with students during out-of-classtime sessions and try to explain problems and ways to achieve better grades.

Class participation is most common in English classes, as far as I can tell. Some philosophy classes have good participation, but it has a lot to do with the kids in the class and the professor's teaching style. There are some intellectual conversations outside of class, but Gonzaga is not known for its super-geniuses. Most of the kids at Gonzaga are here as a means to an end--a job. We have a huge number of business majors at this school. As far as I can tell, a lot of the business majors are not particularly "academic" in their overall interests. There are of course, sects of students who are very academic and intellectual--who like to have fun as well as have intellectual conversations--and often at the same time. It's easy to get to know your professors, but people don't often spend time with their profs outside of class. However, I do know my profs well enough to get good letters of recommendation from them for grad school. I would go so far as to say we are on friendly terms. We talk when we see each other in passing, brief though it may be.

The academics are challenging but well worth the time and effort. All of the professors are very helpful and know you name and spend as much time as you need when you visit their office hours or schedule an appointment with them. Students study a good amount daily but not so much that you completely miss out on the college experience. The professors meet you for lunch and really want to help you succeed. They want you to gain the experience and learn in all aspects and be well rounded but strong enough to be a person and an individual who can make a difference in the world.