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.

I love that Gonzaga is small. It's nice seeing my friends on campus everyday and I am still meeting new people all the time. Spokane is in no way an exciting place to live, but there are plenty of things to do on or near campus, like basketball games, neighborhood bar crawls, house parties, concerts, etc. Basketball season is the most exciting time of the year. People will camp outside in the snow for days for good seats at the big game - and it's worth it.

I think that Gonzaga is the perfect size. Many teachers are very nice and really care about your education. The thing that makes Gonzaga, Gonzaga to me though is CCASL...that's what kept me here and that's what changed my life forever.

The reason I am obsessed with my school, and feel that I made the best decision of my life to attend is the incredible community at Gonzaga. I have to leave for class fifteen minutes early because I know I'll get stopped by friends, professors, administration for a chat. The two big ways that all of Gonzaga is united is through basketball, but also through service. There is nothing like jumping up and down with 2000 other screaming fans during a basketball game. When we score, it doesn't matter who you are standing next to, but you are screaming and hugging and high-fiving each other as if you had grown up with them. Service is another way that Gonzaga is united, however. All clubs on campus are required to participate in some service. Almost all extracurriculars encourage the same from their participants. With well over 100,000 hours of service every year, its hard not to get involved. In fact, in April, hundreds of students sign up volunteer to paint, or do yard-work for a local school or child-based organization. It truly is an amazing experience. We have a lot of school spirit, and a lot of pride in our school. I love that Gonzaga fosters these kinds of large communities, but also fosters smaller communities. Dorm life is really fun, and made special by RHA and the programs they put on. Students are encouraged to really grow and expand their horizons and get involved in smaller organizations and communities. I like to think of my Gonzaga experience like concentric circles. I have my close group of friends, then other organizations to which I belong creating larger groups of friends and communities. Then I have another larger community with my resident hall, then my student class, and then finally the school. Everywhere I look I am supported and encouraged. After the community, my favorite part about Gonzaga is the holistic approach they take to college. While they have awesome academics that not only challenge me, but prepare me for the future, they also encourage students to grow spiritually, emotionally, and even physically in all directions. They offer many programs to reach out to people of all spiritualities, and as mentioned before, encourage extracurriculars, and have support systems in place to help you explore your emotional side too. I feel that I am growing in all directions at Gonzaga, not just academically. As per their motto, I am becoming a complete person. I always knew that I wanted my professors to know me personally, but I wasn't expecting the adminsitration to also make the effort to know me, or at least be kind, and work really hard to get me what I need. The professors are great too. Every semester, every student is asked to evaluate their professors. I feel the administration really reads and responds to these. I have had less than wonderful professors, and they weren't teaching the following semesters. On the flip side, I have had really fantastic professors who spark an internal eagerness and drive and passion to learn and find out more. They will sit with students for hours, just talking about the subject. While the campus of Gonzaga is wonderful, I also really like the town. To be honest, I am a minority in this opinion, but I have really come to love Spokane. It also loves Gonzaga Basketball, and its really fun to walk into a store that has a "GO ZAGS!" sign plastered in the window. The river is so beautiful and peaceful, and when you are in Riverfront park, you hardly think you are in a city at all. Pig out in the Park and Bloomsday Race are two of the really fun activities that Spokane offers. From its parks to its downtown, to its hidden neighborhoods, to the fantastic restaurants, Spokane is really something special.

If you like intimate schools, Gonzaga is perfect. The largest class has 45 students and the smallest has 9. You can get to know your professor very easily and chances are they will remember you all four years. The only problem with a small campus is that you see the same people all the time everywhere. Our campus is small, which is nice; it takes 15 minutes to get from one end to the other, but most of the classes are in two buildings. The only problem with a small campus is that it is hard to get away sometimes for a little quiet, espcially if you don't want to go to the library. Basketball is our life, so anyone who has heard of Gonzaga will know us from our basketball teams. Whenever we lose, you can feel it all across campus. It's gotten progressively harder to get tickets to basketball games. Even though they're free, each year there are more students in the incoming class so there are more people fighting for the student tickets. Downtown Spokane is great, there's tons of restaurants and shops. There's a great trail from campus to the center of downtown and it only takes 20 minutes to walk. The trail goes by the river so it's a beautiful walk. And most of the stores around campus as well as downtown are huge supporters of Gonzaga students. Some diners even give discounts to us.

The best thing about Gonzaga: the basketball team One thing I would change: It is a very conservative campus. I'd make it more liberal School: just right. You get the oppotunity to know most of your class, but it is not so small that you know everybody Reactions to GU: most people think it is a really good school and that to get in you must be really smart. GU has a great academic reputation Surrounding area: Gonzaga is located in the second poorest neighborhood in the state of washington. You will not leave school without knowing someone or have you yourself be robbed or assaulted. The neighborhood is sketch! And Gonzaga will never tell you that. Administration: they continually try to improve the school and make sure that people are happy. Controversy: there are a lot of hate crimes on campus. In addition, the 2{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of campus that are liberals or 'free thinkers' are constantly having stand offs with all of the consrevatives. School pride: there is not a lot of it. Most of the time when we get asked by locals what school we go to, we don't own up to it.

Love it here. Everything is perfect always have so much fun. For me it is just the right size. There are lots of fun things to do..

Gonzaga is a great school. It is really well-rounded. We have great sports teams (namely, basketball, but the other sports do well too), there are a lot of extra curriclars for any interest, from the school newspaper, to dance, music, leadership, etc. In general the students are really supportive of other student's projects and clubs and turn-out for events hosted by students or the school is usually really well attended. I think Gonzaga is the perfect size because it is small enough to have a small, intimate classroom size - one where you know your teacher and they know your name - but it is also big enough so that you don't know everyone on campus. Also, spokane is great because it is not a "college town," the city is still alive and hoppin in the summer when school is out. This is great because there are a lot of city/community events that are fun to attend (festivals, concerts, etc.) People in Spokane LOVE Gonzaga students. We get discounts at loads of places, and when you say you go to Gonzaga, people smile and get really interested in you and what you are studying - it is great for networking. The administration at Gonzaga tends to be really conservative. To a fault sometimes. They are set in their ways and do not like change. There are so many offices and different areas of administration, financial aid, registration, etc that dealing with anything outside of the classroom can be frustrating. Despite the administration, I REALLY have enjoyed all of the classes I have taken here, they are interesting and there is a large variety of courses, so I can take what appeals to me. There are many study abroad progams, I really reccomend studying abroad. Gonzaga even has their own satelite campus in Florence, Italy and Paris, France. I went to Florence and had the best year of my life! The school really emphasizes experiential learning, so we traveled a ton in this program and had the opportunity to see many different places and experience many different cultures! On Campus, in Spokane, there are a lot of student activities and events- they do a good job of providing stuff to do outside of the classroom that connects students. Gonzaga does a lot to help with the post-college career situation. They have a career center where you can look for jobs, get your resume reviewed or practice interviewing, they have an online job search where you can post your resume for employers to look at, a mentor program - you can partner with someone in the community who has a career you are interested in and either be trained or observe to see if that career is truly what you want to do. Gonzaga has a lot of school pride and spirit and I have not met one person who has graduated from here and regrets it (although, many leave in debt - it is an expensive school).

The best thing at Gonzaga for me is the community. Anywhere you go, you will most likely run into someone you know, and that is so awesome. I love seeing my friends, and maybe someone that is just in your class, but it makes this school seem like home, and most everyone refers to their dorm/apartment as their 'home', and not their hometown or wherever their parents live for sure. I would most definitely add to the arts department if I could change anything, because it is very small right now.

The best thing about GU is the community. No matter where you go, you will find someone friendly to make a connection with. I think that my school's size is just right. When I tell most people that I go to GU, we are recognized for our basketball team. I spend most of my time in my dorm with the great friends I have made there. There is a ton of school pride especially during basketball season. One experience I'll always remember is meeting the friends I know I'll have for life.

By far the best thing about Gonzaga is the people. GU students are on the whole exceptionally friendly, always making people feel welcome in the community. I also love the size of the school. At a little over 5,000 undergrad students, it is big enough that you will always see new faces and yet small enough that no matter where you go you'll see someone you know. I love this. Also, because of the size of the school, I feel like an individual in my classes about whom the professors legitimately care, not just another number in their gradebook. I do wish that there was a little more diversity on campus (most of the minority students pretty much stick to their own groups). Other than that, however, GU is really an amazing place.