Grand Valley State University Top Questions

There are a wide range of students at Grand Valley, and likewise, there are also a wide-range of clubs to accomodate students and their interests. Clubs such as the Latino Student Union and the Asian Student Union cater to ethnic or regional similarities. Students who are interested in Lation or Asian cultures are also encouraged to join. There are also service clubs such as Rotaract, as well as the more interest-themed clubs, such as the Quidditch team and anime club. Students gernally wear comfotable clothing to class, but on the flip side, you will often seen students wearing suits - indicating most likely a student majoring in Buiness of Political Science. Generally though, students interect regardless of majors. Among some of my closest friends, one is an Art major, another is a Biomedical Sciences major, and there is also a Criminal Justice major. Most of the students though are majoring in a medical science, although many switch after the first year. Most students who attend Grand Valley are from Michigan, usually from neighboring areas, although I have met many students from other states such as Virginia, and New York. I also had the privilege of meeting many international students, including a girl from Cameroon and a student from Mongolia who became a close friend of mine. Even after she returned home to Mongolia, we still keep in touch.

I do have friends here that I adore, but it can get tiring being surrounded by conservative West Michigan. However, I'd urge you to come visit to make sure you're comfortable. I don't feel too out of place because I have found a wide variety of friends! As long as you are willing to talk to new people and and break out of social cliques, you'll be fine. The majority on campus stays in their cliques, and the rest of us happily intermingle. Again, it's what you make of it. You'll find people who share similar values, and you'll find people who challenge that. It's a good thing!

Generally speaking, my opinion of the student body at GVSU has been favorable, as i have found both faculty and peers to be mostly accepting and understanding of one another. As a homosexual member of the student body, I have yet to encounter any incident whatsoever of intolerance or discrimination after 2 years of attendance. While the large majority of GVSU students are Caucasian, students of varying ethnicities, races, and religions are fairly frequent sights around campus. I would think nothing of it if I saw a girl wearing hijab (Muslim headscarf) or someone of obvious Indian heritage on my way to class. However, these students are more noticeable as they are well in the minority here. Students also tend to coalesce around people similar to them. The majority of the Honors College are Caucasian, and an African-American is a rare sight there, with most of them choosing to live in the normal freshman dorms on North and South campus. Likewise, international exchange students tend to live together in the International House rather than with an American. However, I think this is true at pretty much any university, and if you are friendly, you can make friends of all types. Grand Valley State University is overall, a very safe, friendly, and accepting place to live, work, and play.

The students at GVSU are a very diverse group. We have many different races here, all pretty evenly distributed. There are many different extracurricular groups and activities to be a part of as well (such as student-run bible studies for all religions, LGBT groups, and clubs for just about any interest you can imagine). Classes are also very integrated, and professors often push you to interact with your fellow classmates to get different perspectives on all the issues you cover. Often, we'll have outside protestors come to campus trying to gain support for their causes (usually these end up being very religious organizations preaching about everyone being a sinner but the members of their religion, how the LGBT community is going to hell, or how the world is going to end) and it is amazing to see students from all walks of life band together to confront these individuals and organizations. This is not a democratic or republican university... we have students on both sides of the fence, as well as extremeists and those who really could care less about politics in general. Basically, there is something for everyone at Grand Valley.

It's a very laid-back atmosphere. Most people here are very easy to talk to and you get a lot of diversity on opinions and experiences, so it makes it interesting.

I'm bisexual, and I feel somewhat comfortable here. I'm participating in an LGBTQ organization, which makes me feel more accepted. Generally speaking, I don't feel very accepted by the majority of people at GVSU. I do have friends here that I adore, but it can get tiring being surrounded by the conservative majority. I am one of those "radical" people--I'm an activist, in a band, really liberal, atheist, nerdy, a LGBTQ person, pro-choice, etc etc. I'd urge you to come visit to make sure you're comfortable. I don't feel too out of place because I have found a wide variety of friends! As long as you are willing to talk to new people and and break out of social cliques, you'll be fine. The majority on campus stays in their cliques, and the rest of us happily intermingle. Again, it's what you make of it. You'll find people who share similar values, and you'll find people who challenge that. It's a good thing!

My classmates are either really serious about their schooling or they dont care at all.

I'm bisexual, and I feel comfortable here. There's not a ton of diversity, but there's a good amount. This is West Michigan however, and I do feel a little out of place, as I am rather liberal and many people here are very conservative. I'd urge you to come visit to make sure you're comfortable. I don't feel too out of place because I know cool people, but there are some bigoted/close-minded people on campus. Most students wear whatever to class. Girls wear anything from sweats to casual dresses. GVSU is pretty clique-y. Out of class, people usually just stick to their own group of friends. Most students are from around Michigan, with middle-class backgrounds. If there were four tables in the dining hall, you'd have one table of athletes, one table of the more arty students, one table of ignorant people and one table with a mish-mash of everyone. The last table is where you'd want to be.

My classmates are pleasurable, hardworking, devoted, and beautiful people.

My classmates have a strong personal drive to succeed inside and outside of the classroom.