Grand Valley State University Top Questions

I know it's cliche, but that college is where you truly find yourself. My first year, I made some of the best friends I've ever had. These are people that will see you every day, so do they care if you literally crawled out of bed before seeing them? No. These are people who will see you panic after you miss your first 8 am class, people who will see you sob after you fail your first test, people who will stay up with you while you study for a big calculus final, people who will order pizza with you at 2 am simply because they don't feel like sleeping yet. And these people really help you find yourself. They will help you open up and become whoever it is that you are deep down, whether it's some science nerd who is fascinated by every intricate thing in life, or that guy who just really loves reading, or that girl who is super studious but enjoys going out to parties every once in awhile. They will convince you to try new things, they will help you through every hardship, and they will make you a better person. It might feel like you're in a rut in high school, or heck, that high school were the best four years of your life and no one can compare to the friends you made there. But I think the piece of advice I have for every college freshman is this: Be open to new friends. Leave your door open. Make your floor cookies. Stay up with a new friend til 2 am, because you can always sleep in on the weekends and staying up with someone really helps you get to know them. These are the people you will spend four years with, and probably beyond. They will help you grow and they will help you to become your best self. But it all starts with you: You must be willing to make new, lifelong friends.

How friendly and willing to help professors and other students are. They are willing to help you figure out what you need in order to get your degree. You must be willing to go to the counselor in order to get this help!

Before I came to this school, I wish I knew that the judge for their county was very harsh. I wish I knew the trouble I could get in for breaking the law. I wish I knew how quiet the campus and the people were.

I wish that I had applied for way more scholarships and started saving for college earlier.

I wish I would have known that the snow could reach up to my hips on a good, snowy day. The lake-effect weather is heavy-handed.

After three and half semesters at Grand Valley State University, I wish I would have known about the amount of general education classes I would have needed to take. Since GVSU is a liberal arts-based university, its belief is to have students exposed to all educational disciplines, which means an extra 10 classes (3-5 credits for each class) for all students to take. With this knowledge, I would have been a little more prepared on the amount of classes I needed to take in order to stay on track for a successful journey to graduation.

Before attending Grand Valley, I wish someone would have told me how difficult it would be to stay true to my faith. Knowing that it is a liberal university, I knew there would be some amount of difficulty finding fellow Christians, but I was not aware that at times Grand Valley can make outcasts out of believers. Had I known before hand, I would have made a more concerted effort from the onset to find organizations and activities to join in order to find the fellowship I would later long for. Thank the Lord I finally found a group!

I wish I had known that coming in as an upper classmen I have to pay more for housing and tuition.

I wish I had joined more groups/organizations at the start of the school year and really plugged into those.

The first time I attended Grand Valley State University I was afraid of failure and not fitting in like many incoming students. I entered a program I knew I was capable of doing and what many people had suggested. I didn't take many chances, I took classes that would be the easiest for me and didn't participate in extracurriculars. After being out of school for a few years I realize that I should have taken the opportunity to challege myself more and that sometimes you learn just as much or more from failure then from success.