<p>I’ve heard only great things about GVSU especially the honors program. I think it’s a good school but just not as popular in the state as Michigan State University. Contrary to a recent post of my own on this thread the only universities I would attend/ suggest for someone to attend is Michigan State University, Kalamazoo College, Western Michigan University. I also would suggest other schools like GVSU, Ferris, Wayne State etc… but depending on ones specific studies and desire. Good luck.</p>
<p>Coolbrezze,Why the change in opinion of Grand Valley State? I hope your not just trying to be nice just because we are interested in the school, I would like real opinions good or bad. Not that your opinion is not true, but , why the change? </p>
<p>If you have found some information on the school that changed your mind please let me know. Thanks</p>
<p>^^^Please ignore coolbrezze 1stcolldad. He is a recent high school graduate and has proven to be a terrible giver of advice on CC.</p>
<p>I’ve heard awesome stuff about GVSU from two separate sources. It sounds like a very nice place.</p>
<p>Coolbrezze has been ■■■■■■■■ for MSU rather aggressively lately, which is odd considering that he chose to commit to Iowa.</p>
<p>Thanks rjkofnovi and noimagination, I appreciate the info. If anyone else has any more information on Grand Valley State University please jump in,The more the merrier.</p>
<p>the best female distance runner from my high school in the past 30 years (excluding me, of course 
) went to GVSU!</p>
<p>Ok, so how is it or was it, do you know anything about Grand Valley State?</p>
<p>she loved it. both of her younger siblings ended up going there too</p>
<p>I don’t know a hole lot about GVSU, but I do know that it has 2 campuses, The main campus is in Allendale,MI and the other campus is in Grand Rapids, a 20 minute ride by campus bus. I hear that Grand Valley State University is a very good school, A very up a coming school in Michigan.</p>
<p>Anyone else have anything on Grand Valley State University?</p>
<p>Here’s a previous discussion on GVSU:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/783368-grand-valley-state-u-insight-desired-please.html?highlight=grand+valley+state[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/783368-grand-valley-state-u-insight-desired-please.html?highlight=grand+valley+state</a></p>
<p>
I am more familier with the school and a few students who attend there. Rarely do I hear negative things.</p>
<p>Negative part? Well Michigan State University and Western Michigan University are better choices.</p>
<p>
Based on what?</p>
<p>Im sure Micigan State and Western Michigan are both fine schools, But from what I have been reading Grand Valley State university is a very good school also. After researching many Michigan colleges, I’ve come to the conclusion that Michigan has a lot of good college choices.</p>
<p>Bump this post</p>
<p>I’m a current GVSU freshman and I can proudly say that I love it. I’m a music education major, so I don’t quite fit the typical student description, but I know from my friends here on campus that the university really doesn’t have a “bad” major. Great music school, AWESOME nursing school, great engineering and other science programs, lots of study abroad opportunities, etc.</p>
<p>The freshman dorms are very nice. I opted for the “apartment-style” dorms, where I have my own bedroom (yes, with a door! that closes! and locks!), and I share a kitchen (fridge, oven/stove, some cabinet space) and a bathroom with one roommate. It’s so nice to be able to close my own bedroom door at night, and yet I don’t feel isolated from my roommate or my other dorm-mates. There is also a suite option (two people to a room, four people to a bathroom, community kitchen) and a traditional option (two people to a room, community bathroom and kitchen) for those who prefer the more traditional college dorm experience. Just a note - despite being very good, none of the freshman dorms have AC, so a window fan is a must!</p>
<p>Food is a win-win situation on campus, especially for freshmen. The standard meal plan gives you 14 meals a week, and depending on where you live you get a certain amount of “Debit Dollars”. Since I have my own kitchen I got less Debit Dollars than some of my friends who live in the traditional-style dorms. You can use these at any place that sells food on campus, whether it be “hot lunch” or just a convenience store. Here’s an overview of a few popular places to eat:</p>
<p>The Fresh Food Company (“Fresh”) is the main dining hall, and boy is it nice. Very modern facilities, nice relaxed atmosphere (with booth, table, bar-style, and comfy chairs available for you to sit in), and most importantly, great food. All the food is made fresh in the kitchen, and you can definitely taste it. Pizza and other foods are made in a real brick oven, and sandwiches are made to order. If you have a special dietary need, like me (vegetarian), just talk to the servers and they’ll have something cooked up for you that’s meat- or gluten- or whatever-free in no time.</p>
<p>The Kirkhof Student Center, located right at the center of campus, is a great place to grab lunch or dinner. Downstairs you’ll find the River Landing, which is a food court of sorts. You’ll find Subway, Grilleworks (burgers), B</p>
<p>This is a very late post, but why not, someone might read it.</p>
<p>GVSU is a great school for many reasons. The middle 50% of Grand Valley’s Fall 2010
entering class earned high school GPAs ranging from 3.3 to 3.8 and ACT scores of
22 to 26. This puts GV at equal with MSU in both GPA and ACT, second to U of M - Ann Arbor in both GPA and ACT, and second to only Michigan Tech in terms of only ACT. 96% of incoming freshman have at least a 3.0 or higher high school GPA, which is second in the state, only to U of M - Ann Arbor which is 99%. GVSU has the third highest freshman-sophomore retention rate only behind U of M- Ann Arbor and MSU at 83%. This number shows a general sign of satisfaction and accomplishment with a students first year. Also, according to US News and World Report, 98% of GVSU graduates are successfully employed or in graduate school. </p>
<p>GVSU has many national rankings: including 7th-Regional public universities in the Midwest as of 2011 by US News and World Report , the Princeton Review named Grand Valley one of the best universities in the Midwest (August 2010), Grand Valley is listed as one of America’s Best Colleges in 2010 by Forbes magazine, the third most "Up-and-Coming Regional University in the Midwest by US News and World Report, Grand Valley was named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys for the 15th year in a row and no other public institution in the state made the list, Grand Valley’s athletic program has been named the best overall Division II program in the nation, capturing the Directors’ Cup
for 7 years in a row, and GVSU was also ranked the 6th safest campus in the country. For more rankings check out US News and World Report.</p>
<p>Also, you were comparing GVSU to MSU and Western. GVSU does not use graduate assistants and ALL classes are taught by professors. MSU and Western both use graduate assistants for ALOT of undergraduate classes. From personal experience, because I have had classes taught by a professor and a graduate assistant as a visiting student for a summer class, professors are by far a better learning experience. Graduate assistants have little or no experience teaching, little or no experience in the field, and are gone within two years. They are given a curriculum and teach like a robot. If you want to eventually go to a Big Ten university I would recommend doing so only for graduate school, as with those types of schools you will find lecture halls with 700 undergraduate students and almost no student-teacher interaction (I have friends and both parents who attended Big Ten universities and that was their experience). You will find none of these things at GVSU. </p>
<p>GVSU is also very sustainable. Sustainability is a big part of almost every operation. It was given a sustainability score of A- by The College Sustainability Report Card, the highest of Michigan’s universities, and currently has eleven LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings, also the most in the state. </p>
<p>GVSU is also in a great location. There are two campuses, one in Allendale, Michigan, which is more of a university town/suburb of Grand Rapids, and the Pew campus in downtown Grand Rapids itself. Both campuses offer on-campus housing, cafeterias, libraries, university bookstores, and access to almost anything you would need as a college student. These two campuses are located 10 miles apart and connected by a bus route the university has under a contract with The Rapid, which is the Grand Rapids city bus transit system. Students, faculty, and staff ride all Rapid routes for FREE. This is very helpful as a student, trust me. The university also has two off-campus apartment routes in Allendale and a “hill-dash” route which busses students to its health sciences building in Grand Rapids Medical Mile district. </p>
<p>Grand Rapids is amazing. The city is Michigan’s second largest and has really come back to life within the past 15 years. Downtown Grand Rapids has a plethora of things to do and is very safe. Semi-pro sports teams, including the Grand Rapids Griffins which play in Van Andel Arena and are a farm-team to the Detroit Red Wings. They have museums, an outdoor ice skating rink, YMCA, ArtPrize, restaurants, and more bars down Ionia Avenue than I can count. This is all accessible by a 15 minute bus-ride from the Allendale Campus.</p>
<p>Going to school near a large city such as Grand Rapids gives you amazing internship and job opportunities once you graduate. GVSU’s Seidman College of Business, Padnos College of Engineering and Computer, Kirkhof College of Nursing, and the College of Health Professions are located downtown for this reason. However, most undergraduate classes are taught in Allendale so you won’t need to commute between campuses unless you are upper-level or a graduate student, as much of the graduate school is operated downtown. </p>
<p>Lake Michigan is only a 15 minute drive straight down Lake Michigan Drive, or a 20 minute drive to Grand Haven which has one of the top rated beaches in the United States. For early fall and all summer you can find students at the city beach and Grand Haven State Park swimming and surfing. Yes, you can surf on Lake Michigan and many people do it, especially in Grand Haven and Holland. </p>
<p>Other Points:</p>
<p>GVSU has 25,000 students and has had enrollment growth for the past 18 years.</p>
<p>GVSU has over 325 student organizations.</p>
<p>4,000+ study abroad programs available to students.</p>
<p>Ok I have written too much. </p>
<p>If you want more information check out [Grand</a> Valley State University](<a href=“http://www.gvsu.edu%5DGrand”>http://www.gvsu.edu).</p>
<p>Sources:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.gvsu.edu/cms3/assets/B8910F19-F21C-4F0E-A914E28DFD89C2BA/accountabilityreport.pdf[/url]”>http://www.gvsu.edu/cms3/assets/B8910F19-F21C-4F0E-A914E28DFD89C2BA/accountabilityreport.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.gvsu.edu/standards/forms/talkpoint.pdf[/url]”>http://www.gvsu.edu/standards/forms/talkpoint.pdf</a></p>
<p>[Grand</a> Valley State University | Best College | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/grand-valley-state-university-2268]Grand”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/grand-valley-state-university-2268)</p>
<p>[Grand</a> Valley State University - Green Report Card 2011](<a href=“http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2011/schools/grand-valley-state-university]Grand”>http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2011/schools/grand-valley-state-university)</p>
<p>Ilsbehh, I really like the post as I am a GVSU senior and soon to be alumni. Regardless, you do kinda sound like a commercial or something but still GVSU is a good school and you point out the good points, especially the small classes and having professors teach the classes. That is the main reason why I went to GVSU and not MSU (I could have probably went U of M back in 2007 when i graduated H.S. I had a 3.8 UW GPA and 29 ACT instate didn’t apply since my dad was alumni and he said U of M is a good school for graduate school, not necessarily undergrad). </p>
<p>For those of you that are out of state, keep in mind GVSU is EXTREMELY low cost in terms of out of state tuition. It is $13400 and if you are fairly intelligent (3.5 GPA weighted, 26 ACT) you can get in state tuition plus $1500, so GVSU would then cost less than most state’s flagship universities. This reason is why eventually GVSU will have a ton of out of state students, and if I had to guess most of them will be from Illinois (similar to University of Iowa, Indiana University-Bloomington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, etc.).</p>