Gonzaga University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Psychology
Minor: Philosophy
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Questioning Male

Summary

I’m part of the Gonzaga Psychology Club, but it doesn’t meet often. I’m also a volunteer research assistant at a psychology lab.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Questioning

High School Experience: Public high school in Torrance, California with a graduating class of about 500 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Psychology
Minor: Philosophy

Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the Gonzaga Psychology Club, but it doesn’t meet often. I’m also a volunteer research assistant at a psychology lab.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
The volunteer research position has allowed me to work with people at a prestigious institution on research projects. I help them figure out what they want out of their research.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
There are very few exams and essays. We have mini-homework assignments, or we’ll be out doing passive research on campus ourselves such as counting how many people open doors for other students.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do a good job of having good faculty members. As someone who wants to go into psychology as a researcher, it can be helpful in getting a good idea of what that field looks like. The one thing they do poorly is that they have to take the Scientific Principles of Psychology class you have to take before doing research. It restricts students from doing research they find meaningful if they can’t take that class because of their schedule.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I don’t think of it as competitive. I would say it leans more on collaboration, but not full collaboration. If I needed to go to someone for help, I don’t think they’d not work with me because they want to get a better grade. People are almost always pretty friendly if you ask them a question.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible. Some professors are more accessible than others because they’re not as responsive with emails so you’ll have to catch them at their office hours.
Why did you choose your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose my major because the biggest thing I was drawn to in that field was a sense of understanding in myself. I realized psychology was the best field to understand myself based on my understanding of how I can help others.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s a great environment with incredibly accessible professors. I feel like the majority of professors want to work with you and want you to be successful.
2) It’s a great environment if you want to grow personally and explore different topics and ideas.
3) It’s a great community with the alumni network and the student community.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) For people of color, it’s difficult and could be isolating. If you’re not in touch with that group of people it can be difficult to be on a very White campus. Gonzaga doesn’t do a great job cultivating intersectional diversity.
2) Gonzaga might be a little small for someone that wants a very active social life. Once everyone gets settled into their friend groups, it’s difficult to break into those groups.
3) There is a gap between how certain programs get treated. The business and engineering schools get great treatment, but the foreign language and other arts and science departments don’t get acknowledged as much.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: DeSmet Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Madonna Hall with one roommate
Junior: Sharp Apartments with two roommates
How was transitioning from Torrance, CA to Spokane, WA in terms of location?
It was very smooth. The adjustment was a lot less physical and more mental because of the new life I wanted to live and try.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s very safe. We’ve had a couple of instances of robbery or sexual assault, but it’s very rare.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Occasionally, I like going out or hanging out with friends. It’s not often that I hang out with people at night, but if I do it’s usually low-key. When I’m not doing that stuff, I’m at home watching Netflix, or reading and writing.
What have been some of your favorite times at Gonzaga?
The times I’ve connected with professors, advisors, and TAs. It feels like you’re connecting with someone and the power dynamic between the two is lowered. There are a lot of events where it’s cool to be part of that moment and sharing that experience with friends.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met most of them during my freshman year. That usually happens in class or at a school-sponsored event.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Gonzaga?
It leans more on the party side. If you’re not a partier there’s a social scene for you. There’s trivia night and they have SpikeNites where [the school hosts] events. The majority of events for social life are bars, house parties, or dorm parties.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I can’t really speak to sexual orientation because it’s not really talked about, which probably demonstrates the heterogeneity of the campus. It’s very White and there are not a lot of people of color on campus. We all go to classes, but there seems to be a difference between the kind of activities people of color are involved in and what the White people are involved in. [The undergraduate population is 70% White, 11% Hispanic, 1% Black, and 6% Asian.]
How do you like the size of Gonzaga in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 5,300 undergraduate students at Gonzaga.]
I think it’s perfect. One of the reasons I looked at Gonzaga was its size. It’s not so small that you run into people constantly, but it’s not too big to where the classes become overbearing. You be in a class of ten people, but you can also get a class with fifty. It’s small enough to where you’re part of the class, but it feels manageable. [The average class size is 24.]

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Gonzaga makes a big deal out of the alumni working with students. There’s a mutual appreciation between current and former Gonzaga students. If you need help, you can go to the alumni network and talk with someone. The network leans more toward business and engineering, so there’s an asymmetry of what alumni you connect to, but they’re willing to help.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They were very helpful during my first couple of years on campus because I was looking to go into business, economics, or political science, but now I’m looking more toward academia. The career offices here don’t have as many resources for academic pursuits
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
I’ve learned Excel, Stata, and a little bit of MATLAB.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
Financial aid is really great here. It’s expensive to go here. My experience with it has been really good.