Grand Valley State University (GVSU)

Wherever you are in your higher education journey, Grand Valley State University will help prepare you for whatever is next. Our commitment to academic excellence, personal attention from first-rate faculty, and a great return on your education investment make Grand Valley a great choice no matter where you’ve been or where you're planning to go.

With this “always kind” group, “you never feel like you can't ask someone for help or guidance when you need it.” The campus has a generally “open and friendly atmosphere,” and due to GVSU’s size “there is a community for everyone.” Plus, the school “works hard to ensure everyone feels like they belong.” That’s good news because students “vary from different ethnic background, cultures, [and] families,” even if some students admit that for the most part this is a “mainly white student body.” Others claim you’ll find “a good mix of conservativism and free thinkers” on campus. Either way, people “are active when not studying in the amazing library,” but most people “don’t party too hard” and “seem to enjoy smaller group settings.” One Lake sums Grand Valley up: “The school is just big enough that we do not have to worry about small school drama where everyone knows everyone, but not so big that I do not see any of the same people each day.”

With more than four hundred student organizations and intramural sports, “student life thrives on campus” and there's “a lot to do always,” particularly when you factor in what nearby Grand Rapids has to offer. Speaking of which, in addition to “lots of internship and volunteer opportunities,” with “a popular and safe city nearby,” students have access to “the full college experience” and can “go downtown and spend time at a local coffee shop [or] at a sports or music event.” On campus, “everything is very updated and modern” and “dorms are nice and a good size for freshmen and upperclassmen.” Generally, students “keep to themselves and study and then get together on the weekends.” Other activities include the “very popular” football games, as well as heading “to the recreational center to exercise or participate in a group class, or [getting] involved with an on-campus club.”