chemgirl
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« on: January 11, 2007, 07:19:25 AM » |
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I am wondering about Grand Valley State University and the Grand Rapids area in Michigan. Anything about the school and the area. I'm in the sciences.
Thank you for any help.
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cc_alan
is a wossname
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 7,242
Caution! Nekkid zamboni driver ahead.
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« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2007, 07:34:27 AM » |
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I am wondering about Grand Valley State University and the Grand Rapids area in Michigan. Anything about the school and the area. I'm in the sciences.
Thank you for any help.
I don't know about the area or the school; but, Dr. McBane is an excellent professor. You should talk to him if you get a chance. Alan |
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Excuse me... which aisle would I find the unicorns and rainbows? No, Alan is a man among men, striding the Earth like a Colossus with a really big bladder, wearing a tool belt.
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dundee
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« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2007, 03:09:00 PM » |
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GVSU is on the up and up and drawing students away from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. The Grand Rapids area is one of the most conservative in Michigan - lots of Republicans and fundamentalist Christians (which might be your thing, or not), plus the world headquarters of Amway. There are many beautiful towns and regions within an hour or two away, especially along Lake Michigan.
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"Dublin, Dundee, Humberside ..."
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marchen
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« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2007, 08:50:03 PM » |
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I was also wondering about GVSU. What is Allendale like? Do many faculty live in Grand Rapids?
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snorri
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« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2007, 05:47:44 PM » |
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Where do the faculty generally live? Are there any liberal pockets in Grand Rapids? How are the public schools in Allendale and Grand Rapids?
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phamiltonian
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« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2007, 09:41:07 PM » |
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Allendale is tiny, and faculty are scattered through the region. They live in the Grand Rapids area, in Grand Haven, and in small towns throughout west Michigan. There are some excellent schools in the GR area, like East Grand Rapids and Forest Hills.
GVSU has grown dramatically over the past 10-15 years. The campus environments are beautiful, both the Allendale campus & the downtown GR campus, with up-to-date facilities.
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wockenfuss
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« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2007, 08:59:08 AM » |
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Did my undergrad there. The school has experienced an incredible amount of growth since my graduation in the late 90s. I generally go back for various events and it seems as if they are adding new buildings each time I am back. My experience as a student was very positive. The faculty were generally very good and cared about the students. I know that it is known as more of a teaching institution, but it is gaining more respect for research as it expands. It is positioned pretty well as the largest U in Grand Rapids, and they get a ton of money from the Van Andel and DeVos families, so I suspect it will only get better.
I agree with the previous post RE: faculty living throughout the area. There are a wide variety of options.
Grand Rapids is a great city. One of the other posters made mention of the conservative nature of the area and that certainly is true to a large extent. That said, there are certainly pockets of liberal folks. GR has some excellent restaurants and bars in the downtown area. Van Andel arena brings in some cool events as well. The cost of living is incredibly low and given the depressed state of MI's housing market, you can practically steal real estate right now. If you have kids, there are some very good options for schools. From what I recall, the East GR schools are generally considered tops in the area. In the summer, you are less than 30 minutes (15 from Allendale) from Lake Michigan. There are some great towns along the Lake and there is always something going on during the summer. The Coast Guard fest in Grand Haven is a blast.
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fallerskuggan
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« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2007, 12:06:26 AM » |
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Yes, Grand Rapids has a lot going for it these days, and the towns along the Lake Michigan coast are beautiful. But GVSU, notwithstanding all of its potential (location, facilities, students, local support), is parochial & mediocre.
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bigsky
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« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2007, 11:17:01 AM » |
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I am at a different university in Michigan and have an excellent grad student from GVSU. In my opinion GVSU is a very good undergraduate institution that is trying to become more research intensive. In the sciences at least they really do not have the facilities to conduct much research on the main campus. They do have a new Health Sciences campus in GR and a Water Institute in Muskegon. As a result some students can have classes on 2 or more campuses in a given semester. I believe faculty teach 12 hrs/semester, not sure if that is contact or credit though. GR itself tends to be conservative but from what I have heard is a nice place to live overall.
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