Gonzaga's Court RoomAfter Alaska Airlines almost didn't get us there for our appointment, we finally made it into Spokane on a tiny little plane. Well Gonzaga wins friendliness and facilities awards. Their building is beautiful. Built in 1999, it is by far the most modern and in the best shape. It is very cosy and I could easily see myself spending hours in their lawbrary. Although, the natural sunlight wasn't as good as ASU's lawbrary. We finally went on an informative tour. The secretary at ASU and the self guided tour at UofA made me almost think that planned tours were a waste of time, but this one was good. Also, having the tour from a student ambassador really made it nice. I had most of my questions answered before I even sat down with the admissions folks.
Spokane itself is nice. The weather wasn't nearly as warm as Arizona which = good thing for hubby, bad thing for me. We had dinner at a nice Greek restaurant so one of the prerequisites of any new city has been met. Reliable access to Tzatziki.
It isn't a major city though so not a huge culture base. I kind of wanted to use law school as a chance to have my "big city" experience. I know that I might not have the chance in future once I get a "real" job and possibly a more labor intensive family than the cats.
On a side note, I would recommend telling your cab driver to have him take you on the "scenic route" you get to see more of the city and learn about Spokane driving rules. Apparently concrete barriers are not obstacles to prevent people from driving in areas and bushes are not really barriers at all, just scenery. And apparently driving on sidewalks is an acceptable side route. But for less than $15.00 it is certainly worth the thrill.
Pros of Gonzaga:
- great IP moot court team, rising IP program
- small debt burden on graduation
- hubby says to add trees as a benefit, meh, overrated
- beautiful city
- downtown appears to be a real cultural center
- it's a walking city
- boy scouts were on the tourist map...again hubby bonus...he's outdoorsey...blech, trees again.
- has 4 different seasons not just variations of summer
- close to Seattle
- small cost of living
- cheap housing
- has PF Changs, yummy
- has Greek restaurant...so does Phoenix
Cons of Gonzaga:
- Tier 3 reputation means its a regional school
- If I want to work in Seattle, why not go to school in Seattle?
- IP program isn't the strongest even though it's growing
- Practice in Spokane after graduation isn't likely due to job opportunities
- Job opportunities for hubby are slimmer
- Not at a major hub airport therefore more expensive to travel to Phoenix for nice weather
- No family/friends/aquaintances
