Boise State University
Boise, ID, USA

Reviews

Boise State University

Joshua from Caldwell, ID

a current student here
24 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
Am learning a lot
The classes are here are great. The professor's are very friendly and love to help there students. Plus, you live in the City of Trees, Boise is a great little college town, especially during the football season.
Tips for prospective students
Get all your stuff in on time, and show up to class, and there's no problems.
Great for these types of students
Anyone who wants to be involved in a great college that has lots of opportunities available.

Rebecca from Nampa, ID

a current student here
18 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
Am learning a lot
I am entering my second year here at BSU. Yes, I have learned a lot. Things that didn't stick in high school are definitely sticking here (Biology). There are thousands of majors and classes to choose from; just take your pick. There is something here for everyone; either new students or returning students.
Am enjoying being here
Very much. It's close to my family, a beautiful community and campus. Everyone is very helpful.
Bang for the buck
Get in the book store early and you can get used textbooks.
Tips for prospective students
Don't put to much on your plate the first semester 12-15 credits max.
Keep your schedule with you the first two weeks.
If possible go to CareerFair, get a job on or close to campus.
go to orientation!
Great for these types of students
If you want to be in a college setting that's very comfortable, spirited Boise State is the university for you. With the back drop of the Boise Mountains, parks nearby, Boise night life, Boise River, beautiful campus and city.

Brandon from Nampa, ID

a current student here
15 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
Am learning a lot
Boise State education is some of the best that you can get in the state of Idaho. With the student to teacher ratio being around 1:19, you can always find the help that you need when it comes to the academics. Every year, BSU is improving the facilities to improve the academics. The professors for the most part are extremely helpful and friendly, and care about the education that you are getting. You can always find help, whether its asking another student, attending tutor sessions, or meeting with the professors.
Am enjoying being here
Being a sophomore at Boise State, if I could sum up my experience so far in one word; INCREDIBLE! The campus life at Boise State is far more than any other campus that I looked at when applying for college upon graduating high school. It seems there is constantly something going on at campus, whether its inter mural sports like football, soccer, etc or the movies in the sub on the weekends. Also, if you love football, you HAVE to attend a football game to understand what BSU football is all about. The energy is intense on game day, not only on campus, but the entire Treasure valley. Also, being located within minutes of downtown Boise, you have the Boise River for floating and fishing (which flows right through campus), you have skiing at Bogus Basin, mountain biking and hiking in the foothills, and much much more all within less than thirty minutes!! What else could a college student ask for?! The people are extremely friendly here in Boise, and it is extremely safe! The campus is gorgeous, especially in the fall, when the leaves are changing. The facilities are fantastic, and the rec center is a great place to work out and hang out with friends. Also, check out the new swimming pool!
Bang for the buck
For the price of school these days, you can't go wrong with Boise State University!! It's everything and more that a student can ask for. With everything mentioned above, can you find all of the at any other university? Chances are no. Boise State is relatively cheap when it comes to costs.
Tips for prospective students
-Get your free bus sticker. Being a Boise State student, you can get your free bus sticker which allows you to ride ValleyRide all across the valley for free! This means you don't even need a car to get around!

-Don't be afraid to attend tutoring sessions or ask for help. Being a new college student, things seem overwhelming at first and you may be weary of asking for help. Don't be. Everyone goes through it, and everyone needs help at some time. Ask for some help.

-To succeed in class; form a study group. They are powerful. Together, your minds can solve what seems to be anything. Reserve a study room in the ILC and you can have peace and quiet as your group reviews lectures, completes homework, and studies for tests.

-Carry your student ID with you at ALL times! Wherever you go, it seems like Boise State students get discounts all the time. So, just carry it with you, especially if your riding the bus :)
Great for these types of students
-Outdoor people. For those of you who love the outdoors and activities such as mountain biking, cycling, hiking, skiing, swimming, rafting, boating, and anything else, the city of Boise and Boise State is the place for you. You have nearly all of this within half an hour, and even MORE within just one or two hours. A weekend trip to Stanley, Idaho can be one of the greatest trips of your life, check it out!

Shopper lovers. If you love shopping, Boise State is the place for you. With BODO within 5 minutes of walking distance from campus, you can check out all the new stores and restaurants such as North Face, Paradigm, Helly Hanson, Urban Outfitters, and much more. If this isn't enough for you, go ten minutes down I-184 and visit the Boise Towne Square Mall. There, Macy's, JC Penny, Hollister, American Eagle, Buckle, and much much MUCH more await you.

Art and history people. Boise is full of art and history. BAM, the Boise Art Museum, is located right across the Boise River, and features first class art that is always exciting and unique. The Idaho Museum, Old Idaho Penitentiary are some exciting features that you must check out!

Brandie from Meridian, ID

a current student here
7 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
Am learning a lot
Boise State lecture halls are smaller than those at most other public universities. Class sizes are small and this provides for a better learning environment where you can get to know your professors and feel more comfortable asking questions. EVERY professor I have had offers office hours and sincerely encourages students to visit-making it easy to get questions answered and even get one-on-one help with assignments. Professors genuinely care about the success of their students and if you want to learn, then you WILL learn at Boise State.
Am enjoying being here
The university itself always has something going on. Student Programs Board shows movies on a weekly basis, brings in comedians, and other shows. Concerts by students and well-known bands are common on campus. University-wide volunteer events are planned by the Volunteer Services Board, outdoor adventures are offered by the Outdoor Programs, and opportunities for student involvement are everywhere on campus. Also, Boise State is in the middle of the city of Boise, right along the Boise River. Downtown Boise is just a walk in the park away (literally) and there are always entertainment shows, cultural events and more. When the weather is nice, the river and the park are full of students. Mountains, rivers, hot springs and ski slopes within 1 or 2 hours surround Boise with plenty to do beyond the university.
Bang for the buck
For in-state students, Boise State is an incredible value. Boise State was ranked as a top up and coming institution by U.S. News and World Report. For me, this means that prestige is rising, but so far tuition is not. Boise State had the lowest tuition increase in the northwest following the recession. For in-state students it is a bit costlier but still worth every penny. Boise State provides a quality education along with a great community. The entire Treasure Valley area supports Boise State and its students, and that is more valuable than one could imagine.
Tips for prospective students
--Take your student ID everywhere you go, especially off-campus. You WILL get discounts.
--Visit the campus on a gameday (football). Even if you aren't interested in sports, you will love the energy level.
--Live on campus if you can, even if you already live close enough to commute. The experience is worth the extra money.
--Start volunteering in the community right away. There are plenty of places right downtown, within walking distance.
--Take a UNIV course your first or second semester. It will really help prepare you for the differences between college and high school.
--Try to experience everything (legal) before you rule it out.
Great for these types of students
Students looking for a sense of community in their university will love Boise State. Students focused on academics would be great with the Honors College program. Student athletes are always welcomed with open arms. Students with an undecided major have plenty of options to decide at Boise. Students wanting to get involved with student leadership also have plenty of opportunities.

Alanna from Lexington, KY

a past student here
6 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
Did learn a lot
Prior to transferring to another school, I completed most of my undergraduate education here. I was enrolled in the criminal justice program and LOVED the professors! I learned so much more from them than I am at my current university. Be sure to take as many classes from Dr. Giacomazzi, Dr. Walsh, and Dr. Hopfenbeck as you can. These prof.'s to me were the most difficult, but you will definitely remember the material and what you learn from these prof.'s is invaluable!!!
Did enjoy being here
Great environment, small campus, close to downtown, food, right next to the Boise river, and a great park behind the school to study or take a break!
Bang for the buck
Of course we can all agree that college is expensive...but BSU State is well worth it if you decide to enroll in the criminal justice program. On the other hand...I was fairly disappointed with the psychology program. If you are looking for easy A's, without actually learning anything...then here is your perfect degree. I felt like I really wasted my money on those classes.
Tips for prospective students
Study, study, study...and join as many clubs and organizations as possible (many of which won't take up much of your time). Get to know your professors! Take your time in completing your degree, take only one or two summer classes and no more than four classes during the regular semesters...otherwise you will not do well, especially if you work 25+ hours per week. Also - CJ majors...take Dr. Hemmen's Law in the Movies / Law in the Media course in the summer. It's a relaxing, easy (if you attend every class period) summer course in which you watch movies and have a short lecture afterwards. It's a simple course that puts your degree in perspective! It is also offered to non-criminal justice majors, which may be a little more difficult to complete, but Dr. Hemmens does a really great job at keeping the subject simple :-)
Great for these types of students
Students who want to learn, want to be close to home, the mountains, and many other outdoor activities.

Yonsoo from Boise, ID

a current student here
4 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
In three sentences
Boise State University is a beautiful school. It is very socialized with tons of campus activities such as sports. I enjoy going to school here as well as living in the dorm on campus.
Tips for prospective students
It is just to keep up all of our school work, turning assignments in on time. It is very helpful for us to get involved in activities to be socialized which lead us to enjoy our school life.
Academic Rigor
As a music major, it is a bit tough to practice for several hours everyday on top of my other school works. However, it is my decision to major in music, which I love so that I enjoy my life here in college with all of my homework and practice.
Dorm Life
I love my dorm life as well as my school life. I am not around my room that often during weekdays because I spend most of my time at the library or practice room, however, I usually stay in my bed on the weekends and it feels like my home. Especially my building is very socialized and there are tons of activities every week. I love it so much!
Food and Dining
For us, living on campus, we have dining hall in the student union building for our meals. There are basic options everyday such as salad, pizza, sandwich, and hamburger. Also, there are special meals every day which is always different. The quality of the food is pretty good. Vegetables and fruits are always very fresh and neat.
What to do for fun
There are tons of activities to do around the campus. For example, there is a movie night on Thursdays every once in a while. Also our school is very active in sports. We have lots of games that are free for the students. Football is a great part of our school and tons of students go to the game during the football season.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
It is hard to find an unusual traditions on our campus because I have never experienced any other campus, however, I realized that lots of people write opportunities to get involved in different activities on campus, on the ground all over the campus with chalks. Sometimes, they add pictures to it to get extra attention and it is so much fun to read those advertisements to find a good one that interests me.
Clubs and Activities
Boise State University has an active clubs and activities. For example, the one that I am involved in is from the Student Diversity Center which is pretty much a club where international students meet once a week and have a conversation about our school life as we have some treats and coffee. It is very nice and relaxing to have a conversation once a week.
Campus Safety
It is very safe on our campus. I walk across the campus at night when it is very dark and there are nobody outside but I feel safe by having lots of street lights all over the campus. Also, there is a security phone all over the campus which you can call the security office and ask them to walk with you whenever you feel scary. I think it is very nice to have one of those that students feel secured although not everyone use the security phone.

Kimberly from Meridian, ID

researching this school
3 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
In three sentences
Boise State is a gorgeous campus. The people are very friendly and it is a nice place to live because you are so close to everything.
Academic Rigor
I have taken concurrent credits through BSU and they helped me a lot.
Dorm Life
The dorms are nice and it's awesome getting to meet new people.
Food and Dining
The BRC is good because it has a lot of different options to eat from. There is also on campus places to eat such as subway, moxie java, starbucks, and chik fila.
What to do for fun
Go to the REC Center and swim, workout, play sports. Go to game center and bowl, play pool or ping pong. Ride the greenbelt, float the river, hike, walk around campus, etc.
Bang for the buck
I can't wait to attend BSU because it is such a good community of people.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
I heard they have the #1 Quidditch team.
Great for these types of students
Great for any type of student
Clubs and Activities
You can make your own club, all you need is 3 people.
Greek Life
Not known for Greek life, but they have it. No houses though.
Campus Safety
I feel safe on campus at all times. They have Emergency boxes visible at all times

Nolan from Boise, ID

a past student here
2 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
In three sentences
Boise is a lot of fun, but the school really tries (and succeeds) to squeeze every last penny out of you, and a lot of the faculty is of pretty low quality.
Tips for prospective students
Don't expect paradise in Boise. It's a really fun college town, and I met a lot of great people here, but expect to spend a lot of money, expect to be screwed over by ALL of your professors, and get ready to be harassed by people on the Quad who have nothing better to do than push liberal, religious, or other propaganda on you.
Academic Rigor
I was really challenged by almost all of my classes at Boise State. I'm surprised I passed any of them. You'll learn a lot here if you take the right instructors. I'm a history major, minoring in Anthropology, and I learned a lot in the courses I took from those fields. If you're in Anthro, definitely take classes from Ziker and Buonasera. They are both great people, and great instructors, with a lot of passion for their subjects.

Even in my general courses, I feel like I learned a lot. Rycher for my general Biology class was really cool, and we had fun in there.

Definitely do not expect easy A's in this school though. You're going to have to bite and claw for every last point on your assignments and test. If you don't take school seriously, you won't succeed here.
Dorm Life
I can't comment on dorm life, because I didn't live on the dorms while I was here.
Food and Dining
I've only eaten at the cafeteria on campus a handful of times, but when I did, it really wasn't too bad. Just typical cafeteria food. It does have a reputation for messing with your bowels though.
What to do for fun
What isn't there to do for fun in Boise? There is something for everyone in Boise. The Treasure Valley has half a million people living in it, so there are a lot of different types of people. There are so many places to go and eat out, lots of arcades, strip clubs for people 18 and over, bars especially for upper classmen who are over 21, and so on. Not only that, but the university itself has a plethora of clubs, club sports, and campus activities. The campus often has concerts and different sort of events like that that happen at the Taco Bell Arena. The home Football games are also a huge deal at BSU.

I miss living in Boise because of the wide variety of things to do and places to go there. Even if you're more of a small town or country type of person, you don't have to go far to get into that atmosphere. I competed and ran the rodeo club here for a while, and so I was always riding horses down for people that lived in Kuna and Middleton, and I found work at a few different boarding barns working with horses and cleaning stalls. In the Spring and Summer, there's a lot of amateur and pro rodeos to compete at as well in western Idaho, and the Northwestern states as well. I was in Oregon and Washington a lot in the Spring for our college rodeos. It's a fun town. However, I did have to drive about an hour west into Ontario to ever get on any practice horses.
Bang for the buck
Boise is pretty expensive, but you get what you pay for out of it. I have a lot of gripes about BSU, but I really enjoyed my time there.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
Freshman should always ring the Excellence Bell, and touch it regularly.
Great for these types of students
Boise has something to offer everyone. Whether you're an athlete, an extrovert, introvert, gamer, artist, whatever, you're going to find like minded people here, and you're going to enjoy it.
Clubs and Activities
Boise has A LOT of clubs and activities on campus. There is always something going on at BSU.
Greek Life
There are sororities and fraternities on campus, but I don't know much about them. The people in them are your typical frat and sorority types. They aren't the most pleasant people to be around, and they have an over inflated view of themselves. However, that's not to say that they don't do some good around here. They've raised a lot of money for charities and what not, so they aren't completely rotten to the core.
Campus Safety
Boise is a really safe place to live. Not only are concealed weapons allowed on campus, but BPD has a reputation for being trigger happy, and it's really kept violent crime down in Boise. I've never once felt threatened on campus, even really late at night. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, but for the most part, Boise is safe. There are call stations everywhere to get emergency help, and security patrols campus at all hours.

Adrianna from Mountain Home, ID

a current student here
2 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
In three sentences
Boise State is a wonderful University to attend. I am in my second semester as a freshman and I love it.
Tips for prospective students
Get involved in everything that you can. It makes college life more interesting and more fun. There are so many opportunities for everyone so take all of them!
Academic Rigor
Academics are serious and very important.
Dorm Life
I do not live on campus because I chose not to, but I stayed in the dorms during orientation and I thought that it was wonderful.
Food and Dining
Boise State University has wonderful food in the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They also have a number of different fast food options such as subway, panda express, and Chick-Fil-A.
What to do for fun
Boise State University has a gym with great exercise equipment, tennis courts, basketball courts, movie theater, game rooms, rock climbing, swimming pool, and more. There is never a dull moment here. They also have games and activities in the quad almost everyday, to give students something different to do.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
An unusual tradition at Boise State University, is to ring the bell on campus whenever you want, but when you, or someone rings it, the people around are supposed to shout and cheer.
Campus Safety
Campus Safety is taken seriously and is talked about often. The one thing that is my favorite about campus security are these blue poles that are located around campus. If you go to one and press the button on it, it call 911 and you can ask for help and the police can track where you are. If you are running for some reason(being chased by someone) each one that you run by and press, maps out exactly where you are so that the police can come directly to you to help. It makes me feel very safe in case anything where to ever happen.

Breanne from Stockton, CA

a current student here
2 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
In three sentences
After attending Boise State University for one year, i feel fully prepared for whats next in life. The school truly cares for you, and your goals. School spirit is out of this world leaving your college experience unforgettable!
Tips for prospective students
Rowdy crowds, painted blue and orange bodies, tailgating, and blue turf are right up your alley than this college is right for you! This school focuses on your achievement in academic studies but they also want you to kickback and have fun at athletic events.
Academic Rigor
This school strives for their students to excel in their studies. While some courses may be tough; overall, this school is not too strict. it is relatively easy to maintain a high GPA.
Dorm Life
Dorm life is a great way to meet students. The set up of all the dorms enable students to mingle with others and learn to adapt to diverse personalities. The dorms are near the all the education buildings making life easier for the students.
Food and Dining
The food at the cafeteria, otherwise know as the BRC, is not that grand. they do not offer substitutes for those who have allergens to foods. the diet they veer towards are hamburgers, deep fried steaks, and pastas.
What to do for fun
In the student union building there is a bowling alley and pool tables that help students to alleviate stress from their exams. just a short bike ride away, downtown is nearby with restaurants, shopping centers, and movie theater.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
Boise State University is known for the football team and blue turf, on game day to reserve student tickets, students will wake up around 7:00 AM to reserve their spots for the upcoming game!
Campus Safety
This campus is extremely safe, with emergency poles around every corner. at the press of a button these blue poles will flash a light, contact the campus security, and Boise police.