I probably shouldn't be writing a review of Villanova, since I graduated over 11 years ago. But, here goes anyway...someone wrote in an earlier review that Villanova was all rich, white Gap clones, and that's basically a good summary (although I called them J. Crew clones). It's probably what I disliked most about the school. If you're not like these people (and I wasn't), you will struggle at Villanova. Your social life at Villanova is very much dependent on fitting in. If you are one of these J. Crew clones, you'll pledge one of the better frats and you'll love your 4 years of school. Otherwise...well, you may be able to sneak into one or two of their parties.

That being said, I still think Villanova is a good school. The engineering school has always been top rate, but you will work very hard. The Commerce & Finance school was always strong as well. If you graduated from 'Nova with a degree in Engineering or C&F, you should not have any problem finding a good job. I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree, and while I enjoyed my education, it was a bit tougher finding a job. Within Liberal Arts, the literature courses are very strong. You will be required to take some religion courses, but if you pick the right ones, these can be valuable and interesting.

Religion is big at 'Nova. If you're not Catholic, you'll feel very out of place here, as God is virtually everywhere (a crucifix in every classroom). I had a roommate who was Jewish and we came home one night to find a swastika drawn on our door. Probably an isolated incident, but it's indicative of what the school is like. The main chapel is absolutely beautiful.

Overall, the campus is nice. I know a lot has changed since I was at school, with the addition of new dormitories. It's not a beautiful campus, but it's certainly not bad. Dorm living is very cramped. I don't know what the new dorms are like, but there are many dorms on campus with ridiculously small rooms meant to be shared by 2 people. When I was in school, virtually everyone moved off campus after their sophomore year due to the lack of on-campus housing. But I believe that has changed, and the new dorms are supposed to be nice. Dining is acceptable.

Sports are big at Nova. Actually basketball is big, but that's about it. Football is basically ignored. While basketball is big, it doesn't dominate the campus unless the team is having a very strong season.

Socially, frats are big, as mentioned above. But frats and sororities are not on campus, unlike at many other schools. As a result, the campus can be a bit deserted on the weekends. If you're envisioning huge dorm parties, then forget about it. It just doesn't happen at 'Nova (believe me, we tried). If you're on campus on a Friday or Saturday night, then you're probably not doing anything interesting. The social activity at Villanova happens in the local bars or at the off campus frat houses.

So would I recommend Villanova? Let me put it this way...if you are very popular in high school and basically dress and look like everyone else, then yes, go to Nova and have fun. Otherwise, you may want to be careful. Unless you're specifically going for the engineering school, you may want to try a campus that's a bit more diverse.



Recommended: Yes