Am I a good fit for Villanova?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am looking for somewhere that is cotswald-esque, which I think the radnor township is. I want a school that has a good, solid reputation but also a decent party scene on weekends. I'm not necessarily very religious but I am fairly preppy and I want to fit in with my classmates. Is VU extremely religious? I would like to join a sorority as well, and I like that Villanova is focused on community service. I'm not sure what I want to major in yet, maybe media studies or journalism. Honestly not sure. And if I did really well, does Villanova give me a chance of being accepted to an Ivy for grad?</p>

<p>Does Villanova have
a mostly preppy student body
fun sorority life
good study abroad
school spirit/traditions
good alumni network
connections in NYC
???
If anyone has answers to these questions that would be great! And also let me know if I would be a good fit. Thank you!!</p>

<p>and do you have to use the computers they supply you? may be a dumb questions hahah</p>

2

<p>It’s not whether you’ll fit in to Villanova or not. You attract people who are like you. Who have the same personality as you.</p>

3

<p>While I wouldn’t say Villanova has the best weekend party scene the students there seem to have lots of fun – good overall student life, great school spirit. It certainly meets your other list of requirements without a doubt. Extremely religious? Well, it’s a Catholic school so there are religious elements around campus, but nothing in the extreme unless you are really hypersensitive about it. I’ve not heard of anyone not particularly religious complaining about the environment there. Nicki Minaj performed on campus two weekends ago to kick off basketball season – Villanova’s Hoops Mania-- and as far as I’m aware no one got bent out of shape by it. They had a great time.</p>

4

<p>Okay, thank you for your information! It’s between Lehigh and Villanova, but they seem very similar. I do like Nova’s area MUCH better though.</p>

5

<p>I think Villanova and Lehigh have some similarities, but different student cultures. If you spend time at both I think you will find a definite distinction that should help you with your decision.</p>

6

<p>I have no idea what “cotswald-esque” means. Are you saying you want something that resembles the Cotswolds region of England (known for its beautiful rolling hills) or the prevailing architecture there?</p>

<p>I live in suburban Philadelphia and have visited both Villanova and Lehigh with my S. Villanova is located in the densely populated Main Line section of Philadelphia. It is a lovely region but, make no mistake, it is suburban, although highly-affluent suburban, so there are lots of lovely homes and parks in the area. Lehigh sits on a mountain in Bethlehem and is surrounded by much more working-class environs. Very different feel than Nova.</p>

<p>Both schools have a very pre-professional feeling when contrasted with some of the LACs we visited, like Swarthmore, Haverford, Lafayette, Dickinson, and F&M. Both schools have lovely campuses, which I think will meet anyone’s need for Gothic architecture, and are on hilly campuses, especially Lehigh. Both schools seem to strongly support their alumni and either would be fine for access to NYC.</p>

<p>Both schools also have reputations in this area for strong academics and hard partying. The difference we felt was that Villanova’s Franciscan values seemed to give the school a much more socially conscious, humanistic feel. I really liked the school, but it was “too Catholic” for my son. Lehigh, on the other hand, seemed more focused on career success and not much else. My son hated it!</p>

<p>I don’t know how you define “preppy” either–do you mean most students attended prep schools, that they wear their collars popped and have an affinity for boat shoes, or that they’re mainly from wealthy families? I think Villanova meets all of those criteria more so than Lehigh, but they both offer Greek life.</p>

<p>Based on your description, I’d think you’d find Villanova more to your liking than Lehigh, but why not visit both and decide for yourself? You can easily do both schools in one day if necessary–they’re only about 90 minutes away from each other.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

7

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<p>I missed this the first time, but Villanova and Lehigh are on par with each other in terms of their selectivity. If you can get into either and you excel there, your chances of admission to “an Ivy for grad” are as good as anybody’s. Keep in mind that the Ivies are all quite different from each other and that their graduate and professional programs are, for the most part, extremely competitive.</p>

8

<p>might also look at Holy Cross.</p>

9

<p>Thank you so much for all the information. I also think Villanova is my best bet. Though I am worried about it being overly religious. Why did your son think that? I am from a small Texan town so I am used to the religious presences but did it seem overbearing?</p>

10

<p>Maggie, Villanova is a Roman Catholic school, so naturally the dominant culture is going to be RC. My son is agnostic and has attended Quaker schools for much of his life, so statues of saints and the strong Catholic iconography was pretty foreign to him, and I think he just felt like he would be in the minority at the school. But it’s not like everybody at Villanova is Catholic, and they seem very welcoming of people of all faiths. As I said, my son much preferred the vibe there than at the wholly nonsectarian Lehigh. To summarize, Villanova seemed like a school that does more than pay lip service to its faith. I liked that!</p>

<p>Also, I need to correct what I wrote earlier, Villanova is Augustinian, not Franciscan. There are a lot of Jesuit schools in this area, and Villanova is different in that regard, but I “misremembered” which sect they are! </p>

<p>You might want to post on the Nova thread and pose more specific questions to see how non-Catholics at the school feel. My sense is that a lot of the “preppy” kids are coming from private Catholic schools, not just large parish high schools, and that the majority of the students come from RC backgrounds, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re overly “religious.”</p>

11

<p>Would it be comparable to that of fordham? My sister went to SMU which is, obviously haha, Methodist but that did not matter to her who is not religious whatsoever. I’m probably just over exaggerating the idea in my head, haha</p>

1 Like
12

<p>Fordham is Jesuit, which I believe is the most liberal of the sects. I’m really not an expert on Roman Catholic education. Maybe this will help you, but you might want to post the question on the Villanova thread.</p>

<p>[Top</a> Catholic Colleges and Universities - A List of 23 of the Top Catholic Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegerankings/tp/top-catholic-colleges.htm]Top”>Top Catholic Colleges and Universities in the U.S.)</p>

<p>My understanding is that SMU is nominally Methodist; in contrast, Villanova is proudly Augustinian. I wouldn’t think they’d be comparable in feel really.</p>

<p>Here’s an old CC thread that may be of help: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/villanova-university/547950-religion-villanova.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/villanova-university/547950-religion-villanova.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

13

<p>I see what you mean, could someone go a head and chance me for villanova?
Good full resume, 4.0 gpa upward trend all most advanced classes
22 out of 180, class officer three years, from a small town in texas, dad didnt attend college, good recs, accomplished equestrian, good writer with unique essay. Test score 1900, 1270 math 630 and critical reading 640</p>