Ask Questions about Villanova Here!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Villanova University
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Hey guys!

I’m currently a student at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and I wanted to start this thread to answer any questions for incoming students (or parents) in the Class of 2022 (congratulations by the way!) or prospective students for future years! I am willing to answer questions anyone might have about the community, what it’s like as a freshman, the admissions process, etc.

Any other Villanova students/alums feel free to chime in! I am just one person and one opinion, so getting as many different views as possible is great for incoming students!

MODERATOR’S NOTE: Anyone is free to ask or answer questions in this thread.

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Does Villanova have a basketball team ?

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@Publisher hmmm I’m not sure I’ll have to check that out for you :slight_smile:

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If so, are there open tryouts ? Thank you in advance.

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haha yes we do have men’s and women’s basketball teams, our men’s team is actually in the Final Four if you haven’t been watching TV :)) as for open tryouts, there probably are but it’s probably very competitive and you would have to contact the head coach for more information

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Thank you for setting this post up to help answer any questions! I’m curious how easy it is for students to go to the local town? Is there a shuttle or anything? I saw something on the website about zip cars. Do students use those? Or just Uber in to town?

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Hi @goldendoodles ! No problem! So many people I know just use Uber to get places in town or in Philadelphia. However, I don’t really like or trust Uber/Lyft, so I try to find alternate ways to get around. There is a Villanova shuttle that takes you to select areas around campus, such as Suburban Square or the grocery store. However, this shuttle only runs on Saturdays. There is also a Villanova bus that takes you to the King of Prussia mall, but again this is only on Friday and Saturday evenings. There is Zip Car, which some people do use. It’s only $15 for membership through Villanova, and each car ride you have to pay a certain amount of money based on the distance and time, just like an Uber. The only problem is that there are usually only 1 or 2 cars on South Campus, and they get reserved rather quickly.

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How is all the construction around the school, is it a nuisance? How is the school for non party kind of kids, is there stuff to do on the weekend?
Thanks!!!

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@Patsyclarkstown the construction isn’t that bad. They finished the pedestrian bridge for freshman that crosses over Lancaster Ave so that, if you take that path, you won’t have to wait for traffic to stop to cross the street. They are currently building dorms for upperclassmen which won’t be complete until Summer of 2019 I believe, but besides the occasional construction vehicle, construction workers, and some beeping from the machines, it doesn’t really bother anyone. There is also construction in the center of campus; they are building new pathways and a new open grass area for people to hang out, but I think that should be done soon.

I don’t party at all, and there is a good amount of things to do! Sometimes they will have events on campus like NovaDance, or basketball watch parties during March Madness. There’s always sporting events on campus, or if you want to get off campus you can go to the mall, out to eat, there’s a movie theater, a bowling alley, etc.

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Son will attend nova class of 2022. Would the administration have any issues with him parking his car off-campus at his grandparent’s house in a nearby town?
What’s the best freshman dorm for the more serious students - ie, study before partying?
Best dining halls?
What are neighborhoods/areas/towns to avoid in Philly proper and suburbs?
How hard is it to get Eagles tickets? Any chance for visiting parents to get men’s BBall game tickets?
What are the big recurring campus social events?
How popular are intramural sports?

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@TrolleyHopper congrats to your Son on acceptance to Nova! I hope he loves it!

I doubt that the administration would have any issues with him parking his car if it is off campus, but you should check with someone in the Admissions or other department at Nova.

I wouldn’t consider any dorm necessarily better than other from the perspective of partying. Partying on campus is not allowed, especially to underage students. If there ends up being a party or if a room is being too loud, the RA will come to the room and tell them to be quiet. If your son is bothered by a noise in a room near him, he can just text his RA and have him go tell them to be quiet. You can’t pick your dorm anyway, it is all random (or if you are in a Learning Community you will be in a specific dorm with the rest of your group members).

There are 3 main dining halls, one on each “campus.” The dining hall for freshman on South Campus is pretty good. The regular dining hall for students on Main Campus isn’t bad, but I prefer some of the other places to eat. My favorite is Cafe Nova which has made-to-order food rather than a buffet style & all you can eat at the normal dining halls.

The neighborhoods/towns around Villanova are very safe, it is only areas in Philadelphia that you should avoid, but I don’t know what specific areas that would be as I do not really go to Philadelphia.

I’m not sure about Eagles tickets, but it is definitely possible for parents to get men’s basketball tickets, especially during the regular season. There is a student lottery system for each game and most people will be able to get tickets, especially since the Pavilion is being newly renovated and expanded (this year the home games were played at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly). Many people will enter the lottery just to get tickets and sell them for around $15, so you can get those, or you can just buy the tickets normally online.

Some big campus social events are Special Olympics, NovaDance, Acapella Concerts, MLK Day of Service, and a lot of smaller events like special speakers, etc.

Intramural sports are pretty popular just for students to have fun and stay active, especially since Villanova offers a wide range of sports. Here is the list of all intramurals offered (click Fall Sports and/or Spring Sports on the left): https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/recreation/intramurals.html

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What surprised you most after you started Villanova? Was it what you expected?

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Where are you from? Do you find students at Villanova are from all over the country or is it more regional? Any info on being in the band would also be helpful. Thanks for taking the time to do this…

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@ljosberg I’d say that for the most part, Villanova was what I expected. It’s a great academic school and I love it! One thing that sort of pleasantly surprised me was that Villanova is so welcoming to students of all ethnicities and religions. Also, each student (no matter what your major) is required to take certain core courses including Philosophy, Theology, and a pair called Ancients/Moderns. I wasn’t sure what to expect for these courses as I am not particularly religious, but the teachers and students are all very open to discussion no matter what your opinion, and none of the teachers try to force their opinions on you. There objective is really personal enrichment: to open you up to different point-of-views and give each student a well-rounded education. Also, the amount of construction was kind of surprising, but many areas under construction will be completed soon. :))

@Domer97 I am from New Jersey! If you look it up, I believe the top 6 states that are represented at Villanova are Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and California. However, I have met so many people from all around the country and the world. Some of the people I have met are from Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Florida, and even from across the world! The majority of students are from the Northeast, but you will definitely meet many people from other states and/or countries, especially during orientation!
I unfortunately don’t have much information on being in the band, sorry…hope my other answers helped though!

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Hello. I’m an international in VSB '22. A few questions I have:

  • How frequent are social events? Is it all-year round or seasonal
  • Are job and internships widely available, and school’s network strong? (I know you’re still an undergrad, but still)
  • If parties aren’t allowed on campus, where are they held
  • Do you have international friends? How are they doing on campus?
  • How is traveling to and fro Philadelphia? Around campus?
    Thank you!
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Do alot of students have bikes? Is it a bike-friendly campus, and the nearby town area around Lancaster Ave?

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@BornToRunUSA congrats on your acceptance to Nova!
Social events are pretty frequent, all year round. You will always know about events even if they are small because an organization at Nova sends weekly emails that mention what will be going on during the week.

The school’s job network is definitely strong, especially with the alumni network. There are lots of jobs offered on or off campus. I’m not sure about internships, I think mainly undergrads choose to do internships when they are upperclassmen. I’m not 100% sure, check with your advisor when you get to school and he/she will turn you in the right direction!

There are no parties allowed on campus. There is no Greek housing on campus, but the fraternities/sororities host parties in buildings off campus.

Yes I have a few international friends! They are doing well I believe! One of the difficult things is choosing what to do over breaks, since we have 5 throughout the year. My friends have either gone home (mainly over the 1 month Christmas break), go on a break service trip to another state, or find a friend to stay with locally.

Traveling to Philadelphia is okay! I haven’t been, but some of my friends have and they either took the train or an Uber.
Traveling around campus is fine, especially since Villanova runs a shuttle from South to Main to West all day long so if it’s snowing or raining, you can check the schedule and plan to take that rather than walk.

@TrolleyHopper
Some students do have bikes, not a ton, but it is a bike-friendly campus. A lot of buildings have bike racks or other stable places that you can lock your bike onto. The dorms (at least the smaller ones, not sure about Stanford) have bike racks. I’ve also seen some students with skateboards! You could definitely use a bike to get around town, there are plenty of sidewalks, but I’m not sure if every place has a bike rack.

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@novanationer12 thank you for answering my questions and for the time. My son put his deposit down, and he is pumped. We have to work out the specifics on the financial end, but we’ll sort it out…hopefully. Hope the team brings another National Championship!

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@Domer97 not a problem! congrats to your son, that’s awesome! I’m sure he is going to love it here at Villanova!

yes me too! the whole campus is buzzing about the game! make sure to watch and cheer on the team! GO CATS!

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I’ve noticed there are two rail lines that can be accessed from campus. If you’re traveling to/from Philadelphia which one is faster – or the more preferable one to use?