Pros and Cons of attending VU

Colleges and Universities A-Z Villanova University
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<p>No, I don't think it would be much of a problem. While Villanova is a school where there are a large percentage of very affluent kids, they are by no means the only people there. That is true of any private school. While they will have a fair share of wealthy kids, there are ALWAYS kids on scholarship that are from less well off families.</p>

<p>It's a great school with great academics and people. I strongly suggest you look into it. If you want to go into business they had 13 graduates hired by Goldman Sachs. That should be a good indicator of the quality education.</p>

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<p>I am thinking of either attending 'Nova or Penn State? I know that VU is sometimes referred to as "Vanilla-Nova" but when I visited Penn State I was dissapointed by the lack of diversity. Academically they are pretty similar although PSU offers many more options at a substantially lower price. I probably would not be eligible for financial aid at Nova. Anyone else out there facing the same dilemma? Which way are you leaning?</p>

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<p>I know that a ton of guys from an all boys Catholic school in NJ are going there & most are pretty cute. However, I read statistically that the approximate guy ot girl percentage was something like</p>

<p>51% girls
49% guys</p>

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<p>I’m planning on applying to Villanova in the fall and I was wondering if anyone knew what their communications program was like? Thanks!</p>

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<p>I think alot of the pro/cons are based on the individual. I hate hearing about diversity. If you are a white student, then going to a mostly white school is great.
College students have no money so whether their parents are rich doesnt matter. Its not like HS where you have your friends over to hang out at your house.
The teachers are nice and helpful.
The campus is small. That’s good and bad. That means you dont have to take a shuttle bus to get to classes. And the campus is quiet on the weekends which is nice for studying. And there is no nightlife on campus. I think they like to keep it that way, but there isnt alot open 24/7.
And the dress code. In the same class, some students wear suits and ties and some are in jammy jams and just crawled out of bed. But what is cool changes so often with fashion, so maybe next year L.L.Bean will be popular.</p>

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<p>CON: The HUGE tuition cost at Nova. I know way, way, way too many Nova grads swimming in huge amounts of debt. If you received a lot of help financially via grants and scholarships then it may be OK to go. Nova students tend to think their school is more prestigious than it really is. No one outside of the upper Eastern corridor has heard of it. It is definitely NOT on a tier like UPenn and is more equivalent to schools like Fordham, Seton Hall, or St. Joes. It’s extremely overpriced. I can’t tell you how much lots of student debt has completely RUINED the life of some Nova grads. There’s a reason why Alumni from Nova give so little back to the school in donations. It’s because we’re all swimming debt from going to that school that’s taking 20+ years or more to pay off. The amount that tuition at Nova has increased over the past 5 years is absolutely ABSURD. The only thing that that money is going towards is building new buildings on campus like the parking garage and law school building, and increasing the salaries of staff. It isn’t being used to increase the quality of education. Overpriced. Overrated.</p>

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<p>All private universities are overpriced , please do not go into debt to attend Villanova,BC,Providence , St Joes , Fordham(COA 48-52K before aid for these schools) or any other private school. If you can’t afford the tuition , go to one of the many terrific state schools like TCNJ , Rutgers ,Penn St , Delaware , Maryland , UConn , Virginia Tech , etc.</p>

<p>If you bought a BMW but could only afford a Ford , you would be foolish , same logic applies to higher education.</p>

<p>I don’t think even the most ardent Villanova supporters would argue that Villanova is the on same tier as Penn , but it is a much more competitive school than Fordham, Seton Hall, or St. Joes.</p>

<p>You are correct when you state “The amount that tuition at Nova has increased over the past 5 years is absolutely ABSURD” but you can substitute any private university in the Northeast in that statement.</p>

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<p>My freshman going on sophomore son just secured a very prestigious summer internship through Villanova. The alumni network is thriving and committed. He loves the school, most of his professors, and his classes. He has received personal attention whenever he sought it out.</p>

<p>And Villanova is definitely a step up from Fordham, Seton Hall or St. Joe’s. The Business School is ranked #7 by Business Week. Quality of life rating, as reported by 2010 Princeton Review, is 96.</p>

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<p>As a current VU Student, I am highly mixed about this question. Nova is a slightly above average school with a strong NE reputation. You will get a strong liberal curriculum and opportunities to interact with professors. However, that is about all you get for 53.5k. Seriously, nothing more. </p>

<p>The stereotype is true, VU has a majority of wealthy white Catholic kids. I miss the diversity I experienced in HS, since in all honesty, most kids on campus are boring and typical “I have a BMW, I have expensive clothing, I have a million job contacts, and my dad is a lawyer,doctor,CEO etc”. Don’t get me wrong, there are many kids from middle class and foreign backgrounds also; however, the foreign students are still few and far between but slowly increasing. Unfortunately, the majority of kids are simply blah. Rather than worry about the problems of the world (i.e. poverty) most Nova kids enjoy partying on end or just ignoring these issues. There is absolutely NO political involvement on campus, no protests or sit ins anywhere. Way too conservative. Maybe this is just my perception. However, walk into ANY building on campus Thursday night into Friday afternoon, it becomes a total ghost town. People either go home since there is nothing to do or begin a party binge. There is really nothing to do on campus. The Main Line area is OK at best, but the train gets extremely expensive. Philly is fun but most kids I have encountered are not interested in exploring much. Most times I find the campus desolate on weekends. </p>

<p>Maybe all of these problems are common to modern college students. However, I have a feeling that the Nova population is just opposed to thinking outside the box and being a bit more open minded. My friends from home attend a variety of colleges, from community all the way to the Ivies; they all experience some diversity of opinion. However, it is difficult to find this at VU. If you do not care much about politics or serious issues, then this does not concern you. If you have some interest, consider another college. </p>

<p>Relative to other universities, the VU endowment says everything. 300m for a “prestigious” University is abysmal, and the funny part is that they keep trying to gain huge endowments but fail every time. They almost got a wealthy family to donate 30M+ to the Business school but ultimately failed. The new “Telethon” office is always looking for people to beg for money…the on campus job offer literally says “You have to be comfortable with asking for money multiple times on a call.” Do you really think alumni in debt will be happy receiving calls and being asked for donations multiple times? Quite disrespectful in my opinion. If they do not want to give money back then something is wrong in my opinion. AND EVEN WORSE AS A STUDENT PAYING 50K+ I GET MAILINGS ASKING FOR DONATIONS TO THE ANNUAL VU ENDOWMENT FUND!!! They even ask parents, grandparents, etc for money through mailings. The senior class was asked to give about 20 dollars each to hear about the commencement speaker in advance, I almost died laughing after hearing about this. Pay 200k, and you just become another number who is expected to donate. VU seriously skews their sales pitch. </p>

<p>So much for a “Catholic” University. They should stop begging for money, drop the 50% overall acceptance rate, and increase the number of grad PhD programs to achieve a greater level of success. </p>

<p>Listen, it is not a terrible University at all. Yet I don’t think it deserves anywhere near the reputation most “Nova Nation” kids ascribe. You will have great opportunities in the Northeast, but nowhere nationally/globally. I have a feeling Nova will always be a decent academic institution, but will never rise to the level of ND or BC. Just does not have the infrastructure or level of alumni yet, and it takes many generations to achieve such an outcome. Wish it would happen but I have my doubts!</p>

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<p>I can’t stand when VU tries to call me asking for donations, they won’t be getting another dime from me. I won’t be able to pay off my student loans from VU until I’m almost 50 years old. VU also doesn’t spend the money to really increase the quality of education. They’re busy building and improving dorms so that they’re like country clubs, increasing the salaries of their staff, and building more buildings. All the money that goes into VU is for show, not for more quality. VU is horrifically overpriced. I almost fell off my chair when I saw how much tuition increased from when I graduated from there in 2005. There’s absolutely NO excuse for an increase in tuition by $10k in as little as 5 years. It’s flat out greed simple as that.</p>

<p>VU utterly ruined the life of my other friend. She graduated there in '05 with $80k+ in loans. After the economic downturn in '08 she lost her job. She then had to choose between paying rent or $600 student loan payments per month with an unemployment check. It’s not fun when you constantly have debt collectors hounding you for payment and you have to choose between putting a roof over your head or paying a massive student loan all while your credit is ruined for life. Unless you are getting huge help financially in the form of non loans such as grants and scholarships, or simply can flat out afford it, VU is a massive waste of money for the return you get financially with your degree from VU. </p>

<p>We graduated in '05 and tuitions have done nothing but increase. My best friend’s brother also went there for engineering and had roomates and classmates graduating from VU with in excess of $100k in student loans. Needless to say, their lives are probably ruined for the next 25 years. VU doesn’t care about their students and the overwhelming debt their outrageous tuition is placing on them.</p>

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<p>Concur completely. I should have gone to Delaware. It would have been 1/4 the cost for probably a better education…hell the DE chemistry department won the nobel prize this year.</p>

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<p>Grave: unfortunately for you and your friends , you and your families made a terrible decision to take on a huge debt load. You spent far more than you could afford.
My friends child chose Delaware over BC because they would not go 150k in debt for a undergraduate degree.
Poor financial decisions are the cause of this financial crisis , homeowners take on massive mortgages they can’t service and then blame the banker. Students and their families take on huge loans and when they struggle financially they blame the university.
While I empathize with your plight , I believe you are in the minority. There are tens of thousands of Villanova grads that have attended without the burden if debt either through affluence , financial aid , strong financial planning or post graduate success.
I’m sorry that you are bitter , but there are many satisfied students and alumni, and the quality of the education remains strong. </p>

<p>I reiterate that your criticism of Villanova is applicable to most private universities. I’m sure that there are many Georgetown and ND grads in the same boat as you. </p>

<p>Don’t get in line for the ride if you can’t afford the ticket.</p>

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<p>Yes you are right I did indeed sign those contracts on student loans for VU at my own free will and I intend to live up to my end of the bargain even it takes me 25 years. There’s another side to the story howver. Exactly how much return on investment do VU grads get with their degrees? I wouldn’t feel as bitter towards VU if it weren’t for the fact that Vu overhyped itself and sold us dreams that were in fact nothing more than nightmares. Here’s an idea how about VU, or any private university for that matter, charge tuition commensurate with the wages that their graduates earn? I bet the vast maority of VU grads are stuck within the $30k-55k pay range and are loaded up with more than $25k in student loan debt. In fact, I bet the return on investment for many VU grads is quite negative. My VU degree pulled almost no weight when it came time to get into graduate school. I got in pretty much based off my work in industry. No one cares if VU is the #1 masters school in the North East region by USWR. If you add enough stipulations, any school could probably be ranked #1 in something. I for one will NEVER give VU another dime of my money in donations or participate in any alumni activity. Its becoming increasing clear that VU only cares about increasing the salaries of their administrators and staff and building up the university so that it looks like a high end country club. Education is an afterthought. There’s a reason why VU is very homogenous with regards to its student population-- it’s because the only people that can really afford to go to VU now are rich kids from places like West Chester NY or NJ suburbs ouside NYC. I will never give give VU another dime so that it can be an even better stomping ground for the kids of elite wealthy families while middle class families continue to be squeezed out from ever sending their kids to VU. VU should quit overhyping its product and start charging a fair tuition so that many of its grads that aren’t from wealthy families that end up in middle class jobs can at least break even for returns on their investment,</p>

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<p>@graveneworld: When you say Villanova “ruined” your friend’s life, you imply passivity on the part of your friend. It was your friend who made the decision to take on massive debt, not the University. And the tuition at Villanova is less than that at many other comparable private schools, including those that aren’t as highly regarded. I don’t think it’s accurate to say VU “doesn’t care about their students,” just because you know people who took on more debt than they could handle.</p>

<p>A “high end country club?” That’s a strong overstatement. My understanding is that only now are they installing air conditioning in the sophomore dorms. With school beginning in mid-August and local temperatures in the high eighties, AC is a practical, not luxurious, upgrade. I don’t know how many colleges and universities you’ve visited or attended, but VU seems about average when it comes to living environment and amenities. </p>

<p>@aesthetics5: The “majority of kids are simply blah”?? That’s harsh. As far as not worrying “about the problems of the world,” there is enormous competition to secure positions on the Special Olympics committee and many other service organizations. Hundreds of students go into Philadelphia weekly to volunteer in at-risk school districts. Community service organizations are plentiful and thriving at VU, which would seem to contradict your assertion that students don’t care about “serious issues” and the world outside of their little bubble.</p>

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<p>According to 2010 Princeton Review’s student population categories, Villanova is actually more diverse than the University of Delaware.</p>

<p>Villanova
African American - 5%
Asian - 7%
Caucasian - 76%
Hispanic - 6%
International - 3%</p>

<p>U of Delaware
African American - 5%
Asian - 4%
Caucasian - 80%
Hispanic - 5%
International - 1%</p>

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<p>How convenient, VU is allowed to get away with overhyping the quality of their education and the outcomes of their students in order to convince families and their children to take out huge amounts of loans under the guise that “it’ll pay off”. Then when they graduate from VU with tons of crushing debt and it blows up in their face, because all they’ll ever find are standard low to middle middle class incomes, VU gets to wring their hands completely free because it was the student’s “personal choice”. VU does nothing more than sell you a Ford at Ferrari prices, it’s a simple as that. I also don’t remember VU being upfront and open at all with data on the average and median amount of debt that their graduates leave with. Like I said, there’s a reason why VU alums give so little back to the school–we’re either A.) swimming in 20+ years worth of debt because we bought into VU’s hype or B.) simply regret completely going there. </p>

<p>There’s absolutely no way I would ever send my kid to VU. In fact, I don’t know if I’ll ever have kids or even own a house until I’m 50 years old, I’ll be busy paying of my student loans from an overrated education that has gotten me nothing more than a low middle class income. It’s kind of hard to be saving for your future, a house, or a child’s future college education when you are still trying to pay off your own overrated college eduaction 20 years later. VU tuition is less than many other comparable private schools? Estimated costs by VU itself for 2011 are over $52k. Show me just how many private schools it is less than. </p>

<p>BTW, I’d much rather go to DE even if it is less diverse. It’s still cheaper than VU and is much better academically. How many Nobel Prizes has VU won? Any state school is almost always better than any private institution. </p>

<p>The people I feel most sorry for are my parents. They thought they were sending their son to the best academic institution they could and took out a lot of loans to help pay rather than pad their own retirement savings. Little did they know they, as well as myself, were completely ripped off and an eduaction at VU has lowered the quality of my life. I regret almost every single day going to VU and buying into their marketing gimmicks. You can be damn sure that once I am done grad school that I’ll only be listing my grad school in my education background on my resume. I want absolutely nothing to do with VU for the rest of my life. Believe me, there are a lot more graduates like myself that I know of from VU that regret it a few years out after we graduate.</p>

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<p>Wow. There’s a distinct theme to your posts, and I hope you can see it. I sincerely wish you the best of luck, along with the hope that your future is far better than you believe it will be.</p>

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<p>and if VU isnt’t using a lot of money to improve it’s facilities and is quite normal campus wise like you say, then please exactly justify VU’s price increase from $40k to $52k in as little as 6 years. VU certainly hasn’t gotten better academically or hired more professors. I’ll tell you where most of that money goes-- it goes to lining the pockets of VU’s admin staff with higher salaries and also goes towards VU’s investment managers running the university’s investment portfolio. Little of that $10k increase goes towards actually increasing the quality of eduation. The fact that VU continues increase tuitions on its students while they face the worst job market in generations is quite sickening. VU doesn’t care though, they get their tuition money. Even if their grads default on their loans VU will still get paid.</p>

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<p>I’m not trying to offend anyone or to start a debate here, but I’ll give my two cents on this conversation.
@ gravenewworld, I understand where your bitterness comes from, but it’s certainly uncalled for to post multiple offending and derogatory comments about any college without concrete evidence. I may be naive when I say this, but, in my opinion, anyone’s career/job prospect cannot solely depend on a college, nor is VU responsible for providing you a decent job after graduation. You have to earn it. I will be attending VU this fall, and I will pay less than $800 per year in tuition (including room and board) because of VU’s wonderful financial aid package. I will come back in four or five years to let you know how I’m doing in the real world with a VU degree.
By the way, the dramatic increase in college tuition over the past few years is evident in nearly every single college in the U.S. Even my brother, who’s attending a college with one of the lowest tuition among private institutions, has experienced an $10,000 increase in tuition every year. Part of that increase is called inflation, which is also evident in many of our daily commodities, if you haven’t noticed.</p>

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<p>Good luck and congrats on your financial aid package. Whatever you do, graduate with as little debt as possible. </p>

<p>VU currently charges just as much as MIT; if VU is going to charge as much as MIT one would expect MIT results and education. Yes there is inflation, but a jump in tuition of almost $10k in as little as 5 years is a 25% increase in costs. Tell me, since when has the national rate of inflation ever been 25% in the history of the US? That’s not inflation, that’s hyperinflation. </p>

<p>You know what VU got me after college? I started off with a $42k per year job while buried under loans because I bought into the VU hype. After being laid off from that job for an entire year, you know what VU and the VU alumni office got me then? 0 job interviews. So much for an impressive alumni network. I currently work a $35k per year job wasting my life away with no hope of ever owning a house or starting a family. My only salvation now is to attend grad school this fall and completely start my life over again…this time with a different name on my degree.</p>

<p>I graduated magna cum laudae too, so this has nothing to do with my performance during my time at school. It has everything to do with the massive hype machine bubble and the unrealistic expectations VU fosters. That all comes crashing down when you find yourself if a middle middle class income and 25 years worth of student loans. I don’t think I’ll ever retire, the hype machine eats all of my savings.</p>