<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I was discussing Villanova with a guidance counselor of mine and she told me that as an out of state student I may find it unwelcoming. She has heard that Villanova has a large population of local students and particularly students from NJ. She expressed these students tend to view Villanova as their school and make students out of the area aware of that.</p>
<p>Is this true? I did not get that feel when I toured the campus but there were very few students around.</p>
<p>It’s 70% out-of-state with 70% living on campus. Now I’m sure that a lot of those out-of-staters are from NJ and some of those may go home on weekends, but I’d have a hard time characterizing it as a commuter school!</p>
<p>It is not a commuter school at all, but I do suspect there are a lot of students from within a 3 hour distance. There is a lot going on on the weekends, though and sports are a pretty big deal (espec basketball).</p>
<p>Agreed. But its also possible what the counselor advised, as it is primarily a regional school. I doubt it however. There will be students from all over the place, so not to worry. Its up to individual students at any university to make friends, and that is not normally a tough task to accomplish. People are usually welcoming to “outsiders”. I have a kid in New York and we are southerners. It has never been a problem making really good friends at all. </p>
<p>Villanova is a fine school made up of bright, ambitious students. So long as you are not a creeper or flaky person, you will be fine. Embrace the diversity! Sometimes its fun to be an “outsider.”</p>
<p>Agreed with above – Not a Commuter school which clears out on weekends; certainly very regional school.</p>
<p>It is sports orientated area-- Buy a Phillies shirt, complain about the Eagles and get familiar with the Jersey shore town names and you will do fine. If you visited and felt comfortable you will be fine.</p>
<p>The above are correct. Some folks in the US think of the northeast as unfriendly, but it is not at all true</p>
<p>Thanks for all your comments. I may have led some of you in the wrong direction when I used the terminology ‘commuter school’ in my subject line which typically means students going home on weekends. Also – I am from the NE so I do believe people in the north are friendly. Last – I like to meet new people!</p>
<p>Probably better stated would be is it a Regional school – meaning is it clicky, high school like because of such a dominance of local students. Many of you (despite my incorrect subject line) addressed this question in your responses. </p>
<p>Are any of you students at Nova or do you have a child that is/was a student at Nova?</p>
<p>No student at Nova – We avoid it because we think it is clicky ;)</p>
<p>Seriously, the “clicky” is true to a small extent. Many of the local, large Catholic HS send students to Nova and you will find a certain portion of freshmen “request” a roommate they know. </p>
<p>I didn’t attend Nova, but did attend a regional LAC. In my personal experience, after you found out where someone was from the conversation flowed to trying to find mutual acquaintances or common hang outs.</p>
<p>Sorry, but my newspaper editor past is getting triggered 
:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, the terminology for that would be “suitcase school.” A “commuter school” is where the majority of students do not live on campus but travel back and forth to campus each day.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That would be “cliquey” - not “clicky”</p>
<p>^^^ Just did not know the word, “Cliquey”. So looked up in the dictionary</p>
<p>Clique - n. a narrow circle of persons with common intrests. a. cliquish</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman - seems like here “crowd” so far ranges from Northeast to Chicago to California girls - so pretty geographically diverse. Its really become a much more national university.</p>
<p>Also a parent of a Nova freshman – from over 1,000 miles away, so definitely not regional for us. There is, in fact, a large majority of students from NE states and nearby areas. Seems like a fairly large percentage also hail from private catholic schools - not sure how many but shouldn’t be too hard to look it up. </p>
<p>That said, our student’s experience has not reflected any issues associated with “cliqueyness” or campus emptying out on weekends. To me that perspective tends to be a little overstated as many commentors don’t seem to have a lot of firsthand experience about life at Nova. However, she has gotten to know her way around Philly pretty well thanks to some of her new friends from the area. We have likewise gotten to know some parents who live locally and they have been a great resource for us. Very friendly people all around, so it’s all been good. </p>
<p>Last week when we were there D introduced us to several of her friends and their parents. I was surprised how many of them were from outside the NE – from all over really, midewest, west coast, international, etc. So, I think they are probably trying to add more geographic diversity. Of course, that won’t change the reality that Nova is very popular regionally. Somehow, I just haven’t noticed that this has translated into any type of negative experience for those coming from outside the region. Everyone we’ve encountered has been welcoming. Walking campus was frequently interrupted with people greeting us and our daughter, waving hello, stopping to chat, etc. She’s only been there a short time, but seems to know quite a large number of people already. So, If there are any drawbacks in terms of being an outsider we’ve yet to experience them.</p>