<p>Hi, my son loved his visit to Villanova and my husband and I can really see him being happy there. However, each time he mentions the schools he has narrowed down to and mentions Villanova as one, he has heard comments like "Oh do you mean Villanofun?" This has him questioning his choices. My son is fairly active in high school loves attending football and basketball games and is an excellent student but also enjoys being social on weekends. My daughter attends Penn State so he see's the social life there and loves all the stores, restaurants, bars (he will be 21 Oct of his junior year) along College Avenue. How far away away are the bars, restaurants scene for when he does turn 21? What do the under 21 crowd do? Can I get some feedback from parents and current students on what the social scene is like at Villanova and why do you think it's called "Villanofun". </p>
<p>Hi,
Glad to hear your son is considering Villanova. I am junior here right now, and we like to call it “VillaSOfun”! If you look at the high school students applying, many of them might be considered ‘overachievers’ or ‘overinvolved’, and this definitely carries over into college. You will see that most students are very involved extracurricularly in college, whether it be spending many hours a week in a fraternity or Blue Key Society, or a small amount of time in a number of different activities, students don’t just go to class and go home. As a result, a lot the partying tends to occur within campus groups, usually at the homes of older students (for example, “The Rugby House”, “The Band House”, “The Delta Tau Delta House”, etc). Most student groups have at least one formal per semester, and sororities have three per semester. As freshmen before they really commit to certain groups, there are frequently house parties open to freshmen, and word of mouth spreads quickly as to what is going on. I never found it hard to make plans. Students travel by taxi to pretty much everything. The Ardmore and Bryn Mawr bars are popular for over 21, and have actually been for under 21, as well. A lot of freshmen do end up purchasing fake IDs as the bars are not very strict, and while it is an unfortunate problem, the school and the township police understand that it is very common at Villanova. Students will get in trouble, but nothing as serious as you might expect. </p>
<p>I will say that compared to Penn State, we definitely have less to do, and if he is looking for such a readily available hardcore party scene, a state school is a better option for him. It also depends how much he has partied in high school and how much he plans to get involved on campus that will determine his satisfaction with the party scene. Penn State has a lot more students, and a lot more of them that are going to commit to partying and only partying. As with most schools though, if he’s looking for it he’ll find it and if he wants to avoid it he can. There are students going out pretty much any night of the week, and there are also students staying in and studying on the weekends. I would say that by the end of freshman year the majority of students have gone out on a weeknight a number of times and stayed in a number of weekend nights. If he rushes a fraternity, the chances are he will have a party to attend every night for weeks, although at our school we do not rush until the beginning of the second semester so students can get a taste of college before bringing Greek Life into the scene, and also get a sense of the Greek community before they join. I am in a sorority and like this system a lot better as compared to my friends who rushed first semester at Penn State, although I think it makes more sense there as it is such a large population and can feel more overwhelming initially.</p>
<p>If you look at the Campus Security Report (<a href=“http://www1.villanova.edu/content/villanova/publicsafety/securityreport/_jcr_content/pagecontent/download/file.res/2014%20Annual%20Securty%20and%20Fire%20Report.pdf”>http://www1.villanova.edu/content/villanova/publicsafety/securityreport/_jcr_content/pagecontent/download/file.res/2014%20Annual%20Securty%20and%20Fire%20Report.pdf</a>) you will see that almost all reported crimes are related to alcohol. In a job training I attended in September, the Dean of Students mentioned that 70% of incidents she receiveds involve alcohol. It’s hard to argue that there isn’t partying. I personally think this is a good thing, because from a safety aspect this means that there is nothing worse really happening to students. One asset unique to Villanova is it’s VEMS group- we are one of 7 colleges in the US to offer a free student-run EMT service. The number of calls made by students for other students (versus Public Safety or an RA) is exceptionally high. Villanova frequently boasts that we have a very strong “culture of reporting”, which means that in comparison to other universities, Villanova students are much more likely to call an authority if they think a friend needs help. Our New Student Orientation Program plays a large part in promoting this. Our orientation has ranked #1 in the country since the early 2000s (although I’m not sure by who), and for good reason. It is the single most selective extracurricular on campus- with hundreds of applications every year, they accept about 20-30 orientation counselors, and it’s a phenomenal group. I can personally say that orientation is still one of the highlights of my time here, and I am positive it was why I transitioned to the school so easily and quickly. My friend who is an OC at Cornell watched a 20 minute video on Villanova’s orientation, which according to her was a video featured at a national convention on new student orientation for higher ed. I think it’s a testimony to the type of student we attract that the three most competitive groups by a landslide are Orientation, Special Olympics Committee (we have the largest Special Olympics in the world), and Blue Key Society (tour guides- while other schools are paying students for this job, Villanovans compete to volunteer hours per week for it!). </p>
<p>I really do love Villanova and don’t think the party scene is anything to worry about or even weigh against the value of the experience here. It has been the most amazing three years, and if your son likes a strong community vibe and is comfortable here I highly recommend it. If you or your son have any further questions or concerns, feel free to direct message me and I can provide my university email. I am more than happy to talk about my college experience here any day!! I hope this has been helpful to you. Ignite Change. GO NOVA.</p>
<p>I would take such nicknames with a grain of salt tbh. Certain colleges get those nicknames because certain students think they are clever or they originate from those students who aren’t active themselves. Most times they are just meant as a joke. For instance, I have two friends at the University of Chicago and Wake Forest University, respectively called “Where fun goes to die” and “Work Forest University” for their rigorous academics. Yet at the same time, both of my friends are having awesome times at those schools with no trouble acclimating to the social scene. While not as thriving as Penn State, most colleges have plenty of things to do if you’re on the lookout. I myself go to one of those schools where people have warned about the supposedly “no fun” colleges but I have found myself having a great social life (far better than high school) and if I had the choice again, I’d pick my school more confidently. I can’t speak for other schools like Villanova, but I would be careful how much attention you pay to what you hear word of mouth. Keep in mind that many of these people making these comments are high schoolers with no college experience themselves. I would certainly try to do an overnight (and talk to other students) or have him see for himself before basing it off your entire college decision off of this.</p>
<p>@sk2016 and @shawnspencer thanks for your response and so much of what you both write is informative and true especially the part about nicknames. After all, my daughter goes to “Ped State” so talk about negative nicknames. sk, I have forwarded your response to my son and agree if compared to a larger school of course the area would be bigger and so would the student population thus more things to offer in general. Funny how impressionable these kids could be but he had no complaints about all the pretty girls walking around Villanova though haha. If accepted we will make a trip for an overnight visit. </p>
<p>I feel like this nickname largely stems from the lack of variety in the nightlife scene (compared to some other colleges) and the absence of on-campus frat/sorority houses. The administration seems to make an effort to actively push any drinking/partying off-campus to the local bars and upperclassmen houses and apartments, probably to reduce their liability in the event something goes wrong (for example, last year a student died of alcohol poisoning in a dorm room, but the the majority of heat came down on the local bars where she was the previous night).</p>
<p>However, most students make the best with what we have. There is plenty of dorm drinking and partying if you land in the right circles (generally through on campus activities).</p>
<p>As long as your son is involved on campus in various clubs and organizations, he will have a lot of fun, both on and off campus. </p>
<p>Plus Drexel and Penn are just a train ride away if you want a change of environment, you can almost always find a decent house party near Powelton by Drexel.</p>
I go to Villanova and I can definitely see why it’s called villanofun. The party scene is very exclusive and you have to know people to get invites or pledge rides to a good amount of the parties. Everything is off campus which makes it not as accessible. If you’re a freshmen guy, it’s extremely hard because frats and some sports houses don’t let freshmen guys in. A lot of the freshmen guys just dorm drink or go to the bars. Freshmen boys who are being pursued by the frats are invited to parties, but this is a select few. It gets better as you get older and get to know more people, but Villanova is not condusive to easily accessible social life.
My daughter is accepted at Villanova. Can you describe how difficult it is to join a sorority? Is it a greek heavy campus?
Unfortunately, I must agree with NDGirl. I’m sure it’s the same at other colleges though, but you really need to put yourself out there to get invited to parties and what not. But it does get easier as you get older.