<p>Hello,
I am a senior in high school from CA and toured Villanova for the first time on Friday. Unfortunately it was raining but the campus was still very nice. I went to the accepted students meeting and then met up with a student who gave me a tour. He is a senior and has enjoyed his four years at Villanova tremendously. The day made me much more enthused about Villanova and left me with a decision of where to go for the next four years of my life. Anyone want to give some compelling reasons why Villanova is THE place to go?</p>
<p>Some reasons I can think of, from the persective of a Philly area resident.</p>
<ol>
<li> Villanova is rated #1 for its region in USNWR rankings of regional universities.</li>
<li>They have a competitive basketball team in the Big East conference.</li>
<li> Located in suburbs of Philadelphia, plenty to do in the surrounding area and there is convenient transportation into Center City.</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m not sure these reasons add up to Villanova being THE school to attend, but they are some features that might appeal to students looking at this school.</p>
<p>“Villanova is rated #1 for its region in USNWR rankings of regional universities.”</p>
<p>This is like winning the NIT.</p>
<p>Villanova is a fine regional school. I happen to think it is over-priced, but it does offer a nice combination of “close to a major city” and “nice suburban campus”. </p>
<p>Informative, as usual, has nothing to add, so please ignore…</p>
<p>If you felt comfortable there on your visit, go for it. What are your other choices?</p>
<p>Don’t really think informative’s basketball analogy is apt- since it implies that regional universities are inferior to national universities. Top regional universities are not “second tier” they just don’t offer as wide a range of majors, don’t offer Ph D programs, and don’t do as much research. From the USNWR website:</p>
<p>USNWR “regional universities” are universities that “offer a full range of undergrad programs and some master’s programs but few doctoral programs. Regional Universities include Villanova University, Elon University, Butler University, and San Francisco State.”</p>
<p>USNWR “national universities” are universities “such as University of Chicago and Stanford University,” which “offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s, and doctoral degrees. These colleges also are committed to producing ground breaking research.”</p>
<p>The best regional universities tend to have good reputations in the their own regions, but may be less well known outside of their regions. Villanova is an exception to this due to its high profile basketball team. I’d look to see if Villanova offers the programs you are interested in, and if you like the location and feel of the campus and surrounding area.</p>
<p>Also- as I assume you know, Villanova is a Catholic university which may or may not appeal to some people or may be neutral.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. My other choices that I’m considering besides Villanova are USD, SMU, and TCU. I am looking to major in business.</p>
<p>Of those my personal choice would be between USD and Villanova. I am not an SMU fan (except for certain grad school programs and a few limited undergrad majors) and I think Villanova is a better choice than TCU. There’s the weather issue…</p>
<p>National obviously trumps regional.</p>
<p>why? surely you can provide a more “informative” explanation…</p>
<p>If you’re going to major in business, then go to either Nova, SMU or USD, depending upon where you want to start your business career. They all have excellent B programs. I recommend TCU less than SMU if you’re planning to work in Dallas, as SMU will open more doors than TCU there.</p>
<p>Each of those schools shares a conservative, pre-professional focus. They’re all ranked within reach of each other. It’s all about fit and where you choose to begin your career.</p>
<p>Informative: you make this assertion in every thread. Clearly, you do not understand the distinction. The difference between “national” schools as opposed to liberal arts schools and “regional” schools is there focus on graduate programs, their large number of PhD students and number of available graduate programs. The so-called regional schools have a focus on undergraduate education and fairly limited PhD programs. </p>
<p>The idea that one is automatically better is plain wrong, at least when you are discussing undergraduate programs. Look at Temple vs. Villanova (two philadelphia area schools). Or look at Rutgers compared to The College of New Jersey. TCNJ is a state school in New Jersey, as is Rutgers. TCNJ is more selective for undergrads than the state flagship, Rutgers, despite being cataloged by US News as a “regional” university. The regional vs. national is really a made up categorization for US News to avoid comparing apples and oranges (excuse the cliche).</p>
<p>Now, if you are talking about PhD, law or medical programs, the “national” schools will generally be better.</p>
<p>Does anyone else really like Villanova?</p>
<p>I really liked Villanova when i visited it on the candidates day even though it was pouring with rain. The campus was beautiful and all the students seemed friendly. However my major concern being an international student is the very low number of international students at Villanova, with most students coming from around the area on the east coast or other states in the US. I feel as an international student i want more diversity in a student body, however this may not apply to you as you are from CA. </p>
<p>But personally for you i would say Villanova is a great option to choose, the school community and NOVA spirit there seems excellent! The campus is beautiful and from what i saw the buildings are relatively new and not to run down (as some universities can be), also the surrounding area is very nice and safe, plus it being only a 10-15 min train ride away from the centre of Philly. On ANOTHER plus, as you are going to be majoring in business as i am, the business school at Villanova seems excellent as well, ranked #7 in the country by Bloomberg business week, and the business school itself has a lovely building and great facilities the structure of the course seems very well though out. </p>
<p>These are only my opinions however, and i don’t know much about the other schools you applied to. I considered Villanova very closely, it was in my top 2 choices along with McGill, and if it wasn’t for the limited international student background I may have gone. But i will now probably end up going to McGill and Im sure whatever decision you make will be a great one! :)</p>