Villanova University Reviews

Finding off-campus housing is a...

Finding off-campus housing is a bit of a hassle, plus you isolate yourself from student life. I wouldn’t recommend living off campus until you have to.

Many students choose to live off...

Many students choose to live off campus, and there are many great houses and apartments in the area. It often works out to be cheaper to share rent with a few friends off campus and make your own meals rather than pay for housing and a meal plan on campus. Personally, though, I think the junior apartments on West campus are great and so convenient. I wouldn't want to pass up living in them. Senior year, pretty much everyone lives off campus.

Freshmen and sophomores can't...

Freshmen and sophomores can't bring cars, but a good number of sophomores do have cars anyways. The parking is so annoying, though, because even if you have a parking permit, you have to drive to Main Lot, park there, and walk across Lancaster Avenue to main campus to your classes. It's not very convenient.

Most seniors are not offered...

Most seniors are not offered on-campus housing, so the market for off-campus apartments is large. Some juniors and very few sophomores opt to live off campus, as well. Radnor Township requires landlords to file for approval to rent to students, and these student approvals are somewhat rare. Additionally, the town mandates that no more than two unrelated students may live together. These ordinances are terribly inconvenient, but most landlords are willing to rent to larger groups under the table. In fact, the majority of seniors live in groups of more than two.

The campus is barely diverse, but...

The campus is barely diverse, but I have seen Villanova take so many strides to make it more diverse. Villanova always sponsors diversity lectures, overnight trips to those of other backgrounds looking at the school, and a mandatory presentation dedicated to this issue held during orientation. I definitely have to commend Villanova on its efforts taken towards this issue.

Villanova + diversity = no. They...

Villanova + diversity = no. They don’t call it Vanilla-nova for nothing.

They are overprotective, but I do...

They are overprotective, but I do admit, I feel safe going anywhere at 2 a.m.

Villanova’s campus is very safe. I...

Villanova’s campus is very safe. I have never felt nervous or uneasy about walking back to my dorm late at night after a long night at the library. Everything is well lit. Public Safety can be considered to be too protective, especially in the signing-in of friends.

The athletic facilities for...

The athletic facilities for non-varsity athletes need extreme renovation. I use the gym at the bottom of Stanford. There are no elliptical machines, and students often have to wait for treadmills and Stairmasters at prime gym times. Also, there are no televisions, and the room itself is ugly and smelly. The computer labs get full at prime times, as well, but people go in and out quickly, so you rarely have to wait at all. The student center is very well kept.

I’ve been told the gyms need to be...

I’ve been told the gyms need to be updated and one added on Main. The computers are fine, depending on where you go; Mendel and Bartley have the best from what I know. The Connolly Center is great. It has a cinema, ice cream, and a dining area.

It’s like anywhere else. There are...

It’s like anywhere else. There are good-looking people, and there are not. It has been said that Villanova students dress for class like they would for a fashion show, but you do see people in more relaxed clothes, as well. You can find any type of person at Villanova; there’s a definite variety, even if you don’t think so at first.

The majority of guys and girls at...

The majority of guys and girls at Villanova are friendly and intelligent. Of course, there are some people to avoid, but that is just a fact of life. Heck yeah, the girls are hot at Villanova!

The moniker Vanilla-nova is...

The moniker Vanilla-nova is deserved. Almost everyone is white, almost everyone is Catholic. It’s one of the qualities I dislike most about Villanova.

I have to say that I’m spoiled...

I have to say that I’m spoiled after living in St. Mary’s since the rooms are very big, and they have their own sinks. Although, I don’t think that there are any really bad dorms on campus to live in.

Dorms vary—avoid St. Rita’s,...

Dorms vary—avoid St. Rita’s, Fedigan, Moriarty, Simpson, and Austin. St. Mary’s and Good Counsel are the only ones with sinks in the dorms rooms, so they are nice, but people tend to chase after the Quad and the apartments.

The dorms are good for the sole...

The dorms are good for the sole reason that the people in them are cool. No air-conditioning is okay, but they are large and sterile, and at times, impersonal. I like the small ones over the large ones.

The dorms are not bad. The...

The dorms are not bad. The freshman dorms on Main Campus (O’Dwyer, Delurey, Simpson) do not have air-conditioning. The dorms on South Campus have air-conditioning, and I think the dorms on West Campus have air-conditioning, as well.

All the dorms have good and bad...

All the dorms have good and bad qualities. Most freshmen live on South Campus—all air conditioned and roomy dorms. Sophomores mostly live on Main Campus in the Quad, which has smaller rooms, but a great atmosphere, and juniors live in West Campus apartments, which has quad housing with full kitchen and double bathroom options.

Sports are big, but not too big....

Sports are big, but not too big. You have a following for basketball and football, enough to where it is a good time to go to the games.

Basketball is the thing! It’s...

Basketball is the thing! It’s funny, because the football team is very good, but they don’t get the same recognition. Basketball games are tons of fun. The student section is ridiculous—always rowdy. I recommend attending at least one basketball game (men’s and women’s teams) during your Villanova career.

The teachers at Villanova are...

The teachers at Villanova are incredibly helpful. I have not had any that hasn’t been fully interested in making all of their students succeed. They often give out their home phone numbers, and they encourage students to visit them during office hours or be in touch through e-mail at any time. As a political science major, I’ve found that all of my professors have had hands-on world experience. All of them not only teach brilliantly in their area of expertise, but they’ve been in the real world gaining experience in these areas.

All my teachers are great, and...

All my teachers are great, and they definitely can convey the new material to students really well. The teachers are also very easy to access outside of class through their office hours, and in fact, they encourage you to drop by either for a simple question or the most complex. Being in commerce and finance, all the classes I have found are very interesting, as they show me different aspects of the business world.

All Villanova professors are very...

All Villanova professors are very available outside of class. Most are eager to teach and want to see their students succeed.

The teachers are generally very...

The teachers are generally very personable and caring, which in turn makes class enjoyable for me. There are, however, some teachers that are very boring who merely lecture. I find those classes very boring.

The network in my dorm is at least...

The network in my dorm is at least a little bit slower than the rest of campus, but it still is pretty fast. You should definitely bring your own computer, probably a laptop, so you can take it with you to the library or to class.