Student Profile
Austin
- Class: Freshman
- Major: Psychology
- Gender: M
- High School:
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
This school is the worst and best experience of my entire life. As far as location, it is just close enough that you can say you're near to about 25 different places, but just far enough that it's a total hassle to go anywhere at all. As far as parties go, the only "good" ones are the ticket parties, which you end up spending at least 60 dollars at, and which sometimes get busted by Philadelphia police. There are a plethora of rules which stand to make you feel like you're at an extended summer camp. I love my classes, but even in the highest echelon of the honors program I feel that I am not really being challenged in the best way. The people here either are stupid or simply act stupid because they think it's the coolest. There is a lot of school pride that stems out of a desire simply to have pride in a mob mentality sort of way. In other words, you hear a lot of complaints during the day, and then everyone gets drunk and you hear a lot of "Nova-motherf***ing-nation, Man!" If there was a way I could describe this school in a catchy little slogan, I would call it "Villanova: Easy Transitions for Those Who Want to Stay the Same as They Already Are When They Arrive."
Academic Life
The classes are small, and the teachers, as far as my experience tells me, are generally great. It is the academics here that I really enjoy, although that is mostly just because the Honors program that I am in, which consists of a grand total of 17 students, exposes me to only the best teachers in the school. Call it vanity, whatever. Either way, you can find people that enjoy to learn and are here for the love of knowledge, but as of right now I can name them all on one hand. Most of the kids spend an average of I'd say two hours of work for every 10 that is really necessary, yet all you hear is complaints whenever anyone has to do an ounce, even if it's just some stupid two-paged essay on some movie that has to be done for the required freshman seminar course, which I am so glad that I don't ever have to take because of its nature. Overall, the education is built for business students who want a job right out of college from businesses that generally hire Villanova graduates, and there is little to no focus on actually learning any material. Rather, people are simply concerned with getting through the pains of learning in order to get out into the "real world."
Student Body
If you don't fit in at Villanova, you don't fit in. The student body is so limited in variation that sometimes I feel like just shaking someone next to me and yelling "What the hell is wrong with you?" I would say that 90% of the population here comes from an extravagantly wealthy family. Lots of very conservative Christians who come here to be with other conservative Christians, just for the sake of being with other conservative Christians. Lots of white people. Style here is preppy without taste, or glamor without any real conscious knowledge of glamorous fashion. In other words, you see a lot of Ralph Lauren, J Crew, old Chanel, white Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, and Lilly Pulitzer. Lots of Lucky Brand, True Religion (yet only for girls), and Seven. Overall, the fashion is so self-righteous without any reason whatsoever.
The Best Things
The classes
The Worst Things
The students
