Villanova University is one of the most expensive four-year colleges in the Philadelphia area (though not quite as expensive as U of Penn). With more than 6,000 undergrads and some graduate students, this is considered a moderately-sized school. Villanova tries to build a sense of community and responsibility rooted in its Catholic tradition. In this respect, VIllanova succeeds. Generally students are very welcoming to their peers all over campus and they take pride in what they do. They volunteer for worthy causes on- and off-campus and they raise money for charities through various events. Most students take pride in their studies as well. Although they tend to party Thursday through Saturday nights (sometimes), most of the week is fairly quiet on campus because students are either doing classwork or volunteering their time for clubs, sports, or charities. That is not to say the campus is boring, but it is not as much of a "party" school as some other options out there. Although there are numerous frats and sororities, they do not have on-campus houses so their influence on campus parties is held in check. Catholicism is not pushed on students here and non-Catholic students do not feel any less comfortable. The school does need more diversity though. It has the stereotype of being the place that well-off suburbanite white students attend, which unfortunately is not too far from the truth many times. There are many interesting people that are easy to meet if people are interested in doing so. Academically, the best programs are engineering, nursing, and business. Most majors challenge their students effectively both in and out of the classroom. The campus is absolutely beautiful with many modern buildings (and a few old ones). Students feel safe here and most crime beyond petty theft is largely nonexistant. Food is decent, but the menus become redundant after a couple of months. The shcool's reputation for sports and academics is among the best in the area and is worth a visit for students who want to stay local and are in approximately the top 25-30% of their high school class.
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