Villanova University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Real Estate
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Straight Female

Summary

I’m in an honors fraternity, Villanova Buddies, and I’m in the Engineering Student Council (ESC).

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public high school in Sinking Spring, PA with a graduating class of about 500 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Real Estate

Extracurricular Activities: I’m in an honors fraternity, Villanova Buddies, and I’m in the Engineering Student Council (ESC).
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
The honors fraternity because I’ve made a lot of friends. I’ve made a lot of connections I wouldn’t have made because there are people from other years in it. Also, Villanova Buddies was super important because I get to be in contact with people outside Villanova who have disabilities which is cool because I probably wouldn’t get to see them on a regular basis otherwise.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for the business school prerequisites?
We don’t have any labs or a language, which is really good. We have to take accounting and finance, and there is a six-credit marketing class. It’s all general business classes to prepare you for picking a major you’ll actually enjoy. The mathematical classes like finance and accounting are more exam-based, whereas in the marketing-type classes there are a lot of group projects.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
We are very good at bringing in employers to our school. When I was a freshman during the first week there were all these big-name employers like Goldman Sachs and PwC. They were actively talking and recruiting students. As an Economics major, I wish they were more open to inviting employers that aren’t just accounting and finance-oriented.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
There is a lot of competitiveness, however, most of our classes teach us to be group-oriented. You have to work with one another in those group projects, regardless of how competitive you are.
How accessible are your professors?
The ones I’ve had have been pretty accessible. They tell us their office hours and to make an appointment if we ever need anything. I’ve had a few where their office hours are early in the morning which was difficult to meet them. We don’t have TAs in the classes I’ve taken within the business school. It’s all taught by professors.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose Economics because I had a wonderful professor last year and made the class really interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it. For Business Analytics, they’re always pushing innovation and change in the business school. All the employers I’ve talked to on campus really like students that pursue some degree in technology and data analytics.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
It wasn’t a really hard transition because the high school I came from was public, and a lot of them were also going to be first-generation college students. At Villanova, I’ve never had an issue with it and haven’t sought out any resources.

Reasons to Attend

1) We have an excellent education, especially if you’re going to the business school.
2) Some of the friendships you’ll form are going to be unbreakable. You’re going to meet some of the coolest people here.
3) The sports teams. We have one of the best basketball teams in the country.
4) We have a lot of clubs on campus. We hold one of the largest Special Olympics in the world, and being part of something that amazing is incredible.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you want a smaller campus, this isn’t for you.
2) If you’re someone that’s seeking a more diverse campus. It’s improving, but it has a way to go.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: O’Dwyer Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Sheehan Hall with one roommate
Junior: Next year we’ll have to live with three others in an apartment
How was transitioning from your hometown in New York to Villanova, Pennsylvania?
New York is very crowded, especially in Brooklyn. It’s also very diverse, so coming to the suburbs of Pennsylvania was kind of a culture shock because everyone seems the same. I also don’t have a license, because there’s no need for a car in New York. Coming here, everyone has a license because a car is what gets you around.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never had an issue with anything. Sometimes it’ll be midnight, and they have smaller dining halls open on West campus. I’ll walk 15-minutes at midnight and feel completely safe.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
A lot of the clubs I’m in have social gatherings and parties. Usually, on Friday or Saturday nights, we go down into Philadelphia because the city is fun. Other than that, we will go out to a fraternity party on Saturday nights, but it depends.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
Everyone tends to go out on Friday or Saturday nights, but sometimes during the week on Thursdays as well.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
The Campus Activities Team does a lot of activities on campus. We usually have events on Friday and Saturday nights, depending on the day. Every Thursday night we have Quizbowl at 9:30. It’s to build a general community within the student body for people that don’t want to go out. We always have activities planned.
What is the impact of Greek life on the nightlife?
As a girl it’s not hard to get into parties, so most girls have it easy as long as you know someone. For guys, if they ever do want to go out to a fraternity party it’s extremely difficult. If you’re not in the fraternity, you can’t really get in if you know someone or not.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at Villanova? Is there anything you would change if you could?
Personally, the only reason I would go out is if my friends are going out. I’m not a partier, so I wouldn’t go on my own. I wish there was more stuff on campus on Saturday nights, which is why I’m picking up work on the weekends. If you do want to go out, there are plenty of opportunities to, but if not, it’s somewhat difficult.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
When I lived in O’Dwyer freshman year I was isolated from everyone else and it was difficult making friends because we were so far away from [the other freshmen]. Us girls living away from everyone, we got close and I found my current roommate living on my floor then. My closest friends all lived in that building. For the freshman coming in who are going to live in one of those smaller buildings, they may see it as a curse or a burden at first, but they’ll really get close with some of the people living there.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Villanova?
The first things you’ll notice are the fraternities and sororities. Although we don’t have actual fraternity houses, the guys and the girls are still really close and you’ll see them together. In terms of everyone else, a lot of the clubs here become families. We have our Blue Key Society and our Special Olympics is really big. If you join a club, you’ll get introduced to so many different people. A lot of the students in smaller clubs tend to get very close too. It’s where you go to find people who share similar interests with you, whether that be Greek life or a specific club. Every day I see the same people together at lunch or dinner.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
My roommate is in a sorority and I’m not, but I have a lot of good friends in sororities. The thing about Villanova which is nice is that although Greek life is prevalent on campus, it doesn’t take over the entire social scene. The only time it becomes an issue is if they’re a guy trying to get into a party.
How do you like the size of Villanova in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [Villanova has about 6,500 undergraduates.]
I think it’s a perfect size. Especially coming from a really big high school, I did not want to go to a really big school. We’re fairly medium-sized, but there’s still a sense of community when you recognize the same people walking to class or your building.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
The business school heavily revolves around networking. One of our departments in the business school called The Clay Center helps students find internships through alumni networking. There’s a program called Nova Network where you can find alumni that’s working in a profession you seek to have a career in. You can email them to set up job shadowing, or anything. Right now, I’m in the process of applying to internships and a lot of the ones I’ve found have been because of The Clay Center telling me to contact alumni.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I went to the career office during my first-semester freshman year when trying to figure out what jobs I wanted to do later on. They helped me figure out I really want to go to law school. They gave me a lot of personal assessment type quizzes where I would figure out what my interests really are. It was surprising, especially since I came here to do business. I’m still in contact with the women I talked to last year and she keeps emailing me all these employer meetups at school with law firms.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
Excel is a really big one. We had a whole online one-credit course freshman year. It was painful and I hated it, but in the end, I was glad I took it. I learned so much. I’ve taken business analytics classes, which has taught me Excel on a deeper, more analytical level. It’s something all business students have to take. It’s really cool, especially when you do a lot of simulations trying to find risk and data analysis. We’ve also learned Tableau.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy are they to work with?
They initially didn’t give me as much as I’d hoped, so I emailed and they were really nice about it. They gave me a little more, which was very nice of them. I’ve had a good experience, but it is sometimes difficult. Depending on who you’re working with, if you’re polite and professional they’ll help you.