Villanova University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Finance
Minor: Accounting
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m a member of the Women in Business Society, a Mergers and Acquisitions club, and LEVEL.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Private high school in Morristown, NJ with a graduating class of about 48 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Finance
Minor: Accounting
Extracurricular Activities: I’m a member of the Women in Business Society, a Mergers and Acquisitions club, and LEVEL.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
The Women in Business Society teaches women them about finance and accounting. We have speakers come in, so that has expanded my knowledge of the business world and how I can learn to be the best business person I can be using the tools I’ve learned from the club.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
The major graded assignments are usually big tests, midterms, finals, papers, and sometimes group projects.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
Villanova is well-known for its business school. They just redid the finance lab. They’re trying to push the real-world application on us. Rather than just looking at a textbook, they’re trying to bring in what we might experience if we go to Wall Street or work at an investment bank. [The business school is highly ranked by various publications.]
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s both. I think it is competitive because everyone is very smart there so you do have to work hard. It’s also collaborative because we have a lot of group projects. It’s competitive because everyone wants to do well, but overall people aren’t out to get each other.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible. They have office hours every week so students can come in and ask them questions. A lot of them will tell us to email, call, or text them at any time.
How does Villanova prepare Finance students for the real world?
They’ll have case competitions. KPMG has case competitions you can apply to. They’ll give us a prompt and you’ll do research in the finance lab looking at the stocks. You prepare a presentation and give it to people who’re running the company. For me personally, in my Mergers and Acquisitions club, we have to do a case competition where we pitched to a bank about two companies deciding if the merger would be a good idea. It was time-consuming, but it’s a good experience because I was able to learn how to use a Bloomberg Terminal. You can network with them afterward, and they’re usually up for keeping in touch. [Villanova] also has a lot of networking etiquette classes you can take so you can learn how to send follow up emails to people you network with.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do in the business world. I thought with a finance degree I could take various routes with what I wanted to do. I’m happy with my choice.
Reasons to Attend
1) It has a good sense of community.
2) You’re prepared when you get out to the real world.
3) There is a good network of alumni to help you out.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you’re a big partier and that’s your thing, I wouldn’t come here. That’s not what we really focus on.
2) A lot of work is expected, so if you’re not up for putting in time or effort.
3) If you’re looking for a big school.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Stanford with one roommate
Sophomore: Sheehan with one roommate
Junior: Next year we’ll have to live with three others in an apartment
How was transitioning from your hometown to Villanova, Pennsylvania?
It hasn’t really changed much. The campus is really small and I’ve lived in a small town. The only thing that really changed was being away from home, but being independent is the point of college.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
Villanova isn’t a bad area at all. On multiple occasions, I’ve walked out at 3 in the morning and wasn’t scared for my safety at all. They do have the blue light system throughout campus. Public safety is always driving around late at night.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
There are fraternity parties on the weekend. Sometimes we’ll have dorm parties. There are also two bars we like to go to.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
Thursday nights we have “Courts,” which is when all the fraternities and sports teams have low-key parties at off-campus apartments. Fridays and Saturdays are when they have bigger parties.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
The university always has activities going on. They have Quizbowl during the week, and movies playing in the Villanova room where there’s a big screen. They’ll put on the basketball games if Villanova is playing. There are also intermural sporting events that have games at night.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
The sororities don’t have houses so they don’t do anything, but the fraternities have the parties we usually go to.
What have been some of your favorite times at Villanova University?
We have the largest student-run Special Olympics in the world, so you can go and watch the athletes and cheer them on. I’m not part of the committee, but you can apply to be part of it where you’re actually running the event and telling people where to go. A lot of my friends do that, and they love it. Another big thing is basketball games, those are pretty fun.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at Villanova? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with them. I just wish there were more 18+ bars.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
In my dorm and through clubs.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Villanova?
It’s pretty active. Everyone is usually out doing things.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Villanova has a predominantly White student body, so they have organizations for people who are Filipino, African-American, or LGBTQ where they can all hang out. But, you’ll see friend groups with people of different ethnicities. [The undergraduate population is 5% Black, 74% White, 6% Asian, and 8% Hispanic.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
I’m not in Greek life but some of my friends are. Some people are excluded, but for the most part, we mix pretty well.
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 like the size. It’s pretty small compared to other colleges, so I like that better than going to a huge state school. If I went to a huge school, I’d be overwhelmed.
How would you describe the student body?
Everyone is very nice and welcoming. I haven’t run into someone who’s nasty at all. There’s a good sense of community.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
No, but we have something called Nova Network where you go on and connect with alumni who have the job you want. They’re more than happy to help you out.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
In one of my classes, we used an SAP database, so sometimes teachers will try and integrate that into the course.