Perks of Being a Wildcat: 5 Reasons Why Villanova University is Great

Emma Pettit is an English and Political Science major who is on the volleyball team at Villanova University.

Welcome to Villanova University!

If you’re reading this you either 1) go to Villanova and want affirmation for how awesome your school is, 2) are questioning why you didn’t go to Villanova in the first place or 3) are making your decision on where to go to college. And if that’s the case I hope by the end of this article you’ll be persuaded to become a Wildcat. There are five significant reasons why Villanova University is the best university in the United States, most definitely in the world and probably in the universe (obviously I’m a little biased but still).

Number 1: Location, location, location

Villanova is located about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia in a small suburb right off Lancaster Avenue, also referred to as the Main Line. The campus is isolated enough to be safe but close enough to the city to allow students to take the train in almost every weekend. The Main Line is home to shops, restaurants, movie theaters, bars, and anything else a college kid could want. The second biggest mall in America, King of Prussia, is only ten minutes away AND New York City and Washington D.C. are only two hours away. Plus, the campus is freaking beautiful.

View from the middle of Main Campus

Number 2: Service Oriented

Villanova stresses community service above almost everything else, and the students actually take it seriously unlike other schools. Villanova is home to the largest annual student-run Special Olympics in the world! The school and the church also sponsor two days of service a year where classes are cancelled and almost 1,000 of the students go off campus to do projects off campus.

Front of the Villanova Church on campus

Number 3: Ticket Parties

One thing about the social life at Villanova that is unique is ticket parties. These are huge parties thrown at rented-out bars, normally in Philadelphia, that you can buy tickets to that offer transportation to and from as well as either free or discounted drinks. Most are 18 and up and every sports team, fraternity, sorority, and social group throws at least one a year.

Number 4: Basketball Season

How fun is it to go to a school with a top sports team? Our Mens team is ranked 9^th in the country and even if you aren’t a huge basketball fan the atmosphere on game day is ridiculous, something almost everyone participates in. The team has a ton of tradition and students have an obscene amount of school pride. There’s VU gear everywhere on campus and everyone considers themselves proud to be a part of the ‘Nova Nation.

Number 5: Balance

And last but not least, Villanova is the perfect place if you’re looking for balance in your college experience. It’s a rigorous academic university where the course load is tough, but not unbearable. The social life is active, but it doesn’t have an infamous reputation as a party school. There is the Catholic aspect to Villanova, but religion is never forced on the students. The school is not huge with 6,000 undergrads but it’s not small enough to feel like a high school. In short, Villanova is a great mix of academics, sports, religious communities, Greek life, and social life. What more could you want in a school?

Bartley Hall, the Business School at Villanova