Tell me about Villanova

[lovethelaw2010]

I was going to go to Villanova until I got accepted at Pittsburgh (way cheaper for me) and was really stoked about attending.  They seem to have an awesome rep around Philadelphia and even up and down the East Coast.  School building wasn't the greatest but the surrounding area was sweet and I thought Phily was a really cool place for the most part.  Can't beat the history.

[ks2pa]

Seems to have a good reputation.  Way to expensive IMO and not very liberal with the amount of $$$ they give out.  The facilities are terrible as well, although I think the exterior of the campus is quite nice.

[InUtahForNow]

On my brief visit and tour the campus seemed nice, but the law building is quite small. It is three stories with classes on the bottom 2 (if I'm not mistaken). The student lounge and eating areas seemed nice enough, and the classrooms seemed like classrooms. The surrounding area is very pretty and the train is about a 2 minute walk away. Overall the building was the only downer, but I hear they are constructing a new one that will be finished by our 3L.

The reputation in Philly seems strong, while placement up and down the East Coast is stronger than most schools similarly ranked. I know that a larger firm in Philadelphia hires from Villanova more often than any school in Pennsylvania, aside from Penn. From what I was told it is basically 2a in Philadelphia with Penn being 1 and Temple being 2b. Obviously this will change based on which firm you speak to, but in my talks this has been the case.

The one downside is cost, but their average starting salary is nice. Cost of living while in school is also quite expensive at first glance, but I'm sure there are deals to be found.

Good luck in your decision.

[Booyakasha2]

According to Martindale:

Villanova grads in Philly:  1,008.

Temple grads in Philly:  1,362.

In terms of reach, id say Penn, Temple, then Villanova - the diff in the latter two not being as big.  But still, i think temple is stronger, might be cause its actually inside the city as well.  BTW, if you cant tell, ill prob be going to Temple, but i got into both.

[adlai]

So another impression of villanova that I get is that it is more career-orientated than other schools. It places extraordinarily well given its rank, yet it's hardly mentioned in the Leitner reports. I take that as a sign that Villanova faculty do not participate very much in academic affairs-- theoretical papers, academic discussions, and spend more time training the kids to work for corporate firms in NYC, Philly, Jersey, etc. Am I right or wrong on this?

[InUtahForNow]

According to Martindale:

Villanova grads in Philly:  1,008.

Temple grads in Philly:  1,362.

In terms of reach, id say Penn, Temple, then Villanova - the diff in the latter two not being as big.  But still, i think temple is stronger, might be cause its actually inside the city as well.  BTW, if you cant tell, ill prob be going to Temple, but i got into both.

Curious what these numbers would look like if you added NYC and DC. If Villanova has more people leaving Philly for NYC and DC, then obviously the numbers for Temple grads in Philly would be higher, due to their inability/lack of desire to go to DC or NYC.

[Booyakasha2]

Each school has very little rep in dc and ny.  I think Temple is better in nyc actually as well....im too lazy to check again. 

[Journeyman]

So another impression of villanova that I get is that it is more career-orientated than other schools. It places extraordinarily well given its rank, yet it's hardly mentioned in the Leitner reports. I take that as a sign that Villanova faculty do not participate very much in academic affairs-- theoretical papers, academic discussions, and spend more time training the kids to work for corporate firms in NYC, Philly, Jersey, etc. Am I right or wrong on this?

I assumed this is generally the rule for schools that are outside T1.

[Captain]

The LS building is kinda old school, but they'll have a parking garage next year.  The student body is pretty WASPy and timid from what I've seen in visiting.  Pretty corporate oriented, although they say they are big on public service.  Couldn't tell that by the ambitions of the students I talked to though.

WASP = White (ok, true) Anglo-Saxon (not really) Protestant (hardly)

Villanova students are usually white (sorry, we're trying to recruit more diverse classes, but it's tough), usually Irish/Italian with a fairly decent latino population, and usually Catholic.

I don't know that many law students, but a lot of them come from the UG, so I'm pretty sure that I am correct in saying that WASP-iness is not the way to describe Villanova.

[lawnecon]

I've heard from upperclassmen here at Nova that it isn't that difficult to secure a job in DC, but I don't know if these are necessarily so called "biglaw" jobs. As for NYC, there is some pull - even a special NYC interiew program (they just started a DC version, too); however, it's such a competitive market that you'll need to be tops in your class to get a solid job there - not surprising since plenty of NYC tier 2 grads have a difficult time finding good jobs in the city and end up starting out in doc review jobs.

When I was soliciting advice last year, the consensus seemed to be that Temple was a little better for Philly but Nova has more pull outside of Philly. I'm not sure if that's true, but it seems reasonable.

According to Martindale:

Villanova grads in Philly:  1,008.

Temple grads in Philly:  1,362.

In terms of reach, id say Penn, Temple, then Villanova - the diff in the latter two not being as big.  But still, i think temple is stronger, might be cause its actually inside the city as well.  BTW, if you cant tell, ill prob be going to Temple, but i got into both.

Curious what these numbers would look like if you added NYC and DC. If Villanova has more people leaving Philly for NYC and DC, then obviously the numbers for Temple grads in Philly would be higher, due to their inability/lack of desire to go to DC or NYC.