Villanova

B

Blacklab

5-Year Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
61
My sons first choice of colleges... Guidance, insight, feedback? We made the visit and were very impressed. The most important person that was impressed was our son, it's a perfect match.

He is not a prep school kid, he would be coming from a public school. How is the NROTC unit there? We have heard some great things overall; however, more feedback is welcome.
 
I have heard that Villanova has a very good NROTC program. I'm also interested in Villanova, so I'd love to hear some feedback too. Can someone compare and contrast the differences between UPenn/Drexel and Villanova NROTC units. I know they have totally different feels to them.
 
There is a poster here who is now a freshman there. I believe he is in the midst of getting settled in, but from what I know he is loving it. His Dad is NovaNavyDad on this site, so you may want to pm him a message since he rarely posts. The son is NYEagle1.

The one thing to realize about colleges are their locations. Drexel/UPenn are in the heart of Philly, so their campus vibe is much different than Nova.
 
Blacklab,

Villaanova is a good school. We have a family friend who goes there and loves it. That being said if you really want a good Pennsylvania Navy ROTC school. Like at Penn State University Park.

RGK
 
I agree PSU is well respected by all of the ROTC branches. Again, if you are somebody that like city life, PSU is not going to be your cup of tea compared to Drexel/UPenn.

This is why it is important to physically visit the schools, colleges are like people, they have their own personality.

I have said this many times, our DS goes to a college that is in a college town, but 20 mins by car to a major metropolitan city. He loves it. DD would have rather not gone to any college if that was her only choice. She goes to VT (great ROTC school), but there is nothing there except the college. DS feels the same way about her school, as she did about his. Different strokes for different folks.

Don't just look at the ROTC program, except for schools like TAMU, VT, VMI, Citadel, etc., the reality is your college experience will be a blend of ROTC AND school. You will have friends that are not ROTC, and friends that are in ROTC. Look at the program, but also the school, and their programs. You can love ROTC, but if you hate the school, it will show through your grades, and in the end that will hurt your AD career.

AD career selection for ROTC is based on lots of things, but gpa is one of them. The lower your gpa, the higher you must do on something to offset it for your OML, and even than there is no guarantee you will be able to offset it enough for your 1st pick.

Parents, my advice is to take them to the campus, let them meet the cadre. Even if this is not your interview school, they love to meet candidates...time to sell the school. Call them 1st, to say we are taking a tour on this date, would it be possible to pop by the unit and see it or talk to some cadets? Be prepared if they say yes, for you to excuse yourself shortly after entering. Meet them somewhere on campus later on.

We did this for our DS. Not one said NO. Talking to actual cadets really was a decision making factor for DS. Kids talk differently with no adults around, and he was able to see if he jived with them personally. They talked openly about the program and what was hard, what was fun, etc., from a cadet's pov.
 
Just my 2 cents...if an overnight visit is offered(especially if the cadets live together) it is SO worth it. DS did 2 overnights, ended up with 2very different experiences, but loved them both. Hanging out with the cadets, without adults present, really gave him a better idea of what made this program tick and where he'd fit in.

We visited 4 different schools for him, plus he'd been to a few others with his older sister. Each one chose a different school, just like Pima pointed out, each school and kiddo has a different personality.

And it is a must to visit the cadre at each school while you are there - DS would have considered #2 choice more favorably if he'd felt the "vibe" with their PMS/ROO - it just wasn't there for him - great program, just not his #1. If we had'nt visited cadres he wouldn't have known until it was too late.

Also, completely agree with Pima, they must walk around campus alone - either at the time of interview or visit - it MUST happen. If they are not comfortable or excited to explore campus on their own right now, what is really going to be different a few months from now when you move them in and leave:eek: It made it easier for me to leave knowing both my kids love where they are and feel at "home" there. DS is coming to visit us today(yeah, hometown girlfriend:wink:) and very excited to hear all about his first few weeks of college:biggrin:
 
Great Feedback

Thank you everybody...

We actually visited:

1. Villanova
2. Holy Cross
3. U of Maryland
4. Penn State
5. Boston College
6. YALE - Not listed to date
7. UCONN - Not an NROTC school but worth a trip
8. URI - Not an NROTC school but again, worth the trip

He actually spent two week at a camp in YALE and a week at a camp in UCONN. He has told us that he enjoyed them all and that he could do well where ever he went as long as he had a good pillow. Overall he said that the visit to Villanova really had his attention. When we first got there a woman meet us at the front desk. She was warm and had some fun with my son asking him where her morning cup of coffee was. She said it was a requirement to allow him to see the school. She also asked for his name as they do at every school and checked him in. We were on the school grounds for almost three hours before leaving. When we walked out she said goodby to my son using his name.

My son was very impressed (and s o were we) that she remembered his name knowing that so many people visited in that three hour time slot. Maybe it was luck maybe not. Whatever the case he said that if someone could make him feel that good it was a big part of his No.1 choice for a school.
 
Blacklab said:
Thank you everybody...

We actually visited:

1. Villanova
2. Holy Cross
3. U of Maryland
4. Penn State
5. Boston College
6. YALE - Not listed to date
7. UCONN - Not an NROTC school but worth a trip
8. URI - Not an NROTC school but again, worth the trip

He actually spent two week at a camp in YALE and a week at a camp in UCONN. He has told us that he enjoyed them all and that he could do well where ever he went as long as he had a good pillow. Overall he said that the visit to Villanova really had his attention. When we first got there a woman meet us at the front desk. She was warm and had some fun with my son asking him where her morning cup of coffee was. She said it was a requirement to allow him to see the school. She also asked for his name as they do at every school and checked him in. We were on the school grounds for almost three hours before leaving. When we walked out she said goodby to my son using his name.

My son was very impressed (and s o were we) that she remembered his name knowing that so many people visited in that three hour time slot. Maybe it was luck maybe not. Whatever the case he said that if someone could make him feel that good it was a big part of his No.1 choice for a school.
Click to expand...

I know your son is looking at NROTC but I can share the advice we received from several PMS's when looking at colleges and AROTC programs.

The one thing they all said was to first find a college the student feels comfortable with, one that they can see themselves being happy and thriving. They all stressed that this was the most important thing. Their main comment was this, ROTC programs all have the same goals, some work differently toward those goals but the goal is the same. They stresses that programs can change drastically with each new PMS,(Not sure what the Navy calls them). What you see when you visit may change when your son starts school only to find a new PMS.

My older son has had 3 PMS's during his 4 years at school, each had a different approach to the program. Last year PT was 3 days a week, now it is 5 days a week, Labs every other week are now every week. PT has changed completely this year in how it is run. The 4's now meet more often and the training schedules have changed. You get the picture on how much can change with a change of command.

While ROTC may change the one true constant will be the College, if the student loves where he of she is at it will be the thing that gets them through their 4 years.

I truly believe that if a cadet has the drive and ambition to succeed in ROTC it won't make a difference what program they attend if they love the school and the college experience the school offers. My son attends a small university, not a top tier but a respected school (Smallest Division 1 school in the country...Go Vandals!) Even with all the changes in ROTC over the last 3 plus years many of the cadets have excelled, they hope to have at least 3 cadets out of the 15 that will commission this year in the top 10%, the others are not far behind.

My best advise is to have your son go with his gut and pick the school he loves, if he is driven he will do just fine in ROTC.

Good luck to him in whatever he chooses.
 
I am currently a freshman here at Villanova on a NROTC scholarship and am majoring in mechanical engineering. From everything I have experienced thus far, I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in such a fantastic program. Nova does have one of the strongest, if not THE strongest Navy ROTC detachment in the nation. The detachment is very well recognized and is extremely organized. If you have any additional questions feel free to ask.
 
Ahhhh Very Nice

This is outstanding information, if my son gets in you can be his mentor...Mechanical Eng. is also his direction.

Do tell: is there any time from now through Oct. where my son can come for another extended deeper visit? He would like to do an overnight but we have not seen where that can happen. Our only part is to give guidance when he asks. Respectfully, I'm certain the NROTC unit does not want parental nose pushing. Enjoy diffy-Q's, if you don't know what they are now you will in time!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top