Best places to live when going to school at Villanova?

U.S.A. Pennsylvania

Published

Hey Guys,

I have no idea where to live and I start school in the fall. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congratulations, Graysie!

I went to college right next door to Villanova and spent my last semester at VU. Anywhere in that general vicinity will be great and very, very safe. Look at Bryn Mawr, Rosemont, Haverford, Ardmore, and Wayne. They're super beautiful and safe. Bryn Mawr will be the most expensive, though. But I've seen a number of places on craigslist in this general area that aren't as expensive as Philly, so you'll be fine.

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You might have already gotten a lease....but most students live in Bryn Mawr and Rosemont. The other popular choices are Wayne and Ardmore, but these are a bit farther. Bryn Mawr is the most popular choice because it's close to campus and local bars and shops. I agree, craigslist is the way to go.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If you haven't already decided (or for anyone else who might be interested) I'd recommend Home Properties of Bryn Mawr. It's a nice, large apartment complex with a decent amount of options.

You may hear some mixed reviews because there are so many units and the people in the office can honestly be a little ditzy sometimes. We had some issues at first with them misspelling names on the lease, misspelling names in emails etc. but nothing you couldn't resolve. After we signed the lease they were very helpful when we needed them.

I appreciated that it was a corporately run complex, because I never felt annoying submitting a request to fix something and no one EVER gave me a hard time about fixing or attending to anything because they had a full-time maintenance staff to do so...whereas I've heard horror stories of other students (honestly mostly in privately owned apartments/houses) with issues getting the most basic needs met--like fixing a leaking roof, getting rid of rats, attending to carbon monoxide leaks--the list goes on.

I lived in Home Props my senior year and it was convenient to the school, very well-maintained and professional. It's part of the national (or at least multi-state) Home Properties conglomerate. Had I not decided to live in the city, I definitely would have stayed.

The nice thing is that they always have units open. I found they were super responsive to my needs and even the most basic unit was clean and well-maintained. They now also offer upgraded and renovated units--some will include washer/dryer. All units do have high functioning central air/heating systems and hardwood floors. It's also a safe neighborhood with great parking.

If you don't want to live in Bryn Mawr, there is also a Home Properties of Devon. However, it was definitely easy being that close to the school (in Bryn Mawr--where you're anything from a 3-8 min commute door to door to the College of Nursing and 20-30 min from most sites in Philadelphia). If you are in Devon, most commutes into Philadelphia for clinicals will be longer and most other students live in Bryn Mawr, so you may be a bit isolated in carpooling for clinicals, in social situations or for study groups etc. If I hadn't lived in Bryn Mawr, I would have lived in Haverford or Ardmore (closer to Philadelphia and therefore clinical sites) but I wouldn't recommend any further out than that. Bryn Mawr is definitely the most popular option. I believe a lot of grad students do live in Home Properties, so that's a plus as well.

Another option in Bryn Mawr/Ardmore is the Marks Corporation. A couple friends have lived in some of their buildings and they also find they are responsive to needs/concerns and have new equipment.

You may have some luck on your own, but having lived in independently owned apartments and houses in the area, it's a totally mixed bag. Bryn Mawr tends to be either super nice out off Lancaster Ave (where families live) or run down in student housing because it's a prime location for the bars for Villanova Undergrads and landlords definitely take advantage of that. I have seen nice apartments, but I also know a lot of people with unwilling/unresponsive landlords and when you're busy that's the last thing you want to spend your time on. Some also live in South Jersey (one landlord had never even SEEN the house and a realtor had just purchased it for them, some might live closer, some further away.

As far as rent goes, I'm fairly certain Home Props and Marks run about the same as other units and are fairly inexpensive (not to give you unrealistic expectations, but our unit was a bit under $1200 for 2 BR 1 Bath...but you can probably get a better deal on a 1 bedroom or pay more for some upgrades.) Other places in Bryn Mawr, friends have paid upwards for $1400-2100/month (houses and apartments) and that seems to be pretty standard. It just depends, too, what kind of conveniences you'd like.

I'd recommend Home Properties to be a nice, safe place to live where you don't have to worry about maintenance and pay a reasonable amount for a nice apartment.

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

where did you guys complete your religous and pathophysiology prerequisites??

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I didn't attend the VU program, but some of my friends from college did. Our college required religion classes, so they completed them there. I don't know if community colleges offer religion classes, but you can take them at VU, Rosemont College, Cabrini College or Eastern Univ. I would call VU and see what they prefer, though. I believe Rosemont offers the cheapest courses per credit, but I could be wrong.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

kk thanxx for the response....i currently attend cabrini college but they dont have the same courses so i dont know if Im able to take jus any theology course or if it has to be specific....but I might just attend vu partime while at cabrini...with the dean's permission

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment