Villanova is a very friendly campus. I have never had to open a door for myself when other people are around. The sense of community at Villanova is completely palpable, as seen in how the campus comes together during events such as the Special Olympics, Basketball Season, and Nova Fest. As I wasn't involved much in service in high school, I was not expecting a very service-oriented school to change my mind. That changed about 2 weeks into school when I signed up to work at the Special Olympics. Since then, I have become so involved with service that I feel like I have done it my entire life. It is such a rewarding experience to participate in service with your peers. The best thing about Villanova is definitely the people. I have found so many people that are just like me. Obviously, you won't be friends with everyone you meet, but it is definitely big enough to meet a new group of friends but small enough to know a lot of people within the community. I would change the living situation for sophomores. Even though the Quad is the main hub of campus, the quality of the rooms is poor as compared to the rooms for the freshmen and juniors. When I tell people I go to Villanova, all of the stereotypes that I left New York thinking come back. They say "So you go to Vanillanova" or "Ha! Villanofun." However, I think that those people really have to experience Villanova, because I have not found either of those to be true. I am not a preppy person in the least but I still feel comfortable walking around in my beat-up Converse shoes as does the girl next to me in UGG Boots. On campus, I spend most of my time in the Connelly center. It is the main student center, and a great place to sit and do work. Everybody comes through, so it is a great social atmosphere. It has an ice cream shop, a restaurant, a coffee shop, an internet cafe, couches, lounges, a movie rental center, a movie cinema, everything a college student could want. As for the town surrounding Villanova, we are located within the richest part of Pennsylvania, so it is completely safe to walk outside at night, and I have never felt any need to use the safety call buttons, even though an officer could be there in 37 seconds. Right next to Villanova is Philadelphia, which, though it does not compare to my native New York, is still an amazing city. It is so historical, but also young and fresh with the music scene. We also have King of Prussia mall within driving distance, and it is the second largest mall in the country! The shuttles run there on the weekends, so we never have to pay for transportation. If you want to go somewhere, though, there are two train stations that run right through campus, which makes it easy to make the trip home. Like all college campuses, the students sometimes have issues with the decisions that the administration makes, but I don't have anything that has made me really upset with the Villanova administration. During basketball season, the school pride is busting through the seams of our Nova Nation fan shirts. The entire campus comes together to support our team and creates such a fun, energetic atmosphere among the student body.