Villanova is a private, Catholic research school in Villanova, Pennsylvania. An NCAA Division I school, Villanova is known for its athletics. There are 6,800 undergrads. The acceptance rate was 25% for the class of 2025. The supplement is pretty straightforward, but what’s interesting about Villanova is they offer a number of tips on their website. Be sure to check those out before you get started. Here’s some advice on how to tackle the supplement:
The Office of Undergraduate Admission seeks applicants with characteristics that reflect our three core values: Veritas (Truth), Unitas (Unity) and Caritas (Love). These values define us as Villanovans. They are indelibly printed on our University seal and are a clear indication of our Augustinian identity.
At Villanova, we view our essay as a unique opportunity for students to move beyond the transcript and introduce the individual behind the application. Villanova requires applicants to submit both their Common Application essay and two short Villanova Essays. The two supplemental responses must be different from the response shared in the Common Application essay section.
Essay #1 For the first Villanova-specific essay, we have offered a range of topics to pique your interest. We hope to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Choose one of the five topics below and submit a written response in about 250 words.
a. St. Augustine states that well-being is “not concerned with myself alone, but with my neighbor’s good as well.” How have you advocated for equity and justice in your communities?
Ok, we don’t recommend picking this one unless you really have done something. If you have, we recommend telling a story. Don’t just regurgitate what’s on your resume. Tell a story in three parts that demonstrates one of your projects or accomplishments. Be highly specific. It’s better if you’ve worked on a more narrow issue, for example, advocating for fair housing or protesting against a policing bill rather than just generally advocating for equality.
b. What is the truest thing that you know?
We don’t necessarily recommend picking this one, either. It could be hard to pull it off without sounding like a kid who’s pontificating. However, there’s a way to do it. We recommend telling a story here, ideally a simple one about the journey by which you arrived at the truth in question. It shouldn’t be a big deal, life-altering story. It should be an everyday, run of the mill tale with a good takeaway. Pick a factual truth (for, the sky is blue) or a more nebulous one (for ex, family is everything) and walk the reader through the way you got there. Just really be careful not to lecture or argue.
c. One of the themes in St. Augustine's book, Confessions, is the idea of redemption. Tell us your story of being given a second chance.
We don’t love this one. If you pick it, tell a story (with a beginning, middle, and end) about a lesson-learned. Again, this shouldn’t be a life-altering, existential story. This could be something you learned while babysitting your little brother or a second chance afforded by a teacher. Whatever it is, make the takeaway clear and specific. But don’t use this as a way to justify a bad grade on your report card or something else the admissions committee is going to see.
d. In the Villanova community, we believe that we all learn from one another. What is a lesson in life that you have learned that you would want to share with others?
These are all really similar, but this one is the one we recommend most of b through d. It should be relatively easy to talk about a lesson learned. These often turn out to be great supplement responses. Tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Make sure it’s an everyday kind of story. You should include a scene (the location and setting of where you learned this lesson). In addition, make sure the story includes another person (the person who taught you the lesson and how). Did that person introduce a new viewpoint that challenged your previously-held values or beliefs? Did they offer an example of what not to do? Finally, conclude with the takeaway.
e. Augustine's “Miracles are not contrary to nature but only contrary to what we know about nature.” Tell us about a societal issue that you believe the wonder of technology is well-poised to help solve.
If you do choose this one, get specific about an issue. Don’t just talk about climate change. Talk about automobile emissions. Don’t just talk about education, talk about the digital divide and high schoolers in America. If you can, speak about something you’ve participated in personally. Use this as an opportunity to share another part of your personality or extrapolate upon an activity you’ve done that’s not fleshed out anywhere else on your application.
Essay #2: Why Nova? (2021-22)
You may be aware that our community, which we have affectionately named “Nova Nation,” is an exciting place to be. With a legacy spanning nearly 180 years, there is rich history to look back on, and an abundant future to look forward to. Our second Villanova essay question asks: Why do you want to call Villanova your new home and become part of our community? For this short response, please reveal what you find appealing about Villanova in about 150 words.
You only have 150 words, but the objective should be to connect the dots between you and Villanova by way of an academic area. We recommend our students develop a specific academic niche over the course of high school. Identify the major or program at Villanova that most closely aligns with your academic niche. Then discuss the upper-level classes in that major that interest you. Next, talk about the relevant extracurriculars. Finally, conclude with something about the location.
Need some help with your supplement? Call us. We’re great at helping students write standout essays.