Davidson College Top Questions

The classmates of mine that I was privileged to know were among the most intelligent, free-thinking, motivated, hard-working, and artistic people that I have ever encountered.

Everybody here is very smart and qualified in the area they are studying, where they work hard constantly.

Immature, preppy, driven, motivated, rich, and exclusive, and sometimes nice.

Driven, self-motivated and stressed.

Davidson is an open but not very diverse community. There is a general consensus that the lack of diversity needs to be changed, and i think this will happen in the long run. for now, if you are looking for a diverse school, Davidson is not the place. This is not to say it is in anyway ignorant or unnaccepting, on the contrary Davidson students are very supportive and open. but as far as numbers go, it lacks in the way of diversity. Davidson students are very aware of and engaged in the community around them, they do a lot of service and tend to be very aware of world events. It is great to be part of a community that is academically inclined, but not nerdy, rather engaged in applying their academic ambitions and accomplishments to the real world

Students at Davidson abide my an Honor Code, and it creates a unique environment on campus. I have seen students tape money that they find on the door into the door, and students can leave their belonging in the library or around campus without worrying that someone will take them. Davidson students are from all over the country and the world. I have two international students on my freshman hall, and there are students from the east, midwest, south, and west. I would say that a large portion of the student body is from the south.

Who would feel out of place? Anyone who would classify themselves as uninterested. Davidson students like getting their hands into a little bit of a lot of things. From academics to invented recipes in Commons (the dining hall), people are open-minded and willing to give anything a shot.

There are people of all kinds at Davidson. There are people of all different races, religions, sexual orientations, and socio-economic levels. One can comfortably be conservative, liberal, or center. Students generally dress well, but that means different things for different people. Some girls wear dresses to class while others wear blue jeans. People often socialize with people on their sports team or with people who participate in the same activities as themselves. However, it is definitely okay, and even appreciated, to mingle with different kinds of people. I think the only kind of person who would feel out of place at Davidson is someone who insisted on a big campus or a big surrounding city.

Student body is intellectually diverse but not very ethnically diverse, though it is improving and consciously so. Socio-economically, it seems extremely middle- to upper-class. It's hard being a non-Christian on campus if you want to explore that faith, though the college chaplain is amazing and the minority religious groups are increasing a lot. Most students are from the East Coast, and as a West Coaster it was a rough change for me at first. Some Southern hospitality is genuine, other seems simply an avoidance of conflict. I miss the easy-going aura of California - if you're not working here it feels like a crime, and I've chosen my friends based on those who, despite being from the East, think more like the West and know how to relax and have fun too. Most people dress up for class out of respect to the professors - something totally different from California where everyone wears sweats all the time. At times I feel the people here are Davidson's most amazing assets, and at times I wish there were just a little more diversity in all areas.

Homogeneous, segregated, almost no Asians (they all go to Duke), not enough African-Americans, most students are from tri-state area aside from North Carolina.