Davidson College Top Questions

The Davidson student body is not terribly diverse, but the discourse about Davidson's lack of diversity has been heightened on campus, and tolerance for others, regardless of race, religion, or sexuality, is highly encouraged. One particular homogeneity among students is that everyone is genuinely nice. Students can wear sweatpants to class or they can wear a designer dress, can be a raging Democrat or an uber-conservative Republican, can be homosexual or heterosexual, can be tea-drinkers or coffee-guzzlers, and will still encounter others like themselves at Davidson, on levels that become apparent not at first sight but perhaps in the first conversation. Each student at Davidson is, above all, interesting, and the common knowledge that this exists fosters respect among students as well as a genuine interest to get to know those you meet in class as well as at parties.

A lot of Davidson students are from the South, but I love the fact that people are from all over the country and world. my freshman roommate grew up in London, but was born in Nigeria! Davidson is making a very concerted effort to further diversify the predominantly white student body, and to make Davidson students more globally conscience.

For the most part I've had positive experiences with the students here. There is a niche for every type of person, but the student body is accepting to all students.

caring, honest, considerate, and BUSY

The student body is pretty white, although serious efforts are being made to diversify the racial aspect of campus. A lot of students wear J-Crew, but there are definitely a lot who don't. You don't have to be from New England prep school to fit in. The football team is pretty cliquey.

Very little diversity, so if your not an athlete, your unlikely to hang out with minorities. People don't know how to handle different situations because all through their private school lives, everybody's been like them.

I think the LGBT population can have it rough here. I do know homosexual people, but many people here seem to struggle with their sexuality and feel pressure to fit the overall hetereosexual mold of the student body (if that makes any sense!) Maybe it's because we're in the south. Different types of students do interact, but their is also self-segregation that occurs on campus. One could hardly call Davidson students "activists." There are some politically outspoken people here, but overall you won't see Davidson students protesting over anything that doesn't directly effect them. I've known people who've transferred from Davidson to be in a more political environment. That is starting to change, however. With the introduction of a free speech board in the union and some student government initiatives, campus discourse is more in the open. However, the general consensus is that many students are too busy preparing for med school, law school, etc. to leave the library and think about something besides their grades.

Davidson is the most politically inactive place if been in. Nevertheless, I love it. I don't want tree hugers, hippies, and LGBT to have protests every weekend of the year, not because I don't think their causes are ones worth fighting for, but just because we don't want civil revolt to be considered an everyday activity. Less activism on campus makes the few initiatives more worth while, getting more attention from administrators.

What are your experiences with racial, religious, LGBT, socio-economic, and/or other groups on campus? Mainly positive. What kind of student would feel out of place at Davidson? A dumb one. ;) What do most students wear to class? Casual clothes or athletic wear. Do different types of students interact? Sometimes, but lots of students self-segregate. There are four tables of students in the dining hall. Describe them. No idea. I don't eat there. But I'm guessing one table will be occupied by football players. :-D Where are most Davidson students from? ALL OVER! What financial backgrounds are most prevalent? I think we have a group from relatively diverse socioeconomic status. Are students politically aware / active? Are they predominantly left, right or center? Some are REALLY aware/active, some are relatively so, but we def. have our share of apathetic people. I'd say we're split pretty evenly between left and right, with some independents, etc. Do students talk about how much they'll earn one day? Nope. Except maybe in gest.

There is a lot of focus on campus right now on increasing diversity and making minorities feel welcome to the point that the administration is making many students uncomfortable. While they are working to change this, the students themselves don't feel like there are major problems with prejudices on campus. While there are those students who feel the need to go to class in sundresses or khakis and polos, most will be found in jeans, t-shirts, and sweatpants. Students mostly interact, but there are definitely defined groups who for the most part keep to themselves (black students, international students, certain sports teams). Most Davidson students are from the south, though that is becoming much less prevalent; there are a large faction from the northeast and the west, as well as a large number of international students. The majority of students are also middle or upper class, though the newly founded Davidson Fund is working to change that by eliminating student loans for all students who demonstrate financial need. Students are very politically aware and active. While they cover the entire political spectrum, mostly all are at least socially liberal.