Davidson College Top Questions

Professors know students on a personal level. Class participation is expected. Some unique classes that I've taken so far have been "Religion in Food" and a writing class called "Clones, Clones, Clones." In my Modern Jewish Literature class, we've had to read about 11 novels this semester. Learning for it's own sake is cherished, but I'm getting nervous about finding a job.

Academics at Davidson are some of the best in the country. You are pushed to your very limit sometimes! Being a biology major, I have taken mostly science classes. However, Davidson does have a good core requirement system that has allowed me to take just about every class I've wanted to take outside of my major. Within the biology department my professors absolutely know my name, my interests, and even come to my choir concerts! Professors and students have a great relationship on campus and they definitely do their best to further our education and help us to succeed in, and after, Davidson. The biology department is particularly strong at Davidson and while I will be attending graduate school after this year, I know many people who have been accepted to competitive medical schools or have gotten great jobs at the NIH, etc. Some people might assume that a liberal arts school only provides you with information for the sake of learning - not necessarily at Davidson. There is a wide spectrum of students and goals at Davidson, from direct industry to academia, and the faculty understand that. Therefore, if you plan on getting a job there is an infrastructure (career services) to help with that, and if you plan on getting more schooling there is help for that, too (mainly through your advisor).

Academics at Davidson are challenging, but you feel a great sense of accomplishment when you do well. You know that you have truly earned any good grade that you receive. The classes are generally small (less than 35 students), so the professors always know you by name. Professors always have office hours and are very receptive to helping students. They also want to know you outside of class through inviting students to their houses for dinner, attending lectures together, relevant field trips, etc. Also due to the small class size, class participation is almost obligatory. People will notice if you never contribute to the discussion.

All my professors here know my name, and every students name in their class. Students here are competitive, but not with each other, with themselves. Academics at Davidson are challenging and time consuming. Yet academics are also empowering and enlightening. I've had the opportunity to eat dinner at professors' houses already.

The relationship between professors and students at Davidson is awesome! Not only are they readily available to talk to, they really encourage students to come see them. I've had professors who required that you come talk to them at least once, so they could get to know you a bit outside of class. Also, when you sign up for a class with a world-famous professor, you know you will have that professor every day of class instead of having a graduate student.

Classes are interesting, it is hard to fail classes, especially because they are so small its hard to slip through the cracks, but it is also very hard to make As. We have a low average GPA compared to our peer institutions. Students do study a good amount, especially during certain times of the semester where work gets intense. Class participation is a must, especially in upper level classes. Students are fairly competitive, but also self-deprecating. Professors and students do communicate outside of class, office hours are available and easy to get to. In one of my seminars we gave our research presentations at the professor's house instead of in the classroom. Education is more geared towards learning for its own sake- there are no business, "pre-med" or "pre-law" majors, instead you choose a liberal arts or science major and participate in "pre" programs to make sure you take a variety of classes and do activities that will improve your application. The honor code is really great for academic life: exams are self scheduled at the end of the semester, so you can decide how much time you need to study and what order to do your exams.

Students aren't really competitive with others. I don't know anyone else's GPA. I feel more like I'm competing with myself to see how well I can do in comparison to past semesters. I do feel that there's a section of Davidson that's incredibly intellectual and then there's another portion of the student body that's here to party and pass classes without really learning much. The Political Science department is the best on campus. Our professors have real-world experience and really care for their students. The academic requirements are easy to satisfy without any trouble. The education is definitely focused on the liberal arts, but this has been a huge benefit during my job search. When you leave Davidson, you know how to write, write, write, and write some more. It's been an incredible experience overall. I feel like my brain has doubled in size since I arrived as a freshman!

Davidson is a very challenging school. There is no such thing as an "easy A." Teachers are, for the most part, very knowledgeable and expect a lot out of their students. The classes are small so the professors know your name, which is great except when you want to miss class because it is very obvious you are not there. Some professors will even invite students to their homes for dinner with their family. Due to the honor code, our final exams are self-scheduled, and most of our other exams are take home because almost no one cheats at Davidson. Everyone at Davidson is an overachiever, so conversations will often be about politics or the economy.

Davidson is hard. You will get a disastisfactory grade in at least one class while here. You get used to ridiculously high standards. Students are very competitve with themselves. There isn't much competition between students because we all are going through the same thing to survive. I love my department and the professors are amazing. They know your names, are interested in developing relationships with their students, and actually have their students' interests come first in class.

Academics are Davidson's main focus, and it shows. Students are encouraged to participate in all their classes, and professors not only know your name but whether or not you were in class last Thursday. Students study all the time, and professors really push students to test themselves in terms of their paradigms and prejudices. The academics at Davidson are difficult but arguably one of the most meaningful parts of the Davidson experience.