Davidson College Top Questions

The small class sizes at Davidson allow for very personal relationships with not only the students in the classroom, but the professor. As I'm answering this question, I actually just got back from my professor's house (he had us over to meet his wife and have desserts on a Sunday evening).

This is why you would come to Davidson. This place is for intelligent, driven students and is really not easy. Classes are small and you cannot get away with being unprepared for class, and participation and discussion guides most courses. That said, the quality of professors here compliments the rigor perfectly. Professors' office hours are flexible and as frequent as you may need. They really do want students to stop by if they're having trouble in any part of the class. These professors all have the highest degrees in their field and are curious and so smart.

hard. . . constant

All my professors know my name. My largest class has 40 students and my smallest has 13. Everyone works hard and plays hard...the library is always packed. Despite the academic rigor, students aren't competitive at all. I never see people looking over at my test to see what my grade was. The honor code completely embodies campus life and everyone takes it very seriously. We have self-scheduled exams, and we are bound to turn in a friend if we know they've cheated.

i didnt know what i was getting into here. Shits tough (professors real cool). About 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of campus are crazy nerds who love to complain about how much work they have.

People exagerate about their workload here. While the amount of work you have can depend on the courseload you're taking, for the most part, I'm working just as hard as friends at similar schools and top liberal arts colleges. I do, however, think that there is absolutely zero grade inflation here, which might tick people off, and some professors feel professor to fit the pattern of being hard graders by giving out bad grades without any explanation.

all my professors know my name students study often class participation is expected religion department is rock solid, the best professors and classes. davidson is challenging, and the professors seek to challenge you, but they do it because they care. i spend every friday afternoon at the coffee shop with two of my professors.

Good professors, sometimes to cooky, which makes them inaproachable. There is a lack of diversity in opinions, which sometimes doesn't allow debate.

Do professors know your name? Always. Most professors make a point to memorize everyone's name, although it's inevitable with the small class sizes. Tell us about your favorite class. Least favorite? I've really enjoyed most of my classes. We have some amazing professors. The only classes I've disliked have been due to the subject (for example, physics. Boring!) How often do students study? All the time. Is class participation common? Yes. And it's usually at least 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your grade. Do Davidson students have intellectual conversations outside of class? All the time. Even when we're inebriated :-) Are students competitive? I don't feel like we're competitive with one another. Maybe in sports or with other schools, but for the most part we're willing to help each other out (it benefits both parties). What's the most unique class you've taken? No idea. Tell us about your major / department. Spanish - good. I don't know a lot about it thought because I'm premed so most of my advising comes from the premed advisor. I've heard rumors that the Spanish dept. is disorganized, but so far I haven't had any problems. They do need more profs. though, especially fictional writing, etc. All Spanish classes are literature based. Do you spend time with professors outside of class? Sometimes. Professors sometimes invite their students to end-of-semester parties at their houses. How do you feel about Davidson 's academic requirements? I think they're appropriate for a liberal arts school. Is the education at Davidson geared toward getting a job, or learning for its own sake? Both. Liberal arts education definitely is geared toward created well-rounded adults who love to learn AND will get good jobs.

Yes to all of the above. There is a very close relationship between professors and students in which every professor knows every student in their class and spends time with them outside of class. Professors will often have students, especially major advisees, over for dinner. Students study very often during the week, and are fairly competetitive, though with themselves more than anything. The most unique class I've taken is a religion class called "Death, Dying and the Afterlife." It focuses on cultural beliefs surrounding death and dying and the changes that have occurred over the last century. While the liberal arts curriculum at Davidson is centered around learning for its own sake, you'll have a hard time finding an alumni that didn't easily get hired right out of Davidson in a wide variety of fields.