Davidson College Top Questions

I love davidson because all of the students trust each other because of the honor code. the honor code breeds a sense of respect and trust amongst all students and professors, but be warned, the administration does not have to follow the honor code (which I found surprising and frustrating.) Davidson is just the right size. Davidson currently is REALLY REALLY striving for diversity, which I think is a wonderful idea being enacted in all of the wrong ways. Instead of looking at diversity as a complex factor (religious, sexual orientation, socio economic background, internationally, etc) Davidson appears to be focusing entirely on racial diversity. There is an optional minority pre-orientation here that even several minority students complain about because they feel it extremely isolates them before they meet the rest of their class. Davidson is working really hard, but in my opinion, has a long way to go in fostering a community that openly accepts diverse sexual orientations. For a school of 1700 students, I only know 15 or so gay students, 5 of whom are not openly gay, a number that is very low given the statistics. Almost all students spend their time on campus; parties rarely happen elsewhere, and if they do they are within walking distance (I LOVE THIS...no driving.) Drugs are frowned upon at Davidson by the majority, but there is a drug culture at campus for a very small student minority. The town is amazing, everybody is really nice towards the students, and cops aren't an issue at all (thinking specifically of underage drinking and moderate speeding). Everybody now knows Davidson because of basketball, which is amazing, but don't expect too much more knowledge unless you are talking to someone from the South. I hate the administration at this school, save the college president. The administration is known to make brash, unthoughtful moves and, most students would agree, are attempting to remove the male greek system from campus to decrease liability and promote favorable statistics to parents. There is a ton of student pride and virtually all students on campus are incredibly friendly.

Davidson may not be the most selective school in the nation, but it is very likely the most demanding school in the nation. At Davidson, you will probably not do as well as you had in high school. You will also probably not do as well at Davidson as you might have at a different school. But you will undoubtedly leave Davidson with an education that is truly "greater," if not simply better, than that of any college or university in the nation. The Davidson education cannot be quantified by a number or a GPA because the Davidson education is more than just academics. The real Davidson education is about the individual, it's about being challenged and forced to expect the best from yourself. thats why they say, davidson is not always a great place to be, but its always a great place to be from.

Academics is first here for the students, athletes, and teachers. The school is too small but I wouldn't change it because it defines Davidson. Social life and academic life are close together since the school is so small too. Downtown Davidson is short enough to yell to the other end but the townies love the college. The administration is decent, students dictate a lot of what happens. I will never forget when the trustees offered to pay for students to go to Detroit for the Sweet Sixteen.

Davidson has a free laundry service that is included in tuition. It's a wonderful service; however, more students do their own laundry than the college realizes, so there are not many washing machines on campus, and it can be difficult to find a free one.

Davidson is awesome if you want a small, work-intensive, liberal arts school. It definitely doesn't have the reputation of many schools of similar caliber, and I've gotten a lot of blank stares when I tell people that I go here, but when people do know about Davidson, they all look impressed. Davidson has a large workload that's pretty hard to keep up with at times, but we also have a ton of cool things to do in your spare time, and they do your laundry for you so you don't have to spend that spare time washing your underwear. What else...we have a lot of school pride (especially for basketball). The biggest complaint is definitely the workload, and I know that the small size gets to some people. Davidson has a very cool administration as far as I can tell (the board of trustees payed for approx 600 students to go to Detroit to watch the basketball team's Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games).

Davidson is unique in that students can obtain an elite liberal arts education while supporting and/or competing on big-time Division I athletic teams. When I decided to go to Davidson during my senior year of high school, most of my friends and teachers had never heard of it. But, over the last few years, Davidson's notoriety has grown due to the success of our basketball team as well as the press we received when Newsweek hailed Davidson as one of "the New Ivies." People no longer shoot me a blank stare when I tell them that I go to Davidson.

From the friendly people, to the honor code; from the beautiful buildings and landscape, to the academic excellence; from our basketball team (as well as the other 20 NCAA Division 1 sports), to the RSC residency, Davidson College promotes ideals of integrity, well-roundedness, academic excellence, service, and leadership – the very same values that I personally regard as being most important.

The only time Davidson's small size is really a disadvantage would be if you want to major is something a little obscure. It does however offer a unique "create your own major" program for people who are looking for something outside the offered majors. Well, it also gets annoying when you tell people you go to Davidson and all you get is a blank stare. Other than that Davidson is able to provide its students with all the awesome things a larger school - including a top notch basketball program for those who are interested in athletics. The town of Davidon is also tiny, but it's only a twenty minute ride to Charlotte, with miles of suburbia in between. Anything from Wal-Mart, to Starbucks, to any chain restaurant can be found within a short drive away from campus. There is tons of school pride here, and the basketball team's run in the NCAA tournament only brought out more school spirit. The most unique thing about Davidson is probably it's honor code, which is taken one hundred percent seriously, and as a result all final exams are self scheduled, tests are not proctored, and no one feels the need to lock their doors.

I love the small school atmosphere at Davidson. Sometime I feel like because we are small we don't get enough recognition or exposure but honestly I wouldn't trade the small school atmosphere for anything. Plus things like our basketball team and successful graduates are really starting to give us lots of national exposure. At this point I still get the response "Where is Davidson?" or "Did you say Dickinson?" when I tell people I go here but it is definitely getting better. Everyone is very close to each other, inside the classroom and out. Teachers give as much extra attention as you could ever want. Now having said that, everyone knowning everyone on campus can have its drawbacks as well, such as how quickly word can spread of a bad hookup, fight, or some other thing you may want to keep under wraps. And good luck avoiding people you don't want to see. But aside from that this is truely a special place. Davidson is a very small historic town, with a huge city and a lake right nearby, which suits me perfect. The town has a GREAT atmosphere but you're also never too far from the complete opposite. The administration is incredible and cares about the students on a personal level that cannot be matched. They make themselves seen and know a huge majority of the students by first name. There is little controversy, although there was an incident on the court (the main party area) involving off campus students that sparked a racial tolerance rally, but no worries the incident was all verbal and merely involved people being "uncomfortable." It does not take much to make the campus pull together and unite and there is a huge amount of school pride, especially for how small we are. The unity and openness on campus is a truely unique aspect that I have never witnessed at any other school. Complaints rarely escalate beyond the regular "I have SO much work!" and "I got to bed at 4 last night..." ? If you choose to come here, you will never regret it. I have so many friends that visit and say "Wow, I wish I had known about this school when I was applying."

School is pretty good. I might change some of the professor's grading styles and some of the dorms need some work, but most of it is very good.