Davidson College Top Questions

Davidson students do work their asses off, but have fun too. In my mind it is the epitome of a work hard play hard school. Campus is generally dead quiet except for friday and saturday night, and occasionally wednesday nights. Since it is such a rigorous academic environment it needs to be coupled with an atmosphere that students can feel comforable letting loose in. As for the prep reputation, there are a suprising amount of kids for NE boarding schools, but it is not nearly what you would see at a Vandi or an SMU. I think Davidson students are very well rounded and grounded individuals who see themselves as part of a bigger community.

Even though Davidson students have a lot of work to complete, they still take time out of their busy schedules to do fun things. For example, students might attend a lecture, go to one of the Live Thursdays concerts, go to a Davidson basketball game, or party at one of the eating houses or fraternities on the weekend. The other stereotypes are accurate

We're definitely mostly workaholics - although we have a lot of fun too. I'd make a guess that we're about 50/50 liberal/conservative - it's all about who you choose to hang out with. There's a lot of socio-economic diversity here, although you might not guess it off the bat. There is a bit of a lack of racial diversity, however. Geographic diversity is moderate.

Davidson offers much financial aid. Now the college will even pay any student loans, so it seems that one does not have to be wealthy to attend. Few people are actually children of alumni. It is true that everyone at Davidson seems to be noticeably smarter than average. People do get very stressed out, but they somehow keep it up till the end.

Yes, though there are definitely exceptions. But for someone not originally from the East Coast, it's a culture change.

By and large, yes. However, it is entirely possible to run across somebody who isn't that friendly, have an entire group of friends who are not at all preppy and to avoid work entirely (you just won'e get good grades...)

For the most part.

Davidson is probably more conservative than other schools, but that doesn't mean that there aren't liberal students there (i'm one). I would say it's more moderate than conservative. I think Davidson is a southern school but people don't get dressed up for every football game and bring a date. I actually really enjoy the southern feel - especially the biscuits. Yes Davidson students work hard, there's no way to get around that if you want to do well in your classes. However, students don't have a problem finding time to hang out with friends during the week and certainly to go out on the weekend, whether it's to a movie or to a party. The parties on campus are nothing like a big state school, but people still know how to have a good time.

I don't necessarily believe preppy is accurate, but the rest, well yeah.

yes

The majority of students are white but I would say there is lots of diversity within the interests and talents of the students, yes, yes, and no not everyone is rich

It is true that Davidson has a LOT of work; however, every student manages it in his or her own way. The grading is tough, but doable. The professors really want you to succeed and will help you in any way possible, but they won't let up on their standards either. The students are mostly rich, white kids, but they are not snobby.

sometwhat

Yes. No, just kidding. There are a lot of uptight people here, but most people aren't. And to succeed at Davidson, you definitely have to work a lot, but not to the point of developing workaholism. There are definitely preppy, snobby, rich kids around, but a lot of preppy kids aren't rich, snobby kids aren't preppy, etc. Mostly, though, people are amazingly nice. And I know a lot of kids who are paying their own way through Davidson. We do, indeed, have a ballin' basketball team.

No, these stereotypes are not accurate. As a varsity athlete, I've found that I still have ample time to train and compete at a high level, study hard and make good grades, have a girlfriend, and entertain a substantial social life.

We definitely balance academics and social lives. However, we do study much more than the average college student. Example: When the trustees paid for us to go to Detroit to watch the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games, every student was in the lobby studying from morning to sun down on Saturday, the day in between the two games.

Not really. Davidson students do have a lot of work, and they are often in the library, but they also know how to have fun. The frats and eating houses have some sort of party going on pretty much every weekend. It's true that Davidson is not very diverse, and most people do come from well off families, but hardly anyone is conceded and everyone is pretty good about acceptance and tolerance.

While it's true that most students here are very smart (it's no small feat to get accepted), and there is a large workload, there is an excellent social scene with weekly court parties and a very relaxed atmosphere when it comes to drinking (as long as people are being safe).There is a slightly above average population of the more "bookish" types here but there is a huge population of partiers along with lots athletes.

I'm neutral about these. Some of these apply to myself or people I know, but alot of people don't fit these stereotypes.

To an extent. There are kids from extremely diverse backgrounds that I've met here. However, there are definitely kids from wealthier homes which seems to be the majority.

For the most part, these sterotypes are accurate. The vast majority of students are from the richer part of society, although the administration is trying to change this socio-economic divide by eliminating student loans. Also, most Davidson students are white. During my stay at Davidson, I have noticed more selfishness than arrogance, although I feel arrogance exists as well. Unlike my high school, it seems everyone is out for their own benefit without much regard for others. Although students, especially on your own hall, can be friendly, I sense a strong undercurrent of competition. Davidson students are very concerned about GPAs. Also, students participate heavily in athletics. The jocks presence is very large at Davidson, especially considering its small size. There are a bunch of religious people, but they don't flaunt their beliefs in your face. In fact, the only thing really religious about this school is that some students go to church on Sunday and occasionally participate in a few other religious activities.

Not really...people take their academics very seriously, but we definitely take the time to have fun.

We do work really hard, but Davidson students enjoying complaining relentlessly about their work. I'm not sure that we actually spend that much more time on school work than any of our peer institutions, but we love to think that we do. We're not a J-Crew campus. That's bogus. Go to Vandy or University of Richmond if that's what you're looking for. Although Davidson has more its fair share of white, upper-middleclass yuppies, I think that you find a healthy mix of people. We certainly have a strong contingency of hippies, environmentalists, social-justice seekers, and artsy, ironic folk. The relationship myth is also bogus. A recent study done by some psych majors demonstrated that the average length of a relationship at Davidson is 6 months.

Davidson is a hard school in terms of work load and demanding a lot of its students but that also goes for outside the classroom as well. Students all have a lot of homework and are very involved in activities around campus, but everyone manages this. It's hard but definitely doable. Also, there are a lot of students that are preppy but there are also a lot of students that are just down to earth and chill. Whatever type you are you can find someone like you and everyone is really nice for the most part.

No, sure there are kids on campus that do nothing but work, but there are also students here that do anything but work. We are a small liberal arts college, but by no means does that negate student diversity. No matter what kind of person you are, you can find a group of kids that have similar interests and priorities.

Mostly.

Not at all. Davidson has a huge range of students. My good friends come from all over the country and even the world. Of course there are preps and jocks and arty people and hippies. Every school has its groups.

Neither! The first, about working too hard, is absolutely not true. There is plenty to do on the weekends and although students may feel stressed, no one I know would trade the Davidson experience for anything. The academics are intense, but there is no cutthroat competition or mean-spirited professors. Everything is about the experience. The second, about the rich, Southern, white demographic is untrue as well. Davidson is full of international students and has a rich multi-cultural experience. The vast majority of students go abroad in their junior year, an experience which makes Davidson one of the most "worldly" colleges around. Also, almost no one comes to Davidson without some kind of financial aid. There are lots of programs, like work-study, plus endless scholarships, that make the socio-economic differences less noticiable.

The rumors are true - Davidson is tough academically and does your laundry for you. Over a third of Davidson's students are Southern, but the demographic is not dominated by Southerners.

Yes, very much so. Davidson gives too much work compared to other colleges and students suffer as a result.

1) Yes, but there is a great social life as well. 2) It is not as southern as I initally thought. Although you def hear the occasional twang, there are people from all over the country.

Pretty much. The people here are very smart, but not everyone is study crazy. People love to go out on weekends and have fun. People are athletic and involved in a million activities, and religion plays a big part in peoples lives.

We know how to party in our own way. And we are not very diverse, but for such a small school I say we do well, and we're working on our diversity. It's a huge issue on campus.

pretty much.

In general, yes. The students dress fairly preppy. There are always lots of sundresses, khaki pants, pastel polos, and half the students look like they could model for J. Crew. However, at the same time, the other half of the student body is in a Davidson shirt and sweatpants or jeans. There is a large religious community on campus who are very sincere about their faith. The typical Davidson student would consider themselves a Christian (or other religion) but mostly just in name. Welcome to the Bible Belt! Not all girls wear black pants and pearls. But there are a lot of pearls. The academics are very challenging. I think we sometimes don't get enough credit for how hard Davidson students work.

Yes

For the most part.

No. There are definitely the preppy snobs and awkward nerds, but for the most part I find a good amount of diverse people and styles on campus.

To some extent. Almost every person here is a nerd in some way or another, but there are still a lot of laid back people.

Its really not a 'southern school' yes we are in the South but it doesn't fit the typical 'Southern School' stereotype at all! Yes preppy, but there is also lots of diversity here. Very hard working too.

To an extent, but the school is working to make them less so.

yes

These stereotypes are, of course, not entirely accurate. Davidson students do place a high priority on academics and want to succeed. Yet Davidson students also know when it's time to let loose and have a good time.

yeah, pretty accurate.

Not really, we do work very hard, and there is a lot on your plate here. But i think the philosophy of most people here is work hard party hard

for the most part

I think as with most southern schools the students are fairly preppy but there are definitely all types. The relationship thing is kind of true though.

Somewhat. A lot of students are like that, but there are plenty of casual, mellow people around too.

No, we are not all type-A overachievers. Yes, we work a lot. Classes are demanding and teachers expect much from us. However, I always find time to relax and hang out with my friends. I would go crazy if I worked all the time.

Some of them are, some are not