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I'm going to begin my explanation of why I think Davidson is such a special place with a brief passage from one of my application essays..
"From my first steps upon the Davidson campus, I understood the sheer fortitude of the students around me. It was not a determination to merely maintain a perfect transcript upon graduation or one to reap the rewards of a world-class education. It was the determination and compassion to foster a change in the world and lend their hand in creating a positive future for society. I felt as though I had walked into an atmosphere that is conducive to the individual and his or her own path for knowledge. Where there is the opportunity to leap with perfect clarity from one big idea to the next without the fear of falling. Or there is the ability to shine my own light of reason upon some of life’s biggest questions without apprehension of it being extinguished. And given the diversity of ideas, faiths, and goals of the Davidson student body, each light is neither less bright nor gloomy - only different."
Each person you meet on campus, whether it be a student, faculty member, admission counselor, or the president of the college (I had lunch with him today) is concerned with not only your academic success, but the success outside of the classroom as well, and beyond. Each student I had a conversation with today continually stated how they have such close relationships with their professors. And while they were deciding between schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Haverford, Brown, Swarthmore, and UNC-Chapel Hill alongside Davidson, not one of them regret their decision of attending. I recall my tour guide speaking of the premed adviser saying, "he will not sever contact with you, you must sever contact with him." He went on to say this is the attitude of most professors at Davidson.
I also love the honor code. Out of all the schools I have visited, Davidson's definitely has the biggest presence on campus. While some claim it is impractical to live in a community for 4 years which will be the most trusting and caring of ones life, it is a model of good living and is why Davidson students leave campus and embark on extraordinary things.
I come from an extremely competitive, and almost obnoxiously so, high school. But a question was asked during the student panel today about the competitiveness at Davidson and the response detailed a competition only within ones self. And outside of the inner battle to succeed lie classmates and professors who will always help, Davidson is a team atmosphere. Each person on campus wants everybody else to succeed.
But I think the thing that most attracts me to Davidson is the involvement of the students. And with this, the academic struggles of students was laid to rest today. While no student denied the rigorous standards of the academic life at Davidson, most claimed it is inflated to due the fact that most students are involved in several, and I mean SEVERAL, extra curricular activities. Once again, it is an atmosphere of driven people who are determined to cherish the opportunities Davidson offers and create a better world once they leave.
I think that is enough about my personal opinions, if you have any further questions I will definitely give them.
As for my stats, to be honest with you, I have no idea why I was accepted to such a great school. My ACT scores was only a 29, I took no SAT II's, was ranked 16/336. While academically strong, I think my recommendations and EC's allowed me to gain entrance. I think my recommendations showcased how much I thrive through interaction with professors. EC wise, I was a two sport varsity athlete, president of a statewide media organization, Editor-in-Chief of my school newspaper. And I must say, after attending Decision Davidson today, I left feeling as though I was the least accomplished person there. I ate lunch with accepted students from Princeton and Yale, national science competition winners, etc. But what was made clear in the opening ceremonies was that each admitted student absolutely deserved to be there and would certainly make an impact on campus.
I am sorry for such a long post, but I do hope that my insight was worth it. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
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