monkeybob91

I need insights from current students in Davidson. I worked pretty hard in high school, and my school pretty often deflates grades. For example my calc teacher states that no one deserves higher than 90 in his class, and I had to work very hard for 85. I heard that Davidson is known for grade deflation. Please let me know how bad it is. I love Davidson otherwise, but I am afraid that grade deflation might be very discouraging and will make my years there miserable.

amplifiar842

Grade deflation does not exist here so much there is no inflation. You get what you earn -- that's the rule. So, you have to work really hard for even a B. The average GPA here is generally lower than at most schools.

It is not impossible to get all As and Bs...I know lots of people who do. But you have to work for it. Personally, I think that people exaggerate a bit about the work...lots of whiners who wouldn't have half the amount of work they have if they didn't spend all their time complaining.

You come to accept that your grades don't matter so much as whether or not you're learning. Learning is much more important than the grade you make in a class. I'm glad I took Bio 111 (Molecules, Genes, Cells), even though I did get a C, because I now know SO much about molecular and cellular biology. Maybe didn't have strong performances on my tests...but that doesn't affect me now.

Davidson has a good pass/fail system - you can retroactively pass/fail three classes during your Davidson career. Most schools don't have that. So, if you do so poorly on a class that it brings your GPA down dramatically...you can drop it altogether.

Graduate schools recognize the rigor of Davidson's course-loads. They probably wouldn't be too impressed with a super-low GPA, but for the most part, a 3.0 is respectable, and if you're taking courses that are right for YOU, you shouldn't have any trouble managing that. We have extremely high graduate school matriculation rates. Davidson students succeed in the world.

I was not a straight-A student in high school and am not now, but it doesn't matter.

laxman1

do you have any down time there? I'm entering premed, but I still want to have some recreation time...is that going to be really hard to do?

amplifiar842

I entered premed, too. Obviously that didn't last long for me (if you make too many Cs in your premed class like I did in Bio 111 and Calc 1, it won't last very long), but I still had plenty of downtime last semester. I participate in several activities on campus and spent a lot of time just hanging out with my friends and reading and relaxing. If you don't have time, you make it

The nice thing is that unlike in high school, you spend very little time in the classroom. Tuesday/Thursday classes meet for seventy-five minutes and Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes meet for fifty. You'll probably take four classes, so...not a lot of time spent IN class. You have a lot more time to do your work, as a result. And therefore you have a lot more time to spend doing your own thing.

I'm in an eating house and I party every weekend. I'm President of Young Dems and was an active member this past year. I played hall flickerball and took dance lessons on Sunday afternoons. I occasionally contributed to Libertas. I went to all the basketball games and next year will be a member of the Sports Marketing Association to plan promotions for the various athletic events here. I played Quiz Bowl. I figure skate in Charlotte. I've very rarely been stressed out by work and I almost always get it all done.

You have time! I promise!!

Raceme117

I'm an entering freshman as well and am too a bit concerned. However, I've visitited Davidson three times, two for visits and one for Decision Davidson. During those, I believe I was around at least 15 students who addressed this question and all of them had the same response. All of them said the academics are tough and all of them said they have never learned so much. However, they all said professors want nobody to fail and will never purposely 'deflate' a students grade. You get what you earn. They also said the way to avoid freaking out about this sterotype is to take courses which interest you, work hard, and you will be find. They each said they know many students who have high GPAs, 3.5+ and still have time for the social aspect of Davidson. I can definately understand the worry as a future student myself, however, I think its safe to say that hard work, perseverance, and a good course selection will stabilize the stress level.