Davidson vs. Haverford

xcfan
Sat, 03 Apr 2010 09:22:49 +0000

My son narrowed his search down to these two schools. He was focused on academically strong LACs, and really liked the honor code traditions at these two schools – each school’s honor code had different origins, but they both tend to operate today in a similar way. For example, both schools offer self scheduled exams.

He ultimately chose Davidson. The main reasons:


Better climate. My son is a serious distance runner, and was a recruited athlete at both schools. Haverford actually has the stronger running program (a top Div III program), but the more moderate climate at Davidson really appealed to him. He spends a lot of time running outdoors.
The Humanities sequence at Davidson, which offers a four semester “great books” interdisciplinary curriculum that surveys the Western Tradition. Not many schools still over such a program.
A somewhat more balanced political culture on campus. Most LACs tend to be pretty liberal, and Haverford definitely has a liberal feel. Davidson seemed more balanced.
That it was his own choice. I went to Haverford. In the end, I think the prospect of being a legacy at Haverford was a negative for my son. It was hard for me to accept at first (I loved my experience at Haverford), but I have gotten over it.
The “gut feel” test. He visited both schools twice. He just felt that Davidson was a better fit. Don’t underestimate the importance of this aspect of the college decision-making process.


Remember that both schools are great choices. My son ended up winning a pretty attractive scholarship to Davidson (they offer merit aid as well as some Div I athletic scholarships). At the recruiting event for that scholarship, I happened to sit next to the President of Davidson. When talking about the differences between Haverford and Davidson, President Ross smiled and said that he actually thought that Haverford was probably the peer school that Davidson most closely resembled. He said basically “Davidson is Haverford, with better weather and Div I athletics.” The more I have learned about Davidson, the more I realize there is a lot truth in that statement.

If you have specific issues of interest, I would be happy to try to address them.