<p>Would you pick Johns Hopkins or Davidson?</p>
<p>AK-
Those schools are apples and oranges. Do you want big city or small town? Big or small school? What do you plan to study? How are your stats? One plus for Davidson- they do your laundry.</p>
<p>Yeah for free laundry services! And, they also put the weight on the packages so you know how much your clothes weigh. Why it would matter, I don’t know… but they list it anyway</p>
<p>Greensleves-
My younger s. went to a summer program (TIP) at Davison this past summer. We paid in advance for the laundry-- you could get either (1) unlimited or (2) pay for a certain weight and then pay extra for any overage. Of course, these being bright kids, they figured out whose parents paid for the unlimited laundry (like me) and they gave him ( my s.) most of their laundry so they didn’t have to pay any overage fee!!!Gotta love it! Don’t know if the regular year has anything similar. It kinda sounds like the internet or cellphone payment plan options, doesn’t it?</p>
<p>during the regular year, laundry is free(the tuition covers it) and unlimited;</p>
<p>tT return to the point of your question, you really need to decide if you want a small schooli n a small town (although with easy access to suburban and urban amenities) or a larger school with university as well as college programs (that is, graduate school and med school) in a city. They’re both fine schools but they do not offer the same sort of undergraduate and general living experiences; comparative quality isn’t so easily packaged, even for scohols of similar size and setting, which these two are not.</p>
<p>jym626 - what was your impression of Davidson? Have a son who may want to take a look.</p>
<p>I have a friend who’s an alum and another friend who’s daughter just graduated last year…It seems like the kind of place that has incredible school spirit and loyalty to it…I may be wrong on this but I think Davidson would have more a of a collegiate “feel” to it…less of an “institution” and I know sports are big there…</p>
<p>Oldman-
My younger s. was at Davidson for a summer academic program, so I am not sure we can fairly answer your question. Charming, small campus. Cute town. Older s. is at Rice. LOVES it. Not sure that helps much. Sorry… :(</p>
<p>Thanks! By the way is Rice as rigorous as advertised?</p>
<p>Oldman-
I asked my s. your question. His response was “it is as challenging as you want it to be” (you’d think he was a philosophy major instead of an engineering/physics major). What he meant was that classes vary in degree of challenge, and on top of that you can work like a dog or like a slacker (my words, not his). The students are all bright, top students, but are more laid back and supportive than, say, Cal Tech. So, to answer your question, yes Rice is rigoruos, but the students there have an excellent work/life balance.</p>
<p>Oldman: Rice has undergrad rearch opportunities at least equal to JHU with a size and emphasis on undergrad instruction more similar to Davidson’s. Tuition is lower than either. Admission is also slightly more competitive.</p>
<p>Daughter’s best friend is at Davidson and LOVES IT!!! Very challenging profs, kids interested in learning, but also have a great time. He has said from the moment of his ED admission that he felt he’d “come home.” It is in a small town, but that appears to cause kids to focus on the opportunities on campus. If your child “loves learning” and loves being challenged, it looks like a fabulous place. A campus visit should help the decision.</p>