Visiting Davidson College in North Carolina with our son next week as he is liking it more and more from what he has seen and read on line and discussing with his college counselor.
Would welcome any thoughts on what we should expect (not expect). He is looking for a school on the smaller side that is well-balanced with strong focus across academics, sports, extra-curricular activities, community,…nice campus.
Thnx!
It certainly hits the desires - so you will see once there.
You can certainly add other schools to your visit as you’ll be close enough so you might take advantage of that too.
There are likely multiple reviews of Davidson in this thread as well as others. Not sure how to to find it’s spot on the list - the find didn’t work. But I’ve read both good and not so good about Davidson on the CC (facilities, student energy on campus, etc., so I think like all, go and see and explore the surrounds.
So have a great visit and let us know what he thinks after (on the thread below)…because what he thinks might be vastly different than what others think.
And don’t forget, an admissions session or tour are sales pitches. Sometimes they are good and sometimes not. Too many seem to pick a school because of them but you shouldn’t…look deeper. And while it’s late, if he has any special items of interest (a club or academic area), you can ask admissions to set up a 1:1 meeting to learn more.
Good luck
I second the suggestion to get in touch with a department or professor or activity. My son was into music and emailed the music dept. and on his visit he met with a prof, who then took him and some other students to the dining hall. He was so impressed with everyone saying hi to the prof between the office and the dining hall that it really influenced his decision. He had a great experience there.
Davidson was one of my S22 's top contenders. He ended up applying ED to William & Mary which I think shares a lot of commonalities with Davidson but is larger and had more opportunities for his major. I think Davidson will check a lot of your son’s boxes.
The campus is beautiful. The only slight negative for us was the main road running through the campus. The college is integrated with the town of Davidson and the town of Davidson loves the college. It’s probably one of the best examples of town/gown relations you will find anywhere. The first year students participate in a cake race with cakes baked by faculty and staff as well as local businesses and residents who welcome the students to Davidson.
Both our student tour guide and the AO running our session talked a lot about the importance of their honor code as the foundation of the academic culture. Students don’t have to worry about leaving their laptops unattended in the library and professors routinely give untimed take home exams and trust the students not to cheat.
Social life seems to revolve around Greek life (although there are no fraternity houses and parties are open) and eating houses.
Enjoy your visit.
Wonderful that you can visit. When we visited LACs with my D we found that they all each had a distinct “vibe.” Some she dismissed from consideration immediately after the visit (including a couple that looked great on paper) and others she gravitated towards. Hopefully your S will find a group of schools that are a great fit. Davidson is certainly a wonderful option.
One thing we liked to do when possible was to eat in the main college cafeteria. It can help you get a sense of the students at the school – my D was sometimes able to join a table of students and chat informally. Admissions may be able to provide a meal pass for the family.
Davidson was certainly the right fit for my son who may have gotten lost in a larger school. He considered some of the NESCACs with similar academic chops including Williams and Middlebury but says choosing Davidson was one of his best decisions. Just by sheer luck, we toured the college on the day of the Freshman Cake Race and my kiddo was sold. Highly recommend having a meal at Vail Commons and chatting with students. I’m not aware of any main road running through campus as Davidson’s campus is pretty much self contained (outside of the recreational Lake Campus on Lake Norman a few miles away). The college does abut the cute small Town of Davidson, and yes the college does have very good relations with the town’s residents with the Cake Race being a wonderful example when town residents will bake/donate hundreds of cakes and come out and cheer the first years. Here’s a video from this year’s Cake Race traditionally held on the Wednesday of the first week of classes. https://youtu.be/JUFXQR4R9z4?si=gDpAP2uZFImu3JNQ