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Davidson is small liberal arts college, a gem in the Carolina area. Because of it's size, it's easy to recognize anyone on campus, and people say hello all the time. My favorite thing about Davidson is that the college makes sure every student gets a quality experience. Professors invite their students to their homes and are always available for help, there are organizations for almost any interest, studying abroad is very popular junior year, flickerball teams are a special part of the freshman experience, athletes work just as hard as everyone else, and there are opportunities to join eating houses and frats though they are non-exclusive and not the focus of campus life. The honor code allows for freedom to have self-scheduled exams, take home tests, and trust in fellow students. The small town atmosphere caters to the students with a coffee shop, CVS, book store, and a couple quaint eating spots. The townies love to support the college. Davidson is small, with its ups and downs. Small means a close-knit community, but also it's hard to remain anonymous at times. Students complain about the lack of dating culture, and instead a hook-up scene, but that seems to be the case at most colleges. It's funny that many Davidson grads end up marrying each other. The administration is amazing. They are always looking to move the college forward, and always get the student's input on how to make the campus it's best. The trustees proved their generosity to students by paying for any student to go to watch the basketball team play in the Sweet 16 in Detroit. The one experience I will always remember was being in the stands at the Sweet 16 cheering on our basketball team. We got 500 students to go, and the school spirit took over. We cheered so loud, the whole stadium was asking "Who are these Davidson people?" It was a great day to be a wildcat. The unusual thing about Davidson is that even though it is small, it competes with the best in academics, athletics, and quality of life. It is in the South, but attracts well-rounded people from all over the US and from foreign countries. It embodies the saying, "the best things come in small packages."
Emily Sophomore
the best thing about Davidson are the people and the amazing opportunities that are brought to the school in terms of lectures, performances, concerts. I would change attitudes about work, some people are perfectionists and tend to freak out very easily about the work load. It could also be helpful to encourage more students to be more open with their professors about how they are handling the work load and suggesting ways to help. Davidson is small, but if that's what you're looking for it's just right. Usually people from California don't know anything about Davidson and they ask if I mean U. of California at Davis. But as the years have gone by and Davidson is more recognizable nationwide, people are excited to hear me talk about Davidson and are interested in how I am enjoying it, especially what I'll be doing after graduation. I spend most of my time in the student union, my eating house, Chambers and my dormitory. Davidson the town is very much connected to the college. There are some cute restaurants, a public library, clothing stores and even a museum of wooden gnomes. But it's by no means a college town because most of the college "action" takes place on campus. The students and the people of the town of Davidson however have always had a great relationship, especially this year during the basketball season! the administration is fantastic. the biggest recent controversy was addressed by a rally where people talked about "differences" and diversity on campus and how the student body reacts to differences. there is a lot of school pride, but many students don't seem to realize that they belong at Davidson and sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amazing things their peers are accomplishing, not understanding that they themselves are also special. We have a great community of students but sometimes the pressure gets to us and it seems to effect our perception of ourselves. It is unusual how much Davidson students attend to their work on the weekends, but it's also a great skill to be able to balance work and social activities. I will always remember Odyssey from Freshman year, all of my freshman hallmates and activities, and Dance Ensemble. Frequently, students complain about word load and the dating culture: you are either in a serious relationship (headed toward marriage) or single and hooking up with people.
Lauren Senior
I will always be proud to tell people I went to Davidson, even when all this attention from basketball is over and people go back to being unfamiliar with my school. It's a wonderful community, the honor code is taken very seriously and the professors really care about you. My personal story of why I came to Davidson is also pretty interesting: When I was making my decision, a family friend traveled back to Davidson for his class reuinion. Having graduated with the former president of the college, this man told President Vaught about me and my college dilemma. A few days later, President Vaught called me at home! And when I wasn't there, he called again! He asked if I had any questions and if there was any way he could help me make my decision. I knew then and there that Davidson was the place for me if even the college president was willing to go out of his way for one single student.
Christina Senior
Davidson is a very small school, which was what attracted me here. The classes are really small which gives you the opportunity to get to know your professors really well. The honor code is also really important to all of the students. We have self-scheduled exams where you can take an exam wherever you want unproctored at the time of your choosing. Everyone on campus follows the honor code, so you can leave things wherever you want and expect them to be there when you return. If I could change something about Davidson, I would add a wider variety of classes/majors. Although I do like the liberal arts approach, I find that we are very limited in the classes offered. For people who might want to go to Grad School like myself, it is hard to find some of the prerequisites for a specific field. Just adding a few Business classes or something would allow more options for students. Being from Charlotte, everyone knows of Davidson, but I have friends who say people have no clue what Davidson is. Everyone tends to say that you must be working hard when I tell them I go to Davidson. I spent most of my time in the College Union/Student Center. Davidson is a very small town, but is very much a college town. There is a really cute Main Street with a drug store, coffee shop, restaurants, bank, and a few stores. The community members are very involved with the college, so it is like one big community. There is definitely a lot of pride in saying that you are a Davidson student especially after this year's Basketball run. And Davidson does your laundry for you, which is a huge plus.
Austin Junior
I love davidson because all of the students trust each other because of the honor code. the honor code breeds a sense of respect and trust amongst all students and professors, but be warned, the administration does not have to follow the honor code (which I found surprising and frustrating.) Davidson is just the right size. Davidson currently is REALLY REALLY striving for diversity, which I think is a wonderful idea being enacted in all of the wrong ways. Instead of looking at diversity as a complex factor (religious, sexual orientation, socio economic background, internationally, etc) Davidson appears to be focusing entirely on racial diversity. There is an optional minority pre-orientation here that even several minority students complain about because they feel it extremely isolates them before they meet the rest of their class. Davidson is working really hard, but in my opinion, has a long way to go in fostering a community that openly accepts diverse sexual orientations. For a school of 1700 students, I only know 15 or so gay students, 5 of whom are not openly gay, a number that is very low given the statistics. Almost all students spend their time on campus; parties rarely happen elsewhere, and if they do they are within walking distance (I LOVE THIS...no driving.) Drugs are frowned upon at Davidson by the majority, but there is a drug culture at campus for a very small student minority. The town is amazing, everybody is really nice towards the students, and cops aren't an issue at all (thinking specifically of underage drinking and moderate speeding). Everybody now knows Davidson because of basketball, which is amazing, but don't expect too much more knowledge unless you are talking to someone from the South. I hate the administration at this school, save the college president. The administration is known to make brash, unthoughtful moves and, most students would agree, are attempting to remove the male greek system from campus to decrease liability and promote favorable statistics to parents. There is a ton of student pride and virtually all students on campus are incredibly friendly.
coloradostudent Sophomore
Davidson is a small school and that has both positive and negative sides. It's really nice when you come in as a freshman and get to meet some seniors or juniors. The community is small enough that you make a lot of friends in different years. I do think, however, the more time you spend there, the smaller it feels because those friends you made freshman year have graduated. I really enjoy the small community because you can't walk anywhere on campus without someone you know stopping to say hi. Davidson is all about the small classes with good professors. The professors are all about making you really adept in whatever subject you're studying. There isn't really an opportunity to just skip class without some sort of consequence because the teachers know who's in the class by the end of the second week usually. The town of Davidson is very cute, but it doesn't really have too many options for food. You can basically go to Brickhouse for drinks if you're old enough and Bonzai for an asian fusion and the soda shop for a burger or a sandwich and a shake. That can get old really fast. Luckily there are a lot of options an exit or 2 down from the school. That definitely doesn't mean you need a car either because enough people on campus will have a car and it's always fun to go out for a midnight cookout run for shakes with a group. Davidson is definitely a school with a lot of pride, and it doesn't disappear when you graduate either. Basketball is definitely our big sport, and when we made it into the sweet sixteen, our trustees paid for the students to get on buses and go watch the games. I can't think of another school where the trustees/alumns are still so proud of their alma mater that they would pay for the students to go to the game.
natasha Sophomore
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