Davidson College Top Questions

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Davidson College is consistently ranked as one of the hardest colleges in the nation. That is not because teachers deflate grades or because tests are impossible. It is because teachers and students care more about the content of the course then about the grade. For students at Davidson, learning the material is far superior to getting an A. As a result, teachers will often assign work and ask questions on tests related to the conceptual understanding of a particular subject rather than a regurgitation of the facts. Add that to the fact that almost every student at Davidson was in the top 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of his or her high school and you can clearly see why Davidson is one of the hardest, but also prestigious, colleges in the nation. Teachers want you to do well and getting straight A's can be done but, no matter what your goal is, you have to work for it. No one is going to give you a B or even a C for that matter just for showing up. Davidson also is consistently ranked either #1 or #2 for having the best liberal arts faculty in the nation. Seriously, the teachers are incredibly smart, caring, friendly, and engaging. I have yet to sit in a boring class. Class sizes are very small, ranging from 15-30.

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Academics are hard. They take work. You can get by without doing a ton of work, but chances are that you won't do amazing. Typically, A's really do reflect excellent work that has had some time put into it. To put it another way, in high school, I would usually be shocked if I didn't get an A on something. At Davidson, I, and pretty much everyone else, is pretty excited to get a solid A on a major assignment. Some people are absolutely workaholics, but there are certainly people who put in near minimal effort (e.g. skip a lot of reading, quickly do small papers etc the night before) and manage to make it through. If a class is not purely lecture (most classes aren't; a lot of classes are entirely structured around discussion), then participation is pretty common. Typically there will be between one and five students (of about 20-33) who talk a lot, and probably half of any given class contributes to discussion somewhat regularly. In my experience, students do not see themselves as competing with each other; the horror stories of students giving each other false info at study sessions and always trying to get a leg-up on others (which was typically associated with Ivy-league schools) does not hold true here. People are always willing to help you, whether it's sharing notes, explaining a concept, whatever. Generally, professors are absolutely wonderful about being accessible and helpful to students. Most professors I've had have been willing to make all kinds of accommodations to ensure that you get help if you need it.

I am an econ major and love it. You have to be a devoted student to make it at Davidson. Professors want to help, and can due to the small size and their focus on teaching instead of research (as opposed to what you will see at bigger schools), but you have to want to succeed and put forth a hell of an effort. I gaurentee you will work harder than you ever have, but you will come out having learned more than any of your peers at other institutions.

Professors are really accessable, and they know the names of their students. Students study a lot, but they still take time out to have some fun. Davidson's liberal arts curriculum and academic requirements enable students to explore many different areas. By having academic requirements, students might discover something that they want to major in that they were not originally considering.

Hope you like to study! As long as you can be passionate about something, and work hard to find that passion, then you'll be alright at Davidson. Expect to stay up late in the library doing research or problem sets, but expect to be proud of yourself for doing it. Academics are at the forefront of Davidson's culture, and people know that when they apply here. The classes are fun, interesting, challenging, and small. All my professors know who I am, and they're ALWAYS willing to help out.

I am kind of shy about communicating with professors, so I often feel as though there are connections I should be making but am not. I know there are students here who are on a first name basis with certain professors. Most professors are nearly begging students to come see them during office hours; they want to be very accessible. Professors always learn the names of all students in their classes. Most students are fairly consistent at studying, but people do sometimes pull all nighters. Class participation is common. Professors try to get everybody talking. The education is geared toward whatever the student wants. If a student wants to get a certain job, someone can help them. Davidson is also a great place for learning for its own sake. Students here try hard, but one does not get the impression they are actually competing.

Hard - terrible grade deflation compared to Dartmouth, Harvard, Colombia, etc. Sometimes feels like more work than everyone else, but it has taught me the basics and I am prepared for the working world. The Honor Code is amazing - we take our finals when we want - but it also inhibits some collaboration because students are so true to it they fear breaking it, and this is a terrible side effect of a great community value. Most departments are very strong, but you can go through Davidson without accessing it's resources/teachers/etc. APPLY FOR GRANT MONEY - the Dean Rusk Program is unbelievable about supporting just about any type of travel as long as you can justify that you are learning from it, and do so in writing or film or some form of communication. Students don't compete with each other in a cut-throat manner, and you are always encouraged to do well because everyone around you is doing well and working hard so they can have fun on the weekends. Intellectual conversations exist outside of class but so do silly ones =) General academic requirements are pretty easy to complete, but take your AP tests so you can go abroad because Davidson feels almost all abroad classes are too easy to count for credit unless you're on an official Davidson program. Education is definitely geared for learning for its own sake - it's liberal arts after all - my best class has been the one I can apply to the real world, one on city planning and politics, but most others are much more abstract than specific, and that should be improved some.

Professors do know my name, rigorous, honor code dominates how students study, which is fantastically moral.

Academics are hard. The professors expect a lot of work outside of the class that allows you to be prepared for class the next day. Not all classes are equally difficult - Organic and Theater 101 are obviously on different levels. Even if you fall behind in a class, which is usually inevitable, you will work your ass off to study for the test. Even so, you might get a B. Even though the classes are really hard, most of them are enjoyable because the professors know what they're talking about. You can tell they want you to work hard because they worked hard and really love what they're trying to teach you. They are also always willing to help you out, whether it's on a test that you did poorly on or a paper that isn't due for another week and you want some early advice. The professors expect a lot but never fail to be fair.

Come to Davidson expecting to do a lot of work. You worked very hard in high school to get here, and unlike certain rumors about Ivy League or similar Davidson caliber schools, the work only gets more intense and rigorous. Education here is definitely geared more towards learning rather than getting a job, and academics are considered a first priority for all students here regardless of any other commitments. That said, I saw nowhere else where faculty were so incredibly passionate about what they do, and the incredible amount of respect they hold for the students. That was what made me want to come here.

Every professor knows my name and is very willing to talk to you. Their first priority is teaching and then research, which would be done with an undergrad. Class participation is common. I have been invited to my teachers house before and I have actually been to my advisor's house. The education you get here covers all subjects and will really prepare you for anything after college. I remember when my Economics teacher gave us his cell phone number so that we could call him if we had questions.

The academics at Davidson are my favorite aspect of the school. My professors have almost always learned my name by the end of the first day of class. The largest class I have ever had was 30. My freshman year I had a class of 6. The professors care an immense amount about all their students and will do anything to help, even meeting you for dinner on Sunday night to go over your work. I have found that due to these intimate relationships with my professors, I have been able to learn way more than I could in any other environment.

Class size is always small, professors are always at least decent. Those are absolute rules. There are definitely some professors to avoid, but for the most part, they're all good, and some of them are amazing. Students tend to be extremely intellectual in and outside of class, and some of them are very competitive (those most aren't).

No doubt about it, academics at Davidson are rigorous. However, I find that it is definitely a manageable amount of work. At Davidson, the academic experience is what each student makes of it. The professors are very knowledgeable and willing to help. However, you can get to know the professors very well and be a frequent visitor during office hours, or you can remain relatively anonymous. It's up to you. However, each of the professors knows all of his or her students by name, as none of the classes are above 40 students.

Professors and students have close relationships, we are not numbers. In fact, the average class size is around 15. Almost everyone participates in class discussions -All comments are intellectual and thought-provoking. There are so many different course structures here; however, I think my favorites were my 4 course Humanities track. We started with the first known literary work, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and moved on into present day, reading literature, philosophy, and religious & political documents, looking at paintings and sculptures, listening to music. Classes conisisted of about 12 - 15 students and we just talked about what we read/saw/heard. No pop quizzes. No lectures. Just discussion. We would meet even if the professor couldn't make it.

Academics at Davidson are pretty rigorous, but I feel students are generally good about finding a balance between work and play. Classes are small, and professors always know your name. Class participation is almost always encouraged, and the small class sizes provide excellent opportunities for discussion. The truth is that everyone here is intelligent and it is not uncommon to hear students having intellectual conversations outside of class, but on the other hand you hear a lot of stupid conversations too. The core requirements are pretty demanding, but nothing you can't knock about by the end of sophomore year if you come in with an AP credit or two under your belt. Recently there has been talk around Davidson about the problem of grade deflation. There is a joke around campus that says the department with the lowest GPA gets taken out to dinner. Personally I have had great experiences with classes. Professors have always been open to talking and meeting with you, and they often make an effort to get to know you outside of the classroom. From what I hear Premed is pretty intense, but it gets you ready for Med school.

Davidson is an incredible academic school. You will rarely have a class over 30 students or so, and personally in my Freshman year alone I've had 4 with about 10 or less. Professors almost always know you personally and it isn't rare to get invited to a professors house for dinner, not to mention get any extra help on work that you need. Students here study a lot because honestly classes are not easy. You will not skate by like you did in high school but you will become a much better person for it. Everyone here were people who were at the top of there class and you will take part in intellectual conversations. But don't worry there are plenty of stupid ones as well. I, like many other students, often feel that there is way too much work here and that the academic requirements are too hard but you learn more because of it and start to realize, unlike highschool, GPA does not matter! 3 B's and a C is a great report card! That prestigious degree is your goal here! You will not just work towards one job here, you will truely learn and have the ability to take part in a WIDE range of jobs. It is not uncommon to here of students coming straight out of college here with paychecks in the 6 figures on top of 6 figure signing bonuses.

Professors are very interactive and most are very friendly. Most if not all of them love what they teach and are happy to help you anyway they can. Students in return learn alot and they do have intellectual conversations outside of class. I recommend this because other students may have picked up on something in class that you missed and would need for the class. Career wise, the school does not teach you how to perform a specific real world job, but it does teach you how to work hard and learn things you will need for the rest of your life.