Davidson College Top Questions

Academics at Davidson are very tough in general. Most students spend a lot of time in the library; in fact, the library is often thought of as a place to socialize as well as to study. Despite what some people say though, the work here is not by any means impossible, and I actually like and respect the fact that all of my friends take pride in their academic success. Class participation is common (and expected) since classes are so small.

Academics. At. Davidson. Are. Hard. Professors almost always know your name (and classes are small enough that you will get called on, if not normally than frequently). Especially in the arts and languages class discussion is huge. Reading assignments will take hours on end, papers abound, problem sets are lengthy, and class participation is required in most courses. Course offerings can be limited but consequently your profs will only have the utmost knowledge of their subject -- they don't spread themselves into disciplines they're not knowledgeable about. Despite how interesting they can be, pretty much any course at Davidson is an ass-kicker; I have yet to find an "easy course".

The stress of academics is probably overrated - everyone who got into Davidson should be able to handle the stress of the course load. Students are bright and not afraid to go to professors with questions or concerned. Sometimes I feel suffocated by the course requirements, but it hasn't deterred me that much from taking courses I want to take just for the heck of it (i.e. music of the united states, modern East Asian history). My favorite classes are usually English classes where small groups drive discussion. I dislike large lecture classes because it's too easy to get distracted or zone out. My professors all know my name and I value our relationships.

They are impossible.

Academics at Davidson are demanding. Prepare to work and work and work. It's a lot.

Too rigorous. People stress too much and all the time. I hear about friends at other schools having tons of fun all the time, we get very little time to have fun but make the best of that time.

All of my professors know my name, even some with whom I have never taken a class. It is not uncommon to see a professor in the student union or sometimes downtown in CVS. Students study a lot, class work loads tend to fluctuate, if you had a light load this week it is probably because you are going to have a few papers and a test next week. It's tough but manageable. Students are always competitive but not in a vicious way, students are always making study groups and reviewing together for tests. For my psychology 101 class I was worried for our first test and typed up a fifteen page review sheet and a girl in my class had had a very tough few weeks because of extra curriculars and her other classes and she was freaking out about the test and I didn't think twice before emailing her a copy of the review sheet that I'd been working on all week. She forwarded her outline to me for her second test. Students are never trying to be the best by keeping others down, they just want to do their best work. Unfortunately, in order for Davidson to achieve the academic standing that they deserve, they must be tough while grading. Professors have a quota for how many A's, B's and C's they give out, too many A's they get talked to. Knowing this, however, means that the B+ you got was deserved, it was not just handed to you for doing the work.

Academics are...tough. but in a good way. I almost always feel challenged, and thatI have learned a lot from all of my classes. Sometimes I wish classes were bigger so I didnt have to participate so much. All of my professors know my name and I would feel comfortable dropping by their offices anytime just to chat. The education is definitely geared towards learning for learning's sake. Sometimes it is frustrating that we cant learn more practical skills, but we keep being told we are going to prepared to do anything- i hope that proves to be true!

Professors are amazing.

Academics are stimulating. Classes that you take simply to fulfill requirements can turn out to the push towards a major you'd never chosen before (I thought I wanted to be an English major until my current Biology class). Professors are very personable and open to meeting outside of class. I have had several meetings that ended up being interesting conversations about life beyond the classroom. I tend to dread speaking in Spanish but my meetings with my Spanish professor always end up being lengthy conversations because she is so interesting and enthusiastic. You also run into them in entirely unexpected places such as the cross country trails which can provide very amusing stories. The most unique class I've taken is Young Adult Fiction in which we read classic and controversial books geared towards young adults and discuss their educational and societal importance; friends outside the class are really jealous of our reading list. Intellectual conversations don't stem up as often as the student body has the potential for, but I feel we have a healthy balance between personal and intellectual connections. One day you talk politics, the next day you talk about who likes who, and both are very intriguing conversations. The liberal arts philosophy definitely makes the education here about learning for its own sake. Most of the seniors I know have very open job opportunities. The only program I think of as being truly pre-professional is Pre-Med and even that is a concentration, not a major. A lot of the Pre-Meds I know are English and Political Science majors.