Davidson College Top Questions

The academics at Davidson are challenging for sure, yet not unmanageable. I spend at least 3 hours of my day devoted to athletics and am still able to manage my academics and maintain a social life if that gives any perspective. Different professors and different departments can determine the difficulty of your experience. The sciences are considered much tougher than the sociology department for example, and I've found that asking upperclassmen about professors helps in selecting the best teachers. Students definitely devote lots of hours to their academics yet I've found that professors are willing to help as well as other classmates. The atmosphere is not "cut-throat" in my opinion. One frustration I have with Davidson is the grade deflation. Coming out of high school my expectations were to maintain receiving all A's like most students here, but that's just not the case at Davidson. You really have to work and put in the time for your grades and that's just an adjustment that needs to be made.

Academics at Davidson are tough. You have to work hard if you want a good GPA. I personally haven't found Davidson's workload to be intense (although others have), but receiving As on papers takes Herculian effort. Tests, I think, are easier than papers, but are still hard. Classes are small at Davidson, but I've found discussion to be very sparse. I think Davidson students are so concerned with their self-image that they're afraid to voice their opinion. I've had a few intellectual conversations out of class, but by all means, they're not the norm. In general, I think it's fair to say that Davidson is not very intellectual. When I think Davidson, I think of hard-working, motivated students who care about improving themselves. Unfortunately, there's not much learning for learning's sake nor much intellectual discussion outside of class.

Academics at Davidson are tough. People study a lot but for the most part its all about time management. You can get all of your work done it's just a matter of whether you do it at midnight the night before its due or a couple days ahead of time, most people are not in the latter category. The thing about academics is that even though it's tough, everyone is in the same boat so you don't feel all alone in this sea of work, everyone has that much and everyone is really supportive of each other. All of the professors hold office hours but it is really up to the students to make use of them and also some professors are easier to talk to than others. So professor-student relationships for the most part are good but it really is up to the student to make the most of the dynamic.

Academics at Davidson are not easy. There aren't many cracks one can fall between here - for better or worse. You will work hard, but you will be rewarded. Even during my first year at Davidson, I felt smarter. Not just that I knew more things, but that I changed the way I approached problems and challenges. The teachers here are among the best. They teach in ways I don't think I would have found anywhere else. I realized this in the first year biology class required for pre-med students. The teaching approach at Davidson is brilliant. Not only that, but the teachers are also brilliant, intriguing, and caring. I still maintain my relationships with past professors because they impacted me as person, and I love them for that. But let me restate: if you want to do well at Davidson, bring your A game, it will likely be a B game here.

Students study pretty hard. Professors are fantastic. The lectures are exciting, the professors are available in their office and by e-mail, students take class fairly seriously. The education you get at Davidson is certainly for its own sake, and few majors prepare you for a job per se, although students serious about further academic study or research have fantastic opportunities.

Academics here are, to be honest, strenuous. The classes are small (I've never had more than 45 people, even in a 101 survey course) so there aren't opportunities for anonymity. The professors hold you responsible for your work and participation. In my opinion this is awesome as I learn a lot more and feel more in touch with my studies. The professors are extremely accessible (will probably learn your name within a week) and willing to help outside of class and even outside of office hours. Last semester one of my classes even had dinner at our professor's house! The only hard part is the work load which sometimes seems unmanageable, though everyone gets through their things. I usually have two to three hours worth of work on any given day and oftentimes much more. I write at least one small (2-3 pg.) paper a week and will usually have a larger paper every other week.

Professors know you! Even as a freshman, I've never had a class over thirty people! Now that is rare among colleges. They are friendly and always available. They even give out their home phone numbers. I have had coffee as my professor's treat before! My math professor throws a fried chicken dinner party at his house at the end of each semester. Students study alot, but it's just another way we bond. I really do not mind the work. Students carry their conversations about classes far beyond the classroom walls. Fellowship groups, debate societies and even the dinner table in Commons become forums for discussion and growth. I feel that my opinions have matured ten-fold since coming here. But it is all very respectful and friendly. There is not a mean atmosphere or competitive environment at Davidson. For example, when writing a paper I checked out a certain book from the library. Later on, a girl emailed our class asking if anyone had the book and if so could we share it. It was so simple, so nice and so typical of Davidson. No one tries to hold others back!

Davidson has a really close feel academically. The average class size is 15, and I usually actively participate in every class. Classes are capped at 25-30 students (with the exception of Psychology 101, which has a maximum of 40 students). Coming out of high school, I felt like I would work hard wherever I went to college, and it's nice not being in the minority as one who does a lot of studying. The workload is very intense, but doable. Students taking AP classes are at an extreme advantage coming in to freshman classes, especially in the lab sciences required for medical school. Davidson also accepts up to 4 AP credits which translate into course credit. Students only take 4 classes per semester, which is manageable.

Way too hard. Your GPA will suffer and it won't matter that you know Davidson is hard, no graduate schools or employers know that so they'll just think you're dumb.

At Davidson, all my professors know my name, my interests, and my activities. Obviously, this is truer for upper level courses, however the professors care who you are as a person. They are always available for outside help. They want you to succeed, however you have to work for everything you get. The academics are very, very challenging and at times I question why I put myself through this pain. There is a lot of studying. Students are competitive; however it is not in the cut throat way that I have seen at many of the Ivy League schools. Davidson is competitive in a very healthy way. Furthermore, I would say that the education is geared towards learning for its own sake rather than the getting a job.