Davidson College Top Questions

Davidson is a work hard/play hard environment. However, that does not apply in the normal sense of the phrase. At Davidson, people are 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} committed to whatever they do. So, most weeknights, you'll find students working really hard on school work or attending lots of meetings for extra curriculars. The Davidson student is busy. Here, weekends are really the only time people let loose. Some say that condensing the party scene to two nights a week creates an unhealthy atmosphere, I say it creates a different atmosphere. The week is for studying, the weekend for playing. Most of the social life revolves around Patterson Court. There are eight fraternities and four eating houses (like sororities). These organizations throw parties most weekends. The parties are open to all, and everyone goes to everyone's events.

Freshman halls are very sociable...they are set up with lots of thought and it shows. Most people's best friends are from that hall. If I'm up at 2 on a Tuesday, I'm working. No question asked. Partying doesn't happen much during the week. The dating scene is kind of claustrophobic; people tend to gossip and over-dramatize like in high school and it's best to keep things very low-key and to yourself. People tend to party fairly heavily on the weekend; most partying happens on the Court but most parties are open so membership in a Court organization is not necessary. The sisterhood provided by my eating house is very fun, however; and as someone who drinks very little I can say that your social life is not highly inhibited by being sub-free at Davidson.

Patterson Court is popular. There is also an alternative scene on some off-campus houses. Students leave their doors open and unlocked.

There are organizations on campus for everything you can imagine. If it isn't here, you can start it! Charters for new organizations are relatively easy to get and you can get money for a group that you've created. Being in the concert choir and chorale, I see a lot of music, and I can attest to the great value of the musical groups on campus. They are really wonderful and there are some great opportunities to perform in the area and on tour. As far as sports, basketball is by far the most popular sport on campus. Many (if not most) students follow the games and go to many of them. Dating at Davidson is quite hard at times. It is, after all, a small school. That being said, students usually go out to the fraternities and eating houses on the weekends to socialize (though the lights are off, so it's more dancing than socializing) or visit a friend's room/apartment to hang out. Some people go out and party very frequently (like during the week), while others rarely go out to 'the court'. Usually the Union board has some fun events going on during the weekend that students can go and participate in, and these events do not involve drinking.

Davidson is very service-inclined. Most students do some kind of volunteer activity, such as Habitat for Humanity, tutoring at local community centers or schools, volunteering in free clinics, etc. The basketball team is really popular, and a lot of students go to as many games as they can to support the team. Other athletic events are pretty poorly attended, though. Eating houses (60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} if females participate) and fraternities (38{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of males participate) are very popular. All the parties are open to everyone though, so the social scene on the weekends is not restrained only to people who are greek. Most people party three nights a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday). This partying usually involves drinking, but you are not ostracized if you don't drink. The Union board also plans activities, such as movies, casino night, concerts, etc. for people who don't want to drink on the weekends.

Social life mainly revolves around the court. The best thing about this though are the eating houses. I never would have joined a sorority, but I am in an eating house. It's just a really great way to meet new cool people, and get out of commons for meals. I met my closest friends because they lived on my freshman hall. Davidson spends lots of time putting together compatible halls and roommate pairs. You will probably be friends with your freshman hall for life!

Davidson's social life has something to offer for everyone. One popular thing is to join a fraternity or an eating house (like a sorority, but we don't live in them). My eating house (Rusk) is one of my favorite places to be because I get to meet lots of girls and make new friends. We have parties on the weekends sometimes, but we also do service projects and have meals every day. It's also nice that because the campus is so small, you can go to almost any party that an eating house or a fraternity has, even if you're not a member. And if you don't want to go to a party, the Student Union sponsors a lot of activities. We even had ice skating this semester!

Activities and events can be popular, but sometimes workload prevents students from attending things during the school week. Some sporting events are popular, theatre/music events are pretty popular because students are likely to know and support student performers. the dating scene is somewhat defined by the small student body: most people are either in an exclusive relationship or casually "hooking up." Most friendships begin either through residence halls (particularly freshman year), sports teams, or fraternities/eating houses. If you are awake on a tuesday at 2 am, you are probably doing homework or goofing off with friends, but rarely are you partying (unless you are 21 and can go to 21 Year Old Night in the student union). traditions/events: Freshman Olympics, Freshman Cake Race, First Night Down (when freshmen can go 'down the hill' to parties at the frats/houses/senior apartments) which is in the middle of september, Homecoming, Santa repels off the academic building, Court Selection (when freshman girls join eating houses spring semester), Spring Frolics- sort of a spring carnival at the end of april. People usually just party on the weekends, although some people go out on wednesdays or thursdays. However, work usually doesn't permit that much weekday partying. About half the student body is in an eating house or frat, and they tend to be the location for parties, but they are open to "non greek" students, too. the frats and eating houses don't make or break people socially. Davidson kids get really into theme parties (80s party, boy band party, etc.). There are almost always non-drinking options as well: campus-wide capture the flag, midnight movies, casino night, or a breakdancing fundraiser. Most Davidson kids stay on campus, but Charlotte does have concerts and events that people can go to.

We always leave our doors unlocked (Hooray for the Honor Code!) The dating scene is troublesome. Students seem to fall into one of three groups - there are students who start dating and end up getting married; there are students who tend to "hook up" and have casual sex all the time; and then there are students in the ambiguous middle, who might hook up every once in a while or have two or three dating relationships but aren't really in one of the first two categories. The frats and eating houses are a key component of Davidson's social life but by no means the dominating force. Parties are open to all students, which helps foster a really inclusive atmosphere. I've never felt any pressure to drink whatsoever. I love that the social atmosphere is really relaxed - you can participate as much or as little as you want in activities that involve drinking, and no one's going to comment on whether you choose to imbibe. My closest friends definitely come from my freshman hall, although some are from other freshman halls -- what I love is that I have many close friends of the opposite sex with whom I'd never have a romantic relationship, but with whom I love to hang out.

Most of the parties are on campus on Patterson Court, which is a street that has all the eating houses and fraternities. All parties are open to anyone, there is a band or dj at every party, and beer is free for anyone who is 21 or has a friend to that's 21 and can get a beer for them. Other parties tend to be in senior apartments on campus. There is a large separation between the students that go out and don't go out. There are plenty of activities on campus. Basketball is huge, especially since they went to the Elite Eight this year. A lot of students participate in some form of sports, but support for the athletic teams is pretty minimal except for basketball and occasionally football.