Davidson College

Date: Dec 16 2010
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
I've only been here a semester so my experience may still be unlived… however it doesn't take years to find out some good and bad about schools. In General, the academics here are incredible. You will definitely work for the grades earned. Work Hard Play Hard holds true here. In looking for a college there were a few aspects that i didn't think was that important until i actually got here

TEACHERS.. are so readily accessible.. actually WANTING to talk with you and help you out as much as possible. Teachers have been known to spend dinner time with students just to talk about classwork or review for a test (all thru the night). The teacher-student relationship, something i didn't think to highly of at first, is by far one of the most VALUABLE tools at Davidson that you can't hardly get ANYWHERE else because not only are classrooms small, but teachers WANT to get to know you and help you succeed.

*I was failing a bio class and yet my teacher apparently "saw something in me" and worked with me KNOWING that i would become a great research scientist someday… so much confidence in me for a kid that was failing one would think how could he notice intelligence in a failing child.. now i'm passing with solid B+ (REALLY HARD TO GET HERE) and got offered a hard-to-get-in position of a summer internship. Now imagine a teacher like this around every corner… THAT'S Davidson. Ppl ALWAYS praise a good handful of the teachers here.

SIZE…when you take your daily exhibition to class every single day you will appreciate the smallness of the campus. I can wake up 5mins b4 class starts and get to class on time leisurely. Parking is way easier with less people which is why Davidson lets Freshmen drive and most other schools don't. It's also WAYYYY easier to find and secure classes at a smaller school as you will find out that is a hectic time of the year when its time to sign up for classes.

SOCIAL SCENE… I can see how social scene gets stale

*though I love the social scene* because you will find that u will get caught up seeing the same ppl, talking to the same ppl, and chilling with the same ppl everyday. which in fact i don't actually have a problem with and many ppl here are happy with the ppl they hang with.. even if its the same 3 ppl everyday for the whole semester. However this doesn't work for everyone.

THE MAJORITY OF THE PARTIES=WHACK… Some our GREAT but simply put, find some other way to entertain yourself.

*Again most ppl here go back to the same old parties everyday without an issue* I knew Davidson lacked in this area b4 i came here and i thought i would regret it but i found that what i thought was important before applying is not even a big deal now. Davidson ALWAYS has really really good campus activities for everyone and is ALWAYS giving out free food somewhere. SN: it caught me off guard when ppl left a party that was hype just to go type an essay.. 3AM in the morning.. just to give you a taste of Davidson life.

WEATHER.. is something i thought wouldn't be a factor in deciding a college but it is sooo beautiful here i couldn't imagine going to some school up North where its typically colder.

TO THE MINORITY POPULATION… You should know that many people here of all races complain about the lack of diversity. Me being black i beg to differ. Diversity is what you make it and you can't complain if minorities CHOOSE to hang out with other minorities and whites CHOOSE to hang out with other whites. Sometimes it's just a coincidence because I have ALL TYPEs of friends here and seriously i love them all and hang out with all-but i couldn't say the same for some of minority friends who do not expand their choice of friends. yeah its lacking in minorities but honestly my best advice would be to get over it. Minority population starts with one minority at a time and if you feel you need to be around ppl your color ALL THE TIME then this is simply not the place for you because you will feel uncomfortable in classes where there are no faces that look like yours. In 3 of 4 of my classes there have been no more than 4 minorities and in one of them i was the only black in a class full of caucasians. The positive however is that the campus does SOOOOO much to enrich diversity (teachers as well) and minorities truly do band together you will never feel alone because its such a hospitable and caring campus full of kids some1 is ALWAYS checking on you. The minority community really have eachother's backs and everyone is really close..just don't close yourself to that environment because you're only short-handing yourself.

FREEDOM…The liberty here is unlike any other school. you don't need a sign-in sheet to go visit the opposite sex. You don't have a curfew. Everyone takes care of you here (custodians, cooks, laundry service, cops,..) speaking of, we don't have much issues with the cops here and they are good for giving a blind eye but they are generally concerned about your health and safety. Here you are free to do whatever and students typically have enough respect for others. the lack of rules allows for self-governing so-to-speak where kids are usually mature about the decisions they make.

HONOR CODE.. thought this would be a problem because it would cause kids to be gittery and cause teachers to be super tight and super strict BUTTT everybody here is chill. Cheating is unseen of/unheard of and nobody has gotten in trouble for that in years. This honor code actually allows for all the liberties we have as students its awesome. Honor code does more good than bad and ppl take it seriously when it comes to blatant acts like stealing. Honor Code allows us to be slightly more slack with our personal belongings without the negative repercussions. It also creates this environment of trustworthiness where people feel free to leave there door open… it helps provide a real "welcoming" environment and eliminates obstacles of trust-issues that impede on the social environment such as on a hall or with a roommate

SPORTS… have some very good sport teams to support. school spirit is not so hot simply cuz there's not much time to support however, when it is there, the spirit is pretty lively.

REPUTATION… Davidson is not widely known school and don't think for a second that just because it is prestigious, a low GPA will suffice in a competitive grad school. Understand it is VERY hard to maintain good grades here however you simply cannot use that as an excuse. Basically, if you want it easy then go to another school that has the reputation but can't back it up with academics. Sadly, Davidson is the opposite and does not have great reputation but can show forth the intensity of the academics here. so yeah you will have to work twice as hard to put down the same grades on a transcript that came easy to someone else.. can't butter that up. However, many grad schools very well know the prestige of Davidson but you can't go into any feild thinking this. Honestly Davidson is recognized by other schools that cater to a medical/dentistry field (which may account for why Davidson does little/no justice for those in other majors) because Davidson's pre-med program is exceptional so med schools have respect for Davidson and usually look to Davidson to recruit first simply because they know what kind of students come out of Davidson. Also, graduate from here and its like a guaranteed job at any banking job in Charlotte (biggest banking city) making big bucks. Every program here is impecable, however, i am only familiar with the incredible success rate of getting a job/high paying internship or getting into grad school for those that are bio/chem major or pre-med or something similar

*since thats what im interested in*. Plus everyone's familiar with the noticeable increase of Davidson grads that go into banking. And there are many programs that its sole purpose is to get you jobs after school, and teachers are GREAT resources here.

COST OF ATTENDENCE… pretty rediculous here. It's very expensive however many kids here are very wealthy

*and its not the noticeable snobby type of wealthy acting kids* and money is not a problem for them. For the others, Davidson has a HUGE endowment and often pay a GENEROUS amount of tuition for the students here. Thats often why many choose Davidson over other schools because Davidson generally offers the most money.

CONCLUSIVELY-simply don't come to Davidson if you want a perfect nice little GPA and you want to stroll through college. It CAN be done here but you will find real quick that Davidson is not a walk in the park *more like the jungle* Be prepared for countless "All-nighters" working all thru the night till next class starts in the morning (this is only if you don't prioritize your time well.. it is more than possible to avoid staying up all night doing work). People like me will waste time all thru the day and decide its time to do work come 12AM, However, atleast 3 nights out the week, every week, i have involuntarily stayed up past 2AM *along with PLENTY of others* doing work. Its well rounded in campus activities that many ppl enjoy. Regardless of work i always have time for leisure with friends. Social Scene can be crappy but its ultimately what you make of it. campus is small and homey, everyone is freakishly nice and supportive and hospitable. you develop personal relationship with ppl that teach you, clean your hall, serve your food, finance your scholarships.. everyone is approachable and ready to help. And i guarantee you can find a group of ppl real quick who you "fit-in" with or find ppl with similar likes in common. There are soooo many types of ppl here interested in many different things AND the survey they use to find a room for you adequately matches your character with a roommate AND with everyone else on the hall so you will find that many of your best friends will be your roommate or hallmates. No other school is concerned about your happiness enough to do a survey of your character and match you to other ppl. And Despite what anyone says hardwork DOES pay off and many alumni find themselves well prepared for work at grad school while there classmates struggled. And often alumni feel more than comfortable by the time they are preparing for jobs and internships. Lastly, with Davidson being a liberal arts school as well, i feel Davidson is suited best for people who have a general liking for learning. There are many enriching experiences (study abroad!) and low grades don't affect you as much unless you find that you are no longer sitting in a class to learn the material but to simply get the grade. I absolutely LOVE this school but it's obvious this school is not for everyone so i attempted to give the good, the bad, and the ugly.. However, I found that people with a genuine passion for learning, regardless of intelligence, are the ones that truly excel at this school.