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	Davidson Admission	3		03/10 02:22pm

What did you think of Davidson, anyone who has visited?

By Patient (Patient) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 07:07 pm: Edit

My son visited on an athletic recruiting trip. So I have not seen the campus, but just about everything I have heard sounds good--nice dorms, pretty campus, and so on. The geographical distribution of the students is about half from the South and half from the rest of the country. There is an amazing array of student organizations for a small school. I have spoken to the coaches and the people in the admissions office and they are very friendly (not crazy-frenzied like in some other places, including at least one other liberal arts college of similar size and standing). I know that doesn't tell you too much, but it's all I know since I did not go on the trip.

By Patient (Patient) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 01:04 am: Edit

Starbucksfreak, in case you are checking this thread, look at the November 2003 archive under What are my chances--you'll see that there is a thread called "chances at 7th most selective college..." or similar--it is about Davidson and there are several posts from people who have visited, hope this helps.

By Saxmaster (Saxmaster) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 09:13 pm: Edit

Hey.

I'm writing this during that hellish month between Early Decision application mailing, and the actual decision. I'm just wondering who else applied to Davidson? From the numbers I've read, only about 200-400 in the country apply early decision. It'd be nice to find someone else who did. No one else in my Massachusetts school has even heard of Davidson, let alone are applying to it. Let me know, and good luck to everyone.

By Patient (Patient) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 11:39 pm: Edit

Good luck on the early decision! Let us know what happened when you get the results. From your name: Are you a musician? Do you know anything about the quality of music at Davidson? I noticed quite a few musical groups for such a small college, which I thought was great--including jazz band and many others, and 3 different a cappella groups.

It is true that not a lot of people outside of the south know about Davidson. I stumbled across the name at an athletic showcase and then started reading about it and was impressed by much of what I read, and then by the rankings. Not sure what that lack of familiarity means...maybe it is a hidden treasure, or a rising school, or maybe it is too southern for the northern/westerners. Anyone know?

By Saxmaster (Saxmaster) on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 01:25 am: Edit

Yeah, I know Davidson does have a Jazz Band and a Saxophone Quartet, which satisfies my needs.
As for the lack of familiarity, I've gathered that it's because it has been a very regional school up until recent years. It seems that its definitely on the rise, and will be one of the strongest LAC in years to come.

By Jmarsh2006 (Jmarsh2006) on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 10:22 am: Edit

Hey, I was just wondering if Davidson is really the 7th most selective in the country and if it is comparable to other LAC's like Amherst, Williams, etc.?

By Saxmaster (Saxmaster) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 11:14 am: Edit

From the scale Princeton review uses it is. It's small size, coupled with the fact that it's incredibly competitive in the south, makes it that selective.

It's about time LAC's got there own board.

By Reba616 (Reba616) on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 12:15 am: Edit

Hey everyone... I'm looking for any and all info on Davidson College. Why is it considered to be so selective by the Princeton Review? It doesn't appear to be all that tough to get into. Does it admit a lot of legacy applicants, or do they reject Yankees like myself? Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

-Jeff

By Batman (Batman) on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 04:58 pm: Edit

It IS a hard to get into, and even harder to graduate from -- it's a real academic school with professors that are deadly serious about educating their students. Don't go there if your are not a serious academic student.

Actually, "Yankees" probably have an even better chance to get in since Davidson would like nothing more than to improve its name recognition across the country.

By Parentofteen (Parentofteen) on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 01:46 pm: Edit

Davidson is a small, buy very prestigious college to attend in NC. My daughter looked at it last spring, but we left before the program was over due to a few immediate turn-offs: 1.Everyone has a physical education requirement to be involved in a team sport (intramurals can count), and everyone must take a water sport for part of their P.E. requirement (water polo, sailing, swimming, etc.) My daughter would prefer to choose other sports and NOT to have to be on any type of team. 2.The atmosphere was ultra-preppy, too country-clubbish for my daughter. In fact, part of your tuition includes complete laundry service for all four years! (sounds wonderful, but isn't that like preparing one for the life of the rich, where everything gets sent to the dry cleaners instead of getting washed at home?) 3.The number of majors is very limited, meaning that unless one plans to attend graduate school, there are very few areas in which an undergraduate degree equates to a good job.

It is undoubtedly a perfect stepping stone for medical school or law school, if that it one's future intent. I would, however, suggest a visit before applying to Davidson.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 02:23 pm: Edit

Parentofteen, would you be so kind to copy your post into the Parents Forum, "College Visits--Part 3" thread? That's really great info and I don't think we've had a post about Davidson before.

By Batman (Batman) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 12:23 am: Edit

I've been there also and daughter was admitted but chose to go elsewhere. I must say that I can't disagree with Parentofteen's comments -- pretty much on the mark in my opinion as well.

By B18c1cx (B18c1cx) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 09:54 am: Edit

Davidson's selectivity is tricky. They have a complete D1 sports program with only 1,673 in the entire school. To compete at the D1 level, they must admit slightly less impressive students.

That brings down the average SAT and brings up the acceptance rate a lot. So for a non-athlete, you will face a VERY tough admissions committee.

By Sohesez (Sohesez) on Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 06:43 pm: Edit

I graduated from Davidson over 25 years ago. It was true then, and it is true now, that Davidson graduates enjoy a high probability of gaining acceptance to medical, law, business, etc., schools, and that is a nice thing to know. But I will tell you that the greatest asset, for me, was the student body...the students tended to be smart but not too smart; irreverent without being impolite; serious about their work rather than themselves; and loyal beyond measure. In sum, they were people you wanted to be around.
The comment about the school being like a country club parrots comments that we used to make about Davidson in our day. But it is a country club only in appearance and convenience, not in attitude. We used to laugh at the simplicity of walking out of the dorm and being just minutes from everything you could possibly need..the gym, the library, the academic buildings, the eating clubs, the places on main street. People studied, make no mistake about it, Davidson's reputation in that respect is accurate, but it was a great place to be billeted.
Selective? Certainly, but not of the order of the elites. Character, a solid academic performance in high school, good scores, and letting them know you want to be there, have traditionally helped applicants make the grade. And its a small enough school that if you visit, you have a good chance of gaining some quality time with admissions, students, and even profs, if you are so inclined.

By Othermom (Othermom) on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 08:48 am: Edit

My son and I also visited Davidson...and he really liked it. Unless I misunderstood our tour guide, the PE requirement could be fulfilled in various ways, like a club sport...and I thought one could fulfill the "water requirement" by some sort of test, like swimming across their pool or the lake, and that would be it. No? And while they clearly have the most requirements of any school we have seen/liked, it seemed as if one could fulfill those fairly easily with either AP scores or SAT II test scores, or a "placement" test prior to selecting courses. I also hear that it is one of the most conservative campuses with respect to drinking!

By Parentofteen (Parentofteen) on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 09:27 am: Edit

We understood the P.E. requirement to be that you had to take the swim test (no big deal), and you would have to take swimming only if you did not pass that. However, if you passed the swim test, you would have to choose another water sport for P.E. In other words, everyone will have a water sport for P.E.; it will either be swimming or one of the others (water polo, sailing, etc.).

Also, you are limited to credit from only four or fewer AP courses. I have this one in writing somewhere.

The alcohol policy was questioned by a parent while we were there, and we did not get the same impression that you got from the student tour guide we had. Nothing terrible, but that there was probably just as much drinking there as at any other campus. But, he did sat that there were strict disciplinary consequences for those caught drinking underage.

Nevertheless, it is a great place to get an education, and I would wholeheartedly support my daughter if she wanted to go there. It just did not really "feel right" to her, though.

If your son liked it, I would say by all means "go for it!" Davidson is very highly respected, especially in the Southeast.

By Vadad (Vadad) on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 08:45 am: Edit

We had a different impression during our visit. Admittedly, we were there just before most of the students arrived (there were a number of athletes roaming around). As a result, our major impressions were about the facilities, which seemed remarkable given the relatively small endowment at the school. About the only negative was the library, which, while comfortable, is not going to make anybody's list of extensive collections. I expect the internet levels that part of the playing field a lot, though. The other facilities looked virtually brand new and top flight.

Science labs are as nice as any we've seen that are available to undergraduates (comparable to UVA's, for example; maybe better). D was particularly impressed with a 15-person cap on all labs. Beautiful town; lake campus offers a lot of recreational opportunities. Rec facilities were amazing for a school that size--state of the art exercise facilities and sports complex, and an extremely active (given the number of canoes, kayaks and other pieces of equipment we saw) outdoor club. Tour guide said students worked pretty hard. The opportunities for playing hard looked limited. The frats are just eating halls. There is a pretty nice bar in a renovated warehouse a couple of blocks away, and I'm sure the students get their share. Weekend trips to Charlotte are pretty regular. A college bus takes and picks up students from movie theatres, etc. a few miles away Fri.-Sun.

The theatre was as fine a facility as I've seen at many major universities (again, all brand spanking new). Art building offers individual studios for majors in visual arts, alongside their professor's studios. Music building (also brand new; renovated the old student union) has practice rooms for any student that wants them, and some impressive digital recording equipment and other stuff I didn't understand. The laundry thing was explained as an attempt to keep a group of locals employed when the school absorbed a factory (textile?) of some sort, and it persisted. Given my D's penchant for stuff that shrinks and stuff that requires special secret washing procedures, my guess is that she won't use it much. (Boy, I would have.)

After we left, my D was able to get in touch with a first-year med student at a med school near here who just graduated from Davidson. She had designed her own degree in something called "computational genomics" and was able to accomplish some significant original research. She left my D with the impression that such initiative and research opportunities were not unusual there. My daughter was very impressed with this young woman's enthusiasm for her 4 years there. And, to top it off, she brought along two fellow first year meds from two other undergraduate schools my daughter was considering so they could have a discussion of the pros and cons of all of them. Thought that was pretty thoughtful of her and spoke well of both her and Davidson.

D wants to go to med school, but study, and maybe even major, outside the sciences as an undergrad. For her, the place seems like a perfect match. She's become something of work-out nut lately (correctly, bu annoyingly, nagging her old man to get to the gym), and I think she thought of the PE stuff as an opportunity--always wanted to learn to water ski. She wants to crew, but isn't very tall, and the likelihood of here being able to participate in varsity is limited. At Davidson, it's a club sport, which would be perfect for her.

On that trip we visited Duke, Wake and Davidson, in that order. D's impressions were the opposite of what both we and she anticipated. Rather than declining in order of interest, it turned out they were ascending.

Parentofteen could not be more right that it has to "feel right" and for my D it seems like a perfect match. Now if she can just get in, given the admissions crap shoot at most of the selective places, and if we can find a way to afford it, maybe we can make it a reality.

Good luck to everyone in the struggle to do the same for your kids.

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 10:21 pm: Edit

We have also visited Davidson, three times, and one was an extended overnight visit so that D could attend classes. She reported that drinking was far less (effectively, none) than at all her other overnights (7 in total).

The students are generally very polite, confident, but fairly low-key; that is, they are quieter than most students from most other campuses we visited. The administration was the smoothest run and most organized we experienced, from the limited contact we had.

One of the benefits of Davidison, much as for many LACs, is the very loyal and supportive alum network. Grads were able to find jobs when others couldn't just because a strong alumni network is in place.

Vadad, my D also visited Duke and Wake Forest. We walked off the campus at Duke (definitely not a "good feel" for us), and, while I liked Wake, D thought there was a little too much of a "sorority feel" to the campus (really pretty campus, I thought), albeit no where near as much as W & L, another campus that just wasn't right.

For the right student, Davidson is a gem of a find. We wish your D good luck with admission at Davdison and elsewhere.

By Vadad (Vadad) on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 09:44 am: Edit

Iflyjets:

Since my last post, D2 had overnights at both Davidson and Wake. She tended to focus on the classes she attended, and was impressed with all of them. She arrived at Davidson on a Sunday, and everybody was studying, everybody. She got to meet a Bio Prof and talk to her about her work. Wake was similarly populated with uniformly driven students (at least the ones she met). She was a little off-put by some "dorm meetings" she attended where kids were getting fined for various rule violations, but it turns out those only happen once or twice a semester. She decided she could be happy either place. Wake has moved to the top of the list--she's been invited to interview for a scholarship. Watching Deacon basketball has become a favorite activity in the house. Good luck to your D also!

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 02:25 pm: Edit

Vadad,

Glad your D found a school she likes so much. I, too, thought Wake looked great; D was indifferent...to each her own. Wonderful to hear about the scholarship interview for your D; we wish her the very best of luck and future success. When this all winds up in April, we'll have to post our Ds and Ss choices for admission.

By Mom08 (Mom08) on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 05:14 pm: Edit

Does anyone know how/when Davidson ED2 decisions will be posted? Their website says that decisions will go out on Feb. 2, but will it be around that time, or exactly on that date?

By Saxmaster (Saxmaster) on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 06:12 pm: Edit

For ED1 you could check online. You should've been mailed a user number and code. The website should tell you the exact date and time (i.e. December 13 at 10 am for ED1). I would think they're probably doing the same for ED2...

By Mom08 (Mom08) on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 06:17 pm: Edit

Website still only has info for ED1..thanks anyway.

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 04:31 pm: Edit

Mom08,

Hi, I applied Early Decision 2 to Davidson and am also waiting patiently(trying to atleast) for the decision to come back. heres some info that might help...I called admissions today and they told me that the snail mail decisions were mailed yesterday and today and the decisions will be posted tomorrow, January 31st and can be seen anytime after 10 am on the website. best of luck.

By Mom08 (Mom08) on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 07:03 pm: Edit

Thank you....let us know your outcome, and good luck to you, too. I'll pass on the info to S.

By Mom08 (Mom08) on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 12:35 pm: Edit

S. was just advised he's deferred to RD. Tough luck! They're looking for higher grades, which we knew they would. That was his only drawback in his app. At least he was not outright denied. Anyone know the stats of deferred applicants getting in?
Anyone else has gotten their replies yet?

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 02:27 pm: Edit

Mom08,

i got deferred to RD as well. disappointing, but it happens. best of luck to your S.

By Mom08 (Mom08) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 02:36 pm: Edit

Golfy...best of luck to you too. Where else have you applied to?

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 02:44 pm: Edit

Mom08,

I applied to Wake Forest, University of Richmond, Lehigh....and now, due to the deferrel...im kinda scared...so i think I am going to through in an application for Clemson, Gettysburg and Guilford. What about yours?

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 02:49 pm: Edit

sorry about the spelling in that message...my bad. maybe thats why i was deferred...haha

By Mom08 (Mom08) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 09:15 pm: Edit

Golfy...GWU; Rochester, Oberlin, Oxford at Emory and Elon..S. already accepted at Elon, but they don't give a lot of fin. aid. oh well..You could try elon too..it's not a bad school, and they have rolling admissions.
And if things work out really well, you both may still end up at Davidson.

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 11:35 pm: Edit

Mom08,

i did not know that Elon had rolling admissions, are you sure? a book i have says that they have priority admissions and that due date was january 10th. what exactly is priority admissions? but if they really do have rolling....i will apply. it is a good school

By Mom08 (Mom08) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 11:44 pm: Edit

I'm almost sure...they say that you'll get an answer within 3 to 6 weeks. Altho they don't give a lot of aid, tuition and board are extremely low...$22,000 for out of state.

By Mom08 (Mom08) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 11:48 pm: Edit

Golfy...apply right away..they say that their class is close to full by Feb. 1. Response time is actually 6-8 weeks..but my son got his within 4 weeks. But then again he applied before Jan 10..I think you still have a shot.

By Megsdad (Megsdad) on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 04:36 pm: Edit

Anyone in the RD pool hear from Davidson yet? When do their letters go out?

By Frizzbug (Frizzbug) on Friday, February 20, 2004 - 09:02 pm: Edit

I don't think they will let us know until late March. By the way, did you read that article about Davidso having a record number of applicants this year? YIKES!

By Frizzbug (Frizzbug) on Friday, February 20, 2004 - 09:02 pm: Edit

I don't think they will let us know until late March. By the way, did you read that article about Davidson having a record number of applicants this year? YIKES!

By Patient (Patient) on Saturday, February 21, 2004 - 07:35 pm: Edit

Frizzbug, can you post a link to the article?

By Frizzbug (Frizzbug) on Saturday, February 21, 2004 - 09:31 pm: Edit

Here it is:

http://www2.davidson.edu/common/templates/news/news_tmp00.asp?newsid=1955

By Patient (Patient) on Saturday, February 21, 2004 - 09:37 pm: Edit

Thank you! Competitive indeed.....

By Eaglescout (Eaglescout) on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 09:11 pm: Edit

I got a letter from the director of admissions saying that they had looked over part one of my app and liked it. Did anyone else get this? what does it exactly mean?

By Frizzbug (Frizzbug) on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 09:29 pm: Edit

nope I haven't......actually, I'm a bit jealous

By Geskvs (Geskvs) on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 09:02 pm: Edit

Hey,

I enjoy reading these board postings after having already gone through the admissions process. Its a lot less stressful now! I am now a freshman at Davidson College and enjoying it quite a bit. A few comments about things I've seen in this thread:

1. Davidson is everything that you think it is. It's an amazing school with smart, talented, and very busy kids. The work IS as difficult as they say it is. There are no 4.0 students here and there is no grade inflation. In fact, no one has graduated from Davidson with a 4.0 since 1997.

2. Davidson does a great job of hiding things that parents don't want to see on their "official visits" to campus. Although Davidson hates to say so, there is just as much drinking going on here as there is at any other school. Just like at any other school, there is an active part of campus that likes to party and a part of campus that does not. Davidson will try its best to hide them from you, but the partiers are there.

3. The physical education requirement is nothing, seriously, I don't know what the fuss is about. I literally got out of my requirement in about a week.

4. I don't know what the "dorm meetings" that the one parent spoke about were. I have never seen nor heard of such a thing.

If any parents or students have questions about Davidson that you would like truthfully answered feel free to email me. I feel that I have a fairly unbiased opinion about the school (though I love the place).

Also, good luck to any class of 2008 applicants.

Eric

ersmith@nospamdavidson.edu

obviously to send me mail you have to remove the "nospam" from my address.

By Aspirer42 (Aspirer42) on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 09:19 pm: Edit

I got that too, Eaglescout. It's odd, though; it's not phrased nearly at all like a traditional "likely letter", but apparently not everyone got them, so it's not a form letter of sorts. Hey, it can't be a bad thing.

Now, question time for Eric:
1) What do you and your friends like to do in your spare time? I know quite well that Davidson has "just as much drinking going on"; it's possible to not be into that type of... recreation and still spend four years there, I'm guessing, but is it readily acceptable by the student body? What events does the school sponsor that you like or hate, and how often does Charlotte play a role in your weekend plans?

2) What is the tolerance level for political orientation at Davidson? The college obviously has a reputation for being one of the most right-winged instutions in the upper echelons of higher education, but is there really any political diversity at all to speak of? I noticed that there is a Young Democrats club on campus, but is it little more than a voicebox for 'moderate' views? I consider myself fairly liberal in many of my views... but then again, this is in contrast to the rest of North Carolina. I think my Political Compass score was something along the lines of (-3.5, -4)--not that extreme when set in the proper context.

3) Would you say the student body is composed more of people going to Davidson for preprofessional purposes, 'traditional' collegegoers (regular massive parties and other ways of 'enjoying themselves'), or people with strong intellectual, learn-for-the-sake-of-learning leanings? All colleges try to paint the best face on their campus, of course, so insight from actual students is always helpful. I realize those groups can easily overlap; I just differentiated for the sake of convenience.

I'd email those rambles to you, but I suspect other people on here would like to find out some of these answers as well. Thanks for taking the time!

By Geskvs (Geskvs) on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 02:42 pm: Edit

Boy, I'm going to enjoy this!

1. One of the things that shocked me about Davidson is the fact that there is literally always something going on. The school does a remarkable job of making sure there are always activities for those who wish not to journey onto Patterson Court (where the fraternities and eating houses are located). The new union is definetly the HQ of these activities. For example two weekends ago Friday night the union showed a movie and had a comedian perform. Saturday night they had some type of "arts and crafts night" in the union. All seemingly trivial stuff, but activities that were very fun and everyone seemed to enjoy them. On the subject of drinking: Although many students do drink, there is a large portion of the student body about (40% I'd judge) that do not want to be part of the Patterson Court party scene. I have a feeling that they love the school just as much as I do, if not more. They definetly find ways to entertain themselves. On the subject of Charlotte: I expected Charlotte to be a more important part of campus life. It might just be that I am a freshman and I'm still enjoying myself too much on campus, but I have been to Charlotte maybe a handful of times. Most often to go out to dinner, a movie, or a concert. I can't particularly say that Charlotte provides an important social outlet for Davidson students. Although, it literally is 10 minutes down the road.

2. Politics is probably the suprising aspect of campus that I expected. The campus I would say is much more liberal than it used to be. The young democrats, in fact are probably one of the most active groups on campus. They are definetly not a group that just spouts a more moderate platform. Amazing as it seems, students just this year are trying to re-establish the Young Republicans on campus. The group has not existed on campus since the early 90's. I would attribute the rise in a more left-centered student body on the fact that the campus is VERY geographically diverse. In fact, this year's freshman class had the smallest number of southerners than any other class in history. The fact is, every year the school is going to be more and more diverse in all ways, especially politically.

3. To give a straight responce to your third question Aspirer. I must say one thing about Davidson's students. Davidson students are maticulously selected to be balanced in all ways. They are, first of all, incredibly smart. But beyond that, on average, I'd say every Davidson student is picked because they show talent in all reaches of life. There are definetly those Davidson students who shine in one particular area or another whether that be science, athletics, drama or music. But I would say the vast majority of students at Davidson have talents in all those areas and more. Everyone is well-balanced. This leads to students living very balanced lifestyles. Kids at Davidson definetly are students first, work comes above all else. But once they get that work done the variety of activities that fill the lives of students are quite varied and facinating. I would definetly not say that Davidson students are "traditional" collegegoers.

I hope those were acceptable responses. If you have any more questions, keep them coming, I certainly do not mind answering them.

Eric

By Linden (Linden) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 02:35 pm: Edit

I'm the proud mom of a son who sometimes posts on these boards. I'm using his password. S applied RD to Davidson. We have all been anxious about this entire admissions process. Just wanted to have some kind of hint from one school or another as to whether chances looked good or not. S did get the aforementioned letter from the Admissions office-weren't sure what to make of it. Yesterday, received a fedexed letter from Davidson-he's a semi-finalist for a tuition paid scholarship. Lots of jumping up and down around here. Now, praying that the next steps in the process will result in the right outcome.
A mom's take on Davidson-if your child is one of strong character, solid moral fiber, desires to learn for learning's sake, he'll find a supportive environment at Davidson. While it's always good to be challenged, I believe Davidson's a school where S won't have to defend who he is, and what his belief system is, on a
daily basis. S will have the opportunity to participate in the e.c's he loves, because every warm body, that is willing to put forth effort, is needed and appreciated. I love that the school honors what we honor- strong character, commitment to excellence, and helping each student to strengthen their weaknesses, as well as strengthen their already present strengths. In summary, I believe it is an institution that parents can have confidence that their child won't somehow become like the prodigal son. They will be nurtured and accepted into the "fold".
All that can be put into the "for what it's worth" column, but it's my take on the school.

By Sunnyside (Sunnyside) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 02:42 pm: Edit

Linden: Which scholarship is your son a semi-finalist for? I'm an RD applicant and didn't make the first cut for the Belk, but I'm hoping that I may be considered for the other full-tuition scholarships. Any details on the when and what?

By Sunshine916 (Sunshine916) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 04:01 pm: Edit

our valedictorian is a semifinalist for that same scholarship.

isnt there an actual competition/interviewing round at Davidson sometime in the next month?

By Linden (Linden) on Monday, March 08, 2004 - 09:18 am: Edit

Son is up for is the William Holt Terry scholarship. There is an initial phone interview, and if he makes it through that, then I believe he travels to the school for an interview. I'm sure there are incredible candidates competing for it.

By Sunnyside (Sunnyside) on Monday, March 08, 2004 - 10:17 am: Edit

Linden-- Congrats to your son, the Terry is a great scholarship. I am wondering, however, if all other non-belk scholarship semi-finalists have been notiofied? I'm specifically curious about the Baker scholarship. Has anybody heard anything about it? Getting worried now...

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 11:17 am: Edit

For those still awaiting admission news from Davidson, the site that gives admission status states that decisions will be posted and available there on Saturday, March 27. Good luck to all still awaiting the good news.

By Megsdad (Megsdad) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 01:47 pm: Edit

That is at 10 AM this Saturday. We will be there!!

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 02:56 pm: Edit

Best wishes, Megsdad, I am assuming, to your D?!

By Megsdad (Megsdad) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 03:10 pm: Edit

Yes,

It is one of those great southern schools I am hoping will come through. But who knows?

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 03:30 pm: Edit

Did your D do an overnight stay? If so, what were her impressions?

By Megsdad (Megsdad) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 03:58 pm: Edit

She and her Mom went there and loved it. Did you know it is the 7th toughest school in the country as far as gaining admittance? She liked the idea of a smaller close-knit school and Davidson certainly is that. The students were extremely friendly and helpful. The academics are great. Acceptance to med-school (professional schools) is in the high 80's percent range which puts it right in there with the ivys and near-ivys. She was a little worried about the dance program (her extracurricular passion) and the music program (another passion).
She loved the honor code which is extremely important to her. That's about all I can remember. If admitted, I would like to visit with her.

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 04:24 pm: Edit

My husband really liked the school. My D had 2 concerns. First, by shear luck of the draw, all the students she met were significantly less outgoing personalities than her (and she's not a "party" animal at all, so that concerned her). And second, surprisingly, she did not find the few classes she attended anywhere near the academic challenge level she expected (actually, she sat in on one science class where she was the only student in a room filled with sophomores who knew the answers, and that concerned her since the subject was not one of her strengths). Both those elements being said, everything else was great. And like your D, she loved the honor code. We've told her that if she is accepted another visit is definitely warranted. We don't want her to bypass a great potential match because of a "luck of the draw" experience; that is, the limited number of students she met and the few classes she attended. So, she, too will be making another visit if accepted. Interesting to learn that your D has a few reservations about the performing arts program; my D is also busy with a performing art EC, but didn't check out the opportunities. Overall, I still believe it is a wonderful college and any student would be fortunate to attend.

By Frizzbug (Frizzbug) on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 07:39 pm: Edit

should we have recieved the id and password we need to check our application yet?

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 08:25 pm: Edit

I know my D received hers in a letter sent by Davidson last December, not long after she sent in her application.

By Rondafaye (Rondafaye) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:01 am: Edit

Decisions are up. Good news here. Anyone else? Also, has anyone received any scholarship information? I know the special competition folks already received invitations, but any word on the "lesser" awards?

By Lj2233 (Lj2233) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:07 am: Edit

i got in, too. but i don't think i want to go there.

By Frizzbug (Frizzbug) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:07 am: Edit

I was waitlisted. Do you know how many people typically come out of the waitlist? I feel slightly cursed. So far my admissions reponses have been deferred ( interim decision at Rice). waitlisted ( Washington U. St. Louis), and waitlisted ( davidson). I hear from Northwestern tonight, and am hoping to at least get a final decision ( admit or reject). I don't like being stuck hanging.

By Skeeted04 (Skeeted04) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:30 am: Edit

Waitlisted also. This is my third waitlist so i feel your pain Frizzbug. does anyone know what "a very select group of students" means? does that mean davidson's waitlist is smaller compared to that of other schools?

By Appie (Appie) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:31 am: Edit

waitlisted as well
looking for waitlist info
anyone know the likelihood of admission off their waitlist based on recent history?

By Tri_N (Tri_N) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:53 am: Edit

I got in!

I'm sorry for those that are waitlisted.

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 11:05 am: Edit

I got in! For those of you who got waitlisted, Im really sorry. Hopefully things will work out.

By Eaglescout (Eaglescout) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 11:20 am: Edit

I got in too! Also, for all of the waitlisted folks, I did some research. USNews says that 25 students were taken from the waitlist last year; but, it did not say how many were put on it in the first place. Hope that helps.

By Selesiana (Selesiana) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 03:31 pm: Edit

Can some people who got in post their stats? I was waitlisted, which surprised me. Even though I don't want to go there anymore, it's still a little irritating. I thought I had a pretty good chance:

SAT 1580 (800V/780M)
SATII 780 Writing, 720 Spanish, 710 Biology
4.0 UW GPA (with rigorous curriculum)
Class rank 6/233

Numerous awards, including Nat. Merit Finalist
Pretty good ECs
Very good recs and essays

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 05:16 pm: Edit

i'll post my stats for you, here they are:

SAT I:1250
SAT II:740,730,560
GPA: 4.0 UW
Class Rank: 5/268

Some awards, mainly local.
Good EC's....lots of service
Solid recs and essays.

To be quite honest, I know my numbers aren't the greatest....but what I feel got me accepted was my passion for Davidson. I feel Davidson got the impression that I really wanted to go there and I portrayed this through both my essays and my overall character 'fit' with what they represent. Also, I know I'm not the greatest writer with a 560 SAT II writing score, so my resume must have pulled a good bit of the weight as well. Hope this helps and best of luck.

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 05:16 pm: Edit

i'll post my stats for you, here they are:

SAT I:1250
SAT II:740,730,560
GPA: 4.0 UW
Class Rank: 5/268

Some awards, mainly local.
Good EC's....lots of service
Solid recs and essays.

To be quite honest, I know my numbers aren't the greatest....but what I feel got me accepted was my passion for Davidson. I feel Davidson got the impression that I really wanted to go there and I portrayed this through both my essays and my overall character 'fit' with what they represent. Also, I know I'm not the greatest writer with a 560 SAT II writing score, so my resume must have pulled a good bit of the weight as well. Hope this helps and best of luck.

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 12:17 am: Edit

So, everyone, who has decided to attend Davidson?

By 2girls (2girls) on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 01:14 pm: Edit

No decision yet from my daughter yet...will probably wait until the last minute as her sister did a few years ago...

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 05:30 pm: Edit

Anyone attending? Can you give your best reasons for selecting Davidson?

By Momofboys (Momofboys) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 08:12 pm: Edit

My S has just decided to attend. We visited this last Saturday and were not only delighted with the physical plant but also the great lecture by Dr. Menkhaus on new wars and global threats. The weather was awesome as we enjoyed the box lunches on the lawn accompanied by the musical group. His stats are V 680 M 780, 2 handicap golf, 2 sport captain, etc.

By 2girls (2girls) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 10:26 am: Edit

My daughter has decided to attend DC---made up her mind Saturday. She couldn't decide between DC and another very similar school--hard decision. Iflyjets, email me and I will go into specifics.

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 11:37 am: Edit

Thanks, 2girls. I will email.

By Linden (Linden) on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 11:36 am: Edit

Davidson is an incredible school. Any parent can feel confident that in sending their student to Davidson, the student will receive an excellent education, be nurtured throughout the educational process by supportive and involved academic and administrative staffs. The campus is lovely and well maintatined. The students are high caliber in character and academic and community involvement. I love Davidson and will continue to extol its virtues...even though my admitted son has decided not to attend(heart is broken). He had whittled his college choices to three, and was quite taken with Davidson on his second visit, during which he was interviewing for a generous scholarship. He did not get it, and while very disappointed, it did help him assess his other choices more objectively(the financial incentive was now lacking). He was honest in his interview, saying he could not be 100% sure he would attend the school if awarded the scholarship-he still needed to assess his other options in order to make an informed decision as to his college choice. His honesty probably hurt his chances, but he wouldn't have it any other way, and had hoped Davidson would honor his candor. He was disappointed in the caliber of other candidates for the scholarship. While one candidate was particularly outstanding, most of the others joked about how they had bamboozled the initial scholarship interviewers and B.S'ed their way through the selection process. Most of them were athletes, and the scholarship was intended for those who had demonstrated solid character, leadership skills, and strong contributions to their community. Son felt Davidson, known for its honor code, should have seen through these individuals, and felt they might actually be considered as recruits for sports teams. Anyway, the experience left him with a sour taste in his mouth. No school is perfect, and I'm sure some of what he is feeling is disappointment over not having been selected for the scholarship. He has moved on, and decided to attend another school, which is also a fine place for him, but I still wish he had decided for Davidson. I still have two other sons, so maybe in a few years, we will have another chance to become Davidson parents. Can't help but feel a little envious of the rest of you who have a son or daughter admitted and attending.

By Iflyjets (Iflyjets) on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 05:23 pm: Edit

Linden, can you share where your son decided to attend? My D was also accepted to Davidson. My email is in my profile if you would prefer to contact me off-board. Thanks.

Hi, 2girls. Thanks, again, for all your wonderful input. The visit last week went very well. I'll contact you later in the week and fill in the details. Hope D2 is still excited about going to DC!

And, Megsdad, has your D made her decision yet?

By Jaylee933 (Jaylee933) on Tuesday, May 04, 2004 - 01:58 pm: Edit

Davidson Class of 2008...let's get to know each other! My name is Jamie and I'm from Charlotte. SN: Jaylee933, email: Jaylee933@aol.com
IM or email me sometime!

By Golfy101 (Golfy101) on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 06:05 pm: Edit

yes, let us get to know each other. my name is Kyle and I am from Harrisonburg, Virginia. My screenname is dasherminator27. theres only like 400 of us, so it can't be too hard for us to get to know each other.