Davidson College Admission
Davidson College Undergraduate Program
Davidson College Application

The Facts

Davidson College is a small, private liberal arts school affiliated with the Presbyterian church that has the reputation for being more academically challenging than some of the Ivies like Harvard and MIT. The college is located in the town of Davidson, North Carolina, and is home to over 1,700 undergraduate students who tend to be very dedicated and academically motivated. The college offers its students over 21 majors, many of which are preprofessional and focused on interdisciplinary studies. Some of the most popular with students include majors in the areas of English, political science, history, biology, and economics.

Admission to Davidson College is quite competitive, and the applicant pool tends to consist of highly motivated students who were academic stars at their high school. Last year, over 4,000 students applied to the college for admission and approximately 1,250 of those students were admitted; of those, about 490 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1270 to an impressive 1440, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 27 to 31. Additionally, over 76% of those admitted were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.8.

Davidson College has a rather small student to faculty ratio of about 11:1, and students say that they receive a lot of one-on-one attention from their professors, including the occasional home dinner with professors and invitations for coffee and some intellectual discourse. Students also say there is a strict honor code at the school; students feel comfortable enough to leave their dorm room door unlocked, and even final exams aren't usually proctored.

The Social Scene

The town of Davidson, North Carolina is a lovely town situated on Lake Norman, and is surrounded by plenty of trees and green spaces. There are some cute shops, cafes, clubs, and bars that are quite popular with students and professors alike, and are relatively inexpensive. The Davidson campus itself is quite beautiful, and has red brick buildings with white columns, which makes for a gorgeous atmosphere. There are also plenty of green spaces and wooded pathways for students to get a breath of nature.

There are several fraternities on campus, but interestingly, there are no sororities. The fraternities are a big presence on campus, and do throw some very rowdy and very popular on-campus parties. Despite the moral veneer, there is a lot of drinking at the college, and many students use the weekends to “get their party on.” Sports are also quite popular, and the school is a member of the NCAA Division I. The football and basketball teams have been quite successful in recent years, and many students love to show up at games to support their peers.

The dating scene is mediocre; there are plenty of homogenously attractive girls and guys, but not a whole lot of diversity.

What’s Good

“The academics are incredible, and you get an Ivy-League caliber education without all the pretentiousness.”

“There is a great sense of community here, and it feels very homey here. It's nice to feel at home even though you're not really.”

“The classes are really small here, and you get a chance to have your voice be heard.”

What’s Bad

“Everyone here is really conservative, which is really bad for someone as liberal as myself.”

“There are a lot of students here who will corner you and talk your ear off about their religious beliefs. It gets old.”

“The town doesn't really have a lot of entertainment. You have to go somewhere else to have some real excitement.”

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