How do Washington & Lee and Davidson compare?

[Anonymous]

They both seem like strong SLAC choices in the south but not conservative? For those with knowledge of the schools would you say this is an accurate description? How would you compare/contrast? My DC is interested in both schools. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Davidson is among the most prestigious SLAC gems in the country. W&L is a highly respected regional school, one of several in the South. Davidson has a laid back artsy vibe, where individualism reigns. W&L is cutthroat competitive.

[Anonymous]

Davidson is artsy? I thought it was kinda conservative...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Davidson is among the most prestigious SLAC gems in the country. W&L is a highly respected regional school, one of several in the South. Davidson has a laid back artsy vibe, where individualism reigns. W&L is cutthroat competitive.

Not quite. W&L doesn't have a competitive / cutthroat vibe. Actually, it's the opposite. Its speaking tradition and honor code embodies student cooperation.

Both W&L and Davidson are highly ranked national SLACs ( W&L #11 and Davidson #13 per USN&WR).

Davidson has D1 sports. W&L is D3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Davidson is artsy? I thought it was kinda conservative...

PP has no clue. But it's an anonymous forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Davidson is among the most prestigious SLAC gems in the country. W&L is a highly respected regional school, one of several in the South. Davidson has a laid back artsy vibe, where individualism reigns. W&L is cutthroat competitive.

Davidson isn’t laid back. Sleepy town and yes, adult summer camp vibes, but also academically serious.
It’s also only newly artsy, to be honest. Wonderful school, but very much country club preppy until just recent years. This Oberlin of the south it is not.

Washington and Lee is considered more conservative. Both draw affluent families.

[Anonymous]

My kid was admitted to both, decided on neither.

W&L far less conservative than people seem to think. Very Greek heavy and a strong drinking culture. Pulls wealthy/prep. Very community oriented. My kid enjoyed the profs and students met during Johnson Weekend. Outdoor activities plentiful. Not much to do in town at all. Felt very, very small and insular. Obvious wealth abounds. Lots of focus on business/finance/pre Law.

Davidson has D1 athletic pull. Eating Houses replace Greek system. Unique. Far more liberal feel than expected. Cute local town and restaurants, but less to do than anticipated off campus. They say Charlotte being "nearby" offers more to do- but all the students we talked to said nobody goes to Charlotte. Cute campus, bit bigger than W&L, but very similar feel. Definitely affluent families, but not nearly as much as W&L (or WF for that matter, also a school considered). New President looks great. Didn't get to interact with faculty much compared to W&L, but was impressed with those we did ask questions of. Kids seemed more diverse/well rounded.

Both great schools if the fit is right. Know recent grads from both schools who loved their respective experiences and are doing great things post grad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was admitted to both, decided on neither.

W&L far less conservative than people seem to think. Very Greek heavy and a strong drinking culture. Pulls wealthy/prep. Very community oriented. My kid enjoyed the profs and students met during Johnson Weekend. Outdoor activities plentiful. Not much to do in town at all. Felt very, very small and insular. Obvious wealth abounds. Lots of focus on business/finance/pre Law.

Davidson has D1 athletic pull. Eating Houses replace Greek system. Unique. Far more liberal feel than expected. Cute local town and restaurants, but less to do than anticipated off campus. They say Charlotte being "nearby" offers more to do- but all the students we talked to said nobody goes to Charlotte. Cute campus, bit bigger than W&L, but very similar feel. Definitely affluent families, but not nearly as much as W&L (or WF for that matter, also a school considered). New President looks great. Didn't get to interact with faculty much compared to W&L, but was impressed with those we did ask questions of. Kids seemed more diverse/well rounded.

Both great schools if the fit is right. Know recent grads from both schools who loved their respective experiences and are doing great things post grad.

Nice summary. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was admitted to both, decided on neither.

W&L far less conservative than people seem to think. Very Greek heavy and a strong drinking culture. Pulls wealthy/prep. Very community oriented. My kid enjoyed the profs and students met during Johnson Weekend. Outdoor activities plentiful. Not much to do in town at all. Felt very, very small and insular. Obvious wealth abounds. Lots of focus on business/finance/pre Law.

Davidson has D1 athletic pull. Eating Houses replace Greek system. Unique. Far more liberal feel than expected. Cute local town and restaurants, but less to do than anticipated off campus. They say Charlotte being "nearby" offers more to do- but all the students we talked to said nobody goes to Charlotte. Cute campus, bit bigger than W&L, but very similar feel. Definitely affluent families, but not nearly as much as W&L (or WF for that matter, also a school considered). New President looks great. Didn't get to interact with faculty much compared to W&L, but was impressed with those we did ask questions of. Kids seemed more diverse/well rounded.

Both great schools if the fit is right. Know recent grads from both schools who loved their respective experiences and are doing great things post grad.

Nice summary. Thanks.

My kid is at Davidson, and I would agree with the description. Charlotte is nice when needed but definitely not a frequent place DC goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Davidson is among the most prestigious SLAC gems in the country. W&L is a highly respected regional school, one of several in the South. Davidson has a laid back artsy vibe, where individualism reigns. W&L is cutthroat competitive.

W&L is just a regional school, but Davidson is one of the best, most prestigious SLACs in the country? You do realize W&L is ranked higher than Davidson, right? 11 and 13 respectively. Let me guess, your DC is at Davidson. LOL

[Anonymous]

We were surprised how much we liked Davidson. Cute town, all walkable, with some nice restaurants and accommodations.

It is a hard admit though (at least from our strong public high school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Davidson is among the most prestigious SLAC gems in the country. W&L is a highly respected regional school, one of several in the South. Davidson has a laid back artsy vibe, where individualism reigns. W&L is cutthroat competitive.

W&L is just a regional school, but Davidson is one of the best, most prestigious SLACs in the country? You do realize W&L is ranked higher than Davidson, right? 11 and 13 respectively. Let me guess, your DC is at Davidson. LOL

New PP here, with a DC at Davidson. I agree that W&L is not a regional school. Considered both.

DC chose Davidson for multiple reasons but especially the more moderate (to liberal) culture, less emphasis on fraternities, D1 sports culture.

Also, Davidson is more proactively addressing the past (we felt especially important for southern schools):
https://www.davidson.edu/about/commission-race-and-slavery
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/06/07/washington-and-lee-maintain-name-face-opposition

[Anonymous]

Washington and Lee also has the Johnson scholarship on offer, pays tuition, fees, R&B, and stipend all four years. ~10% of the class are Johnson Scholars. Poverty and Human Capability Studies program is phenomenal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Davidson is among the most prestigious SLAC gems in the country. W&L is a highly respected regional school, one of several in the South. Davidson has a laid back artsy vibe, where individualism reigns. W&L is cutthroat competitive.

Who writes this nonsense? Especially the bolded.

[Anonymous]

Washington and Lee has been very Greek and drinking focused for decades.