Thoughts on Davidson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford is rife with anti-Semitism, Davidson is not. If you're Jewish, no question Davidson is the best choice.

DS is not a D1 athlete, although he enjoys club sports. He has a wide friend group at Davidson that includes multiple D1 athletes. D1 athletes do not have their own dorms or eating areas and mix with the non-athletes; the campus is super integrated. Doesn't seem to be a huge divide socially.

I don’t have personal experience but dd’s friends are athletes and claim they only socialize with the athletes because the other kids are nerdy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford is rife with anti-Semitism, Davidson is not. If you're Jewish, no question Davidson is the best choice.

DS is not a D1 athlete, although he enjoys club sports. He has a wide friend group at Davidson that includes multiple D1 athletes. D1 athletes do not have their own dorms or eating areas and mix with the non-athletes; the campus is super integrated. Doesn't seem to be a huge divide socially.

I don’t have personal experience but dd’s friends are athletes and claim they only socialize with the athletes because the other kids are nerdy.

As a Davidson parent, I’m happy to report this is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford is rife with anti-Semitism, Davidson is not. If you're Jewish, no question Davidson is the best choice.

DS is not a D1 athlete, although he enjoys club sports. He has a wide friend group at Davidson that includes multiple D1 athletes. D1 athletes do not have their own dorms or eating areas and mix with the non-athletes; the campus is super integrated. Doesn't seem to be a huge divide socially.

I don’t have personal experience but dd’s friends are athletes and claim they only socialize with the athletes because the other kids are nerdy.

As a Davidson parent, I’m happy to report this is ridiculous.

And yet what her friends report. FWIW, hear the same about Northwestern. Not sure why kids would make this up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford is rife with anti-Semitism, Davidson is not. If you're Jewish, no question Davidson is the best choice.

DS is not a D1 athlete, although he enjoys club sports. He has a wide friend group at Davidson that includes multiple D1 athletes. D1 athletes do not have their own dorms or eating areas and mix with the non-athletes; the campus is super integrated. Doesn't seem to be a huge divide socially.

I don’t have personal experience but dd’s friends are athletes and claim they only socialize with the athletes because the other kids are nerdy.

As a Davidson parent, I’m happy to report this is ridiculous.

You wouldn’t know, unless you attend parties on a regular basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford is rife with anti-Semitism, Davidson is not. If you're Jewish, no question Davidson is the best choice.

DS is not a D1 athlete, although he enjoys club sports. He has a wide friend group at Davidson that includes multiple D1 athletes. D1 athletes do not have their own dorms or eating areas and mix with the non-athletes; the campus is super integrated. Doesn't seem to be a huge divide socially.

I don’t have personal experience but dd’s friends are athletes and claim they only socialize with the athletes because the other kids are nerdy.

As a Davidson parent, I’m happy to report this is ridiculous.

You wouldn’t know, unless you attend parties on a regular basis.

I have met about a dozen Davidson students through my DC, on campus and during the summers locally, and most (including my DC) play club sports even thought they are not on a Varsity team, are social and are happy with who they are, even if the PP’s daughter divides students in her mind as if she were still in middle school. Not a good look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford is rife with anti-Semitism, Davidson is not. If you're Jewish, no question Davidson is the best choice.

DS is not a D1 athlete, although he enjoys club sports. He has a wide friend group at Davidson that includes multiple D1 athletes. D1 athletes do not have their own dorms or eating areas and mix with the non-athletes; the campus is super integrated. Doesn't seem to be a huge divide socially.

I don’t have personal experience but dd’s friends are athletes and claim they only socialize with the athletes because the other kids are nerdy.

As a Davidson parent, I’m happy to report this is ridiculous.

You wouldn’t know, unless you attend parties on a regular basis.

I have met about a dozen Davidson students through my DC, on campus and during the summers locally, and most (including my DC) play club sports even thought they are not on a Varsity team, are social and are happy with who they are, even if the PP’s daughter divides students in her mind as if she were still in middle school. Not a good look.

This is a common criticism of SLACs with a high percentage of athletes. Not unique to Davidson, but weird that you are so invested in downplaying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Off topic but besides Steph curry, who are famous alums of Davidson?

it seems like a wonderful school with strong academics but doesn’t seem to place well in nyc/dc like Nescacs/swat/haverford etc?

Do most Davidson kids just stick around the south east after graduation?

Well, you probably haven't heard of these folks... Woodrow Wilson (President of the United States), Patricia Cornwell (she wrote a few best selling books), Dean Rusk (US Secretary of State), Thomas Marshburn (he went on a few space flights with NASA), James Batten (CEO of Knight-Ridder), John Chidsey (CEO of Subway), and a few dozen more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Davidson_College_people

Davidson grads go all over the world. Many Fulbright Scholars. Very high number go to grad school. Lots head to DC. And, there are quite a few on Wall Street, although Charlotte has a thriving financial services and banking sector. My DS went to work at a well known tech company in Northern California.

Add William Styron, Vincent Foster, and GW Bush White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. I think Styron transferred to Duke, but whatever.

I've worked across the US and internationally (but never in NC) and Davidson has absolutely opened doors. I work in healthcare though, and one of Davidson's greatest strengths is preparing students for med school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Off topic but besides Steph curry, who are famous alums of Davidson?

it seems like a wonderful school with strong academics but doesn’t seem to place well in nyc/dc like Nescacs/swat/haverford etc?

Do most Davidson kids just stick around the south east after graduation?

Well, you probably haven't heard of these folks... Woodrow Wilson (President of the United States), Patricia Cornwell (she wrote a few best selling books), Dean Rusk (US Secretary of State), Thomas Marshburn (he went on a few space flights with NASA), James Batten (CEO of Knight-Ridder), John Chidsey (CEO of Subway), and a few dozen more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Davidson_College_people

Davidson grads go all over the world. Many Fulbright Scholars. Very high number go to grad school. Lots head to DC. And, there are quite a few on Wall Street, although Charlotte has a thriving financial services and banking sector. My DS went to work at a well known tech company in Northern California.

Add William Styron, Vincent Foster, and GW Bush White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. I think Styron transferred to Duke, but whatever.

I've worked across the US and internationally (but never in NC) and Davidson has absolutely opened doors. I work in healthcare though, and one of Davidson's greatest strengths is preparing students for med school.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be fair to the parent with the daughter who chose Amherst over Davidson, I believe the majority of kids given the choice would have chosen Amherst. Also, I wouldn't want my daughter choosing a school in large part because a boyfriend was nearby. No parent wants their child to be unhappy at college, and this comes through in the mom's post yesterday stating why Amherst hasn't been the greatest experience for her daughter.

Dc area kids are more southern than northeastern at heart (unless they are Jewish or Asian)

I can totally see the median dc kid just liking SEC or sec adjacent schools to nescac.

There is a huge difference between the outlook of philly and tri state kids vs dc kids

The data disagrees with you on that.

This does not describe my MD kid or any of her friends.

Someone growing up in Bethesda is unlikely to feel comfortable in a classic southern setting.

I’m the parent of 3 Walt Whitman HS (Bethesda) graduates. I can tell you as a fact that LOTS of Bethesda kids go to colleges “in a classic southern setting.” UVA, UNC, USC, Ole Miss, Tennessee, etc. all get Bethesda kids every single year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I have to add these kids who are afraid of Greek culture really need to keep an open mind. There are houses for everyone including those girls who are not big party kids.

This is true but “RushTok” culture amplified the Greek vibe at Bama or Ole miss and then inspires copycats and pretty soon every group thinks this is the expected experience that incoming members have. Self-fulfilling death spiral, obviously because it’s a huge turnoff to actual membership outside of large southern state schools plus Arizona and California.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford and Davidson share a focus on top notch academics but the 2 colleges otherwise have completely different student environments. Though my student graduated almost 10 years ago, Davidson likely still retains the study hard party hard dynamic that comes with having D1 athletics and some semblance of greek life in Southern school. Haverford has a much more low key student life and would be the better environment for an introvert IMO.

Granted I grew up in the northeast but believe Haverford has a stronger academic reputation than Davidson.

Yes, you think that because you grew up in the Northeast. People in Atlanta or Raleigh/Durham or Charleston don't think that.

Dp, Everyone thinks that because it’s true.

It’s not that big of a difference, though. These schools are very, very similar in terms of academic reputation.

Davidson is a very good school, but a tier below Haverford, Swarthmore, Williams and Amherst.

According to the leading rankings, Davidson is a tier above Haverford. (14 vs 24 on US News LAC rankings; 7 vs 14 on Niche; 10 vs 88 on Wall St Journal). Haverford has lost some luster. Davidson has gained some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford and Davidson share a focus on top notch academics but the 2 colleges otherwise have completely different student environments. Though my student graduated almost 10 years ago, Davidson likely still retains the study hard party hard dynamic that comes with having D1 athletics and some semblance of greek life in Southern school. Haverford has a much more low key student life and would be the better environment for an introvert IMO.

Granted I grew up in the northeast but believe Haverford has a stronger academic reputation than Davidson.

Yes, you think that because you grew up in the Northeast. People in Atlanta or Raleigh/Durham or Charleston don't think that.

Dp, Everyone thinks that because it’s true.

It’s not that big of a difference, though. These schools are very, very similar in terms of academic reputation.

Davidson is a very good school, but a tier below Haverford, Swarthmore, Williams and Amherst.

According to the leading rankings, Davidson is a tier above Haverford. (14 vs 24 on US News LAC rankings; 7 vs 14 on Niche; 10 vs 88 on Wall St Journal). Haverford has lost some luster. Davidson has gained some.

Not sure what’s up on this board, but someone doesn’t like Davidson and/or southern schools.

Davidson is objectively a great school and has been gaining momentum for years in many ways. It’s been well-ranked for decades and is inching up the charts against strong competition. Their endowment per student is strong, which translates into generous financial aid (no loans/all grant), among other things. In most/all(?) recent ratings, Davidson is rated higher than Haverford, Washington & Lee, and Richmond. On USNWR it’s ranked with or higher than NE schools that get pumped on here all the time.

You would think that educated people would be open-minded, particularly to peer schools and objective data. Unfortunately, it’s not always the case.

[Anonymous]

My kid liked Davidson better than than WASP. Same academic quality but better weather and friendlier atmosphere.

[Anonymous]

Instead of overall ranking, its better to look at following

- Best Undergraduate Teaching - Davidson ranks #4
- Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects - Davidson ranks #10 along with Stanford..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford and Davidson share a focus on top notch academics but the 2 colleges otherwise have completely different student environments. Though my student graduated almost 10 years ago, Davidson likely still retains the study hard party hard dynamic that comes with having D1 athletics and some semblance of greek life in Southern school. Haverford has a much more low key student life and would be the better environment for an introvert IMO.

Granted I grew up in the northeast but believe Haverford has a stronger academic reputation than Davidson.

Yes, you think that because you grew up in the Northeast. People in Atlanta or Raleigh/Durham or Charleston don't think that.

Dp, Everyone thinks that because it’s true.

It’s not that big of a difference, though. These schools are very, very similar in terms of academic reputation.

Davidson is a very good school, but a tier below Haverford, Swarthmore, Williams and Amherst.

According to the leading rankings, Davidson is a tier above Haverford. (14 vs 24 on US News LAC rankings; 7 vs 14 on Niche; 10 vs 88 on Wall St Journal). Haverford has lost some luster. Davidson has gained some.

That is correct.
Davidson definitely above Haverford: very different kids get from our prep: haverford is a lower academic group, more like a colby.