<p>Hi all! I've read for a long time, but only just felt the need to sign up and post.</p>
<p>Daughter and I visited Davidson this week. We were very impressed on nearly all counts: fantastic academics, lovely campus, friendly people everywhere. Truly, we were overwhelmed by the prevailing sense of real community both on campus and in the town. Everyone wants to take you to lunch. Everyone wants to give you a piece of homemade candy. Everyone wants you to come meet their friends and let them show you around campus. Our tour guide would randomly grab a passerby's attention, and that student would be happy talk all about his or her Davidson experience and offer to show us their dorm if they weren't on their way to class. Likewise, two professors stopped what they were doing to tell D all about study abroad in their respective programs. We were stunned.</p>
<p>D will be applying, but we're both not sure that it's the best option socially. It was very preppy. Although she gets along with almost everyone, she has always felt more at home with the quirky kids. Personality-wise, she would feel very comfortable with the crunchy crowd; very liberal, very interested in learning at all times, feminist, activist, never without her sketchpad. We didn't get the impression intellectualism was extremely common at Davidson.</p>
<p>If our impression of Davidson is incorrect, we'd love to hear from you! Otherwise, what schools will offer the friendliness and community of Davidson with an artsier/more granola/intellectual student body? Geography is not a consideration; I would rather not go into detail about our finances, but rest assured that we are informed. D is interested in biology, English, and continuing to hone her art skills. Thank you!</p>
<p>I’d definitely consider Oberlin considering how you described your daughter’s academic interests and her desire for quirky activist left-leaning students. She’d probably fit right in.</p>
<p>tollybits, our daughter is a high school senior, she’s applying to Davidson. We concur: it’s an exceptional school, one where we’re confident she’d fluorish, if she’s accepted. I’m interested in your comment, “We didn’t get the impression intellectualism was extremely common at Davidson.” Would you be willing to expand on this?</p>
<p>Smith. Better art programs than any of those already mentioned. Bigger English department. Higher percentage of women in science than any liberal arts college in the country. Crunchy and intellectual at the same time.</p>
<p>Sure! D and I have reached the conclusion that the typical Davidson kid’s priorities are schoolwork (rather than “learning” - we feel hesitant to shelve them like this, but we can’t think of any other way to phrase it), his or her sport, and their social life. It felt very much like everyone had a sport, at that. This was the most athletic student body I’ve ever seen. </p>
<p>My daughter sat in on two classes. In both cases, everyone contributed and was engaged, but as soon as the professor (who was wonderful) let them go, conversation turned to sports and boys and what would be on the midterm. Nothing wrong with it. We just had a sense of go to class, get your studying done, do well, and that’s that.</p>
<p>I second luckymax’s suggestion, Whitman! Great theater and art programs. Along with welcoming, sporty, and outdoorsy, there is a definite artsy intellectual vibe.</p>
<p>“we were overwhelmed by the prevailing sense of real community both on campus and in the town. Everyone wants to take you to lunch. Everyone wants to give you a piece of homemade candy. Everyone wants you to come meet their friends and let them show you around campus. Our tour guide would randomly grab a passerby’s attention, and that student would be happy talk all about his or her Davidson experience and offer to show us their dorm…”</p>
<p>^^^^^</p>
<p>Having lived in the south for 12 years, but originally from the DC area, I can tell you that what you described was southern hospitality. You’ll have to dig deeper to get a better sense of the real personality of the students, and you may have gotten a better sense in the classroom.</p>
<p>We also visited Davidson, and S liked it a lot, and applied. I was a bit concerned about “fit”, but I suppose that’s the price you pay if you are hoping the geographic diversity you bring to the equation will boost your application. </p>
<p>I wasn’t on the trip when they visited, but later when H took S to Bowdoin, it became his top choice. S was admitted ED, so he withdrew his Davidson application.</p>
<p>Since I didn’t visit Bowdoin, I can’t really compare the two schools, but S liked both, ultimately preferring Bowdoin.</p>
<p>Davidson is a great school and one of the three D was trying to decide on. After the second visit, she decided it was too preppy. I would have been very happy if she decided to go there. You can’t do better academically than Davidson.</p>
<p>A lot of great alternative suggestions so far and I’d also add Vassar and Skidmore to the mix … although in both cases the artsy things fits well not so sure about the crunchy</p>
<p>Among liberal arts colleges Williams has one of the best combinations of studio art, art history, music, theater plus overall rigorous academics. It has a lot of overlap with Davidson, but with more of an extroverted, outdoorsy, individualist flavor. The politics are liberal, but maybe less obviously so than some of the other schools known for artsy communities.</p>
<p>Other LACs that I’d look at that are good for studio art are Wesleyan, Hamilton, Kenyon, Skidmore, Conn College, Haverford, and Smith. </p>
<p>How a college scores on the crunchy/quirky scale can be subjective depending on the person doing the evaluation; however, all of these schools lean left, finance their art departments and are full of energetic, multifaceted, talented students.</p>
<p>Edit: 1012mom’s point well taken. For my son, the schools that offered the best mix of intellectual curiosity plus depth and breadth in art/art history were Williams, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Kenyon. He also liked Yale and Brown.</p>
<p>I would also add Bates. Artsy, involved, down to earth students. Second the suggestion of Wesleyan. I also would not rule out some of the smaller unis that have a strong community feel. Vassar and Tufts come to mind. Skidmore and Conn College are the right size and strong communities, but neither has that intellectual take the classroom discussion on to the dining hall feel that the OP seems to be looking for.</p>
<p>If she can get in, you have described Swarthmore. It has the community of Davidson, with a very intellectual bent as opposed to the very preppy ambience of Davidson. In addition to some of the other schools mentioned above, several of the midwestern LACs would also be good possibiliies, including Carleton and Grinnell. Haverford, Bowdoin, Vasser, and Wesleyan would also be worth checking into.</p>
<p>We visited Davidson, liked the same things you did and had some of the same concerns. Daughter ended up at Swarthmore, which I believe is unmatched in terms of undergrad-centric community – especially the interaction among students and faculty. Combined with that, it is intellectual/quirky, perhaps to a fault – but if you can’t be intellectual and quirky in college, when will you be? :)</p>
<p>I agree with Carleton in Minnesota. I would suggest also checking out the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. There is a preppy feel to the campus but there is also a strong activist, feminist faction on campus…especially since it is an all woman’s college. They have a strong science and math program as well as an amazing art department. It is the sister school to St. John’s University and while their administrations are separate, all classes and activities are combined. She would not feel out of place anywhere on campus and the sense of community is very strong. The alumna/i associations are very strong as well. Financial aid (merit aid and need based) are very generous, especially for out of state students. She would enjoy the architecture of the colleges, especially St. John’s as well as the scenery around the campuses (which are a few miles apart, free bus service to the campuses).</p>
<p>Obviously the schools are religiously affiliated and there is a theology requirement for graduation, one semester class I think, however there are plenty of non-Catholics on campus and it’s not an over the top religious school.</p>
<p>FWIW, Davidson has a lot more of the religion thing going on than many of the colleges mentioned.</p>
<p>“The bylaws require that at least eighty percent of Davidson’s board of trustees be active members of some Christian church. Twenty-four of the forty-four elected trustees must be members of PC–USA churches, and all must agree to “honor the traditions that have shaped Davidson as a place where faith and reason work together in mutual respect for service to God and humanity.” Davidson’s bylaws also elaborate that the president should be a Christian who is a member of a PC–USA church.” (from [No</a>. 365PA10. - STATE v. YENCER - NC Supreme Court](<a href=“http://caselaw.findlaw.com/nc-supreme-court/1585353.html]No”>http://caselaw.findlaw.com/nc-supreme-court/1585353.html) )</p>
<p>Note that the original bylaws wrt the trustees weren’t amended until 2005 - prior to that time, ALL trustees had to be committed Christians or Presbyterians or somesuch.
From the bylaws (source - college’s website : <a href=“http://www2.davidson.edu/administration/SACS/documents/Trustees_bylaws.pdf[/url]”>http://www2.davidson.edu/administration/SACS/documents/Trustees_bylaws.pdf</a> )
5. Historically, persons elected as Trustees have been active members of a Christian church. In openness to and respect for the world’s various religious traditions and the variety of religious preferences among the graduates and friends of Davidson, the Nominating Committee and the Alumni Association may recommend persons for the office of trustee who are not active members of a Christian church but who meet all other criteria for serving as a Trustee. As part of continuing the historic commitment of Davidson to the Reformed Tradition of the Christian faith, the Nominating Committee shall insure that at least 80% of all elected Trustees are active members of a Christian church.</p>
<p>{snip}</p>
<p>College Officials and Faculty
The Trustees shall elect a President of the College who shall serve as the chief executive officer of the College. They shall elect only a person who is a loyal and active church member, whose life provides evidence of strong Christian faith and commitment. Such faith and commitment will be appropriately expressed by affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and active participation in the life of Davidson College Presbyterian Church. Unless otherwise determined by the Trustees, the President shall be inaugurated at an appropriate time during the first year of service in the office.</p>
<p>{snip}</p>
<ol>
<li>It is natural and desirable that the educational service of a church-related College should be carried forward from one generation to another by persons committed to the Christian faith. The Christian commitment of a church-related College is reflected not only in its corporate policies, programs, and stewardship of resources, but especially in the individuals who make up its community. For that reason, the President is authorized to recommend for appointment as officers and Faculty members Christian men and women who are not only highly competent but who understand and respond to the implications of their commitment as Christians. The President is also authorized to recommend for appointment as officers and Faculty members non-Christian persons who can work with respect for the Christian tradition even if they cannot conscientiously join it and who can live in harmony with the purpose of the College as set forth in the Davidson College Constitution.</li>
<li>The establishment of tenure for any member of the Faculty shall be subject to approval by the Trustees and shall be granted only after a careful review and approval by the Trustees of the candidate’s professional and personal qualifications in the light of the foregoing Section 5. The policies governing tenure by which Davidson College operates are set forth in Article X of the Davidson College Constitution.</li>
<li>The Department of Religion deals with matters which are particularly important to the life of the Church and the College. Special effort shall be made to secure as teachers in the Department of Religion persons who, in addition to competence in their fields, demonstrate vital Christian faith and unusual teaching gifts.</li>
</ol>