<p>Daughter (33 ACT, 2270 SAT, 3.7 uw at rigorous private, excellent EC's, very active in Presbyterian church, could do sports at D-III) is strongly considering Davidson if she receives the Belk Scholarship. It seems like a great program, but I would appreciate anyone's insight who might have been, or has a child who is, a recipient. Also, would like to hear from anyone who declined the offer and the rationale. If not Davidson, Cornell or Princeton would be her first choices.</p>
<p>I am not sure just what it takes to be a Belk Scholar, but I do know that all other things being equal I would not choose Cornell over Davidson unless I wanted a large school. (I am an LAC parent, so my perspective is obviously skewed in that direction). Princeton is another story--always a favorite, and more intimate than Cornell. I would also think of a place like Williams or Dartmouth rather than Cornell in terms of what one might choose over Davidson.</p>
<p>From the numbers your D does not sound like a shoo-in for the Belk, but simply a strong candidate for admission and perhaps other scholarships depending on athletics and her strong ECs. The Belk is a multi-faceted award geared toward all sorts of achievements in addition to academics, and hard to predict I suspect--also not awarded until fairly late in the application processs as I recall. I would not, incidentally, rule out Davidson just because of not winning a Belk Scholarship (eight per class I think?). It is as worth paying for as any other top private. There are very few schools quite like it, and in my experience very few schools better than it in the sense of academics and ethics. </p>
<p>Some DIII athletic programs are at a very high level, in some cases perhaps higher than at some DI schools. I am not sure that is relevant to you concern, since it does not sound as though your D wishes to do collegiate sports, so that may be a moot point, sinmply to be considered as another good EC for application purposes.</p>
<p>Thanks. I certainly know nothing is a "shoo-in." Davidson would be very comfortable for her, Cornell or Princeton more challenging in terms of student body and certainly a much broader range of offerings. Cornell is 4th generation, so that is part of pull. I am very familiar with the Ivies (attended three), and don't find Dartmouth attractive. (My HLS roomate transferred out of Dartmouth, for example, because it was not challenging.) She liked Williams but thought of it as the same preppy type place she attends (albeit coed) and is not applying. Would you classify Davidson similarly? She is strongly attracted to the ethics/honors code. I slightly disagree on your athletics assessment, although certainly some lac's have strong participants. She would, based on objectives, do well at Davidson as a runner; Cornell much stronger in track/cc, and Princeton also significantly better. Don't think, as you inferred, that athletics will necessarily be important to her at collegiate level so agree with your view, and appreciate your post.</p>
<p>In response to your question, I guess I would characterize Davidson as preppy but I don't do so in a negative way, simply the reality of appearance of demographics. That does not mean there is not also a strong strain of community service, thoughtful consideration of world affairs, and so on. The Honor Code is important and it does seem a kinder and more ethical place than most others. Academically it is indeed challenging; no grade inflation, and faculty of a very high level both in terms of their academic credentials and their classroom presence and expectations. </p>
<p>I do think Davidson is rather similar to Williams, or more accurately the Williams of ten years ago. That said, it is important to recognize that Williams has changed in the last two or three decades--and even in the last five years or so. I am the parent of a Williams alum, so know the school, the setting, and at least a small sampling of its early 21st-century graduates reasonably well. It is still a happy place, somewhat outdoorsy by virtue of its location but also very strongly attractive to people interested in the arts. Academically it is probably unsurpassed--broad course offerings, top-flight faculty, huge endowment for a school its size. While athletics are still very important for some admissions, I suspect that the academic challenge there would be sufficient for anyone--not just because grading is stringent but because people are just very very bright. What was once perhaps a backup, albeit a stellar one, for Princeton, is now a star in its own right. I suppose it is stilll relatively preppy in terms of the mainstream appearance of students of all ethnicities, but it has taken major steps to become more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse and is apparently quite successful in that respect (40 percent minority enrollment at this point I believe, or perhaps just the most recent class). </p>
<p>It is hard to know what preppy really means anyway--whether the deeper issue of privilege and socioeconomic sameness or the sometimes misleading surface issues of flipflops and Polo shirts, or the student body's political preferences and degree of political and social involvement.</p>
<p>Incidentally, I can't speak to the academic challenges at Dartmouth because I only know it as a frequent visitor to Hanover, not a parent. But I suspect that it too has become more challenging since your law school roommate left (parent-generation experiences at many schools may not reflect current style and quality--in either direction!) It is just too hard to get into schools at that level for there to be a dearth of kids smart enough to present challenges to their classmates. And it is just too hard to get a tenure-track job at a top school these days for there to be a lack of sparkling professors! So I would not discount Dartmouth without a visit while students are around--same for Williams.</p>
<p>Again, great thanks for the insights. When I say "preppy" I am speaking of underlying motiviating factors of class and culture, though recognize the broadness and blandness of epigram. Certain Dartmouth better than it was statistically, but choice of my broader group of friends to send their kids back to Princeton and Harvard, and therefore perhaps blindly to reiterate their experiences principally at Harvard and Princeton, still leads me to think that Dartmouth is a fine school with no particular distinction, just as it was in my day. Good, very bright, ultimately achieving kids but a notch below where one might have expected. Which sounds like a harsh assessment, but obviously what we would be happy for for our kids if they were indeed happy, even as some of that might rankle in our own lives. I am personally concerned about the smaller, less diverse launching pads of even the best lac's and of their slightly larger Ivy siblings, Brown and Dartmouth. This is not meant to be elitist, just a point of view. I have had great success and deep failure in my own life and do not mean to say the source of either rests on my seven years at particular Ivies, just that greater observation reflects some obvious disparities, which admittedly again may not be the most important.</p>
<p>Davidson is D1 for all sports except football. Also, Belk is not the only major merit scholarship offered.</p>
<p>D had 34 ACT, 4.0+ GPA at rigorous private school (only one B, so just under 4.0 unweighted), strong ECs with leadership; no sports except freshman v'ball, though. She was waitlisted. I offer this to illustrate the fact that Davidson is selective in many ways, and it is so difficult to know who will be admitted. Even more difficult is to say who will receive the Belk ... but from what I have observed, the recipients are pretty amazing! My advice is to go for it & try ... but don't count on receiving the Belk ... or any other highly competitive scholarship. There are many great candidates & relatively few such scholarships. Good merit opportunities are out there, but the "biggies" are not easy to get.</p>
<p>can u get a full ride without trying out for one of those special nominations scholarships?</p>