Carleton vs. Davidson

<p>Which one is better for English/history/psychology, and which one is generally more prestigious (I know prestige isn't a good reason to choose a college but I'm just wondering).</p>

<p>Academically, I’d say both are pretty equal. There is a difference in students, though, so I would suggest visiting, if possible.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Carleton will be slightly more admissions selective, will typically “rank” slightly higher, but offers similar overall academic quality and reputation vis a vis Davidson. If there’s a measurable academic quality advantage to be found, it’s probably in Carleton’s strength in the physical sciences. Both institutions offer strong humanities/social sciences departments like english, history, psych.</p></li>
<li><p>Agree with fireflyscout about cultural differences at the schools. Some of this is a reflection of their different locales. Student bodies are definitely not one and the same. Carleton will be a more liberal, more individualistic kind of place. If you can, try to visit both when classes are in session to experience both first hand.</p></li>
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<p>I would agree with the posters over on the Davidson thread who said that these schools are pretty similar academically. One poster there, who was admitted to both colleges, chose Davidson because “I knew that in the end I’d be the smartest and most well developed individual after four years at Davidson”. This was based on his experience in an English class he visited. “My professor was a woman who left a job at Princeton to teach at Davidson, and she showed me things in the material we were discussing that I never would have seen on my own.”</p>

<p>I think you would be missing the bigger picture if you follow that kind of advice. I am a parent who has taken two high school students to about twenty colleges including Carleton and Davidson. Beyond academics, I believe there is a big difference in the type of students who attend Carleton and Davidson and the atmosphere on campus.</p>

<p>At almost every college we saw, it seemed like the freshmen arrived, looked around at the students, and then went out to buy clothes to dress like everyone else. Davidson was definitely like that. At Carleton, and this was admittedly anecdotal evidence, it seemed like every student dressed like an individual, but not in an outrageous way.</p>

<p>Davidson is clearly an athletic campus where a significant portion of the students play varsity sports, the teams are NCAA Division One, and if you are not athletic you would be out of the mix. At Carleton sports are just another activity and they play quirky games like broomball in addition to football.</p>

<p>Davidson has a Greek system. Carleton does not.</p>

<p>My son and I loved Davidson when we visited. We especially loved the honor code, the idea that you could leave your room doors unlocked and your laptops lying around without fear of their being stolen, and you could take your exams in your room at any time. But on reflection, when we got home, my son realized that so many students at Davidson seemed to be the same, even those who were minorities. Take a look at videos of Davidson students on the web. The typical Davidson student is well rounded, the total package, the scholar athlete. Take a look at famous Davidson alumni and you will see they succeeded in conventional career pursuits.</p>

<p>Carleton, on the other hand, seems to value students who may not be the totally well rounded scholar athlete, yet still have much to offer the world. In fact Carleton celebrates the quirkiness about its individual students, perhaps too much because that word “quirky” is overused. If you look at the list of Carleton’s famous alumni, they succeeded in a wider variety of fields.</p>

<p>Finally, you unfortunately have to think about life after college. Carleton is very successful at preparing students for graduate schools, but is not known as a feeder for professional schools. Carleton will not be a conduit to Wall Street. My guess is that Davidson has more of a pre-professional feel, but is perhaps only strong in its southeastern region. My son may go to Carleton to get a great education, but he might need to go to business school to position himself for the job market.</p>

<p>Either way, you must visit both Carleton and Davidson to get the “feel” for these schools. Only you can decide and none of this outside advice can really substitute for a visit.</p>

<p>Searchlight22, I really enjoyed that post. I think you have described both schools well. My son is looking seriously at Carleton, Davidson, and Haverford. He is a pretty serious distance runner, so he fits the scholar/athlete category at Davidson, but he really enjoyed the quirky personalities at Carleton. If you visited Haverford on your college visits, I would welcome your perspective on how Haverford compares to Carleton and Davidson.</p>

<p>Other factors to throw into the mix.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Weather. Carleton and Davidson represent the two extremes of weather at top LAC. The advantages and disadvantages will vary depending on the ways in which you choose the engage the great outdoors. (For a child who needs to spend about a hour running outdoors almost every day, the Carleton winters are a daunting prospect.)</p></li>
<li><p>Academic focus. I think both schools have similar academic quality, but more Carleton students seem to have an academic rather than pre-professional focus. If one considers per capita production of PhDs, Carleton ranks in the top 10 nationally while Davidson is down in the 40s. Searchlight22 addresses this point, but more as a difference in the choices the students make after school. I agree with that point. But I would add that a class with future PhD students will have a different dynamic than a class with future JD/MD/MBA students. One is not necessary better or worse; they are just different.</p></li>
<li><p>Trimester system. Carleton students typically take three course in each trimester, rather than four course each semester. At first I did not think that would be a big difference, but having watched my daughter finish her first year at U Chicago with its quarter system, there really is a big difference. The pacing and intensity of a trimester/quarter system are much more intense. </p></li>
<li><p>Merit aid. Davidson stands out as the only top LAC that awards a significant amount of merit based aid – about 20% the class gets some form of of non-need based aid, and they offer ten " Belk Scholarships" to each entering class that cover the total cost of attending. Rumor has it that the merit money has scaled back due to the shrunken endowment, but they still offer more than any other top ten LAC.</p></li>
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<p>We walked around the Haverford campus (no tour or info session) and I don’t have enough of a feel to offer any detailed impressions. Haverford has an honor code like Davidson, no Greek system like Carleton and the weather is in between. The major differences are the small size, ability to take courses at other nearby colleges like Bryn Mawr, and the proximity of Philadelphia, New York and Washington. Again the only way to decide is to visit the campus and let your son decide for himself. My daughter and I drove over two hours to another Pennsylvania LAC and within five minutes she told me that she could never go there, so we drove home without even taking the tour. You can’t predict how any son/daughter will react when they see the actual schools.</p>