I applied to nine colleges an universities, was admitted to seven of them, and have narrowed my choice down to Davidson College and Oxford College of Emory University. I was also admitted to Rhodes College, Washington and Lee University, the University of Florida, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Richmond. I was waitlisted at Wake Forest University and denied admission at Vanderbilt University. Over the past several months, I have decided that I want to attend a smaller liberal arts college which is why Davidson and Oxford College have become my top choices. Personally, I find Washington and Lee’s Greek life-centric social scene to be a big turn-off.
Regarding Emory, I was admitted to both Emory College and Oxford College with an $18,000 per year Emory Merit Achievement Award contingent upon my enrollment at Oxford College. I am definitely more familiar with Emory given that I would be a double legacy and a third generation Emory student. I like Oxford because of its smaller size, intimate and engaging classes, and its connection with Emory. I am considering going on the pre-med track while majoring in biology.
Regarding Davidson, I have yet to be informed about any merit or need-based aid I may be awarded. I last visited in the summer of 2013 and I will be visiting again during one of the Decision Davidson programs before I make my final decision. I understand that Davidson has a pre-health plan of study and that biology is one of Davidson’s most popular majors.
Both schools are similar in that they are located just outside of two of the most prominent Southern cities, with Davidson and Oxford being located outside of Charlotte and Atlanta respectively, and with both schools having a similar level of prestige, with Davidson usually ranked as a top 10 LAC and Emory usually ranked as a top 20 research university, perhaps with more name-brand recognition outside of the South and the US than Davidson.
Does anyone else have thoughts about the choice between Davidson and Oxford?
Well, one obvious difference: at Oxford, you will indeed start at a very small liberal arts college in a tight-knit community not far from Atlanta (I grew up about 20 minutes from Oxford.) But after two years you will transfer to Emory. That’s not a bad thing - Emory has a medium-sized undergraduate population, and strengths in health and medicine obviously. And honestly, after 2 years you might be ready for that. I loved my small LAC, but it did start to feel a bit constraining after 2 years. But that will also necessitate a move to the main Emory campus and integration into the larger Emory student body, although you will have all of your close Oxford friends along with you.
At Davidson, you will be in a small LAC environment for all 4 years. No change of location or scenery after the first 2 years, which could be a plus or minus depending on your preferences.
Your scholarship at Oxford is a big tip in that favor - I think if you don’t get comparable aid from Davidson that you should go there. If you do get comparable aid from Davidson, then it’s all about whether you think you want to spend 2 years in an LAC + 2 years at a medium-sized research university vs. all 4 years at a small liberal arts college. My personal opinion doesn’t matter, but given my own experience as an LAC student I think the Oxford compromise is kind of ideal - you get 2 years of small, intimate, engaging classes and a small community in which you’ll know almost everyone; and just around the time that starts to get claustrophobic, poof - you can transfer to the urban main campus, where you can focus on studies in your major (also likely to be smaller classes) and perhaps do internships or something part-time in Atlanta-area hospitals.
I forgot to mention in my original post that Oxford is only for freshmen and sophomores. Also, I was recently at Dooley Day, an admitted student event at Oxford, and I heard that approximately 85% of Oxford graduates are admitted into the Emory School of Medicine, with about 20% of the students at the School of Medicine having attended Oxford.
I would also like to hear thoughts from someone more familiar with Davidson!
If you have not heard of any merit from Davidson, I don’t think you are getting any by this point. They should have announced their offers by now, and they don’t give out many merit scholarships, either.
No bad choice here.
Do the D1 athletics at Davidson do anything for you, plus or minus?
Davidson has Greek life, but it is a bit subdued with the “eating houses”. Check that out during your visit to see how that strikes you. They are also eliminating the laundry service at the end of this year, so that is gone.
@ColdinMinny I think Davidson’s athletics, particularly its men’s basketball team, would be a bonus. If they ever qualify for the Final Four within the next several years that would be exciting as a student. I think Davidson would provide more of the “true college experience” than Oxford College due to its more prominent athletic program and the relaxed Greek life scene (compared to Washington and Lee) which is available on the Emory campus, not the Oxford campus. I just don’t want to attend a school where the only opportunity to have a social life is through a fraternity or sorority, like Washington and Lee - as far as I understand. I also heard somewhere earlier in the year, as you said, that Davidson will no longer provide free laundry service to all of its students… That’s a bummer!
Just a side note, Oxford has local co-ed social clubs which are somewhat similar to Greek life although they’re only two years and students live in the on campus dorms rather than in a house. Many Oxford students opt to join Emory’s greek life in their second semester sophomore year.