<p>My daughter has been accepted at these schools, we live in CA. Can anyone give me a sense of Davidson ?</p>
<p>You may want to review previous comments on the Davidson forum, and post there. That forum is:</p>
<p>[Davidson</a> College - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/davidson-college/]Davidson”>Davidson College - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Generally Davidson is an exceptional liberal arts college. There are a fair number of Californians attending – primarily from Southern California. You should be able to get more detailed information about where students come from from the admissions office. If you haven’t visited, the campus is stunning, with excellent athletic facilities. The school is one with a long academic tradition. The town of Davidson is some 30 miles from Charlotte. It has the feel of an appealing New England village.</p>
<p>Davidson is one of the top undergrad experiences in the country. I wanted very much to send my first D there, and she loved it. She subsequently was admitted at Harvard, and one of her biggest heartaches in choosing Harvard was having to pass on Davidson. I tend to think of it as the southern Williams - both are highly social, athletic, vibrant, and have an off-the-charts quality of life. Despite having graduated from Wake Forest, if I could be 17 again, Davidson and Williams would be my top choices.</p>
<p>You mentioned “these schools” but only cited Davidson. Are there others to which you would like readers to compare Davidson?</p>
<p>BTW, I think it’s about 20 miles to downtown Charlotte, perhaps a little under depending upon your destination and how you go.</p>
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<p>Davidsonian (resident, not student) here, and gadad is right. Twenty/thirty minutes to Charlotte, which is an easy interstate trip away. But the more popular destination for college kids with cars would probably be Birkdale, a little shopping area 10 minutes away. </p>
<p>Davidson has a beautiful campus, and the town is wonderful–town green, coffee shops and restaurants, etc–but it can feel cramped. This is no LA; it is in every sense a college town, which your D will either love or hate (hopefully love, given that she made the decision to apply).</p>
<p>Thank you, I did forget to mention that she has also been accepted at American Univ in D.C. and is waitlisted at William and Mary. I appreciate the comparision to Williams which we did visit but she did not apply. At this stage I believe she is considering the liveliness and excitement of being in a city vs. the rural atmosphere which she has grown up in</p>
<p>ssmjmm - my d is a freshmen at Davidson. She loves it and has two good friends
from CA. I am happy to help with any questions you might have. It’s not in a rural
area at all, more of a nice suburban feel ti it. Lots of kids have cars and venture
beyond the campus all the time, to nearby shops, restaurants, etc. My d has gone
into Charlotte a couple of times for sports events as well. It’s a much higher
caliber school than American or probably William & Mary Imo, really an Ivy League
level education in a lovely close-knit environment. Happy to help with any questions you might have. Gadad’s analogy to Williams seems about right.</p>