<p>Which would be better for a political science major who also wants to sing in a good male a cappella group. I know Davidson is more prestigious and selective, I'm not concerned about that. Also, I will likely be a varsity athlete at either school and I would like to know how the jocks interact with the other students, and how much school spirit each school has. Finally, I'd like to know how difficult it is and how talented one has to be to qualify for merit money at either school. Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore at Davidson and I’m signed up for two upper level Political Science classes in the fall (The Presidency and The Legislative Process). I’m 99.9% sure I’m going to be a Political Science major and hope to declare before Christmas break. All of my professors in every department (I’ve taken in English, biology, physics, art, math, and philosophy departments) have been outstanding, but I have heard especially good things about the Political Science department. I am the President of the Young Democrats association at Davidson and I have worked closely with the advisor of the association on several occasions. She’s a professor in the Political Science department and she is delightful! I’m really excited about my two classes next semester.
Davidson also offers opportunities to study in Washington DC as an alternative to going abroad. I’ve heard excellent things about this program.</p>
<p>Davidson has two a cappella groups that men can join, the Generals (all-male) and Androgyny (co-ed). The two are very popular groups on campus and produce many cds of their performances that are popular in the community and around Charlotte. They perform frequently…at Live Thursday programs, at special concerts (the Generals give a special Valentine’s Day performance for the Davidson ladies), and at events like Family Weekend.</p>
<p>Davidson doesn’t really have what one would usually think of as jocks. Seriously: admissions and recruiting are 100% separate, and it’s what admissions says that counts. I had a friend who was being recruited for football and the coaches were absolutely dying to have him on the team…admissions said flat out no to him. He had applied early decision, which is easier than regular. Apparently his scores, other activities, and grades weren’t quite up to par… I’m not saying this kid was necessarily a jock, but I’m saying that Davidson doesn’t just let in a champ because of his/her talent with a particular sport (Seth Curry would’ve been the exception!). Davidson athletes are first and foremost students. All of our sports are Division I and all of the participants were approved by admissions, held to the same standard as everyone else…and as such, they are very much like everyone else. There are athletes on every freshmen hall and they make good friendships there and among students in their classes that are not necessarily athletes.
Davidson students are pretty spirited…at basketball games they’re extremely spirited. They’re not always so concerned with winning or losing…more they just want to have fun and support their friends. I’m very proud to be a Wildcat! I didn’t really care for sports before coming to Davidson…next year I’m on Sports Marketing! If someone had told me ten years ago I would end up on a sports promotion association, I would have laughed out loud. But I love going out to see my friends do what they’re best at. And I love Davidson basketball.</p>
<p>Merit aid is harder to come by than it once was, but if you give your best, you might score some. Basically, you have to fill out special applications if you’re really, really interested (all applicants are considered for some merit-based, but your chances are higher if you apply for the separately considered scholarships). If you’re selected as a semifinalist or finalist, you’ll interview sometime during spring semester, and you should know if you got your money in advance of the May 1st deadline.
From personal observation, I would say the kids who get merit aid are the ones who have not only done very well academically, but also have done something really cool during their high school career. Lots of the Belk scholars also just seem really…different. Desirable demographics, unusual religions, underrepresented minority status, legacy status – I’m sure all of these help. But I’m not saying these are deciding factors, by any means. Those things help with admissions everywhere, I think, when the class is starting to look too homogenous.</p>
<p>I think you’d like Davidson :)</p>
<p>Both schools are excellent but I wanted to point you to a few things that might give Richmond the upper hand. </p>
<p>A Capella is a huge deal at Richmond. There are no less than 6 groups and the concerts are always well attended. A few groups even produce CDs and the like. </p>
<p>Richmond athletics is very competative on the varsity level so depending on what your sport is, you’ll find it hard to make the top tier. Our Football and Basketball is entirely recruited I believe but I know they do hold tryouts. But there is a robust intermural league and many club level sports.</p>
<p>Like Davidson, the athletes and students interact like anybody else. Even the football team is required to go to every class and make up any missed work. That has not always been the case but our new coach has kind of dropped the hammer on the guys in the past year. (The Spiders won the NCAA Div 1 title this year, demolished Montana). So there really is no difference between the the Jocks and othe students. They all go to the same parties. </p>
<p>On that note, while Richmond is a serious campus and the students are highly involved - Fridays and Saturdays turn into a completely different scene. The parties are epic for the most part. </p>
<p>Finally, on the financial aid side. There are any number of scholarships available but you really do not need to worry about money at all when you apply for school. It is completely need-blind and, even though the school is $40,000 a year sticker price, only a third of the students who go there pay that. Richmond will cover 100% of your demonstrated need. I know that sounds too good to be true but I’m a senior at Richmond but I transfered from a public school. I can afford Richmond better than I could the in-state tuition at the public university. Money is of no concern to you when you apply here.</p>
<p>The school spirit could be better but its there. We are very supportive of the football team and the basketball team. Other sports have cult followings but you have to understand that the work-load at Richmond is heavy and few people have the time during the week to go to games. You are going to be Challenged academically at UR and that is a great thing. It’s very rewarding. I wouldn’t exactly call Davidson more renowned. UR has one of the top business schools in the country and it gets more and more recognition every year. </p>
<p>Good luck with your search. I think you’ll like Richmond as well.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure these schools are VERY different. I’m an incoming freshman at Davidson, and I never in a million years would have looked at Richmond. Though Davidson is in the South, I’ve heard over and over again that it is in its own bubble and is rather separated from Southern culture. Sure, it has its elements, and it’s bound to be different than a northern school simply by virtue of its location, but Davidson is pretty much on its own, and it could probably exist anywhere. Richmond, on the other hand, is pretty often referred to as an old money school–it’s very fratty, and I’ve heard that its main focus is not academics. Though Davidson has frats, school work and academics are 100% at the forefront of the experience (unless everything i’ve heard has been one massive ruse to convince me to come). After all, your experience at these schools will be very different simply because one is a liberal arts college and one is a university. One student body is very focused on learning for the sake of learning, while another is interested in a more pre-professional track. </p>
<p>Also, the OP was talking about the polisci program, not business. Richmond does have a good business program I’ve heard, but I don’t think the OP wants to study that. </p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p>tots33,</p>
<p>My wife is a Davidson grad, my son attends Richmond, and my daughter is a rising senior that will apply to both schools. My son is a poly sci major and plans to go to law school. Similar to amplifiar he will be taking a class on Congress and the Presidency this fall. His AP credits and a couple summer classes will allow him to graduate in 3 years. UR was not his first choice, but after a year he can’t imagine being in a better situation. I’ve met and talked with the head of the poly sci dept, my son’s advisor, and was quite impressed. If you are interested in the international side of political science, UR has a very good international studies program that they are pouring lots of money into.</p>
<p>Richmond has excellent fin aid and some good merit aid as well. (Get your app in early for merit aid consideration.) Richmond is about twice the size of Davidson and has a small graduate school presence, mostly law and B school. Richmond is in tucked away in a 350 acre nook in the city. At this point, my daughter likes Davidson better, and not just because she wants to be at a different school than her brother. My wife loved her years at Davidson.</p>
<p>I hope you can visit both schools if you haven’t already. Obviously Davidson has a superior reputation and is more difficult to get in to, but Richmond would be a very good backup school for many that Davidson are unable to accommodate.</p>
<p>My personal opinion is that Richmond and Davidson are victims of regional lumping. People seem to see “southern school” as a category itself, i.e., they are all lumped together simply because they are in the south and people tend to know less about southern schools. With southern schools, people seem to neglect clear differences between colleges. The most blatant example of this is on collegeboard.com. I remember looking at Davidson when I was in the early throws of this process, and seeing that, according to the website, people who like Davidson would also like UNC. Umm, I couldn’t think of two more different schools. For Davidson and U of R, it would be like someone arguing that BU and bowdoin are similar simply because they are in the same region and draw from a similar area. Don’t get me wrong, I think UR is better than BU, but it’s the same idea.</p>
<p>Wow. A lot of first hand knowledge of both schools. I just really hit the jackpot. Thank you all.</p>
<p>Amplifier, I actually know a soccer player who was wanted by the coaches at Davidson and didn’t get in, probably a similar situation to your friend. </p>
<p>Dl8gj and standrews, could either of you comment on the leadership studies track at U of R, that was another thing I was interested in.</p>
<p>The Grabler, I appreciate the advice. I do realize the differences between the two schools. I’m a big fan of LACs over universities where all the focus is on the undergrads. I always figured that because the graduate student population at U of R was so small compared to the undergrad population, it would barely affect feel of the school as a LAC. Maybe that is something I need to reconsider.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how I can move this thread to the U of R forum? Or should I just start another one?</p>