Davidson vs Hamilton

Hi everyone, our S21 was recently accepted to both Davidson and Hamilton and we were wondering if anyone had any input on the two. He got waitlisted at his top choices (Bowdoin, Midd, and Pomona) and got into W&L and Carleton but has ruled them out at this point. He hopes to major in Econ or Math and hopefully go into banking/finance. Both my husband and I are liberal arts grads and know plenty about Davidson and its strong reputation but were pretty clueless about Hamilton until he got in. However, we live in the south so that makes sense. S is a very smart, hard working student but in a humble sort of way where he probably would not enjoy an overly academic/work-intensive culture. He’s very outgoing, funny, and athletic and would probably would do well at either of these schools but he seems to think that Davidson is a bit easier to get into than Hamilton and that Hamilton might be better for econ. Does anyone have any input into these two schools? Thank you!

Location is the main difference between Hamilton College & Davidson College.

Both are excellent schools academically & socially.

Does your son want to venture out of the South ? Based on his top choice schools of Pomona, Bowdoin, & Middlebury, it seems as though your son is ready to experience another area of the country.

Why your son ruled out Wash & Lee and Carleton College may provide some insight as to the better choice.

Davidson College participates in Division 1 for basketball which may or may not be a factor for your son = big time college athletics

I prefer Davidson’s location & that is how I would decide between the two schools since I view them as equals in other respects.

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This site can be useful for comparing economics departments by faculty scholarship: Economics rankings: US Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges | IDEAS/RePEc.

Hamilton appears in a Princeton Review (print edition) sampling, “Great Schools for Mathematics Majors.”

By U.S. News selectivity ranks, Hamilton places 5th among NLACs (tied with Williams and Swarthmore) and Davidson places 17th (tied with Colgate).

Thanks for your responses! I agree that theyre both very good schools and are more similar than different, and thank you merc81 for the stats. Would any of you happen to know about the cultures at either school? My son very much fits the work-hard play-hard cliche, he doesnt mind the hard work however he would definitely prefer a more laid back environment where academics isnt the only thing people can talk about (I believe thats why he ruled out Carleton). Hes also a big NCAA basketball fan so Davidson might be better in that regard but hamilton probably will be better for econ.

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If your son really wanted Pomona, Bowdoin, or Middlebury then I strongly suggest he chooses Hamilton. They are more likely to be his kind of people. And plenty of Hamilton grads go into high paying jobs, so he will be in good company.

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If banking or finance is his aim, Hamilton has (although now temporarily suspended) a New York City program which offers the students a chance to study in NYC and work in an investment bank. More information is here - Hamilton’s NYC Program.

Some students in their junior year opt for this rather than a semester abroad (although the program does not require a student to forego foreign study). The program is competitive but certainly attainable. Best of luck to him.

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Ah okay I’ll tell him to check that out for sure! Thanks

How so? I always thought that Davidson would be more laid back as its in the south. Are hamilton students notably laid-back outgoing? I honestly dont know much about them and havent found much info on the internet about it but I always got a more preppy impression from the school.

Because Davidson is definitely more conservative than any of the other four schools, and your son prefers three of those to Davidson. My understanding is that Davidson isn’t particularly laid back either.

Remember to check out the Davidson and Hamilton forums. Lots of good postings there!

In order to understand Hamilton’s culture, it might be worth noting that it offers 27 varsity sports (for context, Davidson offers 19). While Hamilton students devote time, effort and interest to academics, they’re very active in extracurricular pursuits as well, which diffuses some of the school’s overall academic focus.

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I grew up with Davidson in my backyard, and I work with Davidson students each summer through a research program run in conjunction with the college. I’ve always found Davidson to be a very laidback, noncompetitive place despite its rigorous academics, but obviously this is subjective.

I think @Publisher more or less nailed it in the first response, but I’ll add that Davidson has a much larger Greek scene than his other choices. It is not as pervasive as at some of the other southern LACs, and you can certainly be happy at Davidson without joining a frat or sorority, but it’s something to keep in mind.

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Ok thank you, I was actually quite unaware of the greek scene at Davidson. S turned away from W&L because he felt the greek scene was too central to the social life there so I think that might sway him more towards Hamilton too. Thanks!

Ok great, I think S likes the NESCAC D3 scene maybe a bit more as he might have a chance to walk onto their crew team. Thanks for the insight

This site shows Davidson’s level of fraternity participation in relation to the levels at other colleges: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-frats.

Hamilton’s new boathouse will be ready in August: Hamilton College | Boathouse - Holt Architects.

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Thanks for the solid perspective.

@taytay67 , my son is a junior at Hamilton and was able to walk onto the crew team with no prior experience. Being 6’5" and 175 lbs. helped, I’m sure!

My son is a senior at Hamilton, majoring in Econ. He has had a great experience there and really thinks highly of the Econ faculty. He is not sporty or preppy, and even though that might seem like the vibe at Hamilton, there are plenty of alternatives. The campus is so beautiful and there are lots of outdoor spaces to enjoy, even when it is cold.

I visited Davidson with my daughter and she seriously considered it - the art focus there is cool! People were very friendly and the town was pretty. But the idea of the dining clubs and the greek life turned her off, because it was obvious that there was a real divide between men and women. Women eat all their meals together in these dining clubs. Also, there are dining clubs for people of color to be together, but that meant my daughter would be in a club with mostly white women, which was not what she was looking for at college. Not sure if the frats operate in the same fashion. At Hamilton, my son spends equal time with both men and women. It is not as diverse as some schools, but it is a focus and value of the school to improve.

If you have any questions about Hamilton I am happy to answer - although of course it is just one family’s experience.

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Can anyone comment if Davidson would be a fit for a quirky musician/theater kid who is not into sports or Greek life? I noticed that Davidson has a relatively high proportion of students involved in Greek life compared to other LACs (certainly compared to Hamilton). How accepting is the Davidson community of LQBTQ individuals? Thanks for any insight.