<p>This from <em>Libertas</em> a student publication at Davidson:</p>
<p>"Although Davidson attempts to pull applicants from all fifty states, the college is dedicated to keeping around fifty percent of each class from the Southeast U.S."</p>
<p>Why would a southern college need affirmative action to keep itself southern? Or, are they really just trying to insure that they remain "middle of the road" politically?</p>
<p>well, John, even at your beloved Wesleyan, 69% of the students are from the geographically limited northeast(28% from tiny new england, 43% from mid-atlantic states), my home state of Texas would encompass almost your entire drawing area, so, I am not sure what your point is.</p>
<pre><code> CLASS OF 2008
</code></pre>
<p>WESLEY WESLEYAN AN
UNIVERSITY
7 0 W y l l y s A v e n u e , M i d d l e t o w n , C T 0 6 4 5 9 , 8 6 0 - 6 8 5 - 3 0 0 0
PROFILE
Profile of Students Offered Admission for 2004
6,568 Applications Received 1,843 Admitted (28%)
2004 Highlights
Applications decreased 6%; 20% growth since 1994
Selectivity has increased 8 percentage points since 1994
Early Decision: 9% of applicants and 15% of admission offers
78% ranked in top decile and 93% in top fifth (50% ranked)
Median: SATV 720 SATM 710 WR 720 ACT 31
105 international students admitted, compared to 62 in 1994
79% live outside New England; 7% live outside U.S.
37% Students of Color (33% US citizens/permanent residents)
29% student leaders, e.g. class president, team captain, editor-in-chief
11% first generation in family to college (24% at least one non-college parent)
76% have taken calculus
82% have taken biology, chemistry and physics
73% have a fourth year of one foreign language
G Pyke 9/1/04
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
5400
5800
6200
6600
7000
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
150
300
450
600
750
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Applications
Selectivity
Early Decision Applicants and Matriculants
apps
matrics
Profile of First Year Students
Class 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008*
Matriculants 718 725 720 718 729
Men 48% 48% 47.5% 47.5% 47%
Women 52% 52% 52.5% 52.5% 53%
Geography (Home)
New England 28% 26% 29% 26% 25%
Mid-Atlantic 41% 43% 43% 36% 38%
Mid-West 8% 7% 6% 9% 9%
South 5% 5% 5% 6% 5%
West 12% 11% 9% 14% 13%
Outside the USA 7% 7% 6% 8% 9%
Secondary School
Public 57% 57% 56% 58% 58%
Other 43% 43% 44% 42% 42%
Early Decision 41% 41% 42% 40% 38%
Students of Color (including international) 30% 31% 28% 31% 31%
Asian/Asian-American 12% 11% 13% 14% 16%
Black/African-American 11% 11% 8% 8% 6%
Latino/Hispanic 7% 8% 6% 9% 8%
International Students 6% 5% 6% 6% 7%
Freeman Asian Scholars 3% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Wesleyan Relatives 9% 16% 14% 13% 16%
Alumni Children 4% 8% 6% 4% 5%
First Generation to Four-Year College 10% 9% 12% 15% 10%
Financial Aid 48% 42% 45% 49% 44%
Grant Aid 45% 37% 42% 45% 42%
Academic Program in HS
Math through Calculus 62% 69% 72% 68% 70%
Biology, Chemistry and Physics 73% 76% 77% 77% 78%
Foreign Language IV 70% 74% 74% 69% 70%
Class Ranking
Class Rank Reported 52% 51% 52% 57% 50%
Top 10% 68% 72% 73% 73% 66%
Top 20% 87% 91% 90% 91% 88%
SAT Medians Verbal 680 690 700 700 700
Math 680 690 690 690 700
SAT2 WR 700 700 710 700 720
ACT Median 30 30 30 31 31
Applications 6,862 7,014 6,474 6,955 6,568
Admitted 1,881 1,796 1,818 1,854 1,843
Selectivity 27% 26% 28% 27% 28%
Yield 38% 40% 40% 39% 40%
* Class of 2008 as of August 1, 2004 G Pyke 9/1/04</p>
<p>The northeast produces more of the highest scoring kids than any other section of the country, so it would make sense for Wesleyan to be more than 50% northeastern in enrollment. But, that's a long way from saying that they PREFER northeasterners. And since the South produces the lowest number of high-scorers, I think the real question is, why Davidson feels they have to go out of thier way to practice affirmative action for the very applicants who reside closest to them?</p>
<p>well, Wesleyan doesn't have to say it 'prefers' northeasterners-it does so in action, not words. Also, I believe they have little choice, that is who applies there in the first place. Affirmative action implies that there are lower standards for applicants from the south-I am not sure there is any evidence for that. However, it is clear that there are more options for students in the northeast who want an elite LAC in the not-too-distant-from-home area than there are in the South, so one might assume a regional consideration is given for that reason.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>The northeast produces more of the highest scoring kids than any other section of the country, so it would make sense for Wesleyan to be more than 50% northeastern in enrollment. </p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Oh, puhleeze.</p>
<p>Wesleyan and Davidson are the same as every other school. All college and universities tends to draw most heavily from its local region. It has nothing to do with test scores, but rather the simple fact that most kids go to collleges within a reasonable drive from home. And, of course, they are most familiar with colleges close to home.</p>
<p>Davidson actively recruits students throughout the country; admissions officers hold receptions and visit high schools throughout the Northeast and on the West Coast, among other places. It is my impression that Davidson does quite a good job of reaching out to other regions while maintaining a regional identity as well.</p>
<p>Okay, then. If the reason for reserving 50% of an entering class for Southerners has nothing to do with academics, and if in fact most colleges have "little choice" in who applies them, that seems to leave but one other explanation: political orientation.</p>
<p>I am sure that is why Wesleyan 'reserves' 70% of its class for northeasterners-to maintain their flamingly liberal orientation. Yep, I bet you got it right...</p>
<p>Wesleyan's admissions policies are pretty much an open book (literally, it's called the "Gatekeepers" and is now in paperback.) But, more than that, I think it's clear from what I know about the place that nothing would thrill them more than to be able to admit larger numbers of kids from the South and Southwest. OTOH, I wonder if Davidson would really feel similarly thrilled with more kids from Boston and New York City?</p>
<p>John Wesley, I don't think most people care that much about political orientation; there are lots of people who are pretty moderate, perhaps with a slight liberal or conservsative tilt, and are happy to associate with other people who may share simliar tastes and itnerests even if they don't vote for the same party or even espouse identical social and political causes. It's called being civilized. Barring extremes of belief that don't allow for such differences (and the recent publicity about Wesleyan requiring frats to have women in residence borders on the silly if not the extreme), any community, whether a college or a town, benefits from having a variety of beliefs. (And the fact that Davidson may be fairly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans does mean it may be more conservative than similar schools in the Northeast, but it does not make it shockingly conservative or unfriendly to diverse opinions. If anything, I think it may be more open in that way than more aggressively liberal schools.)</p>
<p>It's nice to see a 77/81 corridor school get such nice national and international play on this forum. Did Davidson sponsor this thread? Just kidding. Given its relative obscurity, compared to its NE peers, Davidson is getting a well-deserved advertisement that money can't buy. Davidson is a great school in a Princeton-like town. It does have an outreach effort to attract African Americans. Nanette Bearden, widow of Harlem Renaissance great Romare Bearden (North Carolina born) sponsors two $10,000 scholarships for African-American artists at Davidson College in memory of her late husband. One of the recipients, a recent graduate, is now a Davidson adcom who will be working hard to interest more African Americans in Davidson. This is just a tiny part of the effort. My hunch is that most URMS prefer a more heterogeneous ambient population where they see off-campus more people who look like them - no different from majority students and ORMs other than South Asians.</p>
<p>Mattmom - I join you in defending Davidson's right to have as many Republicans as they want on a campus of 1500. I just wonder why they feel the need to do it at the expense of people from New York and Massachusetts?</p>
<p>Just a guess since I am not privy to admissions decisions, but I suspect that because of the school's interest in expanding both the diversity of its student body and its national reputation, it may even be a trifle easier to get into Davidson from the Northeast, Midwest, or Far West than it is from parts of the South--the Libertas article notwithstanding (and keep in mind that Libertas is not the main student newspaper but a conservative organ). An excellent but unhooked student whose demographic (state of origin, ethnicity, socioeconomic group) is overrepresented at Dartmouth or Williams or Amherst may well be someone Davidson would like to have; someone of similar qualifications and background but from Alabama might be a student Dartmouth, Williams, or Amherst would love to have for geographic diversity yet might be in oversupply at Davidson. Politics as such is hardly an issue in this context. Most counties in New Jersey, for example, voted Republican, but it'a a blue state. New Orleans is probably Democratic, but Louisiana is a red state. Soemtimes these distinctions are just out of place.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>One of the recipients, a recent graduate, is now a Davidson adcom >></p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>We met this adcom this past summer and simply put, he was outstanding. He was a great ambassador for the college itself, and a fine interviewer. My daughter thought he was terrific, and he is one reason she is very interested in Davidson (which would be a reach for her, but one that is of enough interest that she is going to probably go for it). DD is also interested in the music scholarships they offer that give a college scholarship and pay for private lessons. She is an oboe player, and she is hoping that they will NEED an oboe player for their ensembles the year she matriculates. She has the class rank, and is in the mix for GPA with a very aggressive course load. She hopes her SAT will be high enough for this school to be a serious consideration.</p>
<p>We spent three days at Davidson last April, attending classes and checking out the area. As a parent, my only disappointments were (1) almost total lack of student participation in the physics class. (Despite the despairing professor's frequent prompts, his questions were met with dead silence and glazed expressions. I can only guess that this particular class was fulfilling a distribution requirement for non-science majors, which explains the disinterest, but the lack of courtesy to the professor pained me) and (2) no fat-free frozen yogurt machine in the commons, just big bins of full-fat ice cream. This last deficiency may seem trivial, but not to this health-conscious mom who has worked hard to keep her athletic offsprings' arteries clear. We have been able to indulge in our favorite fat-free treat at every other campus we visited. My son enjoyed the ancient history class and, although he is from the west coast, felt very comfortable with the people, campus and surrounding area.</p>
<p>
[quote]
no fat-free frozen yogurt machine in the commons, just big bins of full-fat ice cream.
[/quote]
People often complain about the inability of US NEWS to select the correct measures to evaluate and rank colleges. If US NEWS would start including frozen yogurt machines in its analysis, I think all of the complaints would end.</p>
<p>My son was offered an athletic scholarship at Davidson last year, and went there on an official visit in the fall of his senior year. The coach who recruited him was absolutely first class in the way he spoke with my son, was supportive and attentive to him, reliable, etc--my favorite of several favorites in the recruiting process--and in some ways I am still sad that my son chose another school. </p>
<p>My son's major reservation about the school, I think, was that he did not feel comfortable in the less diverse, and southern social environment, as he was used to a highly diverse group of friends and classmates. There was a fair amount of drinking at weekend parties but probably not more so than at other similar LACs. He did not have an opportunity to go to classes unfortunately. It was one of his final 3 top choices. For him, the coach was definitely the strongest draw to the school. </p>
<p>To the person whose daughter has been contacted by a Davidson coach--you will have to see how much follow-up interest there is, and whether an official visit is offered, etc. Obviously they contact more people than they can eventually recruit. I also do not know how much pull the coaches have with admissions. It is okay for your daughter to ask, once a relationship has been established, how she ranks among their recruits. Your daughter should be the one talking, however. The coaches generally want to have their discussions with the students, not the parents.</p>
<p>I'm not sure how much it helps the OP to trade anecdotes, but here goes anyway: My daughter wrote a peer recommendation to Davidson for one of her closest friends, who's now a very happy student there. For the record, the friend is from New York, not Republican, and not particularly preppy.</p>
<p>InterestedDad's initial description of Davidson and the South in post #11 is spot on. As for reserving 50% from the South - come on, give me a break. Look at this from the perspective of the Board of Trustees. You are trying to run a small college of very high academic standards in a region where football is a religion. You have a reasonable endowment, but not sizeable, certainly not at Swat or Williams or Ivy levels (even on a per student basis) - the amount of aid you can give truly is limited, whether it goes out as need based or merit based or some combination of the 2. Your first responsibility i(after establishing the mission) is to have the instititution remain finanacially viable so it can carry out that mission. Seems logical to me that you would want to market your institution outside your region, cause there are a lot of good students up in the NE that would like your product, and many can pay. At the same time, you don't want to alienate your customer base - we looked at most of the Southern LACs and a lot of the NE ones, I'll venture to say Davidson is almost unique in the South(remember there are many fewer LACs to start with here) in academics, political flavor, location, etc - very much like Williams and Dartmouth, similar to Amherst, less like Swarthmore. We don't have many choices that combine the pure academics/athletics/fine arts and are as liberal (Yes, by OUR standards this school is liberal, which by NE LACs standards means a fairly balanced to apolitical/conservative spectrum, kind of live and let live). W&L is quite close, but is more "old Southy", a little more preprofessional (although believe me, Davidson is churning out MDs and JDs), more rural location, less fine arts/balanced curriculum, more frats. W&L, being relatively close to DC is the pre-law, pre-politics place - Davidson is a little more balanced among law, medicine and business. SSSsssooo, you want all those MD and JD's kids to keep coming, also when you start sending out the acceptances, you will be more confident that your yield will be higher from students closer to home, that's just human nature, how many 17 year olds are going to move 800 miles from home to a place where they are convinced the natives don't wear shoes, have teeth, and carry shotguns in their Jimmies?</p>
<p>To the OP, I don't know if this matters - I'm a physician, my daughter is considering pre-med, so we together evaluated all the schools she visited (All Davidson's main competitors) based on their pre-med programs. Speaking as someone who has been through med school admissions, ON PAPER at least, Davidson has the finest pre-med program we saw - better than JHU, better than Williams, better than Yale, better than Dartmouth, the best. The one thing that is hard to piece together from website, etc, is how internally competitive the students are to get those recommendations - Hubbell may have insight into that. My perception though was rather than just weeding out, there were systems to get a student experience in med, career advisement and refocusing if necessary, all the support that is what makes a really great pre-med program.</p>
<p>As a footnote to cangel's excellent summing up, I would note that Davidson, like Williams, is one of those "happy" schools where kids wear their very real intelligence and work ethic lightly (that's a polite way of saying work hard/play hard) and learn to balance different roles. And to those concerned about the entitlement factor, I would also point out that Davidson also provides excellent and abundant opportunities for community service, both in its own back yard and in the wider (as in worwldwide) community.</p>