<p>lol, curmudgeon, me, too. I'm not a person everyone likes. [Vast understatement. And people probably think I don't realize that - no, I do!] Anyway, I didn't find any replies on this thread cynical... I guess opinions make the world go round.
Back to the original point of this thread, I live in the South but not being originally from the South had never really heard of Davidson. After reading this very interesting thread I've now marked Davidson in my junior son's Fisk guide as one he needs to look at. He's told me to stay out of the college process [yet another person I annoy, lol] but he has begrudgingly allowed me to mark colleges in his guidebooks. It will be fun to read the list of colleges he has to hand in to his guidance counselor this spring. He's so inscrutable that I have virtually no idea where he's interested in applying: UC Santa Barbara? Middlebury? At this point, I just hope I get to see the damn list.</p>
<p>One more comment about Davidson from the student-athlete side. I went back to the roster for my son's sport. You will see that the athletes all appear to be truly student-athletes: over and over in each player's bio you see AP Scholar, valedictorian, salutatorian, various honor societies, etc. next to their player stats. This is not too often the case with Division 1 schools and I think it says something about the character of the school (i.e., not cutting academic corners on admission for athletes).</p>
<p>Mattmom:</p>
<p>as a big fan of C-mudge, I'll come to his defense, not that he needs it....actually, his post could have been made with [insert school name] because, unfortunately, it does happen everywhere.</p>
<p>A friend's D is pre-med at highly selective school [insert HYPSM) and she concurred that the top juniors/seniors recieve phenomonal support in the med application process, while the not-so-strong kids are told to take a year off and work on med school apps and/or med volunteer work. Voila, selective school just protected its matriculating 'yield' into med school since graduates applying a year or two later don't count as graduating seniors anymore. But, many still do get accepted.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, thanks to all who have posted on Davidson. I've added it to S's list to investigate since it sounds like a wonderful collegiate experience.</p>
<p>I, too, have added it to S's college list as a school to investigate as a student-athlete. I had ruled it out (too small, too southern). I am really grateful for these boards.</p>
<p>It is a really pretty campus with definite borders (my favorite) and a wonderful student life center . Great walkable campus-quaint little town (although surrounded a little by Charlotte's sprawl, but not too bad). Check out their student humor publication I have forgotten the name of right now (may have just been the paper but I think not. It should be linked on their website. It is funny, irreverent stuff (the issue I read while there had a story about an honor code violator complete with photos where the amount in controversy was 5 cents. It was a riot. All very Lampoon-esque with a touch of Python absurdity.)</p>
<p>heidi - you have a "horse of a different color" in that son of yours who wants you to butt out of the college admissions process. You should see that portion of the Male advantage in Admission thread where we moms despair that our sons would even be able to find their applications in their bedroom haystacks! Come on over and visit a while and let us know if you get through the whole process without serving as Application-Manager/Travel-Arranger-for-college-visits, etc..</p>
<p>c'mudge - keep on keepin on with the wry humor and all. Don't know how you keep the farm going with all the research you're doing on college admit game.</p>
<p>heidi- I am SO glad that I am not the only one whose S does not welcome my involvement in the college process. We have already had one argument about it. Fortunately, he is in the NE in boarding school and I am in Texas, so he doesn't have to deal with me too much! He knows he needs help, but he likes to play things close to the chest. I am not an overbearing parent, but I want him to realize how involved the whole process is. I probably get a little too enthusiastic.....</p>
<p>I've been looking online for the davidson humor pub I saw at campus. This is the only online remnant I have found of a once great internet civilization
[quote]
the davidsonian website was destroyed in an unfortunate culinary accident involving a wok, fresh basil, and some ground cumin.
there were few complaints. The davidsonian paper, however, is alive and well. we're convinced the internet is just a fad anyway--soon to go the way of Flock of Seagulls and slap bracelets
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yep. I'd say those were the folks I was trying to find.</p>
<p>The Davidsonian is actually a the main campus paper that includes the usual sort of serious college news stories. There is a section within The Davidsonian called "The Yowl" (or maybe the "The Howl," I forget which it is) that is for satirical articles and student cartoons. It's very funny.</p>
<p>jmmon, that is exactly what I'm now worried about! How does he arrange school visits? Will he? I will keep cc posted on whether a male applicant can go it alone through the application process. My child and momofwildchild's son will be sociological experiments. </p>
<p>Momofwildchild - I'm relieved to hear that your son wants to proceed on his own, too! My s even went so far as to mark "no mail" on the PSAT so I wouldn't "bug him" about college mail and initially refused to give me the sheet with standardized testing dates that his guidance counselor had them fill out to give to their parents! [I guess he was just going to sign up himself - he does have a credit card.] I have been quite amused the last couple weeks that colleges seem to be sending him mail despite his "no mail" check-off. [Go Williams! Go NYU! Send it anyway!] </p>
<p>Maybe I got overenthused, too, about the whole college selection process... I don't know. My son is a junior but turns 18 this summer and I think psychologically he's ready to be independent and move on but he's stuck at home another year. I remember being worried pre-kindergarten because the private school he now attends wouldn't accept summer birthday boys for kindergarten until they had turned six. I remember thinking - but he's going to be eighteen years old his entire senior year and still living at home! Probably with a girl! Not tenable! And voila - it's just what has happened. [Minus the girl.] He just seems ready to leave the nest and really wants his independence. </p>
<p>Hopefully he will find a school he likes. It's all a bit of a crapshoot anyway. Eons ago, I picked the wrong school after visiting and happily hanging out with a group of people who turned out to be absolutely unrepresentative of anybody else on the campus. My brother visited only one school, Carleton, decided to go there, and loved it. Luck is an underrated factor in life stories.</p>
<p>Ah, heidi - now I get it. S wants to go it alone, but you're not sure he'll get the job done. I would have exactly the same worry. Well, you've got us all here, right behind you. If winter of Sr. year comes and he hasn't started talking about college visits, the Mom-Dad-cc network will come up with a foolproof strategy, no doubt about it. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks, jmmom, it will be great to have a little help along the way! I had already been trying to think up a strategy for next fall if things didn't seem to be falling into place. [Hadn't really come up with one yet, lol.] I will report back if the college guides leave the living room desk and make it into his room. He's already rejected visiting any colleges during this spring break [wants his normal family trip to the Florida beaches] and his summer is getting busy so who knows how this will all play out.</p>
<p>Heidi- my S has agreed to 3 college visits at the end of his spring break (he goes to boarding school). His school really insists on making some spring break visits, so I can't claim credit. When we make the visits (Penn, Princeton, Colgate) I think I will keep my mouth totally shut- maybe even let him go on the tour without us (the dreaded parents). He has to meet with coaches, too, which I will also leave up to him. I took at real flyer and registered him for the March SAT, which will occur while he is home for spring break. I thought he would be furious, but he accepted it nicely. He has a conflict with the June date, and SAT IIs need to happen in May. So far, no explosions.</p>
<p>momofwildchild, [what a good name!] Three college visits should get your s on his way and those are all supposed to be fun colleges to attend. [But that new Princeton policy limiting the number of As sounds like it could make Princeton a little less fun.] I went to a house parties weekend there many moons ago and had a great time.
Anyway, I wish my son's school could make him take a spring break visit, though I would have to take a vow of silence, too. [I would also not go on the tours with mine, lol.] </p>
<p>A lot of students at my kids' school apply ED somewhere so today I'm kind of hoping he'll just fixate magically upon one school, chosen through some process that I don't have to be involved with in any way, and we'll have the entire thing over with. </p>
<p>Good work on the test registration! I told mine I thought I should register him for the March and the June SATs and he was not happy with me. He wants to take it in June, and he wants to take it one time. Sometimes I think he's planning on becoming a professional poker player and he just hasn't broken it to me yet.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Sometimes I think he's planning on becoming a professional poker player and he just hasn't broken it to me yet.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Whatever makes him happy...</p>
<p>cevonia, I couldn't agree more! One side of the family would be delighted, the other, horrified beyond words. [Might be worth it just for that. :-)]</p>
<p>My wish is that anyone looking for a great liberal arts college visit Davidson.Interesteddad's remarks are on the money.We visited all the name schools from Maine down to North Carolina.Davidson truly is in a class by itself.We strolled around the W&L campus on three separate visits-not one person ever said hello.Davidson's brochures never really hyped the friendliness or the people-being Yankees we didn'd know what to expect-but we were humbled by the graciousness of everyone we met.
Our son graduates from Davidson this May.The four years flew.Class has nothing to do with money.Davidson reeks of class!
I wish everyone considering Davidson all the best.Visit the school.Stay in the guest house on campus.Spend time with the faculty,coaches,student groups you're considering,etc.Take a tour and speak with the admissions staff.
Our experience up North has been that people have either never heard of Davidson or they're in awe of the school.Good luck! GO "CATS!!!</p>
<p>Damn, the secret(how great Davidson truly is) is going to get out and the acceptance rate will drop even further(its already at an all-time low 25%); my little brother(high school sophomore) begs you to turn your attention to another college so he will still have a chance to follow me at this wonderful place.</p>
<p>hubbellgardner, let me ask you this: the Fiske guide calls Davidson "the Dartmouth of the South" and says it is "rigorous but not grueling" but another guide I have called "The Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 329 Most Interesting Colleges" opens with these lines: ""Davidson is no walk in the park" says one Davidson College student. "I don't know of a more difficult school... and yes, I have friends at Harvard and MIT and they have it easier."" How intense is the academic atmosphere there? Grading?</p>
<p>I've also heard it called the "Pomona of the south"</p>