<p>My son is applying to Davidson and wants to major in Physics and/or biology. (More physics this week) How is the physics department in general and the major specifically?</p>
<p>I'd suggest going on the Davidson Web site's academics section and reading the various Physics dept material. Most of the departments have a pretty detailed listing of professors, areas of expertise, and so on, so I'd imagine that would be the case for physics. If/when he is accepted he might also get in touch with the various physic professors so he can get a clearer idea of just what the dept offers in terms of his specific interests. (Obviously could also do both these things with bio.)</p>
<p>I love the biology department and am told that it has received much recognition over the years. The labs are state-of-the-art and the programs are quite extensive. They even let freshmen use them for supervised research projects. </p>
<p>The physics department may be another story. I've heard good things about one or two of the professors, but even the biology and math teachers I spoke to were critical of our physics department. Many recommend to premed students to take the physics classes at schools other than Davidson. That said, my friends in the early physics class have thus far found the experience enjoyable and the instruction both thorough and appropriate.</p>