<p>My experience has been much like the ones described. I have thought about transferring when it just seemed like the work was too much, but I have also been elated when I looked around and saw that there is no place I would rather be. I came from a very large public school in Florida where the academics were not the first priority, however, while the work is tough, I have a pretty good GPA and am doing well. (I am pre-med, polisci major) The social scence is largely what you make of it. I have joined clubs and have gotten active in leadership, I have a group of friends who goes into Charlotte almost every weekend and has a blast, and another group who lives it up on campus. Davidson definitely embraces the work hard - play hard attitude, and I really think that if you want a social life you can have it.</p>
<p>I am a current Freshman at Davidson and wanted to weigh in on these topics. In terms of social life, I am an occaisonal drinker and not into the party scene, but I have yet to have a boring weekend on campus. Between events at the student union, hanging out with friends, Charlotte, performances and athletic games, and trips with DO( Davidson's outdoors club), I always have too many things I want to do on the weekends. While the party scene is most publicised, there are many students who do not drink or party and still have fun when not in class. </p>
<p>Academically, Davidson does have a lot of work, but not as much as people like to talk about. There's a joke on campus that goes: "How long does it take the average Davidson student to write a paper? Four hours: 3 to complain about it and 1 to write it." The truth is, everyone works hard, but most secretly enjoy the work they are doing and don't have quite as much as they think. I have more work than I did in high school (small strong private southern school) but I have more time to do the work, so it doesn't feel much harder than high school.</p>
<p>There are also many perks about Davidson some forget to consider. The honor code is awesome, especially when you're taking self scheduled exams. The people are incredibly friendly. Its fun to cheer on your basketball team in the NCAA tournament. The weather is wonderful- last weekend I sat at the lake campus in 80 degree weather. You can't say that about any northern liberal arts school!</p>
<p>Anyways, I love Davidson and everything about it. I strongly urge others to look into the school. I wish everyone luck in the college process!</p>
<p>As a mom of a freshman, I would like to add that Davidson is not always a moderate place. “Work hard” for some students means unhealthy workaholic perfectionist toil. “Play hard” for some students means binge drinking and frantic hook ups with multiple partners on the same weekend. This has been a surprise for my daughter who was drawn to Davidson for the OUTSTANDING professors. The classroom experience has exceeded her expectations. However, the intense academic demands sometimes create a climate of on-going stress, especially for students who are not fast readers or who have other time demands. It is common for kids to blow off steam on weekends. If you read this website and others, students commonly express at least a fleeting interest in transferring due to the workload. Some feel “trapped” due to great financial aid; others feel their Davidson GPA’s are too low to be attractive to other schools. In the end, very few leave; Davidson has one of the highest graduation rates in the country. As background, my daughter went to one of the country’s top 100 public high schools, graduated with 9 AP courses, and had an 800 on the critical reading section of the SAT. Sometimes she feels that her workload is crushing. </p>
<p>The Davidson Outdoors summer orientation program should have given her a hint of what she was getting in to. The Davidson website said that kids who do moderate exercise on a regular basis should have no trouble. The first day of the trip, the group walked 12 miles straight up a mountain with a heavy back pack!</p>
<p>ok. all these posts have officially freaked me out. i got in EDII but now I’m insanely nervous.</p>
<p>Don’t be nervous; note, too, that all but one post was from 2007! And that most recent post is from one person and apparently reflects one person’s experience as told to/perceived by her mother! Every person has a different story to tell. Trust your instinct and your experience and congratulations on your recent admission.</p>