<p>I'm trying to get a feel for what Davidson really does for you. Are they really as concerned about each individual student as they say they are? Is there really as much indivual attention and small classes as they say? For any alumni/current attendies, how has you experience at Davidson been? And on a completly unrelated topic, have you met Steph Curry?</p>
<p>yes. Davidson is everything and more than what everyone says. My classes were all tiny and everyone really does get personal attention. My food and religion writing course had 12 I think and we all sat in a circle and just discussed most days. We even met in commons, our dining hall once. Profs. are so so understanding and their offices are always open and they love for you to come and talk, whether you have a small question, need help with a paper or whatever else. What I loved the most is the huge trust level on campus. I have never felt so safe in my life and i grew up in an extremely safe suburb. You can leave everything in the library and come back in a few hours and it will still be there. You can leave your phone and wallet outside the union to go buy and drink and you come back and it will still be there. This plays a huge role academically. A lot of professors will let you take exams where you want and when you feel ready. My math professor for example let us take our exams like this as long as we turned them in by the next class and he just trusted that we wouldnt talk about it or open our textbooks, which no one does. My econ professor even let me take my econ test in my dorm room early because i had a meeting when the test was supposed to happen! This is also really nice during finals, which are self scheduled. This means you show up to chambers (our main academic building) during one of the exam times on any day during the exam period and just pick up your final and take it in any room you want. On a different note, yes i do see steph haha. I am an athlete at davidson so i see him around baker, our sports complex all the time. I went to a party at his appt. one of the first weeks i got here. Everyone pretty much treats him like a normal student though.</p>
<p>My largest class was 32, but it was a premed class. Premed-track classes are always very popular freshmen year because all of the freshmen come in thinking they're going to study hard and grow up to be House or Meredith Grey. But they are still capped at 32, because only 16 can fit in each lab section. My writing class had twelve people. I know intro-psych classes are capped at 40 because it's extremely popular, but otherwise, I'm pretty sure everything is capped at thirty-two and most have about twenty or fewer students. When you get into specific courses for your major, you may have even fewer.</p>
<p>People (professors, hall counselors/RAs, and students) are all really nice. They smile and greet you when you pass by, even if you've never met them. You won't know everyone on campus, but you'll recognize most people. The professors encourage you to come see them if you have trouble, and are very helpful. Most love it for you to just stop by for a chat if you happen to be perusing Chambers during your spare time. They know that at Davidson, unlike at most institutions, they must put teaching before research, and not the other way around.</p>
<p>Davidson was by no means my first choice school. If anything, it was near the middle of my list -- fourth or fifth out of ten schools. But I LOVE it. I can't imagine being so happy at any other school, be it Harvard or Duke; Amherst or Brown. I love it, love it, love -- everything about it! </p>
<p>And yes -- I know Steph alright. He's a really sweet guy, and he's so normal for one who gets so much attention. Haha he was very insistent that I come to the College of Charleston game since I'm from Charleston.</p>
<p>ecewl what sport do you play at davidson?</p>
<p>amplifiar, you've never told me about your other applications!</p>
<p>I'm in sort of a similar situation, where I'm applying to 9, so the decision will be tough.</p>
<p>If you don't mind my asking, where else did you get in, and what DIDN'T you like about those schools?</p>
<p>Haha so I miscounted -- I applied to eleven.
Davidson - accepted; enrolled.
Emory - accepted
New York University - accepted
College of Charleston Honors - accepted
University of South Carolina - accepted
American University - accepted
Boston University - accepted
George Washington University - accepted
University of Pennsylvania - denied
Georgetown University - waitlisted
Harvard College - z-listed (ie. first denied, then deferred for a year -- not worth it, 'cause it's not definite)</p>
<p>Harvard was my first choice, but I very rapidly turned my mind to Davidson after I got the initial rejection letter. I think part of my impulse was that I had really, really enjoyed my visit to Davidson and had a great time at Decision Davidson (met Steph Curry, made lots of older friends, got to sit in on classes with extremely nice professors, and met the sophomore boy that I've now been dating for four months). </p>
<p>I visited NYU and GWU after I got in and found that neither had a true campus -- mostly a bunch of scattered buildings all over soho and downtown DC, respectively. I didn't really get a college feel from either. Not to mention GWU was hella expensive. We're talking over 50 grand. Davidson is expensive enough at 40 grand, but Davidson has a reputation GW can't dream of.<br>
Also, on a shallow note, I read in College ******* that NYU is 70% girls and that 50% of the guys are gay. Again, not to sound too shallow, but...kind of clenches the pool, a bit. I wanted a place that was 50/50. Plus, NYC is always fun to visit, but I think it could be a bit scary to actually live there. Same goes to Boston, a bit. I live in Rome, Italy during the summers -- right in the middle of bustling Trastevere. I have no problem with big cities, whatsoever...but Boston, New York, and Philadelphia have a bit of a problem with crime. In Rome, I feel very safe because no one can own guns, for instance. The most crime that have is pick-pocketing, which is very preventable.</p>
<p>Boston U was huge and the buildings looked like a lot of tattered cardboard boxes. It was kind of in an iffy area of Boston and I figured I didn't want to tough the Boston weather if it wasn't in Cambridge (Harvard). I'm a southerner -- what can I say? :)</p>
<p>You couldn't pay me to go to University of South Carolina. I applied because my guidance counselor assured me I was not going to get into any of the schools on my list besides USC and maybe College of Charleston.
(Haha)
Downtown Columbia (SC's capital) is the most disgusting, run-down nowhere town I've ever seen. There's no parking anywhere and all the buildings are spread out across the whole town. Too many people. Picture lecture halls with hundreds of students. No individual attention, whatsoever.</p>
<p>College of Charleston would probably be a really cool place to go if you're not from Charleston. The architecture is stunning and traditional. Charleston is a wonderful place to live. Lots of restaurants; great night life; excellent shopping on King Street (from GAP to Juicy Couture, from Louis Viutton to Gucci, from Brookstone to Borders Books -- they have it all). But I live five minutes from the College of Charleston, and the classes were easy enough that I was able to take courses there in the eighth, ninth, and tenth grade when I wanted to study languages and political science courses not offered at my high school. I would recommend it to out of towners, but I think for me, it would feel like being in high school.</p>
<p>I didn't choose to stay on the waitlist at Georgetown because all the people I've met who go there (including a first cousin) are extremely pretentious, and my cousin's main complaint is that all the students think they're the stuff and let you know quickly if you don't figure it out at first sight. This was the impression I got of Duke students, too.</p>
<p>American University felt very fake. I can't explain it, but when I was three, I thought I was in like...a pop up book. All their decorations were a little bit corny. All of their letters were a little bit whimsical in an unsettling way...it just didn't feel "legit," if you will.</p>
<p>I really liked Emory, but for personal reasons I didn't feel like I could go there. I was on and off with a boy who went there for several years, and we finally broke it off for good, early in my senior year of high school, but I knew that if I went to Emory, even though it's a big school and he would be a senior (and therefore graduating after only one year), I would still probably see him around and could start remembering "the good ol' days" so I thought Emory was a bad idea.<br>
What I didn't like about Emory though was the distance (six hours from where I live, as opposed to 3.5 with the Dave), that freshmen can't have cars (20 minutes to Atlanta on the MARTA...eww!), and that it's a bit of a suit-case school.</p>
<p>Prior to the influx of acceptance letters, my order had been:
Harvard, Georgetown, Penn, NYU/Davidson, Emory, GWU, BU, American, CofC H, USC</p>
<p>After my quick visits:
Davidson, Emory, NYU -- wasn't considering any others. The reasons above decided between the three.</p>
<p>On the NYU note -- I want to clarify that I have no problem with gay guys. Some of my best friends in the world are gay guys ... it's just that I was hoping to date some in college haha</p>
<p>Haha one of my guy friends (who was a senior last year) told me I should apply to UNC because the ratio of girls to guys is 60/40, which is good for my odds ;)</p>
<p>...but I hear there are plenty of beautiful women at Davidson, so if I go, I'm sure I'll be fine haha</p>
<p>Someone from my school who visited actually told me that there is an atypical amount of "pretty people" there, which is always nice :)</p>
<p>I would say Davidson people are pretty :D</p>
<p>Another thing that I've noticed about the Davidson students just in general is that most of them are either very in shape, or else "normal" looking. You don't see many girls who are scary-thin, and you don't see many who are obese, either. The guys are usually decently in shape, as well. People look healthy: they look good.</p>
<p>And it's 51/49 women to men, so your odds are still better hahaha</p>