In the application of Davidson college I found that they are asking for books list with all the books we read over the past year. I want to know what are they expecting from this books list . For example, should this books related to things I learn outside school as programming or it should be a list for the things I do for fun as reading science fiction books? And since they want well rounded students do they want students who read books from a lot of different categories or it is ok if all the books I read is related to 2 or 3 topics only?
Donāt try and figure out what they āwantā. They asked a question about what books you read so you should honestly list the books you read (not textbooks from a class). You provide the list, they interpret your list however they are looking to use it. Whether they are looking for someone with varied interests or someone with deep interest in one or two areas isnāt your concern and trying to make a list you think they want may backfire.
What are they expecting from the book list?
They are expecting a list of books that you have read over the past year.
Of course I wonāt try to make a list of what I think they want. I want only to know what they are expecting to determine if it will be suitable for me to apply or not
Thatās certainly a very different way of choosing a college. Do you like the school, or not? And is it affordable or not? Thatās how you should determine whether to apply.
I love the college . But if this question will affect my chances of being admitted I will have to choose another one
Every question has the potential to affect your chances of being admitted at ANY college. That is why they ask them. The fact that they are asking the question should have no bearing on whether you apply there.
We heard a Davidson AO talk about the list at a session several years ago. He said itās another way to get to know applicants. He said thereās no ārightā list. Some lists are quite narrowly focused on a studentās niche interests while others are more broad. Either is fine. When my D applied in 2018 she was supposed to indicate if it was a book she read for school but she did include them.
Thereās no way to overthink this one ā just write up you list! 
Hope this helps and good luck!
1 Like
My son is a freshman at Davidson. His list was not extensive, as he isnāt a big reader of fiction. His list consisted of perhaps 15 books (maybe fewer?) ā so itās definitely not necessarily quantity over quality. 75% of the books he listed were required for school (American lit/Econ/Euro Hist ā not the textbooks, but supplemental required reading). The books that were not required were all non-fiction in economics and (sports) data analytics. He also listed that heās read every edition of Sports Illustrated for the past 10 years. This meshed nicely with his Common App essay which talked about wanting to work in the front office of a professional sports team.
Iām planning to enroll just the same, but I donāt have a list
Its great