Overall Information
The last college I visited on my recent tour of the mid-atlantic and Southeast, (don't worry I will be writing about the other schools soon enough) was Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. Some of you may recognize this school by one of it's more famous alumnus, recent NBA championship winner Steph Curry. However, what people many not know is that Davidson is home to one of the very best liberal arts educational institutes in the world. The school has just under 2,000 students and is located in a quaint town of just 18,000 residents.
For being a small school in the south, they have a large presence of students from all over the country, including 20% from the Northeast. For such a small student size, the campus is spread out with as much lawn space, trees, libraries and recreational facilities as a student would ever need. Also, unlike most small liberal arts schools, Davidson is home to numerous Division 1 sports, most of which participate in the competitive, A10 conference, and they even have a D-1 football team. Yes, the campus is wonderful, and the town is welcoming, but students are also only 20 minutes from downtown Charlotte, which is the second largest banking city behind New York.
If you are looking at schools like Boston College, UNC, Wake Forest, or any of the NESCAC schools (Trinity, Williams, etc.) then you must also put Davidson College on your list!
Academic Information
Davidson is your quintessential liberal arts schools with majors ranging from anthropology to physics to theatre and everything in between. Their top programs include political science, which is considered one of the best programs in the country, biology (including a concentration in neuroscience), physics and applied mathematics, as well as economics. Students who think they want to go into engineering can do a 3-2 or 4-2 BS/MS program with Washington University in Saint Louis or Columbia University in NYC. Davidson also offers a well-funded entrepreneurship program for students who are often given sizable grants to work on creating their own start-ups.
Now let's talk about return on investment and outcomes. Yes, Davidson is expensive on paper, with a total COA of about $61,000. However, Davidson has one of the largest endowments in the world, and their alumni give more money than any other undergraduate school, aside from Princeton University... an impressive feat for such a small school. Further, the school has a Davidson Trust, which is separate from the endowment and ensures that all student financial aid packages will NOT include loans. Student packages will be made up entirely of grants and work study income. Davidson also offers various scholarships including eight Belk scholarships for incoming freshmen each year. Coming out of college, Davidson is part of an exclusive 12-school network that helps students secure jobs -- 96% of Davidson graduates are employed or in graduate school within six months (the national average is closer to 65%).
Admissions Information
Davidson is a highly competitive school to be admitted to. Most years, only 22% of applicants are accepted. Here are a few additional pieces of admissions information to help you when applying to Davidson:
Deadlines: Early Decision 1 (Nov 15) and Early Decision 2 (Jan 2) deadlines are available, and last year 45% of the incoming class was accepted at these times versus 22% at Regular Decision, They have a mandate that the school must be 50% women and 50% men
Test Scores: Middle 50% SAT: 1230-1440, ACT: 28-32
Demonstrated interest matters!! If you can, visit, and even set up an interview.
If you are serious about your studies, want to be challenged, have personal relationships with your professors, and live in a quieter and warmer environment, then I urge you to put Davidson College on your radar. As always, happy searching!
-Joseph D. Korfmacher