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Davidson College - Academics - Academics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.62

Academics

A
Where does this grade come from?View all Academics rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Academics Grades:

Quick Stats

Student-Faculty Ratio 11:1
Full-Time Student Population 1,744
Part-Time Student Population 0
Full-Time Instructional Faculty 164
Part-Time Instructional Faculty 11
Total FT Faculty 164
Faculty with Terminal Degree 97%
Average Faculty Salary $93,513
Full-Time Retention Rate 96%
Graduation Rate 91%
Programs/Majors Offered 22
Average Course Load 4 courses
Academic/Career Counseling? Yes
Remedial Services? No
Class Sizes
  • Fewer than 20 Students: 72%
  • 20 to 49 Students: 28%
  • 50 or More Students: 0%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Students make it clear: Academics at Davidson are some of the strongest the liberal arts have to offer. Praise runs especially high for the low student-to-teacher ratio, as well as the accessible, dedicated, and brilliant faculty. Complaints are mostly related to the relatively small number of majors offered, and more universally, the workload. In fact, Davidson is notorious for its generous workload and less-than-generous grade inflation—it’s more like deflation. While Davidson students often complain about how much work they have, most understand that professors ultimately have their best interests in mind—and that those all-nighters will pay off in the end.

Davidson’s excellent academic reputation is what attracts most students to the school in the first place. Students come here with the expectation that they will work hard and find that it’s virtually impossible to "slide by" academically once they’re in. Students are able to self-schedule their final exams at Davidson, which relieves a lot of pressure, and students will often have take-home tests to be completed at their leisure rather than in class. Profs here are almost always willing to negotiate due dates if you’re in a bind or simply cut you a break when you’re excessively stressed out. Overall, the professors at Davidson serve not only as teachers but also as mentors. They treat students as grown adults worthy of real time and attention, and they are willing to form relationships with students outside of the classroom. Grad schools and employers both agree that Davidson students consistently have some of the best recommendations, as their professors can write about them not only as students but very much as people.

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Davidson Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Academics at Davidson College

wheelwright

History '14

4.6
A

Academics

Quite demanding and often stressful but certainly rewarding.

Dec 28, 2011

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Academics at Davidson College

caqueen

Psychology '14

4.6
A

Explore and Grow

Distribution requirements encourage academic exploration til one really finds their passion. Faculty are extremely helpful. Sometimes classes can be hard to get into though because we're a smaller student body.

Dec 05, 2011

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Academics at Davidson College

davidsongirl

History '14

4.2
A-

Hisotry at Davidson

History is one of the best majors at Davidson. The proffessors are great, super knowledge about their fields and very helpful. Classes are interesting. Like most majors at Davidson, we suffer from a limited number of classes offered each semester.

Nov 02, 2011

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Page 1 of 8
User rating for Davidson College - Academics is 4.6 out of 5 based on 23 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate your school’s professors on the following topics

Rate your school’s academic environment on the following topics

Facts

Instructional Programs Occupational: No
Academic: Yes
Continuing Professional: No
Recreational/Avocational: No
Adult Basic Remedial: No
Secondary (High School): No
Special Credit Opportunities Advanced Placement (AP) Credits: Yes
Dual Credit: No
Life Experience Credits: No
AP Test Score Requirements Possible credit for scores of 4 or 5, depending on the requirements of the specific program
IB Test Score Requirements Possible credit for scores of 6 or 7 on the higher level (HL)
Degrees Awarded Bachelor's degree
Most Popular Majors
  • Economics and Econometrics: 5%
  • English Language Studies: 7%
  • History, General: 5%
  • Political Science and Government, General: 7%
Special Study Options
  • Study abroad
  • Teacher certification (below the postsecondary level)
Best Places to Study
  • The Library
  • Summit Coffee
  • The Union
Did You Know?
  • All exams at Davidson are self-scheduled and un-proctored thanks to an academic Honor Code. Unlike the honor codes at other small liberal arts colleges, Davidson's is strictly enforced and engenders a community of true trust and respect. It is because of this code that students can leave their doors unlocked and professors can trust students to take many tests outside of class.
  • Students can pass/fail 3 classes throughout their Davidson careers. In fact, they get to choose which ones after they have already taken the class.
  • Students at Davidson have an entire "Exam Week" in which to take their final exams. If you decided to take your psych final on Wednesday at 9 a.m., then realize at 8:59 that you're not prepared, no worries—you can take it later in the day or later in the week. This system minimizes stress during exams, as there's no potential for you to have all four finals in one day.
  • Davidson graduates have an incredible acceptance rate of over 95 percent to graduate programs, including medical school and law school.
  • It's incredibly rare for a Davidson class to have more than 30 students. Generally 20 students is about average. You will never have a TA—all classes are taught by professors themselves.
  • All professors are required to have designated office hours, during which students are guaranteed to find them in their offices for extra help or just to talk. Most are more than willing to meet outside these hours as well, and many professors give out their home phone numbers in case you have any last minute questions about your upcoming exam.
  • Each class at Davidson is worth one credit rather than three or four. This means you only need 32 credits to graduate.

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Annie Maietta
Hometown
Weston, MA
Major
Undecided

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.