Davidson College
Reviews

Very Safe

This campus is extremely safe and the police are very present, kind, and willing to assist students at any time of the day or night.

Real Gentlemen and Sharp Girls

The guys here are really great. Friendly, smart, dedicated, and a lot of fun. Girls are sharp, and not annoying. No "like" every other word. Most students are heavily involved in campus activities/organizations.

Honor Code

The campus is very strict when it comes to academics and illegal drugs. However, it is surprisingly lax on underage drinking, I guess whomever is in charge knows that she is running a college

Safe Place

the news paper has a crime log, it is pretty boring--enough said

Quite Better Than Most Colleges

Davidson College offers large dorms for the most part. Housing is guaranteed for your entire college career. There are options for everyone, whether you want to live close to the campus center or close to the party scene there is a place for you.

All Around Excellence

The facilities at davidson are awesome- the main classrooms are all newly refurbished and have state of the art computer systems, the library and study centers all have brand new computers, and the dorms - especially upperclassman housing- are very nice.

Davidson's Atmosphere

Davidson is great. everyone is friendly and you never feel like an outcast.

Perfect

Davidson is a classic liberal arts college in a small town. It is very traditional and the Honor Code is extremely strong. Everyone knows everyone and that makes it great. The faculty and staff are wonderful. The workload is indescribable. It is intense and demanding all the time. You have to go to class and you have to go prepared. It's ironic that I give it an A since no professor will give an A to a student! I love Davidson and I am hoping that graduation day will not come!

Great

I love living in the South. It's usually warm and rains only occasionally.

Nearly Excellent, but for Eventual Lack of Variety.

My friends and I are big fans of Commons, the one and only true dining hall at Davidson College, which offers three meals a day on the freshman meal plan (including weekends!). Commons operates on a somewhat rotational schedule, so most of the meals show up for a day and don't come back for a little while, giving a fair amount of variety. It's easy to see how one could quickly tire of the meals here, though, and the Union has a stagnant menu that doesn't offer much in the way of vegetarian options.

One word: Basketball.

When I lived in Watts, I could...

When I lived in Watts, I could always find a spot in Belk, the closest lot to Dormitory Row. Next year, I'm living in Irwin and am confident that I will easily find parking spots in the Satellite lot, right next door. There's plenty of parking.

Greek life totally dominates the...

Greek life totally dominates the social scene. If you hang out, you're in a frat or eating house.

A sizable percentage of students...

A sizable percentage of students bring their cars along, including the freshmen, so it can be a hassle to find a convenient spot. But I drive my car maybe once a week, so I really can't complain too much about a seven-minute walk to get to the front seat.

Dorms on campus are generally...

Dorms on campus are generally fairly new and kept up well. Each summer, the college renovates a building on campus. In 2008, Davidson renovated Watts and Richardson dorms, both of which are freshmen dorms. Watts has very large rooms, brand new furniture, sinks in the rooms, new common rooms, flat-screen televisions, and new couches and tables in the common rooms. Other dorms might have smaller dorm rooms, but they have other positive aspects. For example, Belk dorm has smaller rooms, but more people on each hall, and therefore more friends live there together.

All the freshmen dorms are great....

All the freshmen dorms are great. Most have been recently renovated or are in the process. Belk is the 'urban center' of the freshmen dorms. Sophomore apartments are for the 'partiers' usually and are not as nice as the upperclassmen dorms up the hill (e.g., Tomlinson). Personally, I would live off campus senior year because the senior options are not my style.

Drugs are here just like they are...

Drugs are here just like they are at every college, but it's very limited. Yes, you can get it if you go looking for it, but in no way is it a large part of campus life. In general, our campus lives a pretty healthy lifestyle, and drugs just don't really fit in with that scene.

There are a fair amount of...

There are a fair amount of restaurants available within walking distance of campus, and if you have a car, the options are expanded further. If you want to get really adventurous, or can drop some coin, head into Charlotte and experience the growing culinary scene their. With in walking distance of campus, I'd recommend Toast, Soda Shop, Fuel Pizza, the Brickhouse. A short drive away, Sangam Indian is excellent, and there are new restaurants opening in Birkdale, exit 25, all the time. 131 Main is a great place in close driving distance for a fancy meal, or when the parents are in town.

About 70 percent of kids drink...

About 70 percent of kids drink regularly. Pot is relatively common, but usually well-hidden, among the men on campus (slightly less than half). Some girls use pot, but it's not very noticeable. Hard drugs are used but are mainly restricted to Pi Kappa Alpha brothers and a small handful of others. They are usually used off-campus and are not a noticeable part of campus life.

The dorms aren't bad, but there's...

The dorms aren't bad, but there's definitely a discrepancy in size. If you're in Belk, the rooms are really small and kind of awkwardly shaped, but the bathrooms are much nicer than those in other dorms. Also, every dorm has a sink which is really nice. Cannon and Watts are the biggest, and Richardson is pretty small but has awesome lounges. Belk has the worst lounges. Watts is definitely the ideal choice because it has the biggest rooms and nicest lounges.

There are no bars or clubs near...

There are no bars or clubs near campus, though you could go to Charlotte--which kids don't. The Depot is one off-campus apartment building that usually has good parties. All of the houses on the Court have parties from one time to another. Senior apartments like F and Ryburn always have a party, if you're looking for it.

Freshmen can have a car if they...

Freshmen can have a car if they buy a parking pass, though I would not recommend one during your first semester--it's really important to get acquainted with classes and the campus, and having a car is somewhat of a distraction. Parking is really no problem, though you occasionally have a walk to the parking lot (and by "walk" I mean 10 minutes). Parking is not done by seniority but rather who gets the space when.

The food is better than what you...

The food is better than what you would expect at comparable institution. For a while it seems awesome until you realize they're just giving variations of the same thing every day. There are really only two main places to eat: Vail Commons and the Union Café. Commons's redeeming value is that it is a very social place, but the food is basic cafeteria fare (though they make a huge effort to keep it healthy and tasty). Otherwise you can join a frat, eating house, or go to a local restaurant, of which there are plenty. One cool thing is the Eco-House, an alternative housing option where students cook their own local, organic food.

The police on campus are more...

The police on campus are more worried about your safety than your life choices. If you drink, that is definitely not a problem on campus, and if you don't drink in high school, you'll probably start when you come to Davidson. The school has a red cup policy, so if your drink is in a red cup, you will not be in trouble. Don't carry around beer cans; pour it into a cup, and you'll be fine. The school is definitely more strict about drugs on campus. If you are caught with drugs, you will be put on social probation and get in trouble. Alcohol is the drug of choice for most students on campus, however, so that's not normally a problem. Just be honest with the cops if they ask you if you're underage. It's an honor code violation if you lie, and then you're in serious trouble.

Varsity sports are a big deal at...

Varsity sports are a big deal at Davidson since we're Division 1. It seems like at least half of the student body is on a sports team. However, the men's basketball team gets the most attention by far. Their tournament run that ended in the Elite Eight last year has brought more national attention to campus then ever. Intramurals are popular too, but less advertised.