Davidson Tour - Part II

Downtown Charlotte, outside the art museum!

I'm back in NYC now, but wanted to add some additional comments about the rest of my time in Davidson, North Carolina. As you read in my first post, a key theme at Davidson is trust. But that word goes beyond their honor code, it also relates to the Davidson Trust, a pledge made by the school to have need-blind admissions (even for the Waitlist) and meet 100% of demonstrated need for every student. That translates into a no loan policy (unless a family feels the need to take a loan to cover the estimated family contribution) and a major commitment to making Davidson affordable for every student that is deemed eligible to be admitted. In the realm of financial aid, Davidson is also part of a small group of highly selective schools that do still award merit scholarships to about 10% of the class.

(Intrigued by the idea of schools that have no loan policies? Read more about that here)

In addition to learning more about Financial Aid, we had the opportunity to hear from a panel of students, attend a class, and have a candid conversation about the admission process. Here are the main take aways:

--- Something is working because the students we heard from (both on the panel and throughout our time there) were off the charts impressive.

--- The file reading process is deeply methodical - with counselors having a shockingly small reading load (compared to the 1800 files I used to read per year when I worked in College Admission . . . ). What does that mean? It means that they take care to pick the students they think will truly be a good fit for Davidson.

--- They really want to hear from students when there are questions or issues with the application. Parents, I know we talk about letting the student be in the driver's seat, here is an example straight from the Dean of Admission of them saying they do not want to hear from you. The applicant is the one going to college, the applicant can pick up the phone and call with questions. Don't kill the messenger.

--- Davidson is a school where ED does fill a significant portion of their freshman class. You can read more about my thoughts on ED here, but before you get nervous or upset if you don't like the sound of their stats -- think about it for a minute. This is a small liberal arts school with the highest alumni giving rate in the country. Having an applicant say they will come if they are admitted is a meaningful declaration and, for a place with such a serious honor code, it isn't the right place for everyone. One can't be surprised if a lot of the applicants they end up admitting feel it is the best school in the country for them.

Long story short - if you are thinking about small liberal arts colleges, care deeply about academic integrity, and are willing to leave the Northeast, Davidson should be on your list of places to research and visit.