Davidson College is a liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, a close-knit community a thirty-minute drive north from Charlotte. There are 1,843 undergraduate students, and they boast Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, as an alumnus. Davidson is affiliated with the Presbyterian church and has stuck to a strict Honor Code system for over 100 years. The Honor Code has evolved with the times, but what hasn’t changed are the commitments to academic excellence, intellectual freedom, and moral courage.
The overall acceptance rate is 18%, but the Early Decision acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was a whopping 47%. This shows how Davidson prioritizes students who know they want to be there and who show that commitment through applying ED.
Why Davidson? (250-300 Suggested Word Limit) – uploaded word doc or google doc
Like many schools, Davidson has a “why us?” question. This is their way of both learning more about you and figuring out what you know about them. If you write about how pretty the campus is or how nice the tour guide was, they’ll see that you don’t know much beyond the easy and the obvious. To avoid this, you need to be specific to yourself and to Davidson.
First, you should start by framing your interest in your intended area of study with a story. Then you can use the story as a way into talking about how you want to continue to pursue that field of study at Davidson. Remember to include the name of the major, a professor or two that you would like to work with (and why!), and a class or two that you would like to take. The easiest way to find classes is to Google the name of the college followed by the phrase “course catalog,” so for this supplement, you would Google “Davidson Course Catalog.”
After you’ve explored your intended major — and you should always have an intended major — you can mention a minor you are considering, and a class related to the minor that you are interested in taking.
Finally, you should weave in extracurricular and academic programs that you are drawn toward. If there is a study abroad program, a research program, or a club that you are particularly excited about, you should include that here!
As you wrap up, consider circling back to the story you started with or bringing in a new micro-narrative that speaks to the reasons you have given for why Davidson is the best fit for you.
List the books you have read in the past year for school or leisure. Place an asterisk by those books required for classes you have taken. (No word limit) – uploaded word doc or google doc
Like the first supplement question, this question requires that an answer is submitted by uploading a document or connecting a Google Doc. This isn’t unheard of for supplements, but it isn’t pervasive either. Neither is it common that you aren’t given a word count. It’s important not to try to take advantage of this. So no, listing 100 books just because you can is not a good idea. Remember how we said Davidson takes their Honor Code very seriously? Consider this question a bit of a test of it. If you list an absurd number of books and you aren’t intending on majoring in English to go into writing or literary criticism, they will be pretty confident in labeling you a liar. So be realistic, be honest, include the author, and remember that essay and poetry collections do count too!
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (200 Word Limit)
This is another standard question that you will see in many different college supplements. In fact, you may have already written an answer to it! College applications should not be a game of cut and paste, but if you have taken the time to answer this exact question already and you feel the activity or work experience you focused on is relevant to Davidson, this may be a time to reuse it.
If you haven’t written this prompt yet, we’d love for you to focus on a work experience or something else that took place fully outside of school. Clubs are cool, and they should be included in your activities section. But unless you created a kickass club that isn’t cookie-cutter, it’s better to pick something from your life off of your high school campus. Tell the story of your involvement through a narrative lens. Let the reader feel your excitement and focus more on the passion you hold for the activity or experience than on the accolades you’ve won. Recognition is good, but you won’t be taking certificates with you to college (hopefully). What you will be bringing (and what they want to see) is passion.
If you are still searching for a school that aligns with what you are passionate about, send us an email. We specialize in building perfect-fit college lists.