Davidson College is a small (1,800 undergraduates) private school in Davidson, North Carolina. The campus is in a suburban setting and the acceptance rate is about 18%. Classes are small, with a student/faculty ratio of 9:1. It’s a tight-knit school with most students living on campus. Popular majors include Poli Sci and Econ. In this post, we’ll tell you how to tackle the supplement:
There are just under 4,000 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. Being as specific as possible, what interests you most about Davidson College (250-300 words)
Many schools ask a version of this question, but Davidson phrases it quite specifically and we like that! The question here is really “Why Davidson?” We tell our students that the best way to ace the supplement is to draw a clear connection between this school and you in terms of academics. We also advise our students to develop a clear academic niche over the course of their high school careers. Hopefully, by now, you have a defined area of academic interest and extracurriculars to match. Get as specific as possible when honing in on your area of expertise. When writing the response to this question, we recommend beginning with the origin story of your interest. This shouldn’t be a big, emotional to-do. It can be quite simple.
Let’s say you’re really into biochemistry. Perhaps you did a science fair project in 7th grade on the characteristics of the ingredients in generic shampoo. That’s good enough! Then, identify the major that most aligns with your academic niche. Talk about the upper-level classes in that major that interest you and possibly one professor, along with their research. Next, talk about the extracurriculars offered at Davidson that align with your niche. Finally, write a conclusion and discuss the location of the school and why that matters to you.
Davidson encourages students to explore curiosities in and out of the classroom. What is a topic, activity or idea that excites you? Tell us why. Examples may include hobbies, books, interactions, music, podcasts, movies, etc. (250-300 words)
We really like this question. You can write about practically anything here. It’s not a trick question, but whatever you do choose to write about needs to compel you enough so that your essay is fun and interesting to read. Don’t write about something that’s already in your activities supplement. (Each part of the application is an opportunity to tell the admissions committee something new about you and display a new part of your personality). Your answer should be about something that adds an extra layer of color to the application.
For example, write out and describe the book list of the 100 sci-fi books you read throughout high school. Discuss your grandfather’s box of Russian recipes you found in the attic and were determined to master (however unskillfully). Remember, you should be demonstrating a part of your personality here that the admissions committee has not yet seen. So, don’t write about something that you just enjoy but doesn’t have anything to do with your character traits. We have one kid who watches a movie almost every other day. She’s a cinephile, through and through. So much so that she even created a website of the hundreds of movies she’s watched, written reviews of each, and categorized them by feeling. If you’re not on this level, don’t write about movies. You want your hobby to be intense and, if possible, a little weird. That’s a good way to stand out.
If you would like to submit your resume (optional), please do so here.
We have all of our kids create resumes. First and foremost, make sure this is one page and formatted very nicely. Create a header with your name and contact details. Include the name of your school, anticipated graduation date and GPA. Then, list out all of your activities (with a line of description of each), awards, and interests.
Writing the college supplement can be a daunting task, but if you’re really a fit for the school to which you’re applying, it should be kind of fun. Each school has a personality that usually shines through the supplement. If you’re a good match, you’ll feel it when you’re writing.
Need help with your college supplements? Call us. We’re great at helping students write standout essays.