July Experience

Starting in 1975, Davidson College offered July Experience, a three-week immersion program for high school seniors that helped them to know what to expect at college. Over the years, the structure and content of the program evolved.

In its later years, July Experience remained a resource for all high school students and served as an effective path for introducing youth from underrepresented groups to the opportunities created by a college education, especially within the environment of a community like Davidson.

Just as the program adjusted, the most effective ways to reach students across all economic backgrounds also changed. Davidson College started or built up other programs. We secured new partnerships with organizations that help us reach high school students, including collaboration with groups that assisted in building a rapport with students who have historically benefitted from July Experience. These new paths allowed us to connect with students from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives and offer them a better understanding of all that Davidson College offers and what it means to live a life of leadership and service. That shift has taken us beyond the July Experience approach, so we are discontinuing the program.

We are grateful beyond words to all who helped build and sustain such a terrific opportunity: our student staff, Davidson College faculty and administrators, counselors and leaders of Community-Building Organizations and, of course, the students who completed the program.

We encourage prospective students to explore our current offerings to learn about Davidson College and to receive guidance for navigating the college admission process, including our Admission Intensives workshop series and our Ask A Wildcat student conversations.