Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Academically Speaking
Mark Nesbitt chose Davidson in large part for its size and quality of life, what he calls the chance to have "an intimate education." "A liberal arts education is not only useful," he says, "but I don't know what I want to do, and Davidson is a great place to figure that out. I've been struck by the fact that everyone I've met is really intelligent. The quality of students also helps with your own education. Their understanding helps my understanding."

Out of Class, Out of Doors
From Davidson Ultimate Frisbee Folk (DUFF) to sailing lessons at the Lake Campus, weeknight Mock Trial practice and a mutual interest with a hallmate in poker-just six weeks into his first semester, Nesbitt was finding his niches. Poker in particular is an apt metaphor, he finds, for a useful approach to life: "You have to make the best decisions with incomplete information. And you have to be keenly observant of other people and what they're doing, and why, and how, their body language.... I'm used to being able to put myself in other people's shoes."

A Full Head of Steam
Heading "down the hill" to the weekend social scene of Patterson Court is a good change of pace occasionally. "It's a nice way to blow off some steam," Nesbitt said. He recalled once being at a party, and taking a detour to play chess with a friend at a board they spotted nearby. "You can mix intellectual fun with blowing off steam."

Honor in Education
"People really do care about the Honor Code here," says Nesbitt. His favorite privilege so far is take-home tests-a math test alone in a carrel in the basement of the library, for instance. "It was nice to take it where I wanted and when I wanted and in the environment I wanted. I was able to lock in on it." Sure, someone could cheat at Davidson. But the ethos of the place, and the students themselves, point away from it. "It's your education," says Nesbitt. "Make what you will of it."