Ever heard of a college called Deep Springs

[sharbear]

A student at my son's school turned down Harvard to go to Deep Springs. Has anyone ever heard of it. I guess that it's in California, it accepted something like 26 young men and it's a farming co-op that also you take classes at.

Sorry to sound so stupid but I am befuddled. Why would you turn down Harvard to go to a farming co-op?

 

[ScarlettO]

Probably the cost and/or scholarship monies plays heavily in that decision.

 

[sharbear]

I don't think so. He's the only child of two physicians. I don't think that money is it, he's really excited to be accepted.

 

[PamOKW]

Never heard of it until you mentioned it but it sounds like most of the students are of the calibre of the young man you mentioned. I've got a link from a student's viewpoint and also the official link below. I just skimmed the info but it sounds like it's a character building -- sharing knowledge experience for those who may plan to go on to public service type positions. It says many students go back to Harvard, Yale, etc. after spending two years in this program. It sounds interesting. I'd like to read more later myself.


Deep Springs

www.deepsprings.edu

I've included the school's description of its purpose:

The purpose of Deep Springs College is to prepare its students for a life of service. As students of Deep Springs College we dedicate ourselves to this responsibility through our three pillars. We engage in academics not merely to learn, but to learn how to learn, to hone our intellects, to learn intellectual humility from each other. We undertake labor not merely to accomplish specific tasks, but to learn how to work, to instill in ourselves dedication and self-discipline, to be reminded that lofty ideals can only be realized through concrete efforts. We participate in self-governance not merely to rule ourselves, but to learn how to govern both ourselves and others, to understand democracy and compromise, to become more responsible by taking on more responsibility. Furthermore, we fulfill these pillars in order to find the innate beauty in learning, in laboring and in leading. Each year, we come together to redefine our ideals anew, and to begin the process of merging them with practical necessities. During our time here, we draw from one another an abundance of heart, an optimistic enthusiasm in undertaking our responsibility of service and we draw from the desert a profound tranquility of spirit. Finally, at the end of our time here, we turn outwards from Deep Springs towards to world at large, prepared to take our

 

[ScarlettO]

The College
Deep Springs offers faculty a unique opportunity to experiment with new courses and approaches while developing their teaching and communication skills. Here teachers work closely with students to identify mutual course objectives and the best methods to achieve them. The professor’s role is to guide exceptional students through challenging material. Many students need help balancing the many conflicting demands on their time. Professors encourage and help Deep Springers to set their own intellectual goals and take charge of the learning process.

The intimate community here promotes strong interaction between students and faculty. With a student-faculty ratio of 5:1, small classes are the rule.

Wow...5:1 ratio! That might be the answer.

 

[sharbear]

It's making a little more sense. He's a little immature and this experience might help him grow up a little. He's also interested in law school and public service.

Interesting, from what someone told me, it's harder to get into than Harvard.

 

[SoonerKate]

Here's a link to a MetaFilter discussion on Deep Springs; there are some interesting viewpoints, including some from people who've had personal experiences with the school.
(If that link doesn't work, it's: http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/30826 )

From the metafilter thread:

Back when I was in college, my advisor taught there for one of their terms (which, IIRC, was about 6-7 weeks, with 6 terms/year.) Since this was right when I was supposed to be starting a summer's worth of research, he arranged for me to go out there and visit for two weeks.

What I remember most about the place was the scenery — some of the most austere, stark, gorgeous terrain I've ever had the pleasure to see. There's at least one mountaintop within day-hike distance of the campus, and a gorgeous National Forest within a couple hours' drive.

The work is hard — I helped out with collecting the alfalfa bales from the field, a relatively minor task, and even that taxed my pasty, white, East-Coast-liberal-arts-college-attending muscles. Most of the cattle were up in the high pastures when I visited, IIRC, so I didn't get a chance to see that aspect of it. I do, however, remember the existence of a student job called the "cowboy", which essentially consisted of spending a term in the higher pastures with the cattle instead of taking classes.

And yes, the all-boys atmosphere was certainly palpable (campus-spanning games of Capture the Flag; girlie mags in the dormitory bathrooms), but there were a few women around (a couple of the farmhands and a couple of the professors' wives, when I was there) to keep everyone from strutting around starkers.

If I'd known about it when I'd been in high school, would I have gone there? I think it would have looked incredibly cool to my seventeen-year-old eyes, and I might have applied. If I'd gone, though, I'm not sure it would have been to my benefit in the long run; given how socially awkward & sheltered I was when I graduated from high school, I'm not sure that two years of talking to the same thirty or so people would have helped.

Oh, and I'll be surprised if we get any replies from current students (as interesting as that would be): the Internet connection available there consists of a 2400-baud modem daisy-chained via microwave towers over the mountains to Bishop, CA. The connection goes bad if it gets too windy, and every now and then a transmitter breaks down and the connection goes out for several days.

 

[kadaten]

Not only is it an excellent school as others have said, I do believe it is completely FREE!! The work they do on the farm is considered their payment for their education....

from their own site:

What's it cost to go to Deep Springs?
Every student accepted to Deep Springs receives a scholarship covering tuition, room, and board, and valued at over $50,000. Students need only pay for travel, books, and incidentals, which we estimate to be less than $2,800 per year.