go5878

I'm just curious about the process because my S wants to apply next year.

BenSnyder

Here is the format of the current app. The essay questions change yearly.

Round 1 (about 200 applicants) - see deepsprings.edu

Round 2 (narrowed down to about 40 applicants) - 3 additional essays, a graded essay/term paper, updated transcript/test scores, an optional item to highlight exceptional talent/ability, and a campus visit/interview (2-3 full days on campus).

13-15 applicants are accepted.

I think that's everything. Good luck to your son.

go5878

I was just wondering about the current crop of applicants. What stage of the process are they in? What are their impressions?

BenSnyder

Campus visits/interviews will be completed by this coming Friday.

In my visiting group, impressions of DS were generally positive. There were some reservations amongst a couple of my fellow applicants about the limited class offerings (the current schedule is bent heavily towards classics/humanities). Personally, I loved it; the students were very nice (they weren't arrogant and aloof like I expected), the food was great (as good as home cooking), and the dorms were enormous (2-3x larger than any dorms I have seen).

Anyways, here are some of the things your son should consider. He should be sure that none of the following will bother him (too much):

1. When they say isolated, they mean it.
2. No girls
3. Limited class offerings (especially in the maths/sciences)
4. Slow internet / small library
5. Manual labor
6. A substatial application process (i.e. 50-100 hours of work on the essays)

Anything else you would like to know?

go5878

What was the interview process like? What kind of questions did they ask?

Thanks so much for the great information.

BenSnyder

The interview is basically you in front of the 11 members of ApComm. It's not as bad as it sounds. It seemed that their questions were aimed mostly at understanding how you think and solve problems. The interview seemed to be personalized; i.e. most of the questions they ask are somehow connected to your essays, experience, etc.

shivers256

DS has this week off, so I'm guess we won't be hearing from them until next week at the earliest.

SBDad

Good luck shivers256. This is my DS top choice for next year. At the moment we are waiting for the TASP interview letter.

boognish462

Too bad I am a girl...if I were male this college would be a dream come true. Has anyone heard of a student getting a sex change just to accepted to Deep Springs College? ha ha. Congratulations to everyone! This will be an amazing educational experience.

JIMMY@KILLARNEY

Hi, I'm Canada. Just wandering, does DS have ANY international students? I was just flipping through PR's Best 361 Colleges and DS really just caught my eyes. Its rural setting and mini student body sound very appealing. Yes, I'm definitely sure that learning at DS is like experiencing a unique "way of life."

AlamedaMom

My son just started his first year at Deep Springs. This year there is a student from China and another from Nigeria.

CandidateA

To BenSnyder or any other with knowledge of the application process: is 50-100 hours of work on the app. essays an exageration? It amazes me that individuals can find that sort of time in their senior years (or at least individuals who would be competitive for DS).

hbarns

I don't think 50 - 100 hours is much of an exaggeration. A standard essay is not going to cut it with ApCom. They want to see evidence of thought. And since applicants who are invited to campus are usually asked to discuss their essays in detail by ApCom, the more thought and effort you've invested in the essay up front, the better off you are.

CandidateA

I'll take that information into consideration. Thanks for your help!