Your post got me thinking about my experience with Independent Study (I.S.) and how it impacts the culture at Wooster.
I pilfered the remainder below from a PM I previously sent to someone on this topic. @Andygp, this is for your consideration as well. Apologies in advance on length.
Things have no doubt changed since my time there, but based on our experiences in multiple event visits during my D’s application cycle and from the kids we have known over the years that have attended, much has also stayed the same.
Regarding student culture, yes, supportive, collaborative and friendly are accurate. And it’s not just the student culture, it’s also the relationship between the students and faculty. The faculty support and collaboration is fostered by the mentorship that the Independent Study (I.S.) program requires. I’m not sure how much you know about I.S. (the capstone projects) but it is both the foundation and apex of the Wooster experience. Its what you are building toward the entire time you are there and thus underlies much of the instruction and preparation leading up to it. Junior I.S. is a one semester project which is significant in and of itself but that also prepares you for the skills required for Senior I.S., a yearlong project. Students are assigned a faculty advisor for each of these and they work very closely with them, meeting weekly at a minimum, going through topic selection, background research, data collection and analysis, thesis writing, editing, preparing for defense, presentations, etc. You end up building a close relationship with your faculty advisor and many of my meetings were more than just discussions about my project. We talked about about life, family, career paths, etc. I had dinners at professors’ homes. Once I was 21, I drank beer with a couple of professors in my department. I kept in touch with my Senior I.S. advisor for years after graduation. Due to how well he knew me as a person, my level of preparation and abilities he was able to write invaluable recommendations for grad schools with a level of insight and personal knowledge that made them stand out. So that sort of relationship building and its importance in what they are trying to accomplish bleeds over into the everyday campus culture. It’s called Independent Study, but in reality it is anything but independent. The selection of the problem/topic is up to the student, but from there everything is guided and supported. Wooster’s motto is “Independent minds, working together” and I think that fits what it is like to be at Wooster perfectly.
I also think there is a sort of self-selection at play, where kids drawn to this sort of intellectual exploration and discovery attend and reinforce what already exists. And then once they attend and join the shared experience in the journey, with I.S. always looming on the horizon, it bonds everyone together. I’m not sure what part of the country you live in, but I liken it to when we get a snowstorm up north. People who wouldn’t normally be compelled to talk to one another commiserate on their common battle against the elements and help each other out in ways they normally wouldn’t…offering to shovel, lend a snow blower or push a stuck car. It brings people together when you have a shared experience that may be a little bit daunting.
I completed both Junior and Senior I.S. Neither was easy, but both were fun. I mean, I got to select the topics based on exploring something I was interested in. That’s the key…being smart with your topic selection so that you are already driven to get at some answers to a question that intrigues you. It’s less like work when you have personal interest investment and excitement. And from a preparation standpoint…the value cannot be overstated. The skills and processes you learn by themselves are so very helpful, but for me, the confidence that it built was the most valuable aspect. After emerging from that experience nothing intimidated me. I knew I had the skills, preparation and experience to tackle anything I set my mind to. I learned to be flexible and adaptive, how to deal with ambiguity, how to dig below the surface, how to be my own leader and not just follow direction, and how to react when unexpected obstacles pushed me off course. Building those soft skills not related to the academic aspects of the work were just as, if not more, important than the outcome of the project. But academically, I used the line of research I had begun to help me get into grad school and extended it during my time there. Then professionally, I provided my thesis as an example of my work and writing skills for more than one position where analytics were a part of the job. Reactions were always overwhelmingly positive…it provided a “wow” factor.