Student Needs Advice from College Parents

Northstarmom
Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:33:22 +0000

If you like St. Johns, you may also like Deep Springs in that it has a very intellectual atmosphere, lacks frats and doesn’t seem to have partying, and is appealing only to a certain type of person. It’s even free. I know a very nice young man who went there and then transferred to Swarthmore.

"Courses at Deep Springs are intensive and interactive seminars. The average class size is eight, so every member must come prepared to contribute to the discussion. As a result, students devote a great deal of time and energy to their assignments, and discussions often achieve a depth uncommon at the undergraduate level.

Deep Springs employs three long-term professors: one in the humanities, one in the social sciences, and one in the natural sciences and mathematics. These faculty members stay at Deep Springs for as little as two or as many as six years. During this time they come to know the culture and to take part in the operations of the college. Three visiting scholars or artists also teach each semester, bringing a new range of ideas and course offerings to the college. The only required courses are Composition and Public Speaking; all other classes are chosen by students based on their interests. The curriculum includes both introductory courses and specialized courses seldom offered at the freshman and sophomore level at other institutions.

Faculty live on the Main Circle, less than a minute’s walk from the dorm. It is traditional for professors to leave their porch lights on in the evenings, an invitation for students to visit them at home. Students develop their academic interests in one-on-one dialogues with their teachers, often leading to enduring friendships. Professors, both long- and short-term, are encouraged to take an active role in the community. Professors labor with students, teach them practical skills like bread making and knitting, hold impromptu poetry readings and stargazing sessions, and organize chess and Ping-Pong tournaments. Education is a reciprocal relationship at Deep Springs.

[Deep Springs College](Liberal Arts at Deep Springs | Deep Springs College)