Deep Springs 2021-2022 Discussion

Hey! Just looking to talk to people interested in applying to Deep Springs College starting the 2021-2022 school year. Hoping this thread survives until actual applications so we can discuss essay questions, but until then, I’d love to hear why people want to go, why they think it’d be a good fit, what your GPA and test scores look like, etc.

Howdy! I am interested in applying to DSC for the 2021-22 school year. Made an account here just after seeing this thread! I hope it survives too.

Found out about DSC through a friend who said I would be a decent fit and directed me to the website. There I learned about the three pillars DS is founded on (labour, self governance, and academics), which, so happens to match my own foundations of living since withdrawing from high school.

My academic scores are around a 2.6 GPA, and 1190 SAT.

Since my dropout, I have been volunteering & interning on farms, working in elderly homes, assisting seniors with dementia, and learning about sustainable agriculture. I crave a more challenging academic environment, all while remaining socially responsible through farming; which may just be my calling in life.

I want to fully lead a life of service, and I see applying to Deep Springs as a pathway to that goal.

What about you? I am excited to see where this thread will lead us !

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Hi! I found out about this school just a few days ago and I literally haven’t stopped thinking about it.

It’s an incredible opportunity, and I know that I found it for a reason. While searching through the endless inter-web for useful info I found a thread of last year’s applicants and underneath that was this thread, so hello!!

My academic scores are a 4.0 gpa and a 1210 SAT. I really wanted to retake it and try for higher but… pandemic. Scores aren’t being looked at for most schools (including this one) this year so I got super lucky.

I’m excited to start this journey with all of you!

Hello, I just found out about Deep Springs a few hours ago and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. Part of me thinks this is it, but part of me also thinks it’s not so great. I’ve just went through about every page on their website, and I know that (if I apply and get in) this will be an experience that I will both hate and love (but all in a good way). The liberal arts education and the pretty much open curriculum sounds incredible, and while I know I won’t necessarily enjoy the labor and will probably in some way struggle with the self governing aspect, it will be an experience I won’t get anywhere else and it will be satisfying for my soul. I’ve struggled a little bit over the past two years with figuring out why we live and learn and do things the way we do them, and just the point of living the way we do. We graduate high school, work through college, choose a career path, maybe change paths at some point, work towards retirement, and then just sort of wait it out till the end. I’ve been thinking a lot about pushing myself out of my comfort zone/that set path to figure out what I really want from life, outside of the confines of my current environment. I have been toying with the idea of taking a gap year (takes a lot of self reliance and self discipline which I think I don’t really have enough of), getting a degree abroad, and I’ve been considering Minerva (on and off, and it was through searching for discussions here on Minerva that I found Deep Springs, just a few hours ago). And of course there’s always the typical college year/semester abroad. These would all push me to try new things, outside of my comfort zone. They all also include international travel (a gap year for me would most likely include a working ski season, some form of backpacking through Europe, and other trips in other places around the world) which is the exact opposite of what Deep Springs would be. I can’t help but think of my one overnight summer camp experience where we all lived together and shared many of the chores and had educational experiences that were just as educational, of not more, than a class in a classroom or some other learning experience with a scripted lesson plan. We had zero access to technology. I got incredibly homesick and cried multiple times a day, and it was probably the first time in my life that I’d ever been that uncomfortable and felt so disconnected from my identity. But coming out if it, I got to know more about myself and it was a really introspective moment that I think was like a major milestone for me. When I say that I think I would both love and hate Deep Springs, this is what I am comparing it to. I know that it would be so uncomfortable both physically and psychologically and (obviously) that would suck for me and I would hate it, but at the same time, I would absolutely love it, and it would push me out of my comfort zone and force me to think about myself and my role in the world in a different way, beyond surface level thoughts.

Basically, I think I want something different and uncomfortable/scary, and this definitely fits the criteria. But since it’s uncomfortable/scary, I’m not too sure about it.

Gosh, this comment is turning out to be a lot longer than I was expecting, like all my other comments on this site lol. As I’m reading it back, it also sounds really cheesy, but it’s genuinely what’s going through my head.

My GPA is a 93.56 and my SAT score is 1430, and I plan to retake it. Aiming for 1510 but will be happy with 1470.

Here are some concerns I have. Maybe some of you are wondering about the same things, maybe some of you have answers. It seems like most grads go on to great four year colleges and to do great things, but how is the transition? Do they incorporate into those schools well, socially? Is it possible to transfer out after just one year? What is the social vibe like? What kinds of relationships form between the students and faculty? What happens if I really hate it? Will I fit in? Those last 4 questions will probably be answered through a visit, if I get to that stage.

Hi y’all I know that the first round apps are due super soon I was just wondering if this chat is still going on, I found out about D.S really late

I guess it is now! But the thing is I’m so swamped with other apps I’m not 100% sure if I’m still applying. It’s an amazing school though, I’m just putting traditional four-years first at the moment.

of course and thanks for responding, didn’t know if anyone was still on this. Hope your applications are going smoothly. especially when the workload is so time consuming!

I am applying!!

Oh Thank God hello! How are things going for you? Sorry I haven’t checked this in a while, very glad there is a response!

Applying… again ? Hope to make it in this time

Just made an account so I can comment on this thread.

I found out about DS about 10 days ago from a friend. They directed me to the website and a research binge ensued. I have now written all of my essays and filled out the rest of the application. At this point DS is my top choice (besides a service academy) and I am hungry for as much knowledge as possible about the institution.

If you want to trade stats just ask, I want to talk to other applicants about everything as it seems everyone is fairly new and excited.

I’m applying; super stoked! Can anyone confirm that the deadline is Nov 8, 11:59PM, PST?

Yeah, it closes on the 9th. That being said, it’s best not to leave submitting to the last minute

Any of you know when they’ll be sending out the first-round results?

@kafkasbug they will be sending out the first-round results in late December.

Did anyone make it to the second round?

I’ve heard second round results have come out. Anyone get accepted?

Update - Thoreau College is still accepting applications for the 2021-2022 Metamorphosis Year on a rolling basis.