Second Round Applications and Visits

Colleges and Universities A-Z Deep Springs College
1

<p>To keep up the spirit of this year’s Deep Springs discussion, I thought I’d kick this one off. </p>

<p>Like many applicants here, I myself found the Round Two threads from previous years to be extremely interesting and, at times, even helpful. Surely, WE can be just as helpful here to each other and to future applicants by keeping up to date on how visits went, by discussing essays, art submissions, etc. </p>

<p>As all you Round IIers know, tomorrow is the deadline for Round Two applications and the first day of applicant visits to the college. There are ten applicant visiting groups in total (with 2-5 applicants each), each of which spends roughly four days traveling (doing lots of it, in fact!) and staying at the college.</p>

<p>Things to consider:</p>

<ul>
<li>What did you write about/what was your approach to the RII essays? Which quotation did you chose for question C?</li>
<li>Did you make any optional art submissions? If so, what?</li>
<li>What did you discuss in your interview? How did it compare with your expectations?<br></li>
<li>What is labor really like?<br></li>
<li>How are classes (even though we aren’t allowed to “actively participate” in them) and student body meetings?</li>
<li>What are the students like?</li>
</ul>

<p>For reference, these are the essay topics for the 2008 second round application:</p>

<li><p>An essay or term paper that you submitted for a class, with teacher comments attached. Try to find something under seven pages.</p></li>
<li><p>Thoughtful and concise responses to each of the following prompts; the combined word count should not exceed 3500 words:</p></li>
</ol>

<p>A. What is a person?</p>

<p>B. Examine an academic or creative discipline about which you are passionate. What are its assumptions and limitations? How does it help you understand the world?</p>

<p>C. Respond to one of the following quotations. Take a position and provide thoughtful arguments in support of it. The particular position that you take is not important, nor is the original context of the quotation.</p>

<p>a. There exists no law of nature that man should love mankind, and if there is and has been any love on earth up to now, it has come not from natural law but solely from people’s belief in their immortality. That is what all natural law consists of, so that were mankind’s belief in its immortality to be destroyed, not only love but also any living power to continue the life of the world would at once dry up in it. Not only that, but then nothing would be immoral any longer, everything would be permitted.</p>

<p>b. Love, because of its inherent wordlessness, can only become false or perverted when used for causes such as a change or salvation of the world.</p>

<p>c. Violence, being instrumental by nature, is rational to the extent that it is effective in reaching the end that must justify it. And since when we act we never know with any certainty the eventual consequences of what we are doing, violence can remain rational only if it pursues short-term goals. The danger of violence, even if it moves consciously within a non-extremist framework of short term goals, will always be that the means overwhelm the end.</p>

<p>d. Human sensory knowledge aims at beauty; it glorifies the world. Why should we snatch at anything else? Why do we seek to transcend our senses? Restless knowledge leads to bleakness and ugliness. Let us be content with the aesthetic view of the world!</p>

<p>e. The interior life is often stupid. Its egoism blinds it and deafens it; its imagination spins out ignorant tales, fascinated. It fancies that the western wind blows on the Self, and leaves fall at the feet of the self for a reason, and people are watching. A mind risks real ignorance for the sometimes paltry prize of an imagination enriched. The trick of reason is to get the imagination to seize the actual world—if only from time to time.</p>

<p>There’s probably a mad rush to finish essays tonight. But hopefully we can get some discussion going here soon.</p>

<p>It’s been a long journey to this point, but- acceptance or no acceptance- I think many of you will agree with me that the process has been entirely worth it; I wouldn’t turn back the clock to rethink applying to Deep Springs even if I could.</p>

<p>Good luck to you all with your visits and whatever may come in the next few months!</p>

2

<p>Glad to see you started this thread... As you guessed, I'm procrastinating away on writing my prompt C essay. Anyways, I thought that I would point you the way of a facebook group that's about a month old called "Deep Springs Second Round 2008." It's just for those of us who made the cut, and has actually had some pretty good discussion. I personally cannot wait to visit the school... And don't even mention NOT applying, for heavens sakes. Just writing the dratted essays has been an experience unpassupable. Excuse all the horrid grammar; I like to let my mind relax by posting nonsense on public forums. Happy 14th.</p>

3

<p>It’s funny, Jasper… I registered on CC the night I was called for the second round, just to join the DS discussion. Am I really prepared to do the same for Facebook? I mean, what’s next, AIM?! Hahaha. </p>

<p>Maybe these technophobic dispositions preordained my application to Deep Springs, who knows? Just like the mark of the beast on Damien’s head in “The Omen”… But I digress… I should probably get this discussion going anyway.</p>

<p>I’ve been wanting to share this Round II story ever since it became a real STORY worth telling:</p>

<p>I wrote about Prompt E (the interior life), first of all. And as some of you might remember, I listed Annie Dillard’s “For the Time Being” as one of my favorite books in the first round application. Now, without hesitation, I’ll admit that Dillard is one of my all-time favorite authors. So naturally, one of my first reactions to the prompt was to think about her Pulitzer-winner, “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,” a virtually endless mine for commentary refuting the prompt’s basic sentiment (the interior life = stupid). This was my longest essay, and I was resolved from the beginning to NOT look up the prompts online, for fear of encountering some in-all-probability nonexistent insight into their origin. </p>

<p>At any rate, for those of you who HAVE looked up the prompts, you know where this is going… </p>

<p>“The interior life is often stupid.”</p>

<ul>
<li>Annie Dillard, “An American Childhood”</li>
</ul>

<p>Figures, the one I haven’t read. This was probably more likely to happen with the Dostoevsky prompt (A), but it was a real shocker when I realized it. One work contradicting the other, it would seem. It was scary for about ten seconds, but then just invigorating. I had already finished the essay, so I put an end note to the reader commenting the “spookiness” of the whole thing.</p>

<p>Anyone else with stories to share?</p>

4

<p>Evidently, all the College Confidential Deep Springs talk is now taking place on Facebook, and this thread seems to have become my personal Round II blog rather than an actual discussion board. But at any rate.......</p>

<p>I'm getting antsy about the decisions. If anybody's out there, do you have any idea when they're expecting to call acceptees this year?</p>

5

<p>I'm with you, I just got a facebook, but I can barely work the damn thing!</p>

<p>It was the 16th last year, so I'm hoping this week!</p>

6

<p>Yeah, I am beyond nervous.</p>

<p>Though they did say that last year there were some 'very influential hands' that made the whole process a bit quicker (some felt that one person decided the entire class).</p>

7

<p>Just got the call (from Brian) a little while ago and have been busy calling everyone in my rolodex.</p>

<p>DS 08'!!!!!!</p>

<p>Jared Daar from Los Angeles.</p>

8

<p>Great congratulations Jared! Many have been quietly reading your "personal round II blog" here on cc. Good luck and post sometime from the desert, won't you?</p>

<p>(Do you know how special you are? Wow!)</p>

9

<p>Congratualtions Jared ! My son also was in the second round and has not been on the Facebook group. Do you know if they notified everyone on Sat.? He hasn't heard and I'm preparing to deal with disappoinment. In your phone call did they indicate anything else about notification or is anything on the Facebook group that indicates those who got in have all been called.</p>

<p>Thanks and I'm sure you will have an incredible experience.</p>

10

<p>MomS:</p>

<p>Don't loose hope yet. As far as I know, no one else has announced their notification on either Facebook or CC. </p>

<p>Also, something to keep in mind: I was the first to post round two notification here on CC because of my last name (phone calls were done alphabetically). It could be that they're doing things the same way with acceptances...</p>

<p>The only thing I know for a fact (becuase I asked Brian) about the phone calls is that they're done by different members of ApCom, and probably not all at once for that reason. And it looks like there will be 13 of us! At least one or two more acceptances than I'd anticipated.</p>

11

<p>Thanks and you are right - they work at their own pace, and each member of Adcom may have different things going on ! If you hear anything , like everyone has heard, please post.</p>

<p>Thanks for your encouragement and from what I can tell from here Deep Springs is lucky to have you.</p>

12

<p>I too received a call Saturday from Don from DS. Alas, I was not home to take it and he did not divulge the information to my mom... so its gonna be one TENSE Easter Sunday! </p>

<p>I hope the news is good. I can't imagine anyone calling someone on a holiday with bad news or calling to say "sorry you didn't get in". Then again, DS isn't anyone...</p>

13

<p>I'm in!!!</p>

<p>Thank God!</p>

<p>Happy Easter everyone!</p>

14

<p>I am curious as to if they leave a message (no one is at home [and will not be until Tuesday]).</p>

<p>Congratulations to all that have made it thus far!</p>

15

<p>No news yet for my son, so at this point I 'm taking the leap that he did not get in. BIG disappointment when he finally hears I'm sure. Deep Springs is jsut wher he felt he would learn, grow and contribute the most. Mwanafunzi or Davnasca, can you tell from Facebook does it look like most guys who are on there have heard? It is for sure the most frustrating notification process. </p>

<p>Thanks for your help. I'm just trying to figure out what to say to him. Life is surely not over but there just really are no alternatives to Deep Springs. If we were really committed to higher education we would be looking closely at places like this to try figure out what is being done right and well there....</p>

16

<p>i was just notified today at 1 pm; i'm in! deep springs did call on saturday though, but i was in the shower. i certainly felt the tension too over the rest of the weekend.</p>

<p>best of luck to the rest!</p>

17

<p>MomS,</p>

<p>I do not know if it is my place to respond (as I have not been home to recieve a call, if one even came), however there has been absolutely no disucssion of acceptances on the facebook group. One person mentioned that the colleges call regarding acceptances, yet did not divulge that he in fact had been called (though it could be inferred).</p>

<p>I hope your son finds what he is looking for.</p>

<p>Congratulations once again to those accepted,
J. Michael</p>

18

<p>I just recieved the call today.</p>

19

<p>Not in, so time to move on. Thanks for kind words and support. </p>

<p>It seems that many Deep Springs applicants would also apply to Harvard and feel that they were Harvard bound after Deep Springs. With the current statement from Harvard that they are not taken any transfer students for the next two years - but rumor has it this is the move towards permanent reduction of all transfers in the future - I would have thought that Deep Springs may have accepted students who are also accepted to Harvard that may think twice if Harvard is their ultimate goal. Seems prudent that DS would have put together a waitlist but then again maybe they have. The chatter on the Harvard site is unyielding with transfers threatening to sue ! I have never seen this much actiivity about one issue at one school. But idf what Harvard says is true, that it is all about housing and they have no room for transfers that seems unlikely to change soon.</p>

20

<p>I personally would not have gotten into Harvard (most likely), nor did I have any significant interest. I also feel that Harvard is a school amongst many, whereas Deep Springs seemingly stands alone. Even if ones dream was to attend Harvard, I think that in the end the student would be better off attending in graduate school (considering that 70 percent of all Deep Springers get a PHD or law degree), as Harvard is just as renowned, if not moreso, for its graduate studies.</p>

<p>From what I have read, I believe Deep Springs usually holds a waitlist of three. I could very well be wrong, and I am sure the decision depends upon the ApCom at hand.</p>

<p>Hopefully your son enjoys himself this next year, and if Deep Springs is really where he feels he should be, I suggest applying next year. Many current students applied a second time and are thoroughly enjoying themselves. Many students were also very much a proponent of a gap year ("It helped me soo much, even more than I think this place will. Michael, even if you get in here, take a year off." Or something to that extent). Though I will not be taking a gap year, I think that there is much to be had in doing so (The three current students that did so all taught English in various locales I believe).</p>

<p>Once again, I hope for the best. This process was a tolling one and I certainly understand the exhaustion.</p>