<p>Hi guys! I'm an alumni of this program (from 2014), and I absolutely LOVED it, and I really hope to encourage many people to apply to this program. You will meet the most amazing people (not kidding), and it's superbly intellectually stimulating. This is a relatively new program (it's going to be four years old in 2015), but it's definitely worth your time. Please feel free to PM me if you've got any question! :D</p>
Thanks, Spicykins!
I’m currently a high school junior from China and considering a few 2015 summer programs including Stanford, Uchi, Carleton, Iowa and St. John’s. How many people are there in SSHI? Are there lots of opportunities to communicate with the professors?
How competitive is admissions? What if you know a kid that is smart but the GPA doesn’t show it… what I am saying is: are most students gifted? Or are there kids there that just want to learn something new (as opposed to doing the program for college app purposes)? Any idea? Looks great from what I read.
Hi guys! I’ve messaged you all privately, check your inboxes 
I was wondering as well - how competitive are admissions?
What is your career goal or major that made you choose this summer school? I am also wondering if the learning is more practical or theoretical. Thank you.
I am curious, too. About how many people were there, on a teacher to student ratio? What exactly do you do each day?
Just sort of a public service announcement since I’ve gotten many similar questions:
I don’t know the actual admissions rate, but I’ve heard that it’s around 20% - 25%.
I know that for the Jefferson and Revolutions courses, there are 24-25 students per class, and also two grad students who assist the professor and lead discussions in the afternoon.
In regards to whether or not it helps with admission to Stanford, I will make no claims, but there is a pretty good article about it here: http://www.stanforddaily.com/2015/01/14/stanfords-summer-humanities-institute-brings-talented-humanities-students-to-campus/
I hope this helps everyone, and feel free to message me if you’ve got any more questions!
Anyone know when early admission applicants hear back?
I got my notification email on March 12 last year, and I submitted my app on February 11, so roughly one month after submitting the application. Good luck guys!
Can you elaborate on the format a little more? It sounds like lectures in the morning and discussion groups in the afternoons? How much support is there for the research paper - I’m not sure my kid has ever written an extensive one. I know it’s not ‘graded’ per se, but are they holding students to college standards, vs rising hs juniors (some of the students)?
That’s pretty much exactly how the program is formatted. In regards to the essay, the last week and a half are almost entirely dedicated to cranking out the research paper, and we all really buckled down and tackled them.
We were certainly expected to be mature, so yes, I would say that they hold the students to college standards. I myself attended the program as a rising junior (I’m a junior now), but I wouldn’t say that the rising seniors had an advantage. Honestly, there was almost no difference between the juniors and seniors except that the seniors were beginning to talk about college apps whereas the juniors weren’t.
Hey! I applied and was accepted for the revolutions course. I’m trying to decode bbetween this and another camp. Is it really that competitive? Like 20℅? And does it look good on college apps? Even not for Stanford? Thanks!
Hi! I was accepted and will be in the Age of Jefferson Session 1 course. Just wondering, which dorm do students stay at in Stanford? Also, what activities do students typically engage in on their downtime or on weekends?
Hi! I was accepted for the Revolutions Session 1 course and I’m extremely excited. I was hoping to meet some people before the program starts so if anyone else is attending, feel free to contact me.
ahhh, rly wish there were more info on this program. recently got off waitlist(!!) and will likely be attending revolutions session(hmu if ur goin) i have a ton of questions about the program, are there any alumni out there willing to do a faq of sorts?
Hi guys! So in regards to some of the questions asked, SHI students will be housed in the Robert Moore South residence (lovingly called BOB), and it is extremely close to the Stanford Humanities Center (where your classes will be held) and Tressider Student Union (which has a variety of cafes and food places, like Starbucks, Panda Express, and Jamba Juice). It is also within walking distance of major Stanford libraries and the dining hall. Although, just to give you guys some warning, you will be doing a lot of walking at SHI, so keep that in mind when you decide what to bring.
To clear up what students do in their free time on the weekends, the RAs for the program will typically organize major excursions on Sundays (we went to Capitola Beach and the Golden Gate Park), and on Saturdays, students are able to do whatever they want (although during the second weekend, most of our time was occupied with writing and revising our research papers).
If anyone has anymore questions, or if you want tips for the program, free free to message me! (although I’m more clear about the Revolutions and Jefferson classes than the philosophy classes)
@Spicykins thank you so much for the info! do you have any tips for packing? (i live on east coast and have never stayed in cali for longer than a day or two) how much school supplies should students bring for the course? is the courseload/homework a lot compared to regular schoolwork?