To all SLE alums...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>So what does a typical SLE day consist of? Is it really as close-knit as it's made out to be? How often do you write for the course, and what kind of variety is there in the writing assignments (In AP Lit, we were hit weekly by a barrage of identical forty-minute analytical essays, so it would be lovely to mix it up a bit). What is the complete reading list (they always seem to post an abridged sampler version online)? How does SLE address the interdisciplinary nature of the humanities (i.e. what do you do beyond the books?) What role does the study of history play in SLE? </p>

<p>Also, would it be possible to do SLE as well as a varsity sport that meets every day from 3-5? For me, the course supercedes the sport, but I was just wondering if you've ever heard of anyone juggling both. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>...bump...</p>

3

<p>A typical SLE day during winter quarter of freshman year:</p>

<p>9-10: Chem 33
10-12: Review Chem 33 in library or catch up on SLE readings
12-1: Lunch
1-3: Catch up on SLE readings; prepare for section
3-5: If the day is T/W/Th, section
5-6: Dinner
6-7: SLE Lecture</p>

<p>It's however close-knitted you make it out to be. No one is going to force you into a social situation you don't want to be in. Your social life is constructed by the choices you make.</p>

<p>The writing assignments are all very intense. They're all argumentative papers that supports a thesis. You will be asked to explicate quotes from a philosophical text, colors in a painting, and editing in a film.</p>

<p>It's very hard to balance between a varsity sports and SLE, because, as you know, they conflict. There was at least one person that I know of my year who juggled both.</p>

4

<p>Here is an example of a paper prompt: ""Can duty come into conflict with other human values? If so, what are the consequences for the individual and for the community? What are the choices that characters face in the Ramayana and in the Bhagavad-Gita? Construct an argument that analyzes a scene or set of characters from the selections."</p>

<p>Some of the questions talked about during sections include: does morality exist in a deterministic world if one has no control over one's action? Can one's action be deemed evil or good? Can one be held responsible for one's action if it was fate?</p>

<p>Though it changes from year to year, here is an example of a SLE reading list:</p>

<p>fall quarter reading: the odyssey, aristotle - the politics, euripides - the bacchae, sophocles - antigone, plato - the last days of socrates, aristotle - nicomachean ethics, aeschylus - the oresteia, plato - the republic
thucydides - history of the peloponnesian war, the bible, sappho, plato's symposium</p>

<p>winter quarter reading: cervantes - don quixote, balzac - pere goriot, shakespeare - king lear, machiavelli - the prince and discourses, st. augustine - confessions, the marx-engels reader, descartes - meditations on first philosophy, chuang tzu - the essential, dante - inferno, listening to the magic flute and reading its libretto.</p>

<p>spring quarter reading: marx, dickens - hard times, nietzsche - gay science, genealogy of morals, ibsen - enemy of the people, chekhov - cherry orchard, ts eliot - the waste land, woolf - to the lighthouse, freud, koestler - darkness at noon, kafka - metamorphosis, arendt - eichmann in jerusalem, camus - the plague, sartre - existentialism as a humanism, salih - season of migration to the north</p>

5

<p>Eeee! Thank you so much...I can't wait. That prompt...so juicy...I'm practically drooling over here.</p>

6

<p>No problem. I won't be there during the fall to see you, but I'd love to hear what you think of SLE when I come back in winter quarter from Oxford. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>statics..your doing the study-abroad program at oxford?would u mind giving me some information bout that..like what the application processs is like, why you decided to study at Oxford as opposed to the other locations, what yr you are and anything else you can think of..thxs!</p>

8

<p>"Eeee! Thank you so much...I can't wait. That prompt...so juicy...I'm practically drooling over here."</p>

<p>You're kidding, right? I honestly pretended to c ock (lol profanity filter) a gun and shoot myself in the head after reading that and thinking about having to respond.</p>

<p>I guess that's why I'm not doing SLE.</p>

9

<p>It's ok...calc makes me want to slit my wrists. It takes all kinds, right?</p>

10

<p>Vissanik, everyone has his or her passion. The beauty of college and Stanford is that you're in control of how you choose to spend your time. You don't have to like the same thing as your neighbor and they will still respect your passion, whatever it may be.</p>

11

<p>Hey lookatme89,</p>

<p>I just finished my sophomore year. Most people study abroad their junior year. I chose Oxford as opposed to other locations for a few reasons. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>I don't want to take a year of foreign language such as german, spanish, french, mandarin, and italian to qualify for the other locations.</p></li>
<li><p>The academic rigor of Oxford is incomparable. The incredible opportunity to study at Oxford with a Tutor on a person-to-person level is definitely very rare. The tutorial system offers an innovative method of teaching that promotes self-directed studying and encourages rigorous understanding. This Socratic teaching requires that I defend my answers by understanding the information at a fundamental level. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>It is an online application. You applied two quarters before the quarter you want to go. So I applied winter quarter of my sophomore year, hoping to attend in the fall of my junior year. The Oxford program is also the most competitive program. If you're a science major, it's even more competitive. They usually take 2-3 science majors. I'm a Neurobiology major, so I was very fortunate to be accepted.</p>

<p>The application itself asks you to comment on a few questions. These are the actual questions from the application.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Briefly reflect on your personal motivations for going abroad. How will this particular program contribute to your overall Stanford experience?</p></li>
<li><p>What classes would you intend to take overseas, and why do they interest you? How do they fit in with making progress toward a major or minor or other academic goals?</p></li>
<li><p>You must describe your plans for a tutorial topic, which is a required element of the program. Describe the particular background you have in relation to the topic you would like to study.</p></li>
<li><p>Why did you decide to go abroad in the specific quarter(s) you have chosen? Why did you decide to go abroad in the specific quarter(s) you have chosen?</p></li>
</ol>

12

<p>thxs alot!im really considering studying at oxford bc of the tutorial system as i plan to be a lawyer and i feel that we will really prepare me..only problem is i lived in england for seven yrs and i feel that going to oxford is the "safe" option for me as opposed to traveling to another location where i will be totally out of my comfort zone..thxs for the info tho!</p>