Deep Springs College

Deep Springs College is a unique educational institute. In exchange for laboring on a fully-functional cattle and alfalfa farm, students receive free tuition, room, and board. At the end of their two years, they transfer to some of the best universities in the country. As part of the package, the all-male student body lives in self-imposed isolation on a farm nestled in a remote desert valley. They govern their own affairs, including admissions, curriculum, and disciplinary actions, accepting only 12-13 students a year.

I had heard of Deep Springs in high school, but my interest never extended past requesting some application materials. Like most high schoolers, the idea was romantic, but I couldn't quite wrap my head around such a radially non-traditional path. Safer it seemed to just go with the flow and apply to a four-year college and come out with a firm path towards medical school or some other professional degree and some societal acceptance. But the place had stuck out in my mind as an interesting experiment in education and an admirable model of self-governance.

So when my friend Frances invited me and Kim to join her as she moved into her visiting faculty position at Deep Springs, I jumped at the chance. It was a chance to just check out the place. We drove over there, crossing the Sierra Nevada at Tioga Pass, before heading down another two hours. The college is located about an hour's drive outside of Bishop, a small town on the east side of the Sierra range. While we were there, we got a chance to check out the campus and experience a small slice of life there. Anyway, here are the pictures:

Captions:
1. Climbing a tree at dawn
2. Alfalfa field
3. Tire Swing
4. Reading at night
5. Alfalfa field and irrigation system
6. Breakfast on Frances' porch
7. Sitting in front of the main building
8. Climbing trees
9. Sitting in trees
10. Frances on a tire swing
11. The farm implement from hell
12. Dairy cow and dog
13. Doing dishes after meals
14. Slop bucket for the pig
15. Contemplating the desert

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Posted 3 months ago

4 comments

Sep 01, 2009

Garry Tan said...

My good friend Tony C. Yang wanted very much to go to Deep Springs back in high school. Back then I could not possibly understand the draw of being so far from civilization (and possibly high speed Internet since it was 1999), and more importantly, women.

:-)

Sep 01, 2009

Vincent Chu said...

I have to say, it takes a special breed of person to give up the trappings of modern life. You almost have to be zealously monastic to accept such a life. I admire it, but at the same point, realize that it's probably not for me. But I'm glad a place like Deep Springs exists and that there are still idealists and dreamers in the mold of Thoreau.

Of course, if you were into science like me, Deep Springs probably isn't your cup of tea.

Sep 02, 2009