Philosophy and Literature has two professors: Professors Lanier Anderson and Joshua Landy. Also, one Thursday evening, we went to see a play at Cal Shakes, an outdoor Shakespearean theatre.įun aside, I think that the academics were my favorite part of the three weeks. Sundays were reserved for field trips to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Muir Redwood Forest. We had Saturdays to ourselves, though trips to the local mall and museum were available. On weekends, we enjoyed a mix of free time and organized activities. It’s definitely safe to say that I left Stanford as a more flexible person. One of the counselors was a certified yoga instructor, so she led yoga sessions every morning. Volleyball matches got particularly intense. During free time, they took us on excursions and played games with us. At a certain point in each day’s lecture, they broke us into groups and guided us in understanding and questioning the lesson. Since the counselors all had unique backgrounds or courses of study in the humanities, they were wonderful resources for us students. Five of the other counselors were currently studying at Stanford, while the other two go to Yale and Berkeley, respectively. The head counselor had just concluded her undergraduate years at University of Virginia, and she is now starting her PhD at Columbia University. They were also from all over the country (and world!). Within our dorm (which is called Robert Moore South, or “BOB”), we had eight residential counselors to keep us in line. At least one-fifth of the students were from California, but New York, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Washington (I was one of two from the Evergreen State), and several other states were also represented. Many of them came from private schools or boarding schools, though I was among the handful of students who normally attend public school. The remainder of students were from all over the country. Students from Turkey, Indonesia, Canada, England, and China were also present, all bringing fascinating depth and perspective to the experience. Since she is originally from the Boston area, she is bilingual, speaking both French and English as a native speaker would. Another friend that I made lives in Singapore, where she goes to a French school. She told me lots of amazing stories about life in her country and her travels around Europe, and I loved learning about her culture. My roommate was from Bulgaria, and attending the program marked her first time in America. A number of my classmates were from far away places around the world. Meals at the dining hall, the campus main quad, the library, the bookstore, and classes at the Humanities Center were all less than a ten minute walk away, so everything that I could possibly need was well within reach.Īlthough the incredible beauty of the campus and the novelty of dorm life were wonderful elements of SHI, I think that the academic rigor and remarkable variety and diversity of students were the best parts of the program. My 46 fellow students and I stayed in an upperclassmen dorm in a picturesque collegiate neighborhood. Soon after I arrived and met the other students, I realized that the program would be a highly immersive and transformative experience. I also learned that I had received an almost complete scholarship to attend! Excited but completely uncertain of what to expect, I left for California on July 13. In early spring, I learned that I had been admitted to the program. I chose to apply to the philosophy program because I had never taken philosophy before and I was eager to get a taste of the college academic experience. Offered courses include “The Age of Jefferson” and “Philosophy and Literature.” This is a three-week summer program for high school students, and it takes place on the Stanford campus. Last winter, I received word of a Stanford program called the Stanford Summer Humanities Institute (SHI).
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