Sophomore College

Check back in February for complete 2012 information

Sophomore College offers students the opportunity to study intensively with Stanford faculty and small groups of other Stanford sophomores before the beginning of Autumn Quarter. All courses engage students in the materials and methods of inquiry of a particular academic field. Students live on campus (with the other students in their course in September) before Autumn Quarter opens.  

2012 Sophomore College Catalog (coming soon)

Overview

Sophomore College is a three-week residential summer program during which second-year students in seminars of 12-14 students engage in intense academic exploration, forming a community of scholars with peers, upper-class assistants, and professors. An important aspect of Sophomore College is that while seminars have two-hour daily scheduled class instruction, students are actively involved in their seminar topics and classmates throughout each entire day. Depending on the discipline and focus of the seminar, students may be conducting research, working in labs, engaged in close readings of texts, and developing presentation skills. Some seminars are held in part or entirely off campus. Advising workshops help reorient students as they begin planning their second-year internship and fellowship opportunities, major declaration, and overseas studies.

Participating students benefit from the following:

• Intense academic exploration of a single topic with an eminent senior faculty member
• Immersion in and exploration of a field of interest
• An opportunity to hone critical habits of mind
• Training to become a more engaged and entrepreneurial learner
• Collaborating and forming relationships with faculty and peers

Program Dates

Participating students must arrive on campus between noon and 5 p.m. on Monday, September 3, 2012 (Labor Day). Sophomore College class sessions begin September 4 and will continue to meet until Monday, September 17; however, students are required to attend additional class events scheduled after this date, such as class sessions, presentations, or field trips, through Friday, September 21. Class presentations and field trips may extend through September 21, 2012. Arrival dates and locations may vary for off-campus seminars.

*For a few off-campus field seminars, students will need to arrange and pay for their own travel arrangements to designated off-campus locations on specified dates. The program will arrange and pay for their return to Stanford University at the end of the field seminar. Arrival dates and locations may vary as noted in course descriptions for off-campus seminars.

**A few off-campus field seminars will travel back to campus on either Friday, September 21; or Saturday, September 22 from the off-campus locations.

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Program Cost

Check back in February for 2012 costs

The program fee covers tuition, room, board, books, and class-required travel arranged by the program. The total fee is $1,400, but through the generosity of Stanford donors all students will automatically receive an $800 scholarship. Each student will pay the remaining $600, which will be included in their University bill.

Financial aid is available to help defray the $600 remaining program fee; students should indicate interest in aid on the application form. (These grants cannot be applied toward other personal expenses or travel as described above.) The Financial Aid Office will determine eligibility. Financial need will have no bearing on course applications. (Please note: We may not be able to consider financial aid requests received after April 22, 2012.)

For students on financial aid, the Financial Aid Office has also agreed to replace the portion of expected summer earnings lost due to participation in Sophomore College with either grants or loans, depending on the family financial situation. If you are accepted to Sophomore College, contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@stanford.edu when you return to campus in the fall. They will work with you to determine how loans or grants may be used to offset your lost earnings.

Note:  Students are also responsible for travel to campus (or the off-campus site for some off-campus seminars), phone, network activation fees, class project materials, and other personal expenses.

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Application and Enrollment Policies and Procedures

Check back in February for 2012 dates

The Sophomore College Catalog will be mailed to freshmen during Spring Break to their Stanford P.O. Box.

Eligibility

Eligible students will be sophomores in the Autumn Quarter after the program. They will also meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Have been enrolled for no more than three academic quarters
• Be sophomores in Autumn Quarter 2012
• Be in good academic standing
• Have completed at least 36 units of academic work by the end of Spring Quarter 2012
• Have an on-campus housing assignment for Autumn Quarter of sophomore year (2012-2013) and plan to be enrolled in the Autumn Quarter. No exceptions. (Students planning to enroll in Overseas Study for fall 2012 are eligible. These students must make living arrangements for the time period following students moving into fall housing, Friday, September 14, through the conclusion of the program, September 21.)
• Admitted students who are found to have academic standing problems after completing Spring Quarter may have their admission revoked.

Application Process

Student applications for each course are reviewed by the faculty instructors. Faculty look for a variety of backgrounds; therefore, students should provide thoughtful, thorough answers to the questions on the application. Applications must be submitted via the web at soco.stanford.edu by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 9, 2012. (A sample application form will be included in the Sophomore College catalog.)

You may apply to up to three classes, but a separate application is required for each. If you apply to more than one, you must rank your choices. Students may view their application status on the web on approximately April 30, 2012 after 5 p.m. Those selected to participate will be asked to complete a registration commitment form by 5 p.m. on May 7, 2012.

Please note that the application web site times out after 20 minutes. We heartily recommend drafting and revising your essays on a computer and cutting-and-pasting them into the browser or, as an alternative, saving and returning to your application within the 20-minute time frame.

Selection Process

Faculty instructors select the members of their courses. They seek to create a diverse group of participants to facilitate lively and productive exchanges during the program. The better the instructor can understand your motivations and approach, the more likely he or she will be to keep you in mind in constructing the final class list.

Selected students must accept or decline the offered spots by 5:00 p.m., Monday, May 7.  Please note that once a student declines an offer, that spot will no longer be available to the student.

Students who commit to attend and then withdraw will be charged a $600 withdrawal assessment fee. If a student withdraws from Sophomore College prior to May 30 and a student from the waitlist agrees to fill the vacated spot, the withdrawal assessment fee will be reduced to $300. Beginning May 30, the withdrawal assessment fee of $600 will be imposed whether or not the vacated spot is filled. Note: The student will also be charged for the cost of all distributed reading materials if these materials are not returned to the program. Exceptions due to illness require a doctor’s letter in order to waive the withdrawal fee. In other circumstances students must work with Bob Jorgensen, Associate Director of Academic Administration, to discuss having the fee reduced or waived.

Waiting List

Students wait-listed for a course will be contacted should a space open up before the program begins.

Credit

Student participants receive two units of credit for academic work in the course in the Autumn quarter that follows the program.

Enrollment

Students must be enrolled Autumn fall quarter of sophomore year. Sophomore College student participants will be automatically enrolled in their Sophomore College course with the enrollment registered in mid-October. This will not affect the 20-unit limit for Autumn Quarter registration. No student action is required.

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Student Commitment

Check back in March for 2012 dates

Students are expected to be fully committed to Sophomore College. This means attending all class sessions, class field trips, and mandatory class or college-wide activities. Sophomore College participants cannot work a full- or part-time job or travel outside of required class activities during the program. Summer jobs must be completed before September Studies begins; September Studies participants cannot work at Stanford Sierra Camp, for example, which overlaps.  Because of conflicts with required training schedules, RA and RCC roles preclude participation in Sophomore College, as do some other dorm staff positions. Any dorm staff positions should be disclosed as possible conflicts on your commitment form.

Students must arrive on campus on September 3 (Labor Day) between noon and 5 p.m. Students must remain on campus from September 3 until the professor no longer requires class sessions, class field trips, or mandatory class activities. Exceptions to this policy must be pre-approved by the faculty instructor and the Associate Director of September Studies.

As during the regular academic year, student conduct is guided by the Fundamental Standard and Honor Code. Admission to the program may be revoked at any point if a student is found to be ineligible or in violation of the Fundamental Standard or Honor Code.

Available Student Staff Positions

Check back in February for 2012 dates

Available Positions

Resident Assistant Directors are graduate students and serve as quasi-Resident Fellows. They live in the Sophomore College-assigned dorms and supervise the SCAs in their role in the residences.

Sophomore College Assistants (SCAs) live in the Sophomore College-assigned dorms and have three roles: teaching assistant, resident assistant,  and administrive liaison. They will report to and collaborate with course faculty as well as Resident Assistant Directors in the dorms. (In some instances, one of the SCAs will be a graduate student. The graduate SCAs are required to live in residence with student participants.) 

Resident Computer Consultants (RCCs) educate residents on all aspects of computing at Stanford. They also consult with residents on computer-related problems and support in-room network connections of SoCo students.

Eligibility

Students who will be juniors, seniors, or co-terminal students in the Autumn following the program are eligible to be undergraduate Sophomore College Assistants. Occasionally one SCA position for a course will be filled by a graduate student. Note:  Co-terminal students or recently graduated students will be eligible to apply for SCA undergraduate positions. RCCs may be sophomores, juniors, or seniors.

Application and Selection Procedures

• Students may apply to multiple courses and positions.
• A reference name (and reference contact information ) will be requested on the staff application.

Faculty select among applicants for SCA positions, Sophomore College staff select RCCs, and the Associate Director of September Studies selects Resident Directors. If selected to more than one course or position, students must choose which to accept.

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Further Resources

• SoCo 2011 FAQs. Have a question? Read through the answers to the questions most frequently asked by students.
• 2011 Sophomore College Catalog

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