On This Page:
Sophomore College 2009
Click on image for a PDF of this year's course catalog.
Click here for the Faculty Site
Sophomore College offers students the opportunity to study intensively with Stanford faculty and small groups of other Stanford sophomores before the beginning of Fall 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 Fall quarter opens.
Overview
Sophomore College is a three-week resident summer program where second-year students in seminars of 12-14 students engage in intense academic exploration, forming a collaboration with peers, upper-class assistants, and professors, in creating a community of scholars. An important aspect of Sophomore College is that while seminars have two hour daily scheduled class instruction, almost without exception “class time” becomes an irrelevant concept and 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 their second year internship and fellowship opportunities, major declaration and overseas studies planning.
Participating students benefit from the following:
- Intense academic exploration of a single topic with an eminent senior faculty member
- Immersion 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
*August 31 to **September 18, 2009
Participating students must arrive back on campus between noon and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 31, 2009. Sophomore College will remain in session until Tuesday, September 15. Students are required to attend additional class events scheduled after this date, such as class presentations or field trips, through Friday, September 18. Arrival dates and locations may vary for off-campus seminars. Class presentations and field trips may extend through September 18, 2009.
*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 18th; Saturday, September 19th (Rosh Hashanah); or Sunday, September 20th from the off-campus locations.
Program Cost
The total fee is $1400. Through the generosity of Stanford friends however, all students automatically receive an $800 scholarship. Each student pays the remaining $600, which is included in the Autumn University bill. This fee covers tuition, room, board, books and class-required travel during the program.
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 May 5, 2009.)
For students on financial aid, the Financial Aid Office has also agreed to replace the portion of expected earnings lost due to participation in Sophomore College with either grants or loans depending on the family financial situation. If you are accepted to a class, 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.
- Financial Aid Office financialaid@stanford.edu
Application and Enrollment Policies and Procedures
- The Sophomore College Brochure will be mailed to the freshman class during Spring Break.
- The Sophomore College Application is no longer available.
- The Sophomore College Application deadline was April 14, 2009, 5 p.m.
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
- In good academic standing
- Will have completed at least 36 units of academic work by the end of Spring quarter freshman year
- Must be enrolled and have an on-campus housing assignment for Autumn quarter of sophomore year
Application Process
Student applications for each course are reviewed and selected 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 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (A sample application form is included in this brochure.)
This year the link will first direct students to a short survey with questions that will be used for Stanford’s accreditation report, and will not be read by the faculty or influence in any way the review of the Sophomore College seminar applications submitted. You must, however, complete the survey to advance to submitting your Sophomore College application(s).Once the survey is complete, you will be able to enter applications at any time up to the deadline.
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 May 6, 2009 after 5:00 p.m. Those selected to participate will be asked to complete a registration commitment form by 5:00 p.m. on May 13, 2009.
Selection Process
Faculty instructors select among the applicants. They seek to create a diverse group of participants to bring 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 before the end of Spring quarter. 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 June 12th and a student from the waitlist agrees to fill the vacated spot, the withdrawal assessment fee will be reduced to $300. Beginning June 13th, 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 the Program Director to discuss having the fee reduced or waived.
Waiting List
Students wait-listed for a course may opt to accept or decline the spot. Accepting does not commit them to participate; it merely indicates that they wish to 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 will be automatically enrolled in their Sophomore College course with the enrollment registered in mid-November. This will not to affect the 20-unit limit for Fall quarter registration. No student action is required.
Student Commitment
Students are expected to be fully committed to Sophomore College. This means attending all class sessions, class field trips, and mandatory college-wide activities. Sophomore College participants cannot work a full- or part-time job or travel outside of required class activities during the program. 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.
All absences from Sophomore College, including weekends, must be approved by the faculty instructor. Students cannot be absent for more than two days between September 1 and 18 and may not arrive late to the program if it will cause them to miss a class meeting. 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 Staff Positions
Available Positions (2009 SOCO Staff Job Descriptions)
Resident Directors are graduate students and serve as quasi-resident fellows. They live in the Sophomore College dorms and supervise the SCAs in their role in the residences.
Sophomore College Assistants (SCAs) have three roles: academic advisor, residence staff and teaching assistant. They will report to and collaborate with course faculty as well as Resident Directors in the dorms. (In some instances, one of the SCAs will be a graduate student. The graduate SCA will live in residence with student participants.)
Oral Communication Tutors (OCTs) help students with speaking issues. Some of these issues include giving formal or informal class presentations, participating in class discussions and communicating with peers and professors. OCTs also consult with individual students or groups of students and help organize workshops and other activities.
Resident Computer Coordinators (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. OCTs and RCCs may be sophomores, juniors or seniors.
Application and Selection Procedures
- The Sophomore College Staff Application deadline has passed.
- Students may apply to multiple courses and positions.
- A reference name (and reference contact information ) will be requested on the staff application.
- An unofficial transcript is required by 5PM on March 16, 2009 (Submit to FSP at Sweet Hall, 1st floor).
- Staff Application Status Posted
- The Sophomore College Staff Commitment deadline is May 1, 2009, 5PM.
Faculty select among applicants for SCA positions. Freshman and Sophomore Programs staff select OCTs and RCCs, and the Associate Director selects Resident Directors. If selected to more than one course or position, students must choose which to accept.
Further Resources
- SoCo 2009 FAQs. Have a question? Read through the answers to the questions most frequently asked by students.
- 2009 Courses and participating faculty. A preliminary list will be available at the end of February. You will be able to browse the list of course offerings and faculty participants to see the many exciting opportunities available through Sophomore College.