Examined Life Scholars' First Residential Summer Deepens Learning and Community
Baylor Honors College's Examined Life Scholars (ELS) program took its next step this summer, welcoming its first fully residential cohort thanks to a $300,000 Knowledge for Freedom grant from the Teagle Foundation.
The grant allowed the Honors College to expand the program beyond last summer's pilot by bringing rising high school seniors from Waco and Temple to campus for a two-week residential experience rooted in the Great Texts tradition. Students lived together in Penland Residence Hall, shared meals, wrestled with classic texts and continued conversations well into the evening alongside Honors College student mentors.
"The experience of living together, and spending significant time outside of class, really bonded the students in a way that went beyond what the pilot year students experienced," Honors Program Director and ELS Co-Director Elizabeth Corey, Ph.D., said. "The study hours at night, led by the mentors, were a great chance for the students to digest the readings they'd been doing and to go deeper into things they had only partially understood."
Living on campus transformed the program from a summer seminar into a true living-learning community. Discussions that began in the classroom continued in residence hall lounges, over meals and during evening study sessions, giving students the opportunity to engage more deeply with one another and with the ideas they were exploring.
"The residential program allowed for our students to settle into the college experience more fully," Associate Professor of Rhetoric in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Co-Director of ELS Samuel Perry, Ph.D., said. "The sense of confidence and independence was noticeable and showed through in our classroom discussions. Students also learned how important it is to be in control of their own schedules and how time management is a bigger part of everyday life in college."
Program Coordinator and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions Kristy Brischke said the additional time students spent together outside the classroom created opportunities for authentic relationships to develop, strengthening both the community and the classroom experience.
"One of the most noticeable differences this summer was the number of friendships that developed among students from different high schools," Brischke said. "The additional time they spent together outside the classroom created opportunities for genuine relationships to form. I believe those friendships helped break down barriers, making students more comfortable sharing their perspectives and impacting the classroom discussions."
That sense of community was strengthened by Honors College student mentors, who lived alongside participants throughout the program. They led nightly study sessions, answered questions about college life and often found themselves continuing seminar discussions late into the evening.
"It's amazing how the wee hours of the night bring out some of the deepest questions, the chance to truly examine life," Sophomore University Scholar and student mentor Paul Taussig said. "The residential experience allowed us to laugh together, to be vulnerable with one another, to play games and snack when we knew we should be sleeping. In short, it fostered that truest kind of friendship that can only blossom, as Aristotle asserts, when friends live together."
Fellow student mentor and junior Baylor Interdisciplinary Core student Patrick Hart said one of the most rewarding parts of the experience was watching students become increasingly confident as they worked through difficult readings together.
"I really enjoyed seeing the increase in participation and confidence of students over the course of the two weeks as they learned more about difficult readings," Hart said. "Those discussions became richer because students realized they were capable of engaging with challenging texts and contributing meaningful insights."
With the first residential program complete, organizers are already looking toward the future. They hope stronger relationships with local schools, enthusiastic alumni and word-of-mouth recommendations will allow ELS to continue growing while introducing more Waco-area students to the kind of intellectual community that defines a Baylor Honors College education.
"We're excited to continue building relationships with local students, teachers and school administrators," Corey said. "As more students experience the program, we're hopeful that word-of-mouth will continue to grow interest and enthusiasm for Examined Life Scholars."
To learn more about Examined Life Scholars, visit the program’s website.
ABOUT THE HONORS COLLEGE AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
The Honors College at Baylor University unites five academic pathways: the Bachelor of Philosophy degree, the Great Texts major, the University Scholars major, the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, and the Honors Program. Students may also choose to live in the Honors Residential College, a multi-year community of students that fosters formation through friendship, study, service, and spiritual engagement. Together these opportunities invite undergraduates to explore questions that reach beyond the boundaries of individual disciplines. For more information, visit the Honors College website.