Twenty-Six Renaissance Men ; at Deep Springs College, Top Students Create the Foun-Dation for a Life of Service

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At Deep Springs College, wood posts and wire keep the cows in their pasture, blowtorched lines stave off the tumbleweed, and doors swing open for gatherings or latch shut for quiet contemplation.

But there are no such borders between learning and living on this California ranch that doubles as one of the most selective colleges in the United States. Here, unlike at other top-flight schools, the labor is as much physical and interpersonal as it is intellectual.

The fact that the 26 students here are all male is the least of what makes this an unusual place. At Deep Springs, becoming men means learning self-government: growing and cooking their own …