Peng Shuhan, a teenage boy from Chongqing Nankai Secondary School in China's southwestern Chongqing municipality, was accepted for admission to Deep Springs College in California on May 5. Peng also received letters of acceptance from five other elite U.S. universities, including Reed College and Cooper Union. But he is still weighing his decision.



Deep Springs College is a private two-year college located in the remote desert, 45 miles from the nearest town, Bishop. It accepts only 13 boys every year and tuition, room and board are provided free of charge.



The college ranks first alongside Harvard in academic quality. Many students even give up the opportunity to enroll in Ivy League universities in preference for the school.



Deep Springs resembles a work college. In addition to studies, students work a minimum of 20 hours a week either on the ranch and farm attached to the college or in positions related to the college and community. Job titles have historically included cook, irrigator, butcher, groundskeeper, cowboy, "office cowboy," and feedman. Deep Springs maintains a cattle herd and an alfalfa hay farming operation.



"I do not want to be a follower; I want to respect and follow my heart. I hope to have my own ideas and ways of thinking," says Peng. He has the ambitions of a knight errant: to sharpen his skills in the deep desert and become a real man.



Like many teenagers, Peng is keen on online games such as CS and World of Warcraft. He also likes reading, including works such as "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Robinson Crusoe", and he enjoys Chinese martial arts.



The article is edited and translated from 《重庆男孩被美国神秘高校录取 该校每年只招13人》; Source: people.com.cn

