Enrollment is now open at UnCollege. Graduation requirements include making cold calls, writing a bucket list and becoming a mentor.

Dale Stephens, a 19-year-old freshman at Hendrix College, launched the website UnCollege on Jan. 21 with a long-term goal of providing an alternative to traditional higher education, according to the website. UnCollege aims to connect students with mentors, who will help them learn from experiences and self-designed projects in place of traditional higher education, according to the website.

Stephens, who attended public school until sixth grade, said college was easier than he had expected but not because of his intelligence or the lack of challenging courses. Stephens said college is becoming easier across the board.

‘Instead of whining about inadequacies of higher education,’ Stephens said in an e-mail, ‘I decided to channel my frustrations to have a positive impact on the world.’

The idea for UnCollege began with a conversation Stephens had with a few of his friends, said Rebecca Goldman, a friend of Stephens and an undeclared sophomore at Dartmouth College.

‘We were brainstorming via e-mail, and I proposed we should start our own college a la the movie ‘Accepted,” Goldman said in an e-mail. ‘Dale took the idea and ran with it.’

Goldman is currently on the board for UnCollege and said she was delighted the program is up and running.

The site has been live for three weeks, Stephens said. The main struggle so far is convincing people UnCollege is a viable alternative to college, he said.

Stephens said there are already 10 students enrolled in the program, which will begin in the fall. He hopes to have about 50 students in the first class, he said.

The struggle to enroll students is one Stephens said he expects will continue.

‘Many have never considered alternative education,’ he said. ‘To these people, UnCollege must seem wholly foreign.’

Stephens said he has heard criticism that people cannot do anything without a college degree. He challenges the notion that a degree is a requirement for success, he said, and has been overwhelmed with compliments and offers to help.

There is also no traditional graduation at UnCollege. Completion of UnCollege consists of the successful completion of at least 15 projects from three learning domains. Domains include introspection, experience and application. Certain projects, such as living abroad for three months, volunteering for more than 200 hours and writing a ‘This I Believe’ essay, are mandatory.

UnCollege plans to charge nominal tuition, about $100 per month, to cover costs like hosting and curriculum development, according to the website. All interaction with UnCollege will be through the website.

Demetri Sampas, a sophomore business major at Pacific Lutheran University who was involved with the idea for UnCollege, is currently working with Stephens to establish the structure and plan for the beginning phases of UnCollege, he said.

Though Sampas plans to continue his traditional education and graduate from Pacific Lutheran University, he said college degrees are not necessary to succeed.

‘In the current job market,’ Sampas said, ‘a college degree does little to set oneself apart from the competition and does little to describe a person’s work ethic or capabilities.’

Stephens, however, said he does not plan to return to Hendrix College after a trip to the Netherlands in the fall because UnCollege will be taking up a lot of his time.

He said: ‘I believe I can succeed in the real world without a college degree.’

medelane@syr.edu

Published on February 14, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meghin: medelane@syr.edu | @meghinwithani