Deep Springs College

With an acceptance rate that varies between 6% and 15% from year to year, Deep Springs College, a two year college in Deep Springs, CA, is one of the most selective colleges in the United States.
Founded in 1917 by L. L Nunn, the school was designed to teach men (it is an all male college) about three major aspects of life: academics, governance, and labor.
In terms of academics, the school is among the best. After their two year stints, students typically transfer to Harvard or Yale or Brown or Stanford or UC Berkeley or Cornell. The overwhelming majority of alumni get graduate degrees, especially PhDs. Though the school has only had approximately 1000 alumni, many graduates have gone on to win Rhodes Scholarships.
In terms of governance, the student body runs the university. This includes hiring and firing professors. Student government is a very serious and important part of life here.
In terms of labor, every student is required to perform 20 hours of labor a week. This can be working on the alfalfa farm, taking care of the cattle, cooking, cleaning, or clerical work. Students take it very seriously.
For all those that get admitted, tuition and living expenses are free. The campus is relatively isolated and interaction with the outside world is relatively sparse. The nearest town is 25 miles away. So it is not for those who want to meet 50 new people everyday.
Despite only having only about 1000 alumni in its history (they only admit 12 to 14 students a year), Deep Springs has had multiple alumni who have been Congressmen, multiple who have been Rhodes Scholars, and multiple who have gone on to great things.
Among the alumni include Charles Collingwood, Silas Warner, and Jim Olin.
Admission to this institution is very tough. When I was in high school in 1999, this was my top choice undergraduate institution. The application process was two rounds. First, there was a first round where you sent in transcripts, essays, SAT scores. Essays are by far the most important part of this part of the application.
After the first round, roughly 40 applicants are accepted for a second round. These applicants travel to Deep Springs for interviews. When I came for my second round interview, I stayed for about three days. During that time, I attended classes, cleaned the cattle barn, got introduced to Frank Zappa’s music, learned about Ferdinand DeSaussere, helped clean the kitchen and dormitory, and did the all important interview.
Ultimately, I was rejected. I had to «settle» for a BA at the University of Pennsylvania, which in reality was not settling, but it gives you an idea of how competitive this place was to get into.