FAQs

To be considered for the ELS program, students must complete the ELS application, submit their high school transcript, and one letter of recommendation. This program is available to Waco-area rising seniors. 

ELS students will stay in one of the residence halls on the Baylor campus and will get to enjoy the many dining options on campus. 

Plato’s Gorgias – A dialogue where Socrates debates whether rhetoric is a true art or a form of flattery, ultimately arguing that justice and the pursuit of truth are more valuable than persuasion for power’s sake. 

C.S. Lewis, Learning in Wartime – Lewis contends that education and the pursuit of truth remain vital even in times of crisis, as they connect humanity to eternal values beyond war. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Four Freedoms” Speech – Delivered in 1941, Roosevelt outlines four fundamental human freedoms—speech, worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—as universal rights worth defending. 

J. William Fulbright Address – Fulbright emphasizes international exchange and education as tools for promoting peace, mutual understanding, and the avoidance of destructive nationalism. 

Aristotle, On Rhetoric – Aristotle defines rhetoric as the art of persuasion, grounded in ethos, pathos, and logos, and essential for civic life and public discourse. 

 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics – Aristotle explores the nature of virtue, happiness (eudaimonia), and the “golden mean,” proposing that the good life comes through reason-guided moral character. 

Frederick Douglass, Autobiography – Douglass recounts his journey from slavery to freedom, showing how literacy, resilience, and self-determination empowered him to resist oppression. 

 Martin Luther King Jr., “The Purpose of Education” – King argues that true education must develop both intelligence and character, warning that knowledge without morality can be dangerous. 

Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed – Freire critiques traditional “banking” education and calls for a liberating pedagogy where teachers and students learn together through dialogue and critical consciousness. 

Audre Lorde and bell hooks – Both writers highlight how race, gender, and class intersect in shaping oppression, while advocating for love, self-expression, and education as tools for liberation and social justice. 

The ELS program is free to high school students. The program includes: room, board, program materials, and school year events.