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Letter from the Editor Class of 2018, You’ve done it. You’ve graduated high school and trawled through miles of information about admissions and scholarships until you finally made the choice, the very important and very special choice, to come here, not only to Biola University but also to the Torrey Honors program. That’s no small feat, so congratulations! About a year ago, I was in this same situation. I remember feeling butterflies practically having a house party in my stomach every time I checked my email to see if I had gotten into the program. I remember reading my acceptance letter in a blur of jet lag, and trying to coherently form the words to my excitement (which didn’t work out that well). And yes, I remember feeling just like many, if not all, of you are feeling right now. Nervous. Those butterflies were making a vengeful comeback. Torrey for me and for many of my fellow sophomores has been probably the most wonderful part of coming to college, of making that very important choice to come specifically to Biola. The books you will read, the people you will meet, both inside and outside of your cohort, and the professors you will learn from will make an impact on your life that you won’t be expecting. It’s a very challenging program, and you will definitely need to make good use of your time in the midst of your nonTorrey classes, jobs, friendships, and dorm activities. But let me tell you that Torrey is completely and wholly worth every minute.
So, despite the butterflies that might very well be partying up a storm in your stomach right now, know this. The people in Torrey don’t all have 300 I.Q.’s (and if you do, I’d certainly like to meet you). They are people who have, like you, worked extremely hard to get to this point, who have gone through the same admissions, scholarships, interviews, and applications that you have. And know that it’s not a mistake that you are here. God has placed you in this very moment in the Torrey Honors Institute. That’s not a mistake. He’s got some big plans for you. As for this handbook, it was lovingly and carefully written, edited, and produced for Torrey students by Torrey students, and I hope that it proves beneficial for you as you come into the program. We’ve jotted down ideas, hints, and advice for making the most of your first year here, for everything from reading the texts to writing your final paper. It won’t answer all of your questions, but we’re hoping it covers the basics so that you have a solid foundation to land on for the first semester. Tell those butterflies to close up shop. Crack open this handbook to get a good idea of what you’re getting into. And come into the Torrey program with excitement! Blessings, Jenna Schmidt, Editor
TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Editor What is Torrey? What is Torrientation? Houses & Groups Community Seek Reading the Texts Pre-Class Notes First Your Group in Sessions Tutors & Mentors Tutor Profiles The Kingdom Pull Questions Lectures Of God Torrey Paper Mid Rags & Don Rags Your Group Outside of Sessions Helpful Hints and Good Habits Sophomore Prayer
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So You’re By Stephanie Crockett Maybe you’re brimming over with excitement. Maybe your parents have encouraged you to join Torrey, or maybe you’re just floating in because you’re used to academic rigor. Whatever your reasoning, you’ve recently taken your first step into the Torrey Honors Institute. Welcome. “But what in the world am I getting myself into?” An excellent question. Such questioning is very appropriate for Torrey students, who grapple with literature’s toughest questions through Socratic dialogue. Merriam-Webster.com defines the “Socratic method” as “the method of inquiry and instruction employed by Soctrates… consisting of a series of questionings… to elicit a clear and consistent expression of something supposed to be implicitly known by all rational being.” In other words, Torrey’s discussion is founded on questions and answers. Throughout sessions, students will interact with one another and with the tutor, or professor. The tutor opens the class sessions by asking a general question about the work, and throughout class, the students apply text integration to answer the question and to better understand the work as a whole.
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As you head into Torrey, know that you can survive, and thrive in, the program. But the truth is, Torrey is probably not going to be easy. You may feel frightened at times by your mentor’s ambiguity and unwillingness to answer the question, “How do I get an A?” Actually, Torrey mentors don’t like that question. They want you to work hard and expand your thinking. If you’re doing that, the A should follow. However (cringe all you want), Torrey is not your high school honors program. Instructions here are deliberately vague so that students will give their best work rather than simply stop once they’ve reached the requirement. Torrey is set up for you to succeed, but it’s good to realize early on that getting an A is just not the point. So what’s the point? The point is to pursue goodness, truth, and beauty, and you’ll be doing so alongside your peers. You’ve been placed into a cohort with 13-18 other students who you’ll be studying with for the next four years, class schedules permitting. You’ll also receive personal guidance from your mentor, who you will be expected to visit multiple times per semester. In the end, it’s all about that pursuit. Getting an A isn’t the end-all-be-all of Torrey. It’s a result. The point of Torrey is to get you to join in with others on this great pursuit of God, His creation, and all it contains: His goodness, truth, and beauty. ×
is T or re y ?
In Torrey By Stephanie Crockett Torrientation is your first introduction to Torrey and its expectations. Throughout the week, you’ll be integrated into the Torrey community with the help of sophomore leaders called seers. We are here to help as you transition into both Biola and Torrey life. During this action-packed week, you will receive exposure to Torrey’s basic components: cohorts, lectures, mentors, and sessions. Additionally, you will receive answers to some of your most pressing questions. Early on in the week, you’ll meet your cohort. Your cohort is the group of students you will have class sessions with throughout the next few years. You’ll have ample time to become acquainted with the other 15 or so people in your cohort. You’ll likely be eating meals and attending lectures together, and you’ll also play alongside your cohort during the intensely competitive Torrey Game Night. You’ll be getting the facts about Torrey during the lectures. Torrientation lectures are designed to be both engaging and informative, and each lecture will center around some facet of Torrey. Through the lectures, you’ll learn basic note-taking strategies, what in the world the paper is, and how sessions operate. Torrey professors deliver each of these lectures, so you will also get to see your tutors in action before encountering them in class. Along with being
immensely informative, the lectures are also precursors for lectures you’ll be expected to attend throughout the semester. So, you get to kill two birds with one stone: simultaneously becoming informed and becoming immersed in the Torrey lifestyle of lecture attendance. You will meet your mentor during Torrientation. Your mentor is the Torrey professor you will be responsible to for the next four years. Throughout Torrey, you’ll meet your mentor to evaluate your progress and to discuss the ideas you are pondering in your readings. You will be expected to meet with your mentor multiple times each semester. For your initial meeting with your mentor during Torrientation week, however, nothing will be expected of you. Your mentor will simply introduce him/herself to you and his/her other mentees. Along with sharing some background information, your mentor will also explain some personal expectations for your Torrey career. The mentor meeting is a great opportunity to answer the questions that your seers tell you to “ask your mentor” about. Expectations for things such as note length, in-text notations, and pull-question due dates are all at your mentor’s discretion. Torrientation is also when you will complete your first session! Torreying with your cohort for the first time will probably be a new experience for you. You
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may find your group to be very talkative, or your group may need a bit of encouragement to begin discussion. Either way, there is nothing wrong! The Torrientation session is just a practice, and your cohort will have the next four years to figure out how to function as a group. Just do your best! This week is a really exciting time, and is likely the very beginning of your college experience. We hope you are excited for Torrey, but if you find yourself overwhelmed with the new adjustments of being in college and away from home, you’re probably not alone! This is a new experience for everyone. So if you need any extra support, feel free to talk with your seers.
Houses Groups
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By Jordan Wong
We have a little bit of experience in Torrey, so we will do our best to encourage you. Lastly, don’t worry if all the lectures are a bit overwhelming; you’ll get into the rhythm of Torrey soon enough! ×
When you were told which group and house you were in, Jordan Wong you were probably wondering what sort of Harry Potter madness you had gotten yourself into this time. No worries you won’t have to wear robes all the time, none of the books bite (although they might be intimidating), and neither house is known for turning out certain dark lords. Rather, the house/group system is based upon the Oxford learning system. All Torrey students are put into one of two houses- either Johnson house or Morgan house. The two houses are divided based upon the major of the student. Johnson house usually takes in the science, math and music majors whereas Morgan house is usually for the humanities. There are a few students every year who will be in the house that they might not think they should be in. For example, there could be English majors in Johnson house or a computer science major in Morgan house. This isn’t a mistake; you’re put into the house where you will best fit. Whichever house you are put in initially will still work with your major, but feel free to
talk with your mentor and the office staff about how to best plan your schedule. The biggest difference between the two houses is the way they approach the Torrey curriculum. Morgan house reads the Torrey books in chronological order, while Johnson house reads the texts based off of how they are grouped together. For example, the first semester for Johnson house freshman is titled “On Origins”, meaning that the texts that are read will have to do with creation and the start of being as told by Ovid, Dante, and others. Another difference is that in the Torrey curriculum, Morgan house students have 12 units of Torrey for a majority of their freshmansophomore years, while the majority of their junior-senior years will only have 4 units of Torrey. So Morgan housers, be prepared. On the other side, Johnson house students have 8 units of Torrey every semester. Since each class session is worth 4 units, this means that Morgan house students will take three sessions per week for their first couple years, while
Johnson house students will have two sessions per week for all four years. Within the two houses, there are multiple groups, which we call cohorts in Torrey. A cohort is a separate division of students within a specific house, consisting of around 9-16 students each. The students in each one of the houses will be split into four different cohort groups, each with a different name. The names of your cohorts for the class of 2018 are Boethius, Dante, Edwards, Francis, Kipling, Quadratus, Wesley or Xenia. The cohort groups of Boethius, Dante, Edwards and Wesley groups represent Morgan house, so Francis, Kipling, Quadratus, and Xenia represent Johnson house. So while it isn’t Hogwarts and there’s no Sorting Hat, there is a certain method to making sure each student is placed within the house and group that fits them and their major the best. Each house, and within those, each group, has their own unique perks and quirks that you will come to greatly enjoy during your time in Torrey! ×
By Elizabeth Ketema “And He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.’” -Luke 10:27 (ESV) Other than growing with God these next four years in Torrey and at Biola, this is the time to grow in friendships. And I mean friendships from ALL sides. Build friendships with the people on your dorm floor, build friendships with your Torrey group, build friendships with your SOS group, build friendships with your major-mates, build friendships everywhere! But seriously. Having a Christian community that you can dive into, invest in, and love is so necessary and powerful in our lives. God gave us people to relate to. There is an importance of having people in our lives, especially to help us grow, give us advice, have fun with, and do life with. Sure, you have to keep sticking with your studies, scramble for scholarships, apply for jobs, search for internships, panic for exams and books and THE paper . . . but honestly, it’s college. This is the place where you will make friendships that will last you for the rest of your life. A professor once said to my first year seminar class: “The friends you make now will be the friends you will see as a bridesmaids/groomsmen.” Brings things into perspective, right? The greatest thing I took from Torrey is realizing that I have personally never been surrounded by a Christian community that is my age group and devotedly seeking God with all they’ve got. Once I accepted that and saw the genuine
passion for God that my peers had around me, I started to see how significantly deeper these friendships that I barely made in the couple months at Biola were stronger and more filling than my friendships at home. Now, of course, you may not have had the same background of going to a public school with an extremely weak devoted Christian population. Nonetheless, the greatest difference of college and high school is that you DO LIFE with these people you meet and become friends with. You live with them, eat with them, laugh with them, go on adventures with
Community
them, cry with them, stress with them. So find an awesome group of friends you can trust, maybe even a group of friends you can believe will be there for the rest of your life. Then go out and make some more friends! Pace yourself. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Don’t shut everyone out. Have God lead you through these friendships. Do some crazy, safe things. MAKE MEMORIES. Keep track of those! All in all, know that although you can live with God alone, He gives us emotions and relationships with people so that we can have someone to relate to, grow with, and love always. As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpen a friend.” -Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) Stay sharp everyone! And keep sharpening each other! ×
Seek
By Lauren Frey
verb \ ˈsēk\ an attempt to find, to search for, to try to get or achieve (something), to ask for (help, advice) At this very moment, there are thousands of college freshman preparing to embark on their fouryear academic journey. And you, by God’s grace, are headed to a very unique place to do this: the Torrey Honors Institute of Biola University, one of the two hundred (or so) Great Books Programs in the world. I might as well say it: “So you’re in Torrey.” Welcome to the phrase you will be hearing and processing the meaning of for the next four years. But really, there are hundreds of Torrey students enrolled in the 2014-15 program, and you are one of them. That is really, really awesome.
But for just a minute, I want you to think of yourself as something beyond your academic career. Beyond these temporary identities and definitions of who you are or will be, there is one identity that will always be true: you are a seeker of God’s Kingdom. Torrey is a great place to seek the Kingdom of God. It’s a safe place, but it’s a risky place. So, as you read these thick, thick books and take even thicker notes on them (just kidding), set your heart on learning how to seek. Learn new things, be perplexed, ask hard questions, and pursue answers. But most of all, be excited by the fact that you are doing these things with the help of a God who tells us to seek with this promise: “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” ×
Reading the Texts By Elizabeth Ketema Reading a text for Torrey is going to be a journey that you have never experienced before. Whether or not you have been in honors or AP classes, reading the texts in Torrey takes a whole new level that you will learn and develop over time. And trust me, it’s worth every bit of the struggle. One key element you want to take into consideration is finding the historical background to the text. You may not have seen it as a super significant path to take when reading the
texts, but it is a pretty valuable factor to understand them. So go online or to the library and find out the historical background for the text. This can happen either before or after you read the text, but it is a necessary element to your understanding. You are welcome to search from the author’s autobiography or the text itself. This process allows you to get a bit familiar with the text and the time period it is placed in. Also, by having the background, you are able to make connections as you read to reasons why the author spoke about certain parts of the text in certain ways. For example, the political influences within the text due to the status or treatment done to the author is shown through the speaker or main character of his/her text. So keep in mind while you read about all the connections that can be drawn from the historical background. It is not just limited to the political stances; be aware of the society, time period, relationships of the author, and major events during the author’s life. Now, my dear Torrey freshmen, you may take this book and read!!! And remember that you have to take pre-class notes for these texts, too. Experiment with that a bit. Know what is best for you to do while you read, whether that is taking notes as you read in an annotation form within the text or writing major ideas after reading each chapter. Just choose which style of note-taking helps broaden your understanding of the text. As you read, make sure you understand what is going on in the text. Knowing the plot well helps for you to take notice of the themes that the author is trying to say. However, there are going to be some texts that will be so theologically/philosophically heavy where you might not
understand the plot very well, but having a good sense of what is going on is helpful. And yet, there still might be texts that go way over your head and every word makes no sense whatsoever. If you are not completely sleep deprived for that to happen, then its best to just push through the text, trying to grasp what you can. Maybe you can make sense of it with your notes. Maybe session is where everything becomes clear. Regardless, come with an open mind and ready to work. Something else to have in mind as you read is trying to “dig deeper” in the text. There are a few method to go about this: You can read the text twice. This helps you to push through the text the first time, just trying to understand the basic plot. By the second time you read through the text, you are searching for the themes and important elements that contribute to the whole of the text. You can ask yourself what the author believes is true when s/he makes her/his arguments. This allows you to bring into perspective the reasons behind why the author believes what they believe. This type of deep thinking can also help your thought process when you are writing your paper. You can discuss the text with one or two people. Discussing with a few people is completely different from discussing in session about the text since this is how you are processing and digging deeper to understand what the author and text are trying to convey. Sometimes talking things out helps you understand the text. Or other people’s insight helps wrap your head around a few concepts that troubled you. The list above is just a few common things you can do to bring more out of the books. It is in no way limited to just this list! Whatever method you choose, this is your own process with each book. Each text will bring you to a new journey, and each journey will need a new route or a similar route to undergo. Have fun with what you read! ×
Pre-Class Notes By Paige Landino Now, if you're like me when I was accepted into Torrey, you just want to know the technicalities of what will be expected of you, so I'll start with some details. First, pre-class notes are simply 3-6 pages of notes which you take on every book you read before your first discussion on that book. Your notes on each book should include three main elements: observation, synthesis, and analysis. Basically, observation is simply observing interesting phrases, major arguments, and summaries; synthesis is pulling these observations together and seeing how they combine to form a larger picture; and analysis is examining the observations and pictures you have formed, asking questions like: "what is the significance of this picture? What does it tell me about the overall project of the book? Is this picture coherent and true?" Every aspect of your notes doesn't have to contain all three of these elements, but they should definitely all be present for each book. Finally, your notes will deal with two broad categories: the big picture and specific issues. In other words, some of your notes should be aimed at helping you to form a coherent idea of the book as whole, while other notes will be observations about specific passages, or an exploration of a specific idea, theme, topic, etc. If all that sounds a bit vague, don't worry; it will all be revisited in much more detail during Torrientation. For now, you are free to focus on doing the best you can on your Iliad and Odyssey notes, and later your mentor will talk with you about
what they expect of you and how you can meet those expectations. At this point, I imagine some of you are just itching to get started on your notes - if you haven't already and the rest of you are staring blankly at this page, thinking, "How am I going to fill up three pages for every book?" But let me tell you - whether or not you start to get a feel for it right away, pre-class notes can actually be one of the
most rewarding parts of Torrey. Sure, there may be times when you don't feel like you got a lot out of your notes. However, once Torrey has begun you will soon find yourself being fed thoughts at a far quicker rate than you can process them, and notes are a chance to begin to get a grasp on at least a couple of the thoughts swirling around in your head, a chance to work out the broad scope of the book you just read and to
choose a topic that interests you so that you explore it in the way that is really helpful to you. And be creative with your notes! Don't get stuck on thinking that taking notes can only mean making a list of cited passages and analyzing them. Perhaps this is what works best for you - I do it all the time - but there are a huge number of options! You could, for example, try starting with an outline or some other sort of summary. I know that sounds boring, but it is a good way to get an overall grasp of the text, and many of these authors are so incredibly smart and clever about how they structure their stories that some of your most exciting discoveries about a text can come from outlines. When you are reading texts which are trying to make an emotional as well as an intellectual impact, you may want to write a paragraph or two about how the story affected you emotionally, and when you read stories you could pick a few characters to analyze. If you're a visual thinker, draw pictures. If you like arrows and cool connections, draw arrows and make cool connections. Make a list of themes, or a comparison chart, or a mind-map. Be creative, choose whatever interested you most about the book, and have fun! ×
First
By Lauren Frey
adjective \ ˈf əәrst\
preceding all others in time, order, or importance; having or playing the main part Torrey is a program where both the students and professors are striving together to seek first the Kingdom. Torrey shouldn’t be our first priority. Maybe it should be third, or fourth, or fifth (but no further than like seventh. It’s still important!) What is “first’ in our lives often boils down to how we spend our time. So I want to encourage you to spend your time wisely. Set aside the first part of your day to be with Him. Serve the community by thinking of others before yourself. Trust God with your talents by offering Him the first fruit of your daily work. By keeping the main thing the main thing in our normal, daily life -- that is, seeking first the Kingdom -- the Kingdom will overflow into our academics, especially in how we do Torrey. You can seek first the Kingdom when your cohort starts session in prayer. You can seek first the Kingdom when you take five extra minutes asking the Lord for His help when you crack open a book three times thicker than the last one. You can seek first the Kingdom when you end up taking ten pages of notes on The Iliad. The Kingdom of God is first, so may we be Kingdom seekers who desire it as such -- as the highest, best, and first pursuit of our lives. May this pursuit contain and define all others. ×
By Claire Zasso With unique personality dynamics, quirks, perks, inside jokes that aren't funny to anyone else, traditions, and special moments of discovery - each Torrey group is different. There is no “perfect” Torrey group ideal that you can achieve with a special formula, and each group has their own strengths and weaknesses. However, you can still strive to be a group that works well with each other. Here are some thoughts gained from my first year: Work as a TEAM. Torrey is not a competition of who can reveal the most intelligent thought from the text. You’re working together to go deeper and deeper into the text. Be friends! Hang out together! Don’t be exclusive with your group, but remember you are stuck with these weirdos for the next four years, so you might as well like them. Don't expect to have perfect sessions right off the bat. Or ever. Even the groups that seem like they have it all together have hard days.
Make sure you lay a firm foundation in the text. Then begin adding original thoughts. LISTEN to the comments of others and try to build upon them rather than change directions to make sure you get your point across. Session is always a constant movement toward finding balance. Knowing when to speak and when to shut yourself up, knowing when to take a leap for something that might be completely wrong, or standing up for what you believe is right, and above all respecting and loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember that God has brought you into this room, this group, with these people, in this moment for a reason. Good sessions can only be enhanced by experience. Just be flexible with each other and don't worry. You'll figure it out. ×
Your Group in Sessions
T ut ors & M ent ors
By Paige Landino The tutors are by far one of my favorite parts of Torrey. Biola has amazing professors, and the Torrey tutors are some of the best at Biola. To make it even better, in Torrey we have the chance to interact with them in extremely unique and personal ways. First off, you'll notice that the professors call themselves "tutors". This is because they do not, like most professors, give lectures during class. Rather, when class begins they will probably give a brief introduction to the text, and then they will give the group a question to discuss. From that point on, most of the talking is done by you and your classmates while the tutor monitors the discussion, guiding it - although different tutors have very different levels of involvement and they will often allow you to make mistakes and correct yourselves on your own - helping to identify unhelpful discussion patterns, etc. Basically, their job is not only to help you better understand the text, but also to give you enough freedom that in order to learn about the text you must develop reading and communication skills. At times you will probably wish that these brilliant people would just tell you what they think, but these tutors are doing more than you might realize at first to gift you with the essential skill of thinking for yourself. In addition, they are helping you to discover ideas on your own, which leads to you caring much more about that answer than if it was simply handed to you. Another cool thing about the tutors is that you are not assigned to a particular tutor for a semester; rather, the tutors take turns teaching sessions, so that in one semester you have the opportunity to interact with many tutors who all have their own methods when it comes to leading you into the text.
On the other hand, while many tutors participate in educating you, at the beginning of the year you will also be assigned one particular tutor, called your mentor, who you will work with all throughout your time in Torrey. You will be given access to an online website where you sign up for at least four times during the semester in which you may meet with and talk to your mentor one on one. At first these office hours will be spent getting you on your feet academically, making sure you know what is expected of you, discussing note-taking techniques, etc. You will also sign up for Mid Rags and Don Rags. Besides these times, office hours can be used to further talk about a book that confused or fascinated you, talk about ideas that fascinated you in discussion but which the group did not fully explore at that time, discuss your paper, etc. Basically, you really do want to think of the tutor to whom you are assigned as your mentor - someone who is there to walk alongside you through your college experience and make it as fruitful as possible. And don't think you have to limit yourself to visiting four times a semester, or that you can only get office hours with your mentor! Within reasonable limits, I would highly recommend taking full advantage of the incredible opportunity Torrey provides to get to know and interact with these absolutely brilliant people. Besides, as intimidating as sitting down alone with them can feel at the beginning, the wonderful thing is that these men and women aren't just brilliant; they are deeply kind, fun, wise, and all-around awesome people! So, whatever questions you might still have, for now you can at least know that you've got something really great to look forward to as you enter into education with all of the tutors and your particular mentor. Ă—
T ut or Prof il es PAUL SPEARS Torrey Honors Institute Director, Associate Professor
Monica Cure Assistant Professor
Janelle Aijan Assistant Professor
Matt Jenson
Assistant Professor of Theology
Jamie Y. Whitaker Campbell Assistant Professor of Humanities and Law
Greg Peters Associate Professor
Adam Johnson Assistant Professor of Theology
Fred Sanders Associate Professor
Joseph Henderson Assistant Professor
Donna Thoennes Associate Professor
Christopher Mitchell Professor of Theology
Melissa Schubert Assistant Professor
Diane E. Vincent Associate Professor
Matthew D. Wright
Assistant Professor of Government
new to staff & not pictured:
Todd Thompson
Assistant Professor of History
m o d g n i T he K By Lauren Frey
noun \ ˈki ŋ-d əәm\ the realm domain, area, sphere in which God’s will is fulfilled; a politically organized community headed by a king who holds preeminent position The prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” But what is the Kingdom? The domain, the realm, of God? Perhaps Torrey is a special expression of it. Yeah, I know Torrey just sounds like reading, reading, reading. But it really is not just reading! Although I personally love reading, I am so thankful this Great Books Program is altogether more than just checking off books from a book list (which I’m sure you all have seen and had your own unique reaction to on the Torrey website.) The whole experience of Torrey, including the “reading, reading, reading,” is meant to point us towards the greater reality of the Kingdom of God. In this section, you will hear about ways that Torrey cultivates an atmosphere where we have the chance to respond to this greater reality. Other institutions might not deem this necessary. But in Torrey, it is essential. That makes Torrey different from the 200 or so other Great Books programs.
So look forward to responding to what you will learn in Torrey in light of the bigger picture of the Kingdom--a realm in which you and I have a Father who has caught us up in His greater (and much longer than a four-year) plan. ×
By Claire Zasso
Pu l l Q uest io ns
I will be honest, dear freshman. Most people loathe pull questions. You may be asking, what even is a pull question? What are these short essays that silently pile up in the farthest, dustiest corner of your brain until the week before the due date when you suddenly realize... you’ve been surrounded. And the "little" procrastination corner you convinced yourself wasn't there has overwhelmed your once-organized brain and fallen into chaos. These pull questions are short-answer essay questions given by the tutor at the end of a class session. Usually, a tutor assigns them in the last 5 minutes of class, with a few different options, one of which you’ll respond to in roughly 300-500 words (depending on your mentor’s specific requirements). Some mentors will periodically collect pull questions regularly
before Don Rags, but most do not (hence the procrastination battles that ensue). You need not worry about topic sentences, conclusion paragraphs, and such. Simply answer the question thoughtfully and succinctly using the text (though you probably shouldn’t count gigantic quotes as part of your word count). Be clear and concise and try to have fun. This is your chance to dwell upon the truths excavated by your group during session and sometimes apply them to life. So here's my advice, should you choose to follow it: don’t procrastinate. I'm going to say that one more time so that maybe, just maybe, you'll actually listen to me. Take it from someone who knows the pain and suffering and gnashing of teeth that occurs when pulling all-nighters. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. And while you’re busy not procrastinating, remember to have fun with them. These are reflections from your sessions, and they can be incredibly rich discoveries for you, whether you find answers or even more questions than before (don’t worry if it’s the latter - that’s good!). Keep yourself timely in completing them, and then you will be able to find them fun! ×
Lectures By Jay Chang
Besides all the reading and discussions you will partake in, you must also attend lectures. They are given by Torrey faculty or guest speakers in order to expand your knowledge on the topic. These topics can cover the background of an author to even the reason why a character is crucial to the text. Topics can also go beyond the text and are able to expound on topics to help you in your life. Each lecture allows these speakers to impart their knowledge to you so that you may use it to improve your Torrey experience. Some important facts you will need to know about lectures are: • The number of units you are taking for Torrey is equivalent to the number of required lectures you must attend. So this Fall semester, you must attend at least eight lectures. If you attend more than the requirement, then great! • Lectures are offered throughout the semester. The Torrey office will contact you through your Biola email with the details about the lectures. These details include the locations, times, title/topic, and the speakers. • Lectures usually begin at 7:30 p.m. and last for about an hour. Near the end of the lecture, the speaker usually opens up the time for some Q&A. • Talk to your mentor about how you should document your lectures! Some mentors just make you list the titles of the lectures you attended while others may require you to take notes. Each mentor prefers a certain way they want you to document them, so be sure to ask! Some examples of lectures are “Grace, Love, and Making Money: A Theology of Business”, “Uncommon Friendship: C.S.
Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien”, “Athanasius’ ‘On the Incarnation’”, and “10 Handholds to Help You Climb Mt. Thomas Aquinas”. The lectures don’t have to pertain to texts you will read in Torrey, but are all educational and interesting studies made by the professors and guest speakers. There is only one mandatory lecture every semester. This lecture is usually labeled, “Why You Read What You Read”. These lectures are separated by year and house (e.g. Morgan house freshmen would have a different lecture time than Johnson house freshmen or Morgan house sophomores). There are also two mandatory Torrey conferences that you must attend. Both conferences are composed of a series of lectures that are given by Torrey faculty and guest speakers. The two conferences are: • The Hermeneutics Conference: This conference only lasts for a single day in the Fall semester. All freshmen are required to attend this conference, meaning both Johnson and Morgan house freshmen must attend. The Hermeneutics conference focuses on giving you instructions on how to read and interpret the Bible. This conference precedes any of your Bible sessions because the aim of it is to help you learn to exegete the Bible using the verses within the context. • The Theology Conference: This conference occurs in the Spring semester for two consecutive days. Morgan house freshmen and Johnson house sophomores are required to attend. The Theology conference focuses on key theological concepts in order to help you with the early church texts you will be reading. ×
Of God
By Lauren Frey
noun, verb \ ˈgȯd\ Creator, Yahweh, Healer, Provider, Abba Father, El Olam, Adonai, El Shaddai, Jesus Christ, Mighty One, Emmanuel, Word, Messenger of the Covenant, Good Shepherd, Living Bread, Rock of my Heart, Messiah, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, Wisdom, Counselor, Comforter Maybe you’ve dreamed of coming to the Torrey Program all your life. But maybe you applied to it on a whim (that was me) and by God’s grace, got accepted. But either way, we’re all coming to college at Biola University to learn to seek, live for, and love God. I speak on behalf of the Torrey class of 2017: we are stoked to learn this alongside you. Take a moment to read over those names of God again. My ultimate prayer and hope for your four-year journey in Torrey at Biola is that you would learn these names of God not just as words but as experiences. Because at the end of the day, going to school is not
about having more knowledge, reading great books, accomplishing big things, writing a super paper, or totally rocking Don Rags (the last two of which you’ll read about in this section). No--Torrey and life, life and Torrey, and everything else, is about living with the living God. He is an amazing God and there is so much to be discovered. And beautifully and mysteriously, these books, these sessions, this whole program…it all points to Him. When we seek, we will find. When we seek God, we will find God. I want you to ask, hope, and expect to find Him. For He wants to be known, He wants to found. He is the beginning, middle, and end. He is our end all, be all. He is Goodness, Truth, and Beauty. ×
The Torrey Paper By Paige Landino
So, what is this thing called the Torrey paper, anyway? Basically, you will write one 2100-3000 word-long argumentative essay each semester. This paper is a chance to choose one idea from some of the books you've read and form and support an argument about some aspect of that idea. The cool thing is that, whereas in Torrey readings, discussions, pull questions, and notes, you will have a sense of leaving ideas half-explored, the paper gives the chance to really invest in an idea and think it through as well as you can. Now, please don't think of this paper as an essay you can rattle off without thinking. The standards on this paper are high, and you're expected to have invested good, solid work in it. This is a challenge, however, which you do not have to tackle on your own; you are given many tools to help you along. First off, around a third of the way through the semester, you will submit a paper proposal to your mentor, which basically tells him or her what you want to write about, and forces you to do prep-work on the paper. It also allow your mentor to help you decide whether it would be a good paper topic, and to help you refine and solidify your initial idea. Later you will turn in a first submission, which allows you to work through your idea, then get feedback from your mentor so that you can refine it for the final submission. All throughout this process, you want to take full advantage of the help your mentor so willingly gives, meeting him or her before topic submission to talk through your idea and at least once more to help you continue to solidify what you want to convey. If there are tutors who have particularly studied the book or subject you are writing on, make office hours to talk with them as well. The standards for the paper are high, but if you take the help that is given to you through the deadlines and the
tutors, you'll find yourself winding up with a paper you can be proud of. Just a few more things to note: first, you will probably be told to only work from one text for the first one or two papers that you write. This helps you to limit your project to something you are capable of exploring well. If you prove yourself able to do this, you will probably be allowed to choose topics which deal with multiple texts. After the first year there are also some things you can do
instead of the Torrey paper: for example, you might get involved in Torrey theater, go on a Torrey Abroad trip, or propose alternatives such as making a film or doing some sort of art or service project. Approval for any of this depends on your mentor, however, and will be allowed only after you have demonstrated your ability to write a solid paper. In the meantime, even as you read the Iliad and Odyssey, you can keep your eyes open for a topic that captures your imagination and excites you, and you can look forward to writing an awesome paper! Ă—
Mid Rags & Don Rags By Stephanie Crockett
Some of you may be wondering why the Torrey finals have some pretty weird names. For instance, what’s up with “Don Rags”? Well, since Torrey is based off of the Oxford system, we use some of the same terms as well: professors are called 'dons', hence the Don Rags - although, don't worry, you don't need to call them dons. Torrey’s final is not an exam, but an interview. After months of thinking through great pieces of literature, you will be given the chance to shine by synthesizing your knowledge and analysis in the interview. Basically, your mentor can ask you a question about any of the works you have studied during the semester, or your mentor may ask you to make some comparisons between multiple works. Don’t worry. Your mentor is not looking for a speech, here. You can take a brief pause to collect your thoughts, and then begin answering. Because this is an interview, you are expected to maintain a conversation, not to improvise a halfhour speech. Your mentor will interact with you about the text, perhaps by asking supplemental questions. Depending on how long the discussion lasts, you may also be asked to examine a different work. Additionally in Don Rags, your mentor will consider your progress over the course of the semester. Another professor will be present during your Don Rags to look over your notes and pull questions. Because your mentor is conversing with you, your mentor will not be the one reviewing your notes at this stage. The second professor will recommend a grade to your mentor, which will be taken into consideration for your final grade.
On top of receiving a grade for your notes, you will also get feedback on how to improve. The neat thing is that since Torrey is designed to be a learning experience, you can score fairly well if you have demonstrated growth even if your notes are not perfect. In Don Rags, you will also receive your graded paper, and will learn your average session score. (Tutors score students during session on their feedback, with a 1 being nonparticipatory, 3 being average, and 5 being simply phenomenal. Fives are rare). Based on each of these factors, as well as on your performance during the interview, your mentor will determine your grade, which you will learn at the end of your Don Rags. Mid Rags, which are a mid term rather than your final, is just a routine checkup. Some of the same things happen at Don Rags and Mid Rags, but Mid Rags is less intense because it is not graded. At Mid Rags, you may receive feedback on your paper proposal, and your mentor may also discuss your performance in session and the quality of your pull questions. During Mid Rags, it’s just you and your mentor, and your mentor will give you some suggestions for improving your notes.
Dos and Don’ts 1. Don’t: panic about Don Rags. You will do just fine, provided you have been trying your best, and have completed your work on time. 2. Do: review with friends for Don Rags. Ask each other practice questions. Come up with a sentence or two that summarize what you think is the main point of the text. 3. Don’t: expect to be a perfect Torrey student by the end of first semester. Torrey isn’t about performing perfectly, and it takes time to get into the rhythm of your studies. 4. Do: RELAX. If you’ve been faithful to your work, Don Rags can be a really fun conversation with your mentor!
Your Groups Outside of Session By Jordan Wong
Your cohort group will be amongst the first people that you meet when you come to Biola, and they will be the ones who you first connect with. Maintaining a lasting friendship with the members of your cohort will definitely help in your interactions with them outside of session. Interacting with your group outside of session is a way to see your cohort group out of the Torrey atmosphere and a way to see members as they are naturally - not intently focused or academic like they might be in session. Think of it as a candid snapshot of their character - who they are when they’re joking, when they’re eating, when they’re talking about their favorite movies. It is all up to the group collectively to decide how they will interact with one another outside of session. Some groups decide to keep it simple and get meals together before or after session. Other times, group interaction can be as big as an overnight cohort retreat or, on the rare occasion that every member of your cohort is available during interterm, going on Torrey Rome together. The smaller moments like meals, movies, and general hangouts organized by the group members create lasting memories that you and your group will look back upon as you continue your Torrey career. For me personally, my group outside loves having hangouts during the weekend when we’re (mostly) not busy. It allows us to interact with each other for a time where we’re not concerned about whatever text it is we are reading or what we can conclude from what we had learned throughout the session, but rather see each other and laugh about the experiences that we have had, both in and out of session.
One of the biggest things that will act as a catalyst to the conversations that you have with your group is the books that you read for class. A lot of times, my cohort will continue our conversation about the text even after class has ended. This not only creates a bonding experience for members of the cohort, but allows your learning to be a part of your daily life rather than compartmentalized to the classroom. Spending time with your group outside of class creates opportunities to connect with them on a more personal level. By initiating conversation and getting to know the members of your cohort, you will further your friendships with the people who you are probably spending the most time with at Biola, and that is a friendship that could last a lifetime. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! ×
Helpful Hints and Good Habits
half an hour for 10 pages, dependent on the book), and then plan your week’s reading schedule accordingly. It’s probably best to overestimate your time so that you’re pleasantly surprised rather than pulling hours out of sleep or free time. Then make sure to allow a few hours to do notes.
Being a part of Torrey means that a good part of your next four years will be spent reading books, talking about books, and writing about books — thankfully, they’re the greatest books ever written. But you have to come into it with a game plan. Torrey is a challenging program, but completely worth it. Sometimes you may want to try and just glide through it, or even give up.
If you make a calendar tracking your class schedule, your sleeping schedule, and your reading schedule, you’ll be much better off in terms of stress, sleep, and friendships. You won’t be worrying about how behind you are on your Torrey reading all the time. Instead, you can rest when you need to, and hang out when you’ve planned to. The book won’t be constantly looming on your mind, and you won’t have to stay up all night to read a book. Plan it out, and stay true to your plan.
By Justin Sinclair
Don’t do that. Do these things instead.
1. Make a schedule for yourself
2. Get ahead and read over school breaks
For any given week, you’ll have hundreds of pages to read — sometimes up to 800 pages. That’s not including work for other classes, friendships, a job (if you’re brave enough to get one), chapels, lectures, and other activities. This can seem overwhelming. But I promise you, it’s possible. If you want to enjoy all of these — friendships, sleep, and homework (yes, you can enjoy homework, especially Torrey work) — you need to schedule your life, and especially your Torrey reading. Estimate how long it’ll take you to read a book — read 10-20 pages and then look at the clock to see your time. Don’t try to rush yourself, just read at a normal pace and comprehend the book well (for me, as a slow reader, sometimes it can take me
It is physically possible to plan your life in such a way as to do Torrey as it comes. However, you’ll have more availability for work, friendships, and your major if you read ahead. You can
do that either in the semester — sometimes you’ll only have a 150 page play for the week; that’s when you read ahead — or read over winter (interterm) and summer breaks. For example, Anna Karenina was the big 800-page Russian Novel due a few days after our Torrey Paper was due during spring semester. For some who didn’t read ahead (READ ANNA KARENINA OVER WINTER BREAK, JOHNSON HOUSERS)… let’s just say that they slept less than they needed to. Ask around from sophomores in your house to see which books should definitely be read ahead of time. But why not read them all over break? You’ll have just as much fun if you schedule your time right, and then your whole semester will be free to focus on your major and your friendships. Just make sure to take notes that will help you remember the content of the book as well as your most important thoughts. Don’t let reading ahead take away from your contribution to session.
3. Don’t let Torrey become your major
Torrey is incredible. Don’t get me wrong. It is one of the most incredible and unique academic experiences you’ll ever be offered. But remember that you’re going to college for your major. Don’t let Torrey take over your major; make sure that you’re applying yourself to your major classes so you learn the things you came here to learn and you’re prepared for your future career.
4. Schedule office hours - often You only have to schedule four office hours with your mentor technically. But keep in mind that these are some of the greatest minds in their fields. They may be some of the smartest people you’ll ever come into contact with. And you can just tell them that you’re hanging out with them — they can’t refuse! It’s like having friends, but better! Seriously though, take advantage of it. Don’t just meet with your mentor either. If want to talk with a different professor, get hours with them and get to know them and learn from them.
5. Embrace your Torrey family You’re stuck with your cohort for the next four years, just like you are with your siblings… except every one of these people is ridiculously smart in one way or another. Don’t allow your differences to separate you, but get to know them and learn from them. Maybe even get a meal with everybody in your group individually — odds are they have a lot to teach you. Make sure to embrace the good in each person in your group and learn from them, or else you’ll be stuck in bitterness for
if you’re scared to express yours, don’t be afraid — you probably have something insightful to share, especially if it hasn’t been said yet.
hundreds of hours of session. Make sure to get involved in other communities too, though. There are several thousand other amazing Christ-loving people on campus. Get to know them.
6. Pursue truth, not victory You’re probably a person with strong personal convictions and opinions if you’re in Torrey. You’re going to think you’re right when you’re in session most of the time. You’re probably not. Accept failure. Accept defeat. There are 10-15 other incredible people in the room who just read the same book you did from a completely different perspective. If you know you’re right, give other people’s opinions a chance — they’re probably right. But
But remember, IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU! The goal of Torrey is to become better humans; to learn from the texts, and not just defend your opinions on them. In session, strive to find out truths from the text, and to get the whole group there. Don’t defend, and definitely don’t attack. Learn. Grow.
7. Don’t neglect Jesus He’s your first love and your closest friend. Don’t let your Torrey reading get in the way of spending some one-on-one relationship time with Him, even your Bible texts. Get to know him personally every day. Torrey is good, but it’s not God. If you follow Torrey as God, you’ll become smart, but you won’t become joyful. You’ll get knowledge, but you won’t get salvation. The end goal of all things, especially Torrey, is to understand God and learn to love Him. This is your most important task in life. Don’t neglect it for Torrey. ×
Dear Class of 2018, This year for you is going to be something entirely new and entirely amazing, and the most fun part about Torrey is that you never stop discovering. Every book, every session, every conversation, and every person you meet is going to give you new things to think about, new things to talk about, new things to pray about. We the sophomore class pray that you take advantage of all of this newness. God has a treasure trove of special discoveries that you can take advantage of while you’re in the Torrey program. We pray that you open each book with a prepared mind and prepared heart, and that you open yourself up as well to the new ideas you’ll hear from your classmates. We know that you’ll get tired sometimes. Sometimes a book will be particularly difficult to get through, or your day might not have gone the way you hoped it would, and by the time you reach your session you may feel burnt out. There will be those days. But we pray that when you do have those days, you turn to the one who can give you a fresh perspective. When you feel burdened down with how many books you have to finish in the next two weeks, not to mention work from your other classes, take a few minutes to stop. Be quiet, be still, and be alone with God for a moment. We pray that you take advantage of the fact that you are in an extremely special program that is preparing you to face your careers, your relationships, and your lives in an academic, Godly manner. So take a moment to thank God for that, and to ask Him for the strength, patience, peace, whatever it is you need to be filled up with, to not only survive the day, the week, the
semester - but to thrive in it. To not only pass the session, but to ace it. We pray that you always turn to God not only when you’re burnt out but when you’re on top of the world. We pray that you take each day as it comes, prepared in mind, heart, and body to not only just pass, but to do your absolute best. And we pray that you will not only keep this in mind for yourselves, but for your cohorts and your year in general. As far as it depends upon you, be at peace with everyone. Peace doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have anything going on. When Rome was at peace, people were learning. Iron sharpens iron. Let yourself sharpen and be sharpened. We the sophomores pray that you open yourself up to the newness that God has in droves for you this year. Take those moments to be still with God and refill on that strength or patience. Take the time you need to really prepare yourself for sessions. And keep an open line with God at all times, whether you’re feeling low on energy or you’re up in the clouds. He’s the real reason for Torrey, and we pray that you take as much advantage of the Torrey program as you possibly can. In Christ, The Class of 2017
Special Thanks to all who made this handbook possible, including, but not limited to:
Jayden Chavez
Jenna Schmidt
Supervisor & Torrientation Coordinator
Editor
Jay Chang Journalist
Paige Landino Journalist
Elizabeth Ketema Journalist
Garnett Hinds Jordan Wong
Stephanie Crockett Journalist
Journalist
The Class of 2017 Christina Houck
Justin Sinclair
Graphic Design Artist & Photo Contributor
Journalist
Claire Zasso Journalist
Lauren Frey
Megan DePaso Torrientation Coordinator
Journalist & Photo Contributor
Sh an e C ook , E m ily Vivanc o, Taylor Trosper, Jord yn Co o le y, a nd La ur e n Mille r Ph oto Contri butors
& The Torrey Honors Institute Staff