We’re big proponents of self-education at Intellectual Takeout. So when today’s Washington Post claimed there was a new way to get an expensive Ivy League education without paying tuition, I eagerly bit.

According to The Post, the way to this inexpensive education is through the Open Syllabus Explorer, which is “an online database of books assigned in over 1 million college courses over the past decade or so.” Open Syllabus allows individuals to search by field, institution, state, and country to discover the top books used at various universities.

So, just what are American college students reading these days? Take a look:

British educator and author Charlotte Mason once said:

“Most of us can get into touch with original minds chiefly through books; and if we want to know how far a school provides intellectual sustenance for its scholars, we may ask to see the list of books in reading during the current term.”

Curious to see the type of “intellectual sustenance” your alma mater is providing for its students? Check out the Open Syllabus Project and tell us about your findings!  

Image Credit: Canadian Pacific via Flickr bit.ly/1jNlqZo