<p>My physics teacher was talking about this book the other day... I should probably read it. Apparently it's loosely based on Stanford. Based on my teacher's summary of the book maybe I should rethink going to Stanford... </p>
<p><a href="http://daily%5B/url%5D">http://daily</a>. stanford. edu/tempo?page=content&id=15453&repository=0001_article</p>
<p>It's the new Tom Wolfe novel, and it's based mostly on Duke.</p>
<p>marlgirl - Really, was there something about Stanford that book wrote about that you didn't like? How did it make you rethink going to Stanford?</p>
<p>Well, to be fair I didn't actually read it. I just heard about it from my physics teacher. (As I said in the original post) It's (according to him) about this rather naive girl who goes off to college wanting to learn and all the good stuff, and runs into people who are there to drink/party/etc. I don't plan to study 24/7 and never talk to anyone, but I'm worried about how many people there are actually sober and would prefer (like me) bad math puns to getting drunk out of their mind and partying. (I'm strongly considering U Chicago and Swarthmore which says something about me) How many people there are there because they just really love to learn (as in would do it even if it weren't necessary, like say 2nd semester senior year) and really have a passion for what they do? How many study/work just to get ahead, putting on a facade to try to end up in a prestigious job where they'll make a lot of money? Maybe college isn't too different from high school after all?</p>
<p>I know you didn't read the book but I meant was there specific details about Stanford that your teacher told you about (from reading the book) that you didn't like?</p>
<p>So basically it was about a girl going to Stanford and then getting involved in the drinking crowd?</p>
<p>I guess if you really think about it, every university is going to have a mixture of students like that. I'm sure at Stanford there will be the drinking crowd, but there'll certainly be the intellectual crowd. I think you would have more of that particular problem if you went to a state school that was notorious for people partying. I know that every school will have a partying crowd, but Stanford probably won't have as much. I mean, these people are probably the top of their class and really involved, so the chances of them just going to college to get drunk and have fun, and then wasting their pricey private educations away doesn't seem as likely.</p>
<p>Edit:
Okay I just looked up this book on Amazon.com, and this is what someone said in a review:</p>
<p>"This book focuses on Dupont College, a mythical University in Pennsylvania that is meant to be Yale, Harvard, and a bunch of other schools all rolled into one. The title character, Charlotte Simmons, is a brilliant girl from a very poor, very strict Appalachian mountain family. She has waited her whole life to leave her little town and go to a top college, where she can finally live the life of the mind. Of course, when Charlotte gets to Dupont, she finds a very different story. All anyone cares about is sex, status, and drinking. She cannot adjust to this world and soon finds herself desperately lonely and unhappy. She goes further and further trying to fit into this new world, with terrible results."</p>
<p>So it's not specifically Stanford or Duke... it's just a general university meant to symbolize all those prestigious institutions...</p>
<p>And it depends on the person. This Charlotte girl was easily influenced and uh... tempted. Just be focused on your undergraduate educate and don't let anything like that influence you.</p>
<p>I read an article about that book in Newsweek which pretty much said that the book is a load of bulls***. As in, the guy's a sensationalist. You should be fine and dandy no matter where you go to.</p>
<p>"This guy" is one of the greatest novelists of our time with classics ranging from "The Electric Acid Kool-Aid Test" to "Bonfire of the Vanities." How dare you?! In any case, I'm reading the book right now and it's based on the stereotypical prestigious college as opposed to just one school, although there are definitely major parallels to Duke and Stanford. If you don't think crazy shiz goes on at college you're in for a surprise.</p>
<p>That's true. The Newsweek article painted him as more of a pretentious prick who sees himself as The Greatest Novelist of Our Time and tried to write a book that was all deep and shocking and insightful, but failed. Apparantly it ended up more "bark" than "bite". </p>
<p>But you're right, I haven't even read the book and the mere recall of a simple article is no evidence for the title of "sensationalist". So I apologise. I'm also naive, I know, and we'll see when I get to college whether or not I actually WILL have the self-control to resist crazy shiz.</p>
<p>hear hear, marlgirl, the point about "learning for learning's sake" was brilliantly made...I prefer bad math puns too :-)</p>
<p>hahaha i love math jokes.. i feel so intelligent when i get the dirty jokes lol.</p>
<p>Dirty math jokes? Such as....? I don't think I've ever heard a dirty math joke...</p>
<p>I heard this somewhere:
Sex is like math: you
add the bed,
subtract the clothes,
divide the legs,
and hope you don't multiply</p>
<p>anyways, that's what I'm concerned about Stanford as well. My friend who goes there says that there were much more partying and drinking that she had ever expected. Stanford is just so liberal on these matters and the atmosphere is so laid back you know? She said most people do work pretty hard but after work, and once they know they'll get that A, they'll just party.</p>
<p>How big of a deal do you think it is? How easy/difficult do you think it is to find other students who don't just want to drink and party, who would still work even if they knew they would get an A in the class if they didn't? Among my friends, I'm pretty sure that even if they were somehow guaranteed a transcript with all As, they'd still go to class and do the work, or at least most of it. I'm much more into the nerdy kind of fun, like CTY/math camp style. </p>
<p>Apparently I lied. I've heard a dirty math joke before, or a dirty pick up line to be exact.
Can I be your derivative? I want to be tangent to all of your curves.
(or something to that effect)
And then at math camp we were joking about saying "You know, I bet I could approximate you with a [insert function name here- sine, power, etc.] function" and talked about how sad it would be if one said a linear function.</p>
<p>I heard that there is like no competition and people are just laid back most of the time. </p>
<p>My school is very competitive and each year we have several going to those top schools. The nerdy ones go north and the preppy ones go to CA.
Yeah I know what you mean by the nerdy type of fun, like the math jokes they are really funny.
Have you considered CalTech? I don't know much about it but it just seems a little too nerdy.</p>
<p>I have considered CalTech. It's not too nerdy for me. The three biggest problems I have with the school, in order of importance 1) not diverse enough in terms of strong academic departments- I'm not 100% sure I want to major in math/science, although it is very likely, I know that I really want to study non math/science material in depth and want to be surrounded by students who are studying non math/science subjects as well as math/science subjects 2) too close to home 3) maybe too much work, seems as if it would be very difficult to achieve a healthy balance</p>
<p>I agree... I prefer a more well-rounded academic program... also I don't think I would fit in at CalTech.</p>
<p>Yeah I like a more well rounded school too. Marlgirl, are you considering any ivies like HYP?</p>
<p>I am. Harvard and Princeton are off the list because I visited and they just didn't thrill me. I can't picture myself as a student there. No Columbia because I wouldn't feel same in NYC, it's too busy for me, no Brown because it isn't as strong in math/science as I'd like, and never really considered Dartmouth or Cornell... I think at some point I had a reason for not applying to either school. I am, however, applying to Yale. I have visited several times (we have family in CT) and loved it.
My list (just FYI):
Amherst
U Chicago
RPI
Stanford
Swarthmore
Williams
Yale</p>
<p>If Stanford accepts me EA, it will get shorter.</p>
<p>I hope you don't mind me asking, but what were your reasons for each of the schools you applied for (including Stanford)? I'm still trying to narrow down my list and maybe your information will help me.</p>