@routetocollege
When people throw parties in their rooms they’re usually open to the entire dorm (although I suppose people could throw large private parties in their room, but it’d probably been seen as a little rude). Most large in-dorm parties will send out an email or announcement about the event inviting everyone in the dorm. If they don’t officially invite people they’re usually still chill about anyone stopping by and hanging. Especially freshman year people will throw parties in their dorm rooms and open it up to pretty much anyone (which usually means other freshmen and their friends, but some upperclassmen they’re friends with may come too). If you have a friend who knows the person hosting (or if you know the person hosting) then it’s not uncommon to go to the party even if it’s not in your dorm. If you don’t know anyone hosting or your friends don’t know anyone hosting then going to a small dorm-room party is a bit odd.
All campus parties (which are usually the frat parties) are open to everyone - it’s not like some schools where if you’re a guy you need to have a bunch of girls with you to get in. You do need a Stanford ID card to get into most large parties (which every Stanford student has, it’s just to make sure that there aren’t random strangers at parties). The parties that are invite-only are usually the smaller ones (e.g. mixers between a frat and sorority, “special dinners” for a house on the row that are limited to residents and their “plus ones,” etc.).
Like in any college some parties are great and some are just okay. Lots of frat parties have themes to them. Usually the smaller in-dorm parties are to pre-game the larger frat parties although that’s not always the case.
This is so helpful! Thank you!!
For people who are very unfit and not good at sports at all, are there still opportunities to participate in sport? What is the intramural sport scene like at Stanford? Also I noticed on the recreational sports website that a lot of classes, such as aquatic zumba, cost money. Are there a lot of additional expenses at Stanford?
Is Stanford’s schedule significantly different from other schools on the east coast? Would this negatively affect a student who wants to intern, say over the summer, at a bank like JP Morgan in NYC? or just other summer internship opportunities in NYC?
@sansculottes The intramural scene is pretty chill here and you can play even if you’re new to a sport or not in great shape. People will also have casual pick-up games outside (the weather is usually great and by the two large freshmen dorm complexes there are two soccer fields and two sand volleyball courts free to use). There are also tons of athletic courses on anything from zumba and fencing to weight training and sailing. Anyone can take these courses and they range often from beginner to advanced. For athletic classes there is a small additional fee (usually like $20/quarter though some are less and some are more) which is added to your bill for the quarter. These classes are usually still cheaper since you don’t need to buy books for them (seriously, books are crazy expensive in college). Besides athletic courses the other areas that I can think of where you get charged additional money to take a course are music private lessons. Most academic courses don’t charge you money but do require text books or course readers that are pricey (though this is true at any college).
@collegeasker12 Stanford’s schedule isn’t different from east coast schools but rather from semester- based schools (which are on both coasts). Quarter based schools (like Stanford) have similar schedules where you start towards the middle of September and end in early June. Semester schools usually start in August and often end in May. There are both types of schools on both coasts. Some internship start dates are in May and some end dates are in September so each school has its disadvantages and advantages. You could probably look up specific places you’re interested in interning and see if they have a set start date (most places don’t and just tell you they require a minimum of 8-10 weeks or something). I’ve only ran into a few places (when job searching on both coasts) where the start date was too soon and I was still in school. It shouldn’t be a big problem.
Thank you so much! Also, what don’t you like about Stanford?
@sansculottes That’s a great question, I’ve been wondering when someone would ask it. Most of Stanford is awesome and I don’t have any major complaints. A few things that are relatively minor though:
- Personally I'm not a huge fan of California (though not a lot of people share this opinion). It's too crowded and too hot for me. Stanford is laid back but a lot of non-Stanford people in the area are too intense. San Francisco is a big city with a lot to do but I would never want to live there. I think I'd still prefer it to the east coast, but I've always preferred my home state.
- Music department administration/policies: private teachers and directors are awesome but the admins are frustrating. I think paying additional lesson fees on top of tuition is ridiculous. There aren't enough practice rooms so frequently you'll have to wait. I'm fortunate enough to get to play regularly in Bing Concert Hall, but most student groups don't regularly get this opportunity.
- General ed requirements: I'm glad that we have relatively few compared to most schools but I'm still not a big fan of general ed requirements. They keep changing so now I think they're even easier to fulfill with classes you're actually interested in so this may be even less noticeable now. And don't worry about any old threads mentioning the dreaded IHUM - that was removed several years ago.
- Bikers: try to avoid biking for the first few weeks of school when all the freshmen are riding a bike for the first time in years. There are always quite a few accidents from people going the wrong way around round-abouts, not stopping at stop signs, not knowing how to ride a bike, etc. After the first few weeks it's usually much better to be biking on campus.
With any school there would be things not to like and I’m pretty satisfied that this was the right choice for me.
(Sorry if I asked a question that’s already been asked…I didn’t read through)
By any chance do you have any experience/knowledge regarding negotiating FA?
Would you recommend freshman housing or 4-class housing as a 1st year?
Thank you so much @Lagging !! So good to hear that there is really relatively little that you dislike about Stanford!
Could you also talk a little bit about the quality of the housing and the food? x
@LordBendtner I don’t have much personal experience negotiating financial aid but some of my friends here did negotiate by bringing in offers of aid from other competitive schools and asking Stanford if they could match those. I’ve heard mixed success on it but I can’t speak personally about it, sorry! Stanford automatically gave me slightly more aid when I studied abroad (and I think it’s standard for them to do so). Currently even in Greek life there are moves towards decreasing dues for lower income students. For things like music lessons you can apply for Stanford scholarships that will help cover them. If circumstances at home change and it significantly impacts finances then definitely let Stanford know and they may reconsider aid amounts.
@sansculottes
Housing:
- Almost everyone lives on campus all four years (subsided = cheaper, closer to class, better social life, etc.). Most dorms are a 5-7 minute bike ride from the quad.
- Nice variety of options (themed dorms, all frosh, 4 class, sophomore only, etc.).
- Quality varies but in my experience is always acceptable. Most dorms are relatively average for colleges although some of the newer ones (ex: Humanities House) are quite nice. The majority of freshmen live in one-room doubles. All rooms come with a desk, chair, bed, mattress, bookshelf, dresser, trash can, recycle bin, and either a closet or bureau. Some rooms have sinks in them as well.
- Dorms generally have a social space (lounge), computer cluster (free computers to use for residents, printer and scanner available for 10 cents per page), dining hall, free laundry (washing and drying), courtyard/green space, library, and study/meeting rooms.
- Undergrad housing generally has heating but no AC
@LordBendtner
Types of Housing:
It really depends on your personality where you should live freshman year. Freshmen dorms are usually a bit louder, more social, more cohesive and where more of the dorm parties happen. Freshmen dorms are also usually on east campus which is closer to the main part of the quad. The engineering buildings are actually on the western side of campus so it’s a bit closer if you live in four-class dorms to get to those buildings. The difference is only a few minutes on commute though so it’s pretty negligible. From past years it seems like more people put down preference for all-frosh dorms than the amount that get it (i.e. more people who want all frosh get put in 4 class than vice versa). It depends on your personality, you could be happy in either (and I know people from both who are happy with their choices). If you want the iconic freshman experience with a bunch of other excited new students then go the all frosh route. If you want to be around older students or live in a more suite-like set up then consider 4 class. I lived in a frosh dorm and had a great time, but think I might have enjoyed a four-class one more.
Also consider if you want some sort of theme or special program (Burbank, SLE, FroSoCo, Okada, etc.). Some of these are four class options and some are all frosh (or freshmen and sophomore).
@sansculottes
Dining Halls:
- Meal plans are flexible (you can choose different amounts of “swipes” versus “meal plan dollars”). Swipes get you into the dining halls while meal plan dollars can be used at “late nite” and places like Axe and Palm. I’d recommend starting with the 14-meal plan (I think it’s the default) which gives you 14 swipes and some meal plan dollars. Fewer swipes means you wont get to know people in your dorm as much since dining hall meals are a big time for conversation and hanging out. The 19-meal plan means that you can never go to non-dining hall places (unless you want to pay “real” money).
- Dining halls are all-you-care-to-eat. Once you swipe in you can get as much food as you want and can go back for seconds (or thirds).
- Food quality varies based on dining hall. It’s usually good but not great (it definitely won’t wow you, but it’s also not bad and there are usually quite a few options in each dining hall).
- Food options include vegetarian, halal, dairy free, etc. They really make sure there are options for different dietary restrictions.
- Most (if not all) dining halls have fresh fruit and pretty decent salad bars every day as well as a grill station (burgers, chicken, french fries, etc.). They also have several daily dishes that vary (pastas, grilled vegetable side dishes, Indian food, grilled salmon, tacos, paninis, garlic rice, etc.) and of course desserts.
- You can go to any dining hall on campus any time they’re open - this is a really nice point and it means that you can eat with friends who might not live in your dorm. It also means that you can try out different places if you get bored of your dining hall.
- Dining halls generally serve three meals a day except for weekends (where they serve brunch and dinner)
Specific dining hall tips:
- Stern Dining has a burrito bar pretty much every day (in addition to the other dishes)
- Wilbur Dining has a pho bar pretty much every day (in addition to the other dishes)
- Ricker Dining has “death by chocolate” twice a week where they have the best desserts on campus
- Flomo Dining has Indian food on Sunday night
- Wilbur Brunch is often considered the best brunch place on campus (panini, crepes, smoothies, waffles, eggs, pho, etc.)
Basically they have nice flexibility and you should always be able to find something you want to eat. The food isn’t bad but it’s not particularly outstanding. As a freshman you’ll primarily be eating in dining halls. Row houses have specific chefs who cook in house and generally the quality of food on the row is really good (and better than dining halls). You can live on the row technically any year (although only one house lets in freshmen). Generally seniors are the ones living on the row because of our housing lottery system (they use their best “tier” of housing senior year).
Does anyone know what it’s like to take CS classes as a beginner at Stanford? Is it a bit overwhelming because everyone’s so experienced? I was thinking about a minor in CS but I have very little experience
@collegeasker12
It’s not overwhelming and quite a few people have no experience! My year it was actually one of our general education requirements to take an engineering course (and most people chose to take CS 106A). 106A is something a lot of non-majors take just to get a feel for CS (it also is a course that people interested in a CS major or minor frequently start with). Sometimes Mark Zuckerberg will show up and guest lecture for 106A - he did my year. On the first day in 106A the prof asked our class to raise their hands if they had never programmed, programmed a little, programmed super successful apps, etc. Quite a few people had no experience. Some profs even say they prefer no experience because it means you don’t come in with bad habits.
A few of my good friends are CS majors who came in without any experience. One of them interned at Facebook after freshman year with only a few CS classes taken. If you like CS and have little or no experience then try 106A (or maybe 106X if you’re pretty experienced) and see how it goes. It’s a course quite a few freshmen take and, as a non-CS major with no programming experience, I found it time consuming but fun. If you decide not to minor then 106A will probably fulfill one of your general ed requirements or could potentially be counted as an outside course for a STEM major.
@Lagging your answers are incredibly helpful! I just have a few more questions.
- How hard is it to find an internship? I still do not know what I want to major in but seriously considering CS and I am just wondering how hard it is to find an internship - you mentioned your friend got one at Facebook... Also, are their recruiters on campus? Or do any companies come and visit for prospective interns?
- I am also seriously considering premed, but I have heard a lot of negative things about it. How are the premed undergrads at Stanford? Are they miserable and is there a lot of competition?
- I am not sure if you went to admit weekend, but if you did, how easy is it to make friends there? I am going alone and I do not know anyone going, so I am just wondering if its easy to get to know people that would stay around with. Is it easier to make friends/acquaintances during the fall quarter when everyone starts? Also like when you go to dining halls, do you make plans with friends to go or do you just go and eat with whoever is there?
- How hard is it to major in computer science? Are people who major in computer science stressed out and have a lot of homework?
- Lastly, are all frat parties that freshmen go to all-campus parties?
Oh and @Lagging you mentioned that you did a study abroad program. Can you tell about your experience? Like does it cost more or less than studying at Stanford in terms of what you and your family have to pay?Does it help your educational goals or is it just to experience a new culture?
How is the CS + X Joint Major program?
Where is the best place to study: dorm lounge, dorm room, or library?
Any other tips you have for incoming Stanford freshman regarding dorms/what to bring, social life/parties, things to do over the weekend, choosing classes, etc.
@routetocollege
Study abroad program:
Studying abroad was one of the best experiences I’ve had at Stanford! You pay normal Stanford tuition/housing just like for any other quarter. They usually increase your aid slightly because you have to purchase your own flight to and from the country (and you’re welcome to stay extra or come early on your own funds before/after the program ends). In the end it cost my family the same amount as a regular quarter at Stanford (more generous aid - flight/travel cost = same total). As far as relating to your major, it depends where you go. Many students work on fulfilling general education requirements while abroad since there aren’t as many specific major-related courses. Generally people try to take fewer units while abroad (12-14) so they can travel to other cities/countries on weekends and delve into the culture more. One of my favorite aspects of studying abroad was the option of doing a part-time academic internship for credit. I fulfilled several GERs abroad as well as some courses related to my intended career. At many study abroad programs you also have the option of taking any course that the related university offers (Oxford, University of Florence, etc.). I’d really highly recommend the experience.
Not hard at all and actually CS is probably the easiest major to find an internship for. I have friends who have worked everywhere from Google, Facebook, Snapchat, PayPal, and of course smaller start-ups. Stanford hosts career fairs every quarter where over a hundred different organizations come to recruit on campus. We also have a career center and career site with thousands of job postings. I don’t know any CS major who wanted an internship and couldn’t get one. Even with okay grades people seem to generally have no trouble. Companies often recruit on campus and will sometimes interview on campus as well. The Silicon Valley is a major area for tech, so STEM majors often have quite a few options. I’m not a STEM major and also have never had a problem finding a summer internship.