Do you know how strict Stanford is with keeping your grades up? I’m looking at 4 As 1 B 1 C/5 As 1 C this semester and I’m not hearing good things…
You will be fine. At worst, you might get a warning letter, but it’s highly unlikely with one C. You will not have your acceptance revoked for a C.
For anyone who’s interested, here’s a link to the Stanford undergraduate degree requirements:
https://registrar.stanford.edu/students/graduation/undergraduate-degree-requirements
Also, if this hasn’t already been mentioned, many AP tests actually count as units toward your Stanford degree. If you have enough of them, you can graduate early—or just take a lighter load as you move along in your degree program.
If one does get the warning letter does it mean anything. Do those people start on academic probation?
@LordBendtner
I’m not too sure - some people have been asked to take a gap year after failing a course (notably the current senior class president had to take a gap year for failing a physics course I think). I’d guess that they’ll be direct with you and tell you what the consequence is at the end of the year when you have final grades. Starting on probation - while not ideal - isn’t the end of the world.
Thank you for doing this!
Are there are any summer opportunities at Stanford for students at different schools? Internships, classes, jobs, etc.? I go to UC Berkeley and would love the opportunity to do something at Stanford this summer or next.
I think there are a few programs and classes over the summer. There also are students from other universities who attend Sophomore College, although I’m not sure if they are only from international partner universities or not (I met someone from Oxford who did Sophomore College). Could be worth looking into if you want to take a 3 week intensive class in September, although Berkeley might already be in school then?
@sammyclaire23 You could try reaching out to labs in your field and see if they’d be willing to take a non-Stanford student for the summer. Some labs may have availability. I’m not too sure about other options.
have you ever met any transfer students? if so, what helped them (or you!) get accepted? what were they like?
the pioneering spirit that is advertised on their website…is it true on campus? does everybody truly believe in changing the world, including undergrads? are there people there who appear as if they dont belong to that sort of dogma? like just some average people? btw i really love their pioneering spirit thing. west coast best coast forever.
have you ever met or interacted with physics majors? what were they like? were they really nerdy or are some of em really well-rounded and interdisciplinary or outgoing as well? are they mostly focused on research or are they also interested in applying their knowledge to new technologies or other interdisciplinary stuff?
what is the stanford town or city like? is there a target nearby? any suburbial areas? is there an in-n-out nearby? any good mexican food places where they sell california burritos? is it a really expensive place? is it really nice and clean looking or is it just overpriced? how close is the nearest beach? do students like to go out and tour the city/area a lot?
are students nice? are the generally friendly and open or do people tend to stick to their own little bubble while walking around campus?
if i were to take a tour, would you recommend taking the walking tour or the golf cart tour? if you take the golf tour, could you stop and walk around as well or are you always on the gold cart? my dad’s back tends to give out so he’d probably prefer the gold tour but i love walking around and exploring on my own w/o having to stick to just the golf tour route.
are people well spoken there? or are they like nerdy/antisocial/awkward? how close of a relationship does the university have to silicon valley companies? do you see google recruiters there often doing events or something? what is the start-up scene like? do students seem eager to actually create start-ups or business on their own accord?
^^ 27 questions! 
@Multiverse7
Part 1:
Most transfers live in the same dorm their first year (Kimball I think). I’ve met a few through classes and such. The ones I’ve met usually have pretty unique personal stories/hardships or major life changes. Probably about a third of the transfers I’ve met were military although I don’t know what percentage of the entire transfer population they comprise. I think transfers tend to be a bit older than the average student and more mature than a freshman, but they usually don’t seem too different from upperclassmen.
The pioneering spirit is present in many students but certainly not something every student embodies. Quite a few people want to “change the world” in one way or another (healthcare in developing countries, promoting CS and social good, etc.). Others just want to code for Facebook or work at start ups. It’s a variety but I think in general people are passionate about doing good which is why so many students are involved in public service.
I’m friends with some physics majors - they’re no different from other majors personality-wise (some nerdy, some super chill, etc.). Most are relatively well-rounded and engaged in non-physics things as well. The ones I know are more interested in applying knowledge than theory but I assume there’s a mix.
Stanford itself is a nice city. It’s well looked-after, clean, safe, beautiful etc. There are a mix of old and new/modern buildings and some casual place to eat, a post office, etc. There aren’t any major shopping areas or stores on campus. There’s a nearby Target, Walmart, Costco, In-n-Out, etc. Stanford has a free shuttle that will take you to a main shopping area off campus with Target etc. There are a few decent Mexican places nearby although in my opinion the better food is in San Francisco.
Stanford subsidizes housing costs for on-campus living so it’s actually cheaper to live on campus than off. Palo Alto, San Francisco, etc. are all pretty expensive by non-California standards. Prices of food and products aren’t particularly higher than other areas (i.e. shampoo, in-n-out, etc.). Clothes can be pricey if you go to certain stores and definitely avoid the Stanford Shopping Center which is infamous for being super pricey. Walmart and Target usually are as cheap as elsewhere. Students leave occasionally. I go off campus most weekends to at least Palo Alto and at least once a month to San Francisco. There’s definitely no need to leave, but people often do for food or day trips to the city. The nearest beach is about a half hour away and Santa Cruz boardwalk is less than an hour.
Part 2:
I’ve found people pretty friendly and definitely it’s one of the more open places. Especially when you’re a freshman people will be pretty open to making new friends. Also “clicks” are much less of a thing; you’re likely to have a group of friends from a certain club, another group from your major/classes, another from dorms, etc. People have multiple bubbles that sometimes overlap. If you’re in the same class as someone you partially know then it’s not uncommon to sit together. If you have someone in your dorm in the same class it’s not uncommon to have study sessions together. Most people will exchange a few words with those they even just barely know like randomly assigned dorm mates or classmates from smaller classes.
I don’t know how the golf cart tours work but you should ask. If the tour doesn’t stop then maybe you can walk around a bit on campus while he grabs coffee or some food.
People are surprisingly well-spoken overall and completely capable of conversations that aren’t just academic. There’s a variety just like any school. There are definitely some nerdy kids and there are of course the “typical frat bro” types along with everything in between. Most people I’ve found are well-spoken and even the “nerdier” kids tend to not be awkward or antisocial.
Lots of Stanford students, particularly in tech, work for big companies like Google and Facebook. These companies recruit pretty heavily at career fairs here and hold on-campus info sessions and other events. Zuckerberg has been known from time-to-time to guest lecture one of the intro CS courses here. There’s a big start-up culture and quite a few students work at start ups or begin their own. There are several on-campus groups that promote students creating (ex: StartX) which I think help with providing mentors and guidance. Even in a freshman dorm it’s probably pretty likely that at least a few students have created an app or started a business.
Why do you think silicon valley and start ups have such an awful record of hiring women and minorities? What is Stanford doing to help to make them a more diverse place?
Not to worry. If there is discrimination, then someone will come along and hire those women and minorities who the tech firms are discriminating against. They could hire them at a lower cost (the result of discrimination) and then produce great products. It only takes one person to seize this opportunity!
Logically therefore, there is no need for Stanford or any other organization (such as the federal government) to intervene. Relax.
“someone will hire those women and minorities who the tech firms are discriminating against …at a lower cost” fredthered said he went to Stanford and his kids go there. Is that Stanfords current attitude on this issue?
Not necessarily. I’m not sure what Stanford does directly but there are a lot of clubs for women and minorities who want to do CS.
I’d agree with the above poster and emphasize that Stanford tries to support student groups and events that promote diversity in tech. There are usually guest speakers every quarter on campus as well as career and student organizations related to this cause.
Hello! I am an incoming freshman at Stanford and I was just wondering, how competitive it is to get into the Wind Symphony? I play the alto saxophone and have been playing for the past 7 years. I am good at my instrument, but I’m not some crazy talented saxophone god either. Is there still a chance I can make it into the wind symphony?
@lilmermaidgray It doesn’t hurt to audition - even if you don’t make the Wind Symphony the director could recommend you for other sax groups/ensembles on campus.
Alto sax is one of the more competitive instruments and I don’t believe any graduated this year, although it’s of course still possible to take one of the slots if you’re good enough. If the conductor is impressed but your audition isn’t quite as good as the other altos then he may offer a tenor sax slot. Since you’ve been playing 7 years you may have a chance and it doesn’t hurt to audition.
What quality would you say the majority, if not all, of your classmates have?