Can u tell if not getting a alumni interview means sure rejection
How many minutes are there between one class and next class? Given that Stanford campus is large, is there sufficient time to get from a class that is just finishing to the next class about to begin?
@websensation If your schedule has back-to-back classes, then it’s a 10 minute passing period. With a bicycle, this is more than enough time; the farthest trips between classes that I had to make in my day were from the law school or GSB all the way to the med school, which as you can see from a map is pretty much across the entire teaching campus. This is doable in about 5-7 minutes of biking, including time to unlock and lock up the bike. No one ever really has issues with the passing period, unless a prof lets them out late (which is uncommon).
Other modes of wheeled transport are a bit slower. As I mentioned earlier, this is NOT doable simply walking if your classes happen to be scheduled this far apart; if they’re all within the main quad/SEQ, then walking is also doable in <10 minutes.
@websensation - why are you so anti-bike?
@Era991 has explained a couple of times that a bike is pretty much a necessity.
I think walking is better for exercise. Too much hassle carrying helmet and riding in rain, protecting it from being stolen, etc. I heard from others who also don’t use it and said you don’t need it. Considering a scooter. I’ve been to Stanford and it’s not all that big to me, especially main campus and nearby. It’s relatively flat anyway, unlike Cornell.
^I don’t think many of them are very good about wearing/carrying helmets.
@websensation As I said I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying just a bike or a scooter. There’s that exceedingly small minority who I mentioned who do fine with a scooter or long board only.
As for flatness, it just depends on where you’re coming from and where you’re going. Slight inclines though it may be, going from the chem building to Lag, Main Quad to Tressider, Green to the Law School, or GSB to Haus Mitt are all steep enough that even the bikers complain about going uphill (scooterers and boarders often just walk since it takes less effort up that incline).
Certainly a fine idea for your child to figure out what works best for him/her. Just saying that 99% of Stanford students have concluded biking is the most efficient mode of traversing campus.
I don’t know who told you that walking only is fine–also we practically never have rain so that’s a non-issue, simply don’t bike on those rare days when it actually does rain heavily–but they clearly never had to walk from a class in the law school/GSB all the way to the med school. Do the walk yourself and time it–including time it takes to leave from and get into a classroom on the 2nd or 3rd story of the buildings, and you’ll see this is not comfortably doable in 10 minutes. Then again, perhaps your son/daughter will never have a class at any of those three professional/graduate school buildings, so it won’t matter.
@websensation As I said I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying just a bike or a scooter. There’s that exceedingly small minority who I mentioned who do fine with a scooter or long board only.
As for flatness, it just depends on where you’re coming from and where you’re going. Slight inclines though it may be, going from the chem building to Lag, Main Quad to Tressider, Green to the Law School, or GSB to Haus Mitt are all steep enough that even the bikers complain about going uphill (scooterers and boarders often just walk since it takes less effort up that incline).
Certainly a fine idea for your child to figure out what works best for him/her. Just saying that 99% of Stanford students have concluded biking is the most efficient mode of traversing campus.
I don’t know who told you that walking only is fine–also we practically never have rain so that’s a non-issue, simply don’t bike on those rare days when it actually does rain heavily–but they clearly never had to walk from a class in the law school/GSB all the way to the med school. Do the walk yourself and time it–including time it takes to leave from and get into a classroom on the 2nd or 3rd story of the buildings, and you’ll see this is not comfortably doable in 10 minutes. Then again, perhaps your son/daughter will never have a class at any of those three professional/graduate school buildings, so it won’t matter.
As an aside, biking and swimming are actually two of the healthiest forms of exercise from a medical perspective, because both can represent aerobic exercise AND are the least traumatic to the joints. Compare to walking, which usually doesn’t get achieve aerobic metabolism in most circumstances unless you really speed-walk/are walking steeply uphill/are out of shape; and running, where every single time your foot hits the ground, you’re banging your tibial and femoral articular cartilage together (for a review of the biomechanics and injuries of walking vs. running vs. cycling vs. aquatic exercises, see Westby, 2001, published in the American College of Rheumatology’s Arthritis Care & Research Journal, doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(200112)45:6501::AID-ART3753.0.CO;2-Y)…but that’s a different story 
If my son decides to go to Stanford (likely), he will not be taking professional or graduate courses during his freshmen year. We told him to check around for 1 or 2 weeks, get acclimated to his new surroundings and get whatever he needs. It’s raining often there during winter times (Jan and Feb) because I check the weather there time to time to compare with the weather in Southern CA. It’s usually several degrees lower there, and more often than not, when it rains here, it rains there. It sure rained often this year during winter time.
For me, Stanford seemed very flat; maybe it’s because I remember Cornell campus which is very steep.
Planning to purchase a new bike if dc decides on Stanford, but out of curiosity aren’t there buses for getting around campus?
@websensation Just so he is aware, some undergrad-level classes can be scheduled at the professional and graduate schools, especially introsems. During freshman year, I remember I got to take an introduction to animal behavior introsem from the neuroethology perspective, which was one of my favorite classes at Stanford. But it was on the top floor of CCSR in the med school, which was far away in unfamiliar territory for my frosh self. So he’ll want to double check all his class locations before that first Monday–actually his dorms staff will probably encourage everyone to physically go to each building and classroom on their schedule over NSO weekend so they don’t get horribly lost on Day 1. During my senior year at Stanford, I think I used my umbrella 7 times. Maybe. Of course, we were still in the depths of the drought at that time. Hopefully that doesn’t return!
@nw2this See bus map: https://transportation.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/2017-01/marguerite-map-1.16.2017.jpg
You will see that there is that center rectangle of campus (with the main quad) where no buses go. A big part of the reason Stanford is a bike-friendly campus because most of the central paths within the teaching campus are bikes and pedestrians only, with no cars or buses. With the majority of classes being within the Main Quad and SEQ, buses often won’t take you any closer than your dorm, since they just go in a loop around most classrooms. With a direct bike ride from everything being <7 minutes away–and often <3 minutes away, for Main Quad and SEQ–buses are usually not practical. Moreover, you can see that that central loop includes the East Campus dorms save for Mirrielees; that means that you’d have to walk in the opposite direction of classes to reach the bus stop. In rare cases, might make sense for the graduate and professional school classrooms which are outside of that central loop, especially for people living in GovCo/Lag/Roble on those rare heavily raining days…but even then the amount of time you might have to wait for the bus might actually make walking with an umbrella faster.
A lot of people actually dislike this last part about having to wait for the bus most. We were an impatient student body haha. So even for shopping in Town & Country Village, I’d see many people opt to just bike instead of take the Marguerite.
@Era991 Tx for info. My kid will be non-STEM although he may take some STEM classes to develop that side of his brain. I am one of those parents who wants his kid to not study so hard or be under pressure because I never studied hard or was under pressure to study very hard from my parents. That is one reason I wanted him to seriously consider attending a public school on a near full ride scholarship so he doesn’t have to feel as if he needs to get his money worth by doing so well or doing many things. I know this may seem weird but I really believe college should be a worry free and the last chance to learn without thinking about making money, so I want him to be in an environment where he’s not rushed but can do things in a relaxed manner. As a result, I am somewhat concerned about that Duck syndrome at Stanford which probably exists on any campus of a highly-ranked college.
Rain: this January had extraordinary amounts of rain - 2x the usual, so rain was an issue this year even though it generally is not. A look at the thousands of bikes on campus reveals a vast majority without a wheel fender (that splash guard that keeps wet wheels from creating a line up your back as you ride). Bikes are personal preference, of course. But I cannot think of a single reason to not have one other than disability limitations or finances, and as to the latter, if the used prices at area shops are too high, start scanning supost.com in April to find a cheap (variable on quality) bike to buy off a graduating student. Be aware that the bikes are kept predominantly OUTSIDE, so the maintenance package offered through the campus bike shop is an easy way to keep a chain lubed and tires safe.
I want to highlight just how NICE it is to NOT have buses inside the most frequently used spaces of campus. There is never a NEED to take a bus. No waiting at stops. No fumes (they are electric at SU anyway), no on and off. Yes, some students walk, on occasion. My S has, on certain days, made the conscious decision to walk because it provides a different interaction with others and the environment. It is common to walk to FB games, group events, and more. But I believe it is key to have access to a bike: a ride into town for coffee, Cream, CVS, dinner out is easy, and far more pleasant - and far more convenient - than the bus.
Look at the distance between Cantor and Stern or Wilbur. A bike ride is way faster than a bus ride around the Campus Drive Loop. Freshman DO take classes in the graduate buildings: intro sems for Frosh and Sophs both can be taught there, as well as class in the D school, or classes that meet occasionally in Cantor of Bing. Additionally, some grad classes are open to undergrads - especially B school - and I know of 2 students who took a B-school class their Freshman year. Plus there are speakers, and events, and more in all of these locations.
All of this said, as you put it yourself @websensation “Given that Stanford campus is large…” AND “I’ve been to Stanford and it’s not all that big to me…” Stanford is BOTH the largest contiguous campus in the US (8,180 acres, including open space, leased space, and traditional campus space - 60% of the campus remains open land) with more than 700 buildings AND ALSO a connected campus with a small feel and tight-knit community. Its beautiful, open spaces create a welcoming environment. It boasts fantastic facilities. Compare a well-known SE University campus where you have to take a bus from East Campus (where ALL freshman live) to West Campus (to main eating and classes) where there is no safe biking option, or a campus with hills and steps so many that a bike is not a viable option, or Ithaca, NY where the tunnels between buildings should be a clue as to the snow and cold levels in that “gorgeous” community. Each campus has it virtues in the eye of the beholder.
We needlessly agonized over so many of these same types of questions before my S committed to Stanford. I now reflect on those many questions and chuckle because what we should have been asking is: once he is there, will the community be supportive? collaborative? welcoming and tolerant of diversity? engaging? academically appropriate? nurturing? dynamic? safe? Will he have room to grow to his fullest potential? The answers is YES to all of these. Additionally, consider as you compare schools and programs, the structure: a Stanford student has access to undergrad and grad classes, arts and sciences and humanities and CS, regardless of major. Dorm life is funded - regardless of your financial status - through university-provided funds (funded in part by student fees, which are covered by financial aid for those in that category): ski trips, banquets, in-house barista nights, special dinners, and more. There simply is no nickle-and-diming going on. Tuition remains the same whether you take 12 credits or 23 (which my crazy S has done because there are JUST so many cool classes to take). Consider how flexible the P/F option is - and how late in the quarter that can be selected. Consider also the quarter system vs semester. Yes, a later calendar, but it truly enables a student to experience so many more courses and professors and people.
So, I’ve read this bike debate and I finally just had to chime in: yes, it rains. More this year than in the 10 years prior. But look at the school’s facilities: their design assumes dry, sunny, sometimes crisp weather with a multitude of outdoor balconies incorporated into academic buildings, outdoor dining and open study options. My S turned down a full ride to a SLAC - I mean full everything including summer stipends and international year - to attend Stanford. And while taking on that financial burden was certainly daunting at the time, we couldn’t be happier he did. Truly. A wise Stanford parent advised us then that it is “the one place worth mortgaging the house for” and now … we wholeheartedly agree. It is just that special. Yes, it is not Southern California, and I know there is a S Cal vs N Cal thing, but honestly, Stanford is international - it is a diverse community with so much to offer. The logistics of suite living vs one-room doubles, or bike vs scooter is, honestly, irrelevant to the overall rich experience and truly wonderful dorm life.
I hope this helps.
@MomTwo2 An awesome post. Tx for your time. As a result, I won’t be asking petty questions anymore. Lol Well, maybe after attending the Admit Weekend. My wife stands ready to mortgage the house. Maybe one way go to is take 25 credits every quarter and take 2 or 3 courses Pass/Fail basis, which leads me to additional question for OP.
@Era991 What do you think about taking 25 credits every Quarter and take 2 or 3 classes out of those on Pass/Fail basis? That way, you can still try to get decent grades but still pass those courses which you took out of interest?
I like your questions and appreciate those who answer!
I am also somewhat concerned about the duck syndrome for a different reason. I don’t like the idea of not being able to discuss and express your stress and anxiety because it is considered inappropriate.
Hi, this may sound selfish but I’m not really passionate about Stanford. The only reason I wanna attend is because I’m stingy and know if I was accepted, I’d have free tuition and everything because I’m poor.
I know admissions want unique amazing people who start their own companies or do 400 volunteer hours or win national awards etc. But I’m not that special. I feel like my whole life has been mundane, just studying for good stats. And I’ve been through depression so I don’t really have passions. If I were to write an essay, it would be so generic and the reason for my depression wasn’t even that bad.
Is there a way I can get into Stanford because my area is poor and not many people there are supergenius national award winners? Like I guess I could stand out from people in my area because I have higher stats?
@websensation I truly did not intend to define your questions as “petty” - at all. my apologies. I was just trying to add perspective. There is no dumb question, and bike vs walk, rain vs not, dorm vs suite… all are part of the mosaic that creates a community. I intended solely to suggest you also investigate other aspects of each community your child considers, and for us those “other questions” had not even occurred to us until S was already enrolled. Believe me, with child 2 we have looked at those very aspects in other colleges being considered and… I am amazed by the “add ons” for additional credit hours, different room types, residential programs, rec centers, fitness classes, climbing wall, tutoring, mental health services… To me, flexible academic policies lend support that is key.
As to 25 credits - college years are a journey. Anything over 21 (or 22) requires petition and approval, and while no credit is equal (what really matters to course load is what courses fill it - some are easy credits, some laborious), I highly recommend no more credits than can be managed healthily AND still enables free time, sport time, and weekend adventure time (outdoor trips, days in San Fran, etc.) That said, we have ALWAYS advised our S to take on less - he just loves to learn, and at Stanford he has encountered a plethora of topics and amazing professionals available.
Good luck!
Consider starting another thread with your stats, major, home state and budget and we can suggest schools that might be a good fit for you.
@MomTwo2 Oh, no you never said they were “petty”, but it seemed so after reading your great post. I will leave most things for him to figure out if and when he gets there. Again, thanks for your wonderful post.