<p>yeah, guys, don't get scared -- that problem set was actually really nice, once you got over the notation</p>
<p>and the H series has been a blast -- our professor teaches really, really well</p>
<p>um...yeah, thanks a lot, guys. I"m just gonna go jump off a roof somewhere and fling my pathetic brainless body somewhere far away from Stanford. Whoa that was kinda scary. So thanks for scaring us. What class IS that for? dayem</p>
<p>Read my last post. It's for the honors math series, which you only take if math is very much your thing and you really enjoy it. Even if you're a math major, you're not required to take it.</p>
<p>Several questions:</p>
<p>1) Does anyone here do policy debate at Stanford, or know anyone who does? Is it extremely time-consuming, or manageable with the courseload?</p>
<p>2) What's SLE? I have a vague idea of what it is, but does anyone here take it and could tell me more? Would you recommend it? </p>
<p>3) Is bringing a car a good or a bad thing?</p>
<p>What kind of graphing calculator would be best for a prospective EE major like myself? I currently own a TI-83 Plus. Would I need a better one, or is the 83 sufficient?</p>
<p>hey guys,</p>
<p>lemme reiterate -- sorry for scaring you; i absolutely didn't mean to.</p>
<p>remember, though, that stanford is about intellectual discovery and challenge. the math H series has been one of my biggest personal academic challenges, and it's definitely been worth it. don't get too intimidated.</p>
<p>answers to questions:
don't know what policy debate is
ask lki about sle, he's in it
don't bring a car your freshman year
your ti83 plus will be fine for now. you might consider an 89 ti later</p>
<p>What if I don't have a graphing calc? Which one should I get if I don't want to buy another one while I'm at Stanford? I'm going to be doing CS by the way.</p>
<p>I know I can figure this out later once I get to Stanford, but what the heck...</p>
<p>You should buy a TI-89 if you never want to buy another graphing calculator.</p>
<p>DO NOT bring a car freshman year. Freshmen are not allowed to bring cars or buy parking permits.</p>
<p>Here's a site about SLE:</p>
<p>PM if you have any questions...I'm in it currently.</p>
<p>I know that no one asked about this, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. Stanford has a bunch of random, fun traditions. There are events during orientation and then others throughout the year that are a lot of fun and can really bring your dorm together. I know I'm being somewhat vague here, but it's intentional. The surprise factor makes the traditions all the more exciting. There are also other random dorm events from going to games together to events where once a week a couple of dormmates tell their life stories. They're all optional of course, but most if not all are worthwhile experiences (especially at the beginning of the year when you're still getting to know everyone). The bottom line is that stanford does an amazing job of fostering a sense of community within the dorms and to some extent within the entire campus. Although it's much bigger than many LAC's, in some ways you still get that strong sense of community. That was just something that I wondered about before coming here, something I actually worried about quite a bit, and stanford has exceeded my wildest expectations. I LOVE this place and couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.</p>
<p>Without minimizing the dorm cohesiveness point, does your dorm meal plan allow you to eat at most other dorms if you want to on a particular occasion?</p>
<p>Yeah, you can eat at any of the dining halls anytime you want. You could never eat in the dining hall associated with your dorm. Sometimes a bunch of people from a dorm will all eat at another dining hall (like some people from Stern and Branner eat at Wilbur pretty often for example). The on exception is the co-op houses, frats, etc. They each have their own system. I know at least a few of them (probably all?) allow you to bring friends along for at least a set number of meals each quarter. The dining plan is pretty flexible and does allow for a good deal of variety. In Wilbur at least (also in other dining halls?) you can request that they make you a boxed lunch if you have classes or practice all afternoon. The only problem with the dining hall is that sometimes the hours are a bit obnoxious, but you learn to deal with it.</p>
<p>Are the dorms nice?</p>
<p>There is a lot of variation between the dorms. I live in Otero, one of the dorms in the Wilbur complex, and I think it's pretty nice. It's not fancy- no fireplaces in the room or anything. It's pretty simple in design. We have one room doubles. I have a desk, a bed, a bookshelf, and a chest of drawers. I have plenty of space for all my stuff. It's not an incredibly huge room, but has more than enough space for everything. (I would like there to be 4 shelves instead of 5 and to have them be a bit deeper... but I guess you can't ask for everything) There's a bathroom on each floor with 4 sinks, 4 toilet stalls, and 4 showers. You'd think 4 just 4 sinks and 4 showers could be a problem on an all-girls floor but it never has been. I don't think I've ever had to wait. We have random couches at the end of each floor plus a lounge and a computer cluster. The cluster has both macs and pcs, plus a printer (there's a fee to print though). The lounge has a piano, a bunch of couches, and a worn-out pool table. We also have a kitchenette with a fridge, a microwave, a sink and I think an oven and a stove too? Few people use it to cook, but it's there if you want to use it. </p>
<p>Some of the other dorms have rather different layouts. Roble, for example, has quads. Branner has 2 room triples. The rooms are all big enough to live in comfortably. They all have common areas where you can hang out with friends, do work, etc. Most of them aren't over the top fancy/elaborate/etc., but they are all at least reasonably nice places to live. (They are nicer than I just made them sound...) The bottom line is that your happiness/wellbeing won't be at all compromised by the niceness of the dorms, but on the other hand the dorms in themselves are not a compelling reason to choose Stanford.</p>
<p>What do you think of FleetStreet? Do you know anybody who does a cappella?</p>
<p>Fleet Street is amazing, I think everyone can agree on that. A couple of people in my dorm do a cappella and I know a couple of other people who are in it as well (one who's in Fleet Street actually)</p>
<p>What about music performance activities in general, for non-music majors? Other than LSJUMB, is everything way too competitive for ordinary mortals?</p>
<p>to marlgirl...
thanx for the dorm info. So what are the themed halls? do they all have theme? and do they all have pianos? sounds so cozy... do you have a roomate? are roomates required? which hall would you say has the largest dorms? should I still go splurge at IKEA?</p>
<p>also, how does the internet thing work? You can get it in the dorms, right?
Also, what's the shopping center like? Is there a Staples or Office Max close by in case you run out of printer ink in the middle of the night? (this just happened to me last night, so...) I just need to know that there is at least ONE store that's NOT Abercrombie or the Gap. thanks</p>
<p>What's the food like? Is there enough variety?</p>
<p>good vegetarian options?</p>