Engineering Nerd Dilemma: Stanford VS Other-Tech

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
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<p>I've been dying to ask this question to people who actually know what it's like to go to a school like Stanford. Here's a little about me (depending on your definition of "little" this may be a lot). So, let's say you have a student who is</p>

<p>A die-hard geek/nerd
Loves engineering and the sciences
Builds robots in his own time/lives in the machine shop
Modifies anything that runs on electricity
Learns java programming for fun
Goes to Mathcamp (oh come on, it's fun!)
Is into speedcubing
Plays the oboe/clarinet
[optional, but significant] Has a girlfriend studying at USC</p>

<p>There are people who say Stanford students have a very strange sense of humility. More like, the fear of bragging. Would he fit into Stanford? Or would he feel compelled to do stuff in the privacy of his own room than bask in the glorious feeling of fellow geek-dom. Does that exist? Even in the engineering department?</p>

<p>I'm already in, SCEA. But I don't know if Caltech is a better choice for me (not that I'm in there yet). Socially, I'm probably going to be more active in university, but I won't betray my nerdy roots. What about the liberal-arts requirements at Stanford? Are there a lot? I would be scared if there were a bunch of requirements for english/literature and humanities. Not because they're hard, but because they take time away from my obsessions in math, science and engineering.</p>

<p>Thanks. BTW, I bet Stanford's a really cool school, and I'll have fun if I go. But...</p>

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<p>You sound like a cross between 2-3 of my good friends here. I definitely have a good friend who you could say is a die-hard geek/nerd, built his own computer, went to RSI, etc. and another good friend who is brilliant in math/science, musically talented, is into speedcubing (and in a rubiks cube intro seminar this quarter actually), etc. So you won't be alone. On the other hand, you will also meet a lot of people who are less outwardly nerdy, although I suspect that most people here, deep down, are pretty nerdy or they wouldn't get into Stanford to begin with. There will be plenty of people who will share in the glorious felling of fellow geek-dom, it may take a little while to find those people, but they will exist. (It'd probably take a little while to make your closest friends at Caltech too though, so that's not really an advantage Caltech has over Stanford) </p>

<p>I like the fact that Stanford is more balanced. You might find that you actually enjoy the humanities, or at least enjoy being around people who like them. I think that the humanities actually have a lot of value for us math/science people because they offer a different perspective on the world and possibly a different perspective on whatever we are researching/studying that might lead to a stroke of brilliant creativity. Plus you need to be able to write. Well. No matter what discipline you choose. There are so many people with such diverse interests that it just makes pretty much every interaction you have with anyone really interesting. Everyone here has some interesting story to tell about their lives. Although it is important to be sure that you will be able to find good friends in college who are a lot like you, I think it's also very important to get to know people with very different interests and different perspectives on the world. Stanford is a pretty incredible place and I hope you'll at least strongly consider attending. </p>

<p>The humanities requirement is as follows: 1 social science class (could be like cognitive science, still kinda techie), 1 humanities class (could be philosophy which is somehow techie-ish to me), 3 quarter of IHUM, 2 quarters of PWR (program in writing and rhetoric), and then 2 quarters of general learn about the world and be a good citizen sort of classes, you need one course in two of the following categories: gender studies, american history/politics, world history/politics, ethics. It's really not that bad. Freshman year IHUM and PWR do eat up some of your units, but you still have plenty of units left to take a bunch of techie classes. Even in IHUM and PWR you can do some techie-ish assignments (my final project for IHUM last quarter was on neural networks for example). You still have TONS of time left for all the comp sci, physics, chem, math, engineering, etc. classes you want. </p>

<p>Basically what I'm trying to say is COME TO STANFORD. Everyone here is really happy. You won't regret your choice.</p>

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<p>cryptopath-- This might be kind of off-topic, but are you interested in cryptology?</p>

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<p>caltech is the best by far for speedcubing.</p>

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<p>For crypto I would suggest going to caltech because its more pure math and comp sci related...then u can also major in Number theory for your MS at caltech continuously...and i think it will be a much viable option..but this advice is specifically for Crypto.</p>

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<p>Your oboe/clarinet will be very lonely in Caltech :(...
Marlgirl pretty much covered all I had to say. Liberal arts education is a good thing. And now is probably the last time you can get some ;).</p>

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<p>Stanford doesn't segregate its athletes into one particular dorm, and the geeks also have the advantages and disadvantages of mixing with other types. Some might miss the clubhouse feel but they get plenty of opportunity to hang out with kindred spirits. I think Marlgurl is on the right track.</p>

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<p>how is berkely engineering vs stanford engineering?</p>

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<p>Hey people: Thank you so much. People on this part of the forum are helpful when they do spend the time the answer other people's questions. (It's a little less friendly down in the HS section)</p>

<p>The requirements thing is still pretty confusing. I understand what you said, but I don't understand the significance within the system.</p>

<p>

So Stanford works in quarters? How long is a "class". [is completely and utterly confused] I come from an IB school where you can't choose much in terms of classes. I despited the language and social science requirement because those teachers were horrible. Hmmn... Stanford does sound cool, but from the stuff written here it sounds like WAY too much work. You see, a humanities course is about as much fun as eating broken glass for me.</p>

<p>What about a "percentage of total classe time" or ratio of "techie to non-techie" classes one has to endure? Is it closer to one? Hopefully greater than one...</p>

<p>Haha... Caltech is best for speedcubing, yes. I don't think we'll forget Tyson anytime soon. For me it's more of a meditative activity. Don't believe me? Get a nice cube and try it. You shut down all higher cognitive functions and just focus on the cube and your arsenal of macros/algorithms. It's amazingly relaxing.</p>

<p>My name? Cryptography is cool (math is cool in general), but admittedly, my username actually came from an online Villian-Name Generator. It was the first one I found, and it sounded original (checked on google - it seems to be a math term). So it stuck for my xanga, myspace, basically everything.</p>

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<p>There are 3 quarters in Stanford's academic year (each 10 weeks long). Stanford is not any harder then Caltech or MIT, but it does require you to take some humanities classes. For the IHUM you get a list to choose from, and are assured to get one of your top 3 choices. The quality of the courses varies, but you can try and get some inside info from current students. Some students that were fully prepared to hate IHUM end up enjoying it.</p>

<p>Classes are worth 1-5 units, and you are not allowed to take more then 20 per quarter. So in your freshman year humanities will occupy close to half of your schedule. After that you can take almost exclusively techy classes, picking up remaining GERs over 9 quarters.</p>

<p>Even if "humanities course is about as much fun as eating broken glass" for you now, you might find some classes you will enjoy, and taking them will benefit you in the long run.</p>

<p>If at all possible, try to visit and sit on some classes and talk to students. </p>

<p>If you are absolutely certain that you hate everything and anything that is not techy, MIT or Caltech might be a better fit for you.</p>

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<p>I see.. Actually, half/half isn't too bad. I mean, I would feel less compelled to get top marks in those classes and spend more effort in the stuff I enjoy. People aren't cutthroat competitive, right? So, no more than 20 units per quarter. Care to share what your unit-load over the first year was like?</p>

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<p>I am a parent, not a student. My son took 19-20 units per quarter his freshman year (1 unit has always been wind ensemble, which is a lot of fun, and an automatic A as long as you show up ;)), and did very well. </p>

<p>You will be advised not to take more then 15 units first quarter, but this is something you should decide for yourself - only you know how much you can handle. One thing to keep in mind - it is very easy to drop a class if you choose to do so well into the quarter, but if you have too few units to begin with, you might find yourself short on credits ( the minimum is 12, I think). </p>

<p>People are not cutthroat competitive at all, but most work pretty hard on the stuff they care about, even if they maintain a "laid back" facade.</p>

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<p>One more thing to keep in mind - there apparently is not much correlation between the number of units the class is "worth" and amount of time you'll have to spend on working for it. Mechanical engineering is 3 units, for example, but you'll need to put a lot of time into it (lots of fun though...).</p>

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<p>With the exception of one quarter freshman year when you take both IHUM and PWR, you will probably always have more techie classes than fuzzie classes if that's what you choose. IHUM is 15 units, PWR is 8. I believe one class can knock out several requirements. For example, a 3 unit intro seminar could fulfill both the humanities and american culture requirement, another 5 unit class could fulfill social sciences and the global community requirement. That's only 31 units. You need 180 units to graduate, but most students probably take more than that. </p>

<p>Many classes are 4-5 units. Activity classes are usually 1 unit, some courses like some intro seminars and engineering classes and upper level math classes are only 3 units. Like nngmm said, there is little correlation between the units and the time you'll spend doing work for that class each week. Last quarter my 4 quarter physics class probably took more of my time then both IHUM and math together... maybe twice the time even. </p>

<p>My unit load:
1st quarter (decided to take it somewhat easy)
Math 51- Linear Algebra and Multivariable Differential Equations (5 units)
IHUM- The Human and the Machine (5 units)
Physics 61 - Mechanics (5 units)</p>

<p>2nd quarter
Math 52- Integral Multivariable Calculus (5 units)
IHUM- Fate of Reason (5 units)
[this is actually possibly my favorite class this quarter, the prof is amazing and my TF is awesome as well, even IHUM can be enjoyable!]
PWR- Supreme Rhetoric (4 units)
[rhetoric of supreme court decisions]
Physics 63- E&M (4 units)
Physics 64 E&M lab (1 unit)
plus unofficially auditing CS106A, a 3-5 unit class</p>

<p>Proposed schedule for next quarter:
Math 53- Linear Algebra (part 2) and Differential Equations (5 units)
Physics 65- Light/Heat/Intro modern physics (4 units)
Physics 67- physics lab (2 units)
IHUM- Fate of Reason (5 units)
Vocal I (1 unit)
and possibly BIOSCI 150 (3-6 units) </p>

<p>Hopefully that helps clear up some of the confusion. </p>

<p>I would like to strongly recommend that you don't worry about which school has the better engineering department, etc. If there is a particular program that interests you or a particular academic department that interests you that doesn't exist at a school, that may be a reason not go attend. (Many schools allow interdisciplinary majors and allow you to start up clubs so even that may not really be an issue) I encourage you instead to focus on the big picture. What will your life be like if you attend one of these schools? You will be there for four years of your life. It will shape what type of person you become. Remember that after getting into one of these schools YOU WILL ACTUALLY ATTEND ONE OF THEM FOR FOUR YEARS. If you are looking at Caltech, MIT, Stanford, even Cal, the differences in the science departments is likely to have little effect on your overall experience. I encourage you to look at the overall culture of the school (talk to students, visit if possible, etc.) rather than a ranking of the graduate programs when deciding between, say, Caltech and Stanford. I think you would have a very, very different experience at the two schools.</p>