<p>1) search the 2010 admitted students forum
2) search the 2009 admitted students forum
3) there's a little trio of marlgirl, current_student, etc. etc. (all 2009) who can answer them for you :) and I'm sure some of the current matriculated 2010s will be back to answer questions too. so post away!</p>
<p>Not to mention this 2008-er. =]</p>
<p>and some 2010ers who are willing to help as well, although we are still figuring things out ourselves :)</p>
<p>I wanted thinking about buying a tablet laptop. Does anyone know if I should do this before I get there, or during?</p>
<p>I'll be around ('10). :)</p>
<p>Hmm.... well, I can speak for laptops (not specifically tablets). I would, in general, recommend buying it beforehand so that you can shop for deals and all that good stuff. Read the newspaper ads for a few weeks. Or, Stanford gets student discounts with Dell and Apple <a href="https://rescomp.stanford.edu/student/resources/newusers/deals.html?WEBAUTHR=RYn+lmuhvFCdQuWiYo/J3xy8CyOLmJHMmpuXeskpSGZglkeA29L+yTnMdm6L0i5SvFx/6WP0SKdNLY+yRD5CFB3P0b7XwLbHsAjZhwXpR5ho93hE;;WEBAUTHS=RYn+Wt0e8XHphHwtYu2Km0cm7wqE7zgDYrVIc8dqww39/tuKgqyWInJiaH5x4ncRt8qseB9VcrwKx1a3rVYRnS2poDo6zgYIF28OyS9tHgldeqt8;%5B/url%5D">https://rescomp.stanford.edu/student/resources/newusers/deals.html?WEBAUTHR=RYn+lmuhvFCdQuWiYo/J3xy8CyOLmJHMmpuXeskpSGZglkeA29L+yTnMdm6L0i5SvFx/6WP0SKdNLY+yRD5CFB3P0b7XwLbHsAjZhwXpR5ho93hE;;WEBAUTHS=RYn+Wt0e8XHphHwtYu2Km0cm7wqE7zgDYrVIc8dqww39/tuKgqyWInJiaH5x4ncRt8qseB9VcrwKx1a3rVYRnS2poDo6zgYIF28OyS9tHgldeqt8;</a> you should only be able to access that link if you have an SUnet ID. I think you can order those online or on campus. I think it would be more difficult to get a laptop when you get to Stanford because you don't have time to shop for deals; you're probably limited by how long your parents are going to be around, or the fact that you will get busy with orientation and school.</p>
<p>celestial605</p>
<p>I don't yet have a SUnet ID and I'm just wondering how much discount can one get?</p>
<p>A few examples:</p>
<p>MacBook Pro 15.4" - regular price $2499, Stanford price $2070
MacBook 13" White, 2.0GHz - $1199
Dell Latitude D620 - $1469.70</p>
<p>For the second two, I don't know what the regular retail price is.</p>
<p>Discounts aren't that spectacular, I think =/</p>
<p>A Macbook is $1299 normally, I think.</p>
<p>Just a word of advice: don't buy a Tablet PC. They're really buggy and their functionality is already built in to Vista. Tablet PCs aren't really all that great for taking notes. A pad and a reliable pen always work best. If you're thinking about buying a laptop, wait until January 31st-Vista will come preloaded on all new machines purchased after that date. Some recommendations for buying a PC- make sure you have at least 1.5-2GB of RAM and a 256-512 MB discrete graphics card. Don't worry too much about processor speed. A Core 2 is always cool though. </p>
<p>If you're going to buy a Mac, you can get the student discount directly through Apple's website. You don't need a SuNet ID.</p>
<p>As for me, I have gone Mac and I'm never going back. Macbook Pro, here I come. :D</p>
<p>oops, i forgot to post my question. </p>
<p>Do any current computer science students know if Stanford CS Dept. uses any Windows-only software?</p>
<p>What is your average daily/weekly schedule? How much home work do you have?</p>
<p>Fuzzylogic, your a compsci guy too apparently (seen a couple of posts from you about compsci now...)! Anyways, I am curious about something WAY more important... What kind of bike do you recommend :) (haven't ridden one in a while...)
-Aaron</p>
<p>Get a really cheap bike. A kick stand can be nice as can fenders (or whatever you call them). And you need a bike lock. Seriously, just get a super cheap bike since otherwise you risk it being stolen. There's a good deal of bike theft on campus, but luckily that virtually the only on-campus crime. </p>
<p>The average daily/weekly schedule varies a LOT between students. It depends if you're an athlete, how many classes you take, if you have a job, how into your ECs you are, etc. The average student studies/goes to class for a total of about 40 hours/week which isn't too bad. I feel like I probably did more than that freshman year, but provided you don't take 20 units/quarter where part of that is 60 series physics you should be fine.</p>
<p>First, about a laptop... I recommend getting a Mac. I'll just leave it at that before I get called a fan-boy. IF you're planning on getting a mac, I would wait until this summer because Apple usually updates/upgrades computers every 3 months, whether that be a small thing like faster processor or big like whole new lineup. Also, during the summer, Apple usually offers a promo involving a free iPod nano or something like $179 rebate off an iPod. and usually another promo too, like $100 rebate off any participating printers. Yep. you just have to be patient. it'll happen. every summer. Also, USE YOUR STUDENT DISCOUNT! as soon as you get a SUNetID/email address you'll be able to use your discount at whatever places take student discounts. including apple and dell. almost every big retailer has student discounts. (GET CINGULAR)</p>
<p>\What is your avg daily schedule?
This is just me, and it really depends on what classes you take. I took 20 units (the max). My classes were Chinese 1; IHUM: Journeys (which I highly recommend); an Introductory Seminar: Experimental Instruments; and Math 51H (which is Linear Alg + Differential Multivariable Calc, all in proofs). It's hard to talk about an avg day because usually certain days of the week are crazy, like my tues and thurs when I had all four of my classes meet. so I'll just talk about a day like Choose Your Own Adventure.
I woke up in the morning about 8 (most people aren't up by then, it depends on classes). went to breakfast where hardly anybody is there, went to Chinese by 9 (lectures are 50min, sections vary. IHUM section is 90min). after that, i took a nap in Green library or did some small work or something for an hour, went to IHUM lecture or my seminar, went to lunch, worked or napped until math at 2:15pm, then either went back to my dorm or went to IHUM section. So I was done with classes by either 3:05 or 4:45pm. after that, I either had archery or nothing... in any random week i would have like 6 possible band rallies/events to go to, but I would probably end up going to 1 or 2. Archery is twice a week, until the sun goes down. so like 4-6ish. (now 4-5ish). Note: you get very sleepy around 2:30... just naturally, so don't schedule a crazy class like 51H at that time. anyways. People usually eat dinner around 5:30-6:30pm, and then go back to the dorm to procrastinate some more. Nightly activities varied and so do bedtimes.</p>
<p>\how much work do you have?
in terms of work... I seem to have managed in retrospect without sacrificing much socializing and other activities such as Band and archery. I always justify non-productivity by knowing this fun/relaxation will help me get through the math problem set. My math problem set took ~16hrs/wk. but that's 51H. it's as scary as it sounds, but try it out if you think you can do it. many of you can. I got lucky with my IHUM. Journeys was light reading (only short stories and the like) and we just had to write three 4-5 page papers. No midterm, no final, unlike some other IHUMs. Experimental Instruments just required some time and dedication to build our instruments. Chinese 1 took up much of my time just memorizing character and practicing. But in general, after classes/dinner/archery, I just laid out what I wanted to accomplish and did as much as I could, usually taking breaks to juggle or talk with my quadmates or hallmates. its very important to socialize and relax, I think. At times I knew I should be studying, but conversation seemed much more fun. things get done either way. most people at stanford are good with time management. So yea, for most people working on stuff from 6pm - bedtime is the norm (of course with breaks ranging from 10-60min). Everyone here has a lot of work. its unavoidable, but it gets done. everyone appears calm, but everyone's in the same boat. just relax, you'll get through it all. I usually go to bed around 1 or 2am.</p>
<p>\what kind of bike do you recommend?
it really doesn't matter that much. Stanford Bike Shop (you'll get this in the mail in the summer) offers three models/packages to choose from ranging from $200 something to $300 something. I got my bike at the Bike Connection in Palo Alto for like 300 something? i dont know. I like my bike. every bike has its problems. just get a good lock and a good light. What kind of bike? you'll mostly be riding on sidewalk and street pavement hitting bumps every so often. Some suspension is probably good, but any kind of bike will do: mountain bike or banana seat 50s style. just get good brakes. youll be using that often.</p>
<p>Hi, I'm from Taiwan, and really excited about going to Stanford in 2007. :)</p>
<p>I was wondering, though...since I don't attend high school in the US, I'm not nearly as familiar with classes like US history or Government as you are. Do I need to catch up on those now to avoid a major knowledge gap in college? If so, which books would you recommend that I read up on? I'm not that worried about English since I've read a lot of classics and took the SAT II Lit, but are there any significant literary works that I would want to pay specific attention to?</p>
<p>Thank you very much! :)</p>
<p>Yay CS people! The Computer Science department can work with any type of computer (in fact many of the professors TAs use Macs - remember, you're moving to silicon valley!) I used a Dell in high school and got a macbook for college. I have only taken CS for one quarter, but in my experience they were very accommodating.</p>
<p>The class I took was an intro to programming using eclipse as our compiler. They had a version for macs and pcs, but it didn't work with the new intel-based macs, so they got some of their genius CS people to make a beta version that did work with intel-based macs so those of us with the new macs could still take the class. They also had special office hours in case we ran into extra bugs with the beta version. So anyway, the point of this story is that they will work with any kind of computer you want to use. I believe in upper-level classes that they also have alternative versions of software for macs and pcs. In the worse case, you can use the computers in the many clusters around campus - they already have all of the software the university might require.</p>
<p>For a bike, if you can't bring one with you, I recommend that you take the free Marguerite shuttle to Walmart or Target and buy one there. Then, you can take the bike back to campus on the shuttle. I highly agree that you should by a pretty cheap bike... as long as it's functional, you're good. The ones on campus - even the used ones - are expensive.</p>
<p>Taking notes in class - I think pen/paper vs. laptop is just a matter of preference. I personally write very slowly and can't think while I'm writing, but I can think while I'm typing. I advise you to get a laptop anyways (so you can study in the library, in your friend's room, outside, etc.) and try out various note-taking methods in class to see what works best for you.</p>
<p>You probably don't need to know much about US History and Government unless you take a class that will clearly study US history and/or government. You could in theory easily avoid ever taking any class that has anything to do with either.</p>
<p>I've lived in the US my whole life and still don't know much about US History or government. I took what was required in high school and that's it for me in those topics :) So don't worry about it.</p>
<p>If you do choose to take notes on your computer, be sure to back them up ALL THE TIME! My hard drive randomly died a few weeks ago and I lost a lot, so be prepared.</p>
<p>What are the student jobs at stanford like? how much do they pay? are the jobs interesting? Do they get in the way of school work?</p>