if you have any questions for us...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
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<p>The jobs vary a lot.... students to everything from working in libraries, the bookstore, the alumni center, tutoring students on campus, helping with computer tech stuff, driving students around on golf carts at night, etc. to super awesome jobs like working as a tour guide. I think most jobs pay somewhere around $10-12/hour. How interesting the job is depends on what job you choose. I only work 5-6 hours/week and it certainly doesn't get in the way of school work. If you work 20 hours/week or if you're crazy enough to have a full time job at the same time (I actually have a friend like that) then it might start to become a bit more difficult, especially if you have other activities too. </p>

<p>If you're interested in making money quickly, you could also tutor high school students. You can pretty easily ask for $30/hour, especially for calculus, advanced science, SAT prep, etc.</p>

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<p>you can also sign up to take surveys for the psychology department or business school. you only sign up when you're free, and only for the ones you want to take, then you get paid anywhere from $5-$10 for taking a half hour survey. I've found it very convenient and a nice way to make a little extra cash.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I've made a total of about $100 doing surveys. I could probably make more doing actual psych experiments, but I guess I'm not the right demographic to be picked for those.</p>

<p>I have a PC laptop, but I kinda wish I got a Macbook instead. They're nice.</p>

<p>Bikes are cool to have. I don't think any particular kind of bike is necessary; the distances that you'll be biking aren't terribly far. I have a folding bike that I got in China. The wheels are 16", but it still isn't too much effort to bike to classes and stuff (even with some piggyback-riding!). You could probably get a usable bike at Target or something. Or a used one from SUPost.</p>

<p>My homework load was not too bad. I had PWR, which is three papers: a 4-6 pager, a 6-8 pager, and a 12-15 pager. At first I was really scared of that, and I'm very anti-writing, but it really isn't too bad; my topic was ethnic jokes. I had IHUM, which was three short papers and some novel-reading. Math 51H is insane; I agree with Jimmy that it takes 16 hours/week, but regular Math 51 takes much less time (idk, maybe 4 hours/week). I also had Physics 45, which I spent about 2 hours a week on.</p>

<p>I am also a 2010er, and I would be glad to answer any questions.</p>

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<p>keep us updated on 52H and 53H, frank :)</p>

<p>Are you the same frank on AOPS?</p>

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<p>I'm pretty sure I'm the same Frank as the one on AoPS.</p>

26

<p>I imagine this has been answered before in other threads, but do most people attend admit weekend? I have to do some fairly major air travel to get there, and I'm rather tight for cash.</p>

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<p>To any physics people out there, how's the 60 series? I'll have 5s on both AP Physics C exams, and plan to be a physics major...I'm wondering if it's worth it to take the full 60 series as opposed to skipping 41 and 43, going right into 45. </p>

<p>I'll probably take it either way because I'm worried that my high school lab is too low-tech to justify skipping an intro series, but how's the homework load, general difficulty, etc?</p>

<p>Also, does the regular Math 50 series provide a solid foundation for later extensive work with proofs? I don't have any background with them and probably couldn't handle 50H, but I'd like to learn. How much does the course rely on computer algebra systems?</p>

<p>For the more philosophy-based IHUMs (I'm thinking The Fate of Reason), how open is the discussion and curriculum? I mean, is it just reading books, accepting what's in them as fact, and writing about how true it is? Or is there opportunity for real discussion, analysis, and criticism of the texts and ideas?</p>

<p>How's the party scene? I'm coming from a place with no enforced drinking age, and would be sorely disappointed to find a relatively dry campus...hah, I assume this isn't the case (it is college after all), but I'd appreciate it if somebody could elaborate. Is it mostly big, iconic, crazy frat parties...smaller, intimate "gatherings"...22 hour acid trips...or some combination? Also (you can PM me if you'd prefer not to post about this) how's the drug scene? It's California so I assume most everything is available, but how are prices (for the, er, more natural substances, if you catch my drift...and also the hallucinogens...trying to be coy here) on or around campus?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for any answers!</p>

28

<p>is it really tough to get around without a bike? are there a lot of slopes or something?</p>

<p>also, would you recommend taking credit for AP tests or starting off with the intro classes? I'll have 5's for Chemistry, Calculus and both Physics papers and am thinking about self-studying micro and macro econ. Would you recommend learning those subjects in a classroom setting or is it alright to just jump into the meat of it all?</p>

<p>and please, please don't tell me i have to take organic chemistry in college. it has been sucking the life out of me for the last two years.</p>

<p>@skatearabia: hope to see you next year. nothing better than a crackhead ;)</p>

29

<p>I'll answer the questions I can...
// does the regular Math 50 series provide a solid foundation for later extensive work with proofs? How much does the course rely on computer algebra systems?</p>

<p>The 50 series is difficult in its own way, according to many of the people i've talked to. There are SOME proofs in 50 series, but there isn't an emphasis on that, as opposed to the honor series which is all proofs. I can't tell you if it provides a solid foundation, but it does provide a good foundation. I know math majors who have taken the 50 series. I suggest you shop both classes and see for yourself the first week. I'm not sure what you mean by computer algebra systems, but the 50 series has some assignments with Matlab (the mathematics program on the computer), and the honor series doesn't even touch a calculator.</p>

<p>//is it really tough to get around without a bike? are there a lot of slopes or something?</p>

<p>no. there arent any steep slopes. most people have a bike because there campus is vast and getting somewhere fast is very convenient especially if you have a lot of stuff on your To-do list. If you're walking you can't even tell some places are hills. I know a bunch of upperclassmen who don't have bikes because they have cars. For the most part they walk to class. You'll always see people biking AND walking, so if you prefer not to have a bike, you won't be alone. A bike of course, is very convenient.</p>

<p>//also, would you recommend taking credit for AP tests or starting off with the intro classes? I'll have 5's for Chemistry, Calculus and both Physics papers and am thinking about self-studying micro and macro econ. Would you recommend learning those subjects in a classroom setting or is it alright to just jump into the meat of it all?</p>

<p>when you take AP tests this may... send your scores to Stanford (all your previous scores + this years will be sent for free, and that's all you have to do to report AP scores) Stanford will sort everything out, give you credit where credit is allowed to be due (and that's not in many subjects). For chem if you got a 5 in AP Chem they expect you to go into Chem 33: Organic Chemistry. Most people though go into 31a/31b or 31X (the accelerated version of 31a/b). I havent taken any of those classes, but the few that I've talked to seem to think 33 is pretty crazy, although it seems like many have done it as a freshman. 31a/b/x is just like AP Chem. SO whatever you decide to take, if you take anything less than 33, they forfeit your AP credit (which honestly doesnt really matter because AP credit only goes towards your 180 unit graduation requirement and not your major requirement, which is usually the limiting factor to graudating). They also warn that if you're pre-med you should probably take 31a/b/x because its a requirement for many med schools. The same 'forfeit AP credit if you take something lower" goes for other courses too i think. although chem is the only one i know for sure. Anywho. submit your AP scores, get credit. if you decide to take something lower, they'll automatically forfeit whatever AP credit that was.
If you want to skip some intro classes, you should talk to your adviser and maybe some profs. Unless you're thinking of doing engineering, there's plenty of time to take intro courses. a good foundation and a light beginning will be to your advantage.</p>

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<p>hows the preprofessional attitude over there? someone told me that ppl can get a little too focused on that sometimes. how tough is it to be a pre-med?</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Originally posted by fuzzylogic
@skatearabia: hope to see you next year. nothing better than a crackhead ;)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Haha, definitely!</p>

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<p>I'm the opposite actually =) I'd rather remain substance-free, and my gf tells me there are a lot of people like that as well. You guys at Stanford agree/disagree?</p>

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<p>on a totally side note, I'm told that stanford girls are infinitely hotter than berkeley girls. WHEEE</p>

34

<p>uhh okay aside from asking how attractive students are (rofl) i was wondering, since i have never really been to the campus, is the university in a secluded area. i mean do we need a car or something?</p>

35

<p>as far as drugs and drinking, it's totally cool which ever way you prefer. my dorm has tons of partying on the weekend - alcohol and pot are the main substances - but i don't choose to use either of those, and i'm still totally accepted. people will offer you a drink, but if you say no they don't care at all. numerous times my friends have asked me to drink with them, and when i say no, they still insist i join the party. you will have company either way.</p>

<p>i would say about half my friends drink, maybe less, and the ones that do drink don't get drunk every weekend, although there are people that do. while the parties can be fun, the best times i've had have been playing games, watching movies, going out, or staying up all night talking with my friends. don't worry about being accepted if you choose to remain substance-free. then again, don't let this post scare off anyone who wants to drink/smoke/whatever: you will find plenty of company, too.</p>

<p>as far as secluded? not at all. you don't need a car, in fact freshmen can't have cars on campus. i have a bike to get around campus, but i end up walking a lot too because most of my friends do. to get to san francisco or san jose (airports, concerts, etc.) you can take the caltrain - very easy and fairly cheap. there is a station right at the end of palm drive (edge of campus). there is also a free bus system (the Marguerite) that goes around campus in case you don't want to walk. it also goes to the nearest big shopping center where you can find walmart, target, ross, trader joes, radio shack, music/game/video stores, restaurants, etc.</p>

<p>on the attractiveness of the students: i've heard people say we're not great compared to other schools, but i disagree. i did go to a small private school with virtually no options, though, so i guess you have to decide for yourself. i believe there are lots of random hookups, as well as long term relationships :) but again, your sex life is what you make of it</p>

36

<p>ditto with what calikent said about drinking. i don't drink/smoke/shoot, and i'd say 14 of the 16 frosh in my hallway don't either. We're not boring, we just don't need to drink to have fun. You'll find company whichever way you are. I'd say MOST of my friends don't drink.</p>

37

<p>I'm surprised to hear what calikent said about his/her dorm. I will guess that you are in an all-frosh dorm. My all-frosh dorm was pretty crazy... I didn't hang out with them a lot, so I don't know about drugs, but I do know there was frequent drinking. There was also non-drinking craziness, such as watergun fights in the hallways at 3am. I am in a 4-class dorm this year, and I love it =] There is definitely drinking, but I have yet to encounter substance abuse. The partying is tamer this year than in the all-frosh dorm. The people are very tightly-knit and not too clique-y; even the upperclassmen hang out with the freshmen =] People will say that 4-class dorms are less social and crazy than all-frosh dorms; I agree with less crazy, but not with less social.</p>

<p>I'll chime in and agree that I've never felt pressured to drink. I've also never had trouble finding people to hang out with w/o drinking. I have always found people to be welcoming.</p>

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<p>I'm not in the Physics 60 series; I took 45 and am skipping 41 and 43. I thought 45 was very easy; most of the material was covered in AP Physics B. I believe Doug Osheroff (Nobel laureate) teaches 43, at least this year. 60 series seems to be relatively difficult stuff, with bad teaching. I heard that it is not as difficult as Math 50H. If you're majoring in physics and have a strong background in it, I would probably recommend 60. If it doesn't work out, you could just drop down to 40 and relax.</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure that regular ol' Math 50 should be enough for any major; H isn't even required for honors math majors, and I'm not sure if it's too theoretical for physics. Still, I'm probably majoring in engineering, and I find 50H very rewarding. I started with relatively little experience with proofs.</p>

<p>Stanford really doesn't do anything to restrict drinking. They did threaten to kick people out of the dorm for starting parties with lots of alcohol (i.e. keg), which is basically a 1-year suspension. But that's because it's an all-freshman dorm, and it came in the wake of some damage to the resident fellow's property. I would say that 30-40% of people either abstain from alcohol or drink sparingly, and maybe 30% get drunk regularly. There are big frat parties, and I'm not sure about the rest. I personally don't party much.</p>

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<p>I haven't heard anything about the attractiveness of students at Stanford. But my gf goes there, so that makes the girl population that much better ;)</p>

<p>EDIT: Not that any of you would/could/should care =)</p>

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<p>I'm in Casa Zapata (4-class dorm, and Chicana/Chicano themed - even tho I'm white - it's awesome, but that's a different topic), and I may just think it's crazy because I live across the hall from the biggest partier in our dorm. most of the week it's not too loud, but on friday or saturday night it can get somewhat crazy, although it's not as crazy as some dorms.</p>

<p>I thought I wanted an all-frosh dorm this year, but I am LOVING Zapata. The people are awesome. It's small, so we are all really close, and the community is just great. The upperclassmen are awesome and for the most part spend as much time with us freshmen as with other upperclassmen. Trust the housing people - they do a great job!</p>