<p>^ I think it’s because you can never tell how well it’s going to be received. Some will receive it well and not judge, others will, and still others will judge harshly (religion is, in and of itself, not academic and thus some will see it as not “intellectual”; theology, on the other hand, is different). Since you can’t tell which will be the case, it’s risky. You generally want to avoid high risks.</p>
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I believe this. As for the segment immediately preceding it, I think many people would argue with you on that. I’m not really seeing how you distinguish religion from theology either; many, if not most, religious people have attended at least Sunday school before. And another offshoot of religion, religious studies, is very academic. Often a strong religious background can be beneficial in that field. </p>
<p>That said, I personally would never use a reason for something not being perceived as “intellectual” as a reason to stop an activity I enjoy. Many probably perceive acting to not be intellectual, but I still do it and have no plans of stopping. If in a potential employer questions my devotion to acting rather than pursuing more intellectual activities, I will justify my decision. If he doesn’t buy my reasons, I don’t want to work for him. </p>
<p>I think the same could be said here. Any school that has an admissions counselor who is willing to reject someone because of religious affiliation is not a school that I (if I were religious) would want to attend. I know many strongly religious persons at Stanford. I know people who spent a couple years doing missionary work, and this was likely in their app. At least here, I do not think religion is something that will work against you in away way in terms of admissions. </p>
<p>And politics? No way. At all. If anything that is something sorely lacking at Stanford right now. Stanford has expressed a desire for East Coast humanists. Implicit in this, in my mind, is a desire for students who are involved in, are educated about, or who care for politics. And not the West Coast “no on prop 8 and save the environment” kind of politics. Yeah that stuff is important, but Stanford has its fair share of those types already.</p>
<p>How are the guys around campus generally dressed? Any popular clothing trends?</p>
<p>When I visited during Admit Weekend, everyone was dressed normally, t-shirts, jeans, boardshorts, flip-flops, stanford gear, maybe a polo or two. Nobody was really dressed up in a suit and tie walking around campus.</p>
<p>Are plaid shirts popular? I have a lot of those.</p>
<p>There is no single fashion, nor can I really think of a common outfit, esp. not for guys…</p>
<p>StanfordCS depends on the kind of plaid. </p>
<p>Anyways I agree with phanta in that there are many fashions for guys. Depending on the day, I may look like an athlete, a tank-top bro, a polo bro, a hipster, a hippie, a normal guy, a country boy, a flamboyant gay guy, a 90s wannabe, and a stoner (plus some occasionally more outrageous stuff). Of those, one or two (at most) might stick out. And none in a bad way imo. </p>
<p>I can’t vouch for a suit and tie though. People will wear them, but there is almost always an occasion. Which makes me think you’d be looked at differently if you wore a suit and tie every day.</p>