<p>quomodo, the “pre-professional vs. intellectual” dichotomy is an entirely false one. People can certainly be both, and in my experience many students here are both intellectually inclined and interested in having an array of intriguing career options. I’m a pretty cerebral guy and love discussing ideas, philosophy and theory; I also love thinking about the many possible paths my post-college years may include.</p>
<p>Housing: freshman dorms are all okay; upperclass housing ranges from good to amazing. Food is superior to that at most colleges, IMO. The Greek scene isn’t a huge part of campus life, but it’s definitely here for those who want it. There are some very big frat parties the first weekend or two of every quarter before the heavy workload kicks in. Not sure what goes on after that since it’s not my scene.</p>
<p>For somebody pursuing med,
How difficult is it to maintain a high GPA, get good recommendations, get good research/volunteer opportunities, etc.</p>
<p>And also,
how easy/difficult is it to study abroad? </p>
I would agree with this. In a way it is one of my concerns with Stanford, in that so many people are not only looking towards the future, but very actively preparing for it. Internships, interview practice, networking, pre-professional clubs, and more are all commonplace here. I don’t wish it were more intellectual, though. Rather I wish people would just focus more on the moment and not worry so much about grades, clubs, interviews, career fairs, whatever. But in three years they’ll probably be the ones with the white-collar jobs, laughing their way to the bank, while I struggle to make a living working a “job” that I enjoy. </p>
<p>
Solid. Yes. Dorm food is decent. Houses/dorms with chefs are better. Campus eateries are very desirable. </p>
<p>
Sorority scene I feel like is nonexistent. Frat scene less so, but you don’t have to go Greek to be social or party or whatever. Most parties freshman will go to I think are pretty sizeable (hundreds), unless it’s a small room party. As an upperclassmen I find myself at less of the huge frat parties and more in parties with 15-60 people or so. </p>
<p>
Depends on your abilities for GPA. I’ve done a lot of premed classes and I have a 4.0 in them with a bit of effort, but I assure you this is not the average case. For some people it’s nearly impossible to get an A in the biocore, for instance. As far as recommendations and good research/volunteer opportunities, if you are proactive you shouldn’t have much trouble. If you are lazy and/or are afraid to reach out to professors, it’s a bit tougher. These days, things don’t fall into your lap if you have a high GPA. You have to apply, or know someone. </p>
<p>
If you plan ahead and don’t staff junior and/or senior years, then it is very easy in my opinion. Although some places are harder than others to get in, if you don’t care where you end up too much you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>@yowman, yes you can. If you have financial aid, you only have 12 quarters of financial aid, but you can stay for as long as you want as long as you pay.</p>
<p>At what year can you become an RA and does this mean free room/board?</p>
<p>Also, as someone who wants to go into tech business, I plan on studying Science Technology and Society and Economics. These seem the best majors for this goal, other than MSE, which seems to be very scientific. Are my choices good? I’ve talked to people in the STS department, and the grads seem very successful.</p>
<p>If you read the post in this forum called Stanford Housing, it seems like RAs are typically Juniors/Seniors, not sophomores. Additionally, RAing pays for about 3/4 of your housing, according to the posts in that thread.</p>
<p>My bad! So many threads to go through, sometimes it’s easy to miss some info.</p>
<p>I know that Stanford doesn’t accept much AP credit. It is not obvious on their website if, say I get a 4/5 on Stats, that will count towards elective credit? I know they have a chart of the sciences + calc + language APs, but additional APs simply counting for credit? I don’t really want elective credit, unless it gives me the edge up on registering for classes.</p>
<p>The reason I ask is so I know if I should slave away at studying for AP Stats, Language and English, or just focus on getting a good score on AB Calc.</p>
Stanford will only give you the credit for the test/score combinations listed on the website. Whether the classes listed will remain unchanged in the years to come is another matter, though I doubt it.</p>
<p>The only ap tests I am taking are Physics B and Calculus AB as those are the only ones that Stanford accepts. However, I am going to be a Bio major so if I pass those test will the credits help me in anyway? Can ap credits not go towards those needed for major requirements? Thanks!</p>
<p>My question is about the quarter schedule, which sounded great to me until I saw an actual calendar. It appears from the calendar that there are only a couple of extended breaks of about 3 weeks and then a week here or there. So you’re essentially there for the entire year? </p>
<p>Thanks to any current students who can speak a little on this subject.</p>
<p>Confused Mama, you don’t actually do the 4th quarter unless you want to do summer school. So there’s a whole 10 weeks in the summer for break. Otherwise, the system is pretty normal, just with 3 quarters, and going alittle into June, rather than the typical system of 2 semesters.</p>
<p>There are a few main differences between semester and quarter systems:</p>
<p>-Semester schools tend to start in mid August and end in late April/early May. Quarter schools tend to start in late September and end in early June. </p>
<p>-Quarter schools have their spring breaks after the 2nd quarter, which makes for a very stress free break. Winter break as well is after the 1st quarter ends, although this is usually true at semester schools (who will have their winter break later).</p>
<p>-Semester schools tend to have longer winter breaks than quarter schools. Stanford is at three weeks, I’ve heard schools that give five. </p>
<p>-The pace of a quarter system is much different than that of a semester. Quarters start fast (first wave of midterms week 4) and this pace is sustained generally until a week or two before dead week, when one is done with midterms. For those in research-paper based classes, it may seem like barely any time has passed before one has to choose a topic. I don’t know the pace of the semester system that well, though.</p>
<p>-Quarter systems allow for less classes at any given time, but equal/more classes the entire year. I’d say the average at Stanford is to take 3.5-4 legit classes per quarter, which means most people take 10-13 classes a year. It’s rare to see an average student take less than 10, but to do this at a semester school one would need to take 5 classes per semester. I just don’t see how one could reasonably give enough time to each class that way (I cap myself at 4 here, and it’s definitely not a hindrance for me to do so).</p>
<p>There are probably a few more key differences that I forgot about while writing this…</p>
Regarding the major itself, getting a 5 on the AP Test is irrelevant. That said, for some research positions, introsems, sophomore college, and job applications it might help to mention that you got a 5 on the AP Bio test. Of course as soon as you take The BioCore, that 5 will become all but irrelevant for almost everything. But for one and change years it might help you. Who knows?</p>
<p>Also you may transfer, or drop out, or something. Other schools might give credit for the AP Bio test. I was in an easy position; senior year all my classes required that I take (and pay for) the test in order to pass the class. I gave enough effort to do well on all of the ones I took. If I had the option of not taking the test (and not paying) I very well may have done that. Who knows?</p>