<p>I think Stanford is sometimes seen as not as intellectual as some of the other top schools because of some of the controversies over political correctness in the 80s and 90s (though Harvard and Yale Law Schools were also known for a very liberal faculty), whereas in general UChicago was seen as more conservative and didn’t quite as openly embrace gender studies, etc.:</p>
<p>The Stanford Review notes:
"Equally bold claims were leveled at the university for the new, allegedly politically-correct structure of general humanities requirements, with classes entitled “CIV” replacing a Western Civilization requirement.</p>
<p>“When the outside world learns that Aristotle, Dante, Locke et al…have been replaced here by minor writers chosen for blatantly left-wing political reasons, our reputation will drop even lower,” wrote Mike Iwan and Norm Book in 1988.</p>
<p>Criticism toward liberal bias in curriculum development and in university admissions were hot-button issues in the eighties and moving in to the early nineties. Satirizing the misuse of political correctness, Adam Lieberman published a short guide to “partisanship” on Stanford’s campus, arguing that under Stanford’s definition of partisanship, it was considered “partisan” to fund anti-Marxist Nicaraguan Contras, but “non-partisan” to volunteer in guerrilla campaigns in El Salvador."</p>
<p>[A</a> Brief and Non-Exhaustive History of the Stanford Review](<a href=“http://stanfordreview.org/article/a-brief-and-non-exhaustive-history-of-the-stanford-review/]A”>http://stanfordreview.org/article/a-brief-and-non-exhaustive-history-of-the-stanford-review/)</p>
<p>Another note:
"For many people the decline of Western Civilization was symbolized at Stanford University in 1988 when, as Dinesh D’Souza described it, "Jesse Jackson led a group of protesting students who chanted, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Western culture has got to go.”</p>
<p>From The myth of political correctness: the conservative attack on higher education
By John K. Wilson</p>
<p>(I haven’t read the book and presumably he is arguing against the ‘conservative attack’ but it does give some sense of what people felt the reputation was.)</p>
<p>[The</a> myth of political correctness: the conservative attack on higher education - John K. Wilson - Google Books](<a href=“The Myth of Political Correctness: The Conservative Attack on Higher Education - John K. Wilson - Google Books”>The Myth of Political Correctness: The Conservative Attack on Higher Education - John K. Wilson - Google Books)</p>