<p>Hi everyone, this is my first post on the stanford forum, and I was considering stanford for engineering.</p>
<p>Here is what I am looking for in an institution.</p>
<p>1.Very collaborative peers (e.g. MIT or caltech, where everyone works together);
2. intense math/science education (rigorous but not busy-work)
3. Strong engineering program and research opportuties for undergraduate (this one concerns me a bit; I heard stanford professors tend to be self-absorbed in their own research to actually pay attention to their students)
4. Intelligent and supportive peers, who care more about learning than grades (sth that once again concerns me a little, because I heard stanford students tend to be overly goal-oriented, and care too much about their grades)
5. Not too grade deflated (because I want to do grad school)</p>
<p>Here's what I plan to do: applied physics, chemical engineering or maybe biochemistry. </p>
<p>How do you think Stanford ranks among those categories, vs an institution like MIT or Caltech (or overall)?
How good is the grad school placement/employment opportunities after graduation?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I am currently studying at Stanford. I definitely rely heavily on collaboration in doing math/physics/chemistry psets, and I happen to know a few seniors major in EE that has 4.0 and 4.2 GPAs. They all collaborate with peers heavily. </p></li>
<li><p>What your looking for is very vague. Every single school can justify to fit in your #2.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm doing research right now, fall quarter freshman year in engineering. I'm more of a special case, but in general u wait till sophomore to do research. (Even at MIT, if u do research as a freshman, you only do the "b*tchwork" anyway). Stanford likes to talk how 60% of the students graduate with doing research. That is actually really high, considering how many humanities/social science major students there are at Stanford. </p></li>
<li><p>THere are people who care about grades everywhere. This is all about everyone's own experience. Any generalization is just ignorant and false. That said, Stanford happens to be in a place with good weather, relatively isolated location where people are very idealistic. As a result, people are generally "nicer" (for a lack of better word) to others, due to idealism (and perhaps, some naivety). When I visited Stanford, as long as I had a map in my hand, people keep offered help to point out directions for me. THat isn't the case in most schools I visited.</p></li>
<li><p>It's all about the curve. Stanford generally has a generous curve, and as long as you're better than most people you'll be fine. You'd be surprised at how many dumb people get in ivies, MIT, and Stanford each year. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>As for your majors, well, Stanford is basically top 5 or 10 in EVERY CATEGORY. Harvard is slightly better than stanford in humanities, and MIT is slightly better in engineering, but stanford is good for everything. As for other questions you ask, I guess I can relate that you're in high school...but stuff like grad placement/employment opportunities....Are you REALLY asking? If you just take 1 second to sit down and think, do you really have any doubt as for a Stanford graduate to get a job or get in grad school?</p>
<p>Lastly, I just want to say the stuff you look at are very vague and can be twisted by different people and different experiences. It is hard to generalize a school that has more than 1000 people per class, since colleges nowadays like diversity. </p>
<ol>
<li> How useful and relevant and intellectually stimulating (concept-testing) do you find your coursework to be? (I'm asking specifically if you're planning to do grad school)</li>
</ol>
<p>Also, did you find your professors (if any professor teaches you) to be helpful? inspirational and caring about their undergrads? Do they often skip their office hours?</p>
<p>I'm looking specifically for engineering (maybe engineering physics or ChemE). Your response has been very useful.</p>
<p>Sorry, but what were your academic credentials, stanford 2012 before you came here? (USAMO? MOSP? IMO? USAPhO finalist? ICHO?...) </p>
<p>I'm trying to put your comments in context, because I'm sure opinions are correlated with intelligence. Although I find AP courses real easy, and am the kind of guy who self studies stuff like multivariate calc and wins regional science/math awards, I'm not even close to IMO or IPHO or ICHO.</p>
<p>Same, this is very subjective and hard to quantify. in every school, you'll find people who think so about the school and who disagree. At the point where you're splitting hairs before you apply...it's not worth it.
Just apply and see if you get in. it's that simple. Are you honestly gonna not apply just because I said it isn;t?</p>
<p>Haha, does it matter?
I'll tell you something though - I'm asian international male who tried to get in using math/science/engineering.
That puts me at the hardest applicant pool you can imagine.
But, maybe I got in because I'm lucky tho...you never know :p</p>
<p>And I never competed at internaitonal olympiads...in case you're dying to know.</p>
<p>My freshman son loves the engineering program. He also has a Nobel laureate physics prof. Just joined a frat also (we were a bit concerned about that, but it seems cool). His jazz orchestra music is getting tougher, but he enjoys it. Even has a rock band that plays at CoHo sometimes. We consider ourselves blessed.</p>