<p>So I was accepted SCEA, and I just booked my ticket into Stanford for Admit Weekend. From what I hear, it's not that accurate of a representation (I've never visited) and is kind of sugar-coated. What can we expect from going there? Is it really cut out as they say it is, or is it fake-ish? Also, what was scheduled for last year?
Thanks!</p>
<p>All admit weekend type events are sugar coated to at least some extent for every school.</p>
<p>^ True. All admit weekends are sugarcoated, but they still give you a feel for each school. Harvard's sugarcoating will be much, much different from Stanford's.
Plus, I've heard that Stanford's is super fun, and honestly, not every school cares enough to throw an awesome party for an entire weekend like that :)</p>
<p>Also keep in mind that the inaccuracy isn't just sugar coating. It is an artificial environment that works both ways. For example, I absolutely hated admit weekend (I couldn't stand being on campus the whole time and had to leave because I hated it that much) but I still came and I still love Stanford. Most of the things I had a problem with were unimportant or not an accurate representation of the school. It's definitely worth going but realize that there is going to be some artificiality throughout the weekend.</p>
<p>Here's what people mean when they say 'artificial': the entire campus is dry that weekend. Stanford is incredibly lax about alcohol--even for freshman. But admit weekend is an exception. It's the only time of the year when the entire campus is dry--no exceptions. That means no open parties, closed parties are kept closed, etc. This is especially true when it comes to freshman with whom you would potentially be staying. Most RAs will let them drink, but it has to be behind closed doors and out of sight of NSO attendees. The administration does everything but threaten life and limb if you get an NSO kid drunk, and the vast, vast majority of people heed the warnings. So you don't really see the true picture of what a Stanford weekend would be like, and the dry campus policy is a major reason why. Even if you aren't interested in drinking and didn't come to admit weekend with the idea of drinking in your head, it's a little weird to see a college campus so puritan-esque. I never went, but I did see it as a freshman, and it was night and day compared to a normal weekend.</p>
<p>The other element of sugarcoating is that your weekend is almost entirely planned out. Whether its (admittedly) lame parties at night, or lunches and speeches during the day, you're pretty much treated like a 5 year old. Each dorm has a group of 2 or 3 kids in charge of admit weekend for that particular dorm, and they act far too pumped up about the whole affair. Stanford cheers, too many smiling faces--if you were to believe everything that came out of their mouths Stanford would make heaven look like Jersey.</p>
<p>Rereading my post I made it sound like admit weekend is about the ****tiest thing you can do with a weekend as a graduating senior, and that's not the case at all. But depending on what you're expecting you might have to temper your expectations a bit. Use it as an opportunity to ask the questions you never got a chance to, or didn't feel appropriate asking before you got in. But just realize that the real life students you meet probably won't offer you booze, get you tanked and find you somebody to hook up with. They may not even show you around like they're supposed to. Come with an agenda of your own, with questions you need answers to, and admit weekend will probably be well worth your time.</p>
<p>docketgold - thank you very much! Living near University of Michigan, I know what alcohol means to regular college life, so naturally, without it, things will seem different. You made a good point though, to look at this as a chance to ask questions, not a chance to experience what it's actually like. I'm assuming that coming a different weekend will give a more "accurate" feel. Nevertheless, I'm still excited, it'll give me a chance to see other people that were admitted, and kind of dream about life there next year :)</p>
<p>Even coming a different weekend I don't think you're going to get a great feel for what it's like unless you have a good friend that's currently a student, or you just fall into the lap of someone who's both willing to take you wherever the go and also goes places that don't suck. The combination of the two, in my experience, is rare. People who do the 'typical' college thing don't want to have someone play tag along they don't know. So while you might be more likely to end up at a party than over admit weekend (where it simply won't happen), the chances are probably still pretty small. Especially because your host will have gotten the same diatribe they give to everybody over admit weekend, so it's not as if they won't know the rules and consequences.</p>
<p>The one upside though, is that if you've seen one college party you've pretty much seen them all. Sure, some might be crazier than others, but the basic ingredients are all the same. Guys and girls, booze, music...and so on. All the intricacies of the Stanford social things you simply have to experience over the longer term (longer than a weekend, anyway) to begin to catch on to. So even if admit weekend was the wildest, craziest party there was, it wouldn't be anything more than a fleeting good time. If anything, it might actually push you toward the wrong choice because you'd be too colored by the good time you had visiting to find out about what life as a student would really be like. But I digress.</p>
<p>My basic point is this: I think there's a very, very small chance you'll be able to get an accurate picture of Stanford social life 1st hand, whether over admit weekend or any other time you decide to visit. So don't be shy about asking students you meet the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all. Even if they're freshman they'll probably have some idea of what they're talking about. When in doubt, ask someone that is as unaffiliated with the official admit weekend staff as possible (the ones without the t-shirts...you'll see what I mean by this when you get there) to get a more realistic, down to earth perspective on whatever it is that you're wondering about.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'd go with the mindset that this might be a little sugarcoated/unrealistic, but I would mainly be going to see the campus as I live in Minnesota and have not visited yet! </p>
<p>Ah, I hope I can attend! :D.</p>
<p>I know this is sort of weird, but can parents come? Are they supposed to?</p>
<p>@ GUESSS
Yes, u can take ur parents...there will be events for them too, but the housing is ONLY available to the admits</p>
<p>Housing = sleeping on the floor in all likelihood, for the record.</p>
<p>I suggest not taking parents. And yes, "housing" means sharing a room with an undergrad, meaning you'll likely be sleeping on the floor unless your host has a futon or something.</p>
<p>im just REALLY REALLY excited i dont care how sugar coated it is!!!!</p>
<p>Oprah, I'm with you on that one!
Docketgold, honestly though, you've given some good insight on this. I do have a couple good friends that I know who are at Stanford now as freshmen. They went to my high school and even though they were seniors/I was a junior, we were in the same "social scene" or whatever you want to call it. I might stay with them, but I'll probably just ask around/ask them to see what life is like.</p>
<p>Side note - how often can students go into San Fran? I'm a big city kind of girl, so I like having it nearby.</p>
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Side note - how often can students go into San Fran? I'm a big city kind of girl, so I like having it nearby.
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<p>It varies person to person, but I would take whatever number of times per year, quarter, etc. you think you'll go, and cut it by at least a half.</p>
<p>Getting to the city for anything other than a scheduled daytime event is more often than not a real chore, so a lot of people don't end up going unless they have a real desire.</p>
<p>What are the dates for admit weekend?</p>
<p>April 23- 25^</p>
<p>Do you think I would be able to arrive early (wed) and leave Friday night? I have a prior commitment on Saturday.</p>
<p>@marchmadness: Probably, I heard that they’re pretty flexible with the scedule. I’m flying in on wednesday as well, but that might change because of my regionals. I think they’d still house us one night early? </p>
<p>Oh and by the way, for anyone who is going… registration is up on their site now.</p>
<p>I don’t know for a fact, but I feel very confident that there’ll be no problem putting you up early and that a lot more kids than you might think will be doing exactly what you’re planning to.</p>