<p>Hello! As a current senior, I have narrowed my choices down to Penn, Columbia, or Stanford. I realize the quality of academics at any of these institutions will be unparalleled, and I'm incredibly grateful to have these choices to begin with.</p>
<p>Academics aside, my #1 consideration is the availability of opportunities in civic service + entrepreneurship. My passion is social entrepreneurship, specifically in education reform. </p>
<p>At Stanford, the Public Service Leadership and Public Service Scholars programs especially intrigue me. </p>
<p>If you're a Stanford student who has experience (or is familiar) with these programs (or related programs), can you expand on your experiences? What other opportunities exist for social entrepreneurship?</p>
<p>I'd love to hear any first-hand accounts from actual Stanford students. Thank you!</p>
<p>Sorry I can’t answer your question, but I noticed you’re interested in education reform and entrepreneurship. That’s my biggest passion, and I just signed my statement of intent to register at Stanford. I’m already working on something, so if you end up choosing Stanford, hit me up.</p>
<p>Most of the entrepreneurial pursuits on campus seem to be programming startups. Pretty high margins, lots of investors, and relative ease of access definitely contribute to that. At least recently, though, I’ve seen more students/faculty apply the entrepreneurial mindset to other pursuits. Stewart MacGregor-Dennis, the current student government Vice-Prez) applies it to student government (albeit somewhat poorly in my opinion). There was an Alternative Spring Break trip that applied design thinking to education reform in New York City. </p>
<p>Public service is not super visible here, but a lot of students participate in some way or another. Apparently there are 47 VSOs dedicated to tutoring in East Palo Alto. For the most part, it’s a pretty patchwork system, and there is lots of opportunity for reform in that regard.</p>
<p>The education program here is pretty under the radar for most undergraduates (no major offered) but it is top notch from what I’ve seen and heard. I just don’t think they’ve really integrated with the design/entrepreneur folks yet, although that could very well change soon. A lot of the “entrepreneurial” faculty (some CS, ME, d-school profs, etc.) are passionate about achieving positive educational results, as shown by how much attention is given to the tailoring of their classes. </p>
<p>Sorry I don’t know more about the two programs you mentioned. Like I said, public service isn’t the most highly visible thing here.</p>
<p>I’m updating this thread to announce that, indeed, I have chosen to join the Stanford Class of 2016 this fall! </p>
<p>The college application marathon has been a tiring but rewarding journey, and for future applicants to Stanford who are looking into social entrepreneurship, please feel free to PM me with questions - I’d love to help.</p>
<p>yoko - PMed! Hope to hear from you soon.</p>
<p>Senior - Thank you for the detailed info.</p>