<p>"Do people come out of their shell at Stanford? I've been fairly insular while is HS, and I would like to think that in college I will be more outgoing, go to more parties, etc. How welcoming is the social scene to people who may not have been that social before?"</p>
<p>That describes me right there! In high school I was definitely shy and insular, but now I've been a lot more outgoing and social. It must have something to do with being independent for the first time. This might sound kinda corny, but I feel like Stanford's social scene is so diverse that there's a niche for everyone to belong to. Even people who used to keep to themselves in high school can have fun here. </p>
<p>Pinky: I thought that the Request/Change Petition Form was for people who wanted to petition for a change. Thanks for clearing that up. Also, is there a site online that explains all the IHUMs and describes what books they require? I stupidly left my IHUM course catalog in my room when I left for winter break.</p>
<p>feuler: As the other posters said, college can definitely change you if you put some effort into being more outgoing. I'm pretty shy at first myself, but being around others all the time makes it a lot easier to be social. Everyone's starting off on the same foot, so definitely try going to parties and experiment around with every opportunity you get, just don't get too carried away with being someone you're not.</p>
<p>rooster: ihum.stanford.edu should have all the book's info under "courses" plus the texts and grading written on the side. I think most of the classes have syllabuses (syllabi?) for winter quarter too.</p>
<p>Any award given based on academic merit or achievement. This includes any science/math/history fairs, olympiads, writing awards, honor roll, academic scholarships, national merit, AP awards, state standard testing awards, etc etc. As long as you had to do some mental thinking to get it, most likely it's an academic award.</p>
<p>I took that one raven! It wasn't as fun and interesting as the title suggests. Examining the topic of sex through the prism of French existentialists was not my cup of tea. It's not like we got to watch porno movies in class. </p>
<p>Thanks Pinky. I picked Myth and Modernity as my frist choice and Literature into Life as my 2nd.</p>
<p>How much do students talk about what they learn in class outside of class? Do many students want to forget about class and just have fun after class ends? Are there many who would just rather hang out with friends in a big study group? If I bring up something interesting we talked about in my psych class or my physics class that morning, will most students be interested and discuss it with me or think I'm weird for bringing it up at all?</p>
<p>It may just be that I hang out with the nerdier bunch at Stanford, but we love discussing chemistry, physics, biology, philosophy, and books we read. I get into debates with my roommate about how much capitalist consumerism sucks. The only academic subject I don't talk about for fun is mathematics.</p>
<p>Awesome! For me, it's basically down to Stanford vs. Swarthmore (assuming Swarthmore accepts me in the spring). I really love the intellectual environment at Swarthmore and the fact that you can actually be friends with teachers, as well as the sense of community. Would that be fairly easy to find at Stanford too? Also, everyone says that at a diverse school everyone can find their niche. How hard is it to find one's place and roughly how long does it take? I'm sure it varies a lot, but just wondering how long before you guys found a group of people who you felt you fit in well with. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Are the majority of the students at Stanford well-rounded or do they have one or two things that they are especially good at (ie. internationally recognized squash player)? Or... maybe even both?</p>
<p>I've always loved poetry, the arts, English and history and I've always thought of college as a place where I could explore the liberal arts and humanities more. I've heard so many good things about Stanford, the great education, cool people, awesome campus and weather, which I why I'm thrilled that they actually accepted me, but I also have the impression that it's very preprofessional and science/tech oriented. Would Stanford be a good place to experience these sort of liberal artsy things that I'm interested in? Would I be able to easily find other people who are into these things?</p>
<p>marlgurl:
For me, I don't discuss academics with my friends unless it's just an update on how my classes are going, the tests, professors, etc. There are lots of people who love to exchange intellectual ideas here though, and nobody will think you're weird for bringing them up.</p>
<p>At Stanford, many of your lectures are going to be packed with students (especially the techie classes), so building up relationships with those professors will take some extra effort. There are a lot of seminars and smaller upper-level classes though where you can interact more one-on-one with the faculty during class.</p>
<p>I've noticed that there are definitely cliques that form in the dorms within the first few weeks, but everyone's still meeting new people every day. Many upperclassmen that I talk to didn't actually meet their drawmates (the group of people you choose to live with the next year) until spring quarter freshman year, so just take advantage of freshman year to meet lots of new people.</p>
<p>kinetic: I'd say the average student is well-rounded, but you're bound to meet some Olympians or inventors.</p>
<p>deepdown: I'm not sure about this (because I'm a pre-med myself) but Stanford offers plenty of resources to both sides. In fact sometimes I feel that there are way more classes for humanities/liberal arts subjects than there are in science. We call the science/math/engineering people "techies" and everyone else "fuzzies", and there are many many fuzzies here so you won't be alone.</p>
<p>Marlgurl, the atmosphere at Stanford is what you make of it. I am the ultra-intellectual type so I hang around other people who are interested in talking about crazy science topics with me. I've made friends with Osheroff, the Nobel Laureate physics professor, and it's been exciting to say the least. </p>
<p>It does take some effort to find one's niche though. I'm not going to say that it's the easiest thing in the world because it isn't. But once you do find your niche, nothing can compare to how fun this place can be. At Swarthmore it might be easier to find a niche, but I'm not sure you'll get a chance to meet famous professors. So it's a trade off both ways. It's a hard decision to make, but either way you can't go wrong. </p>
<p>The majority of students are well-rounded. Most people I know have no idea what they are going to major in. Some people have an intense passion for a single subject, but they are usually open to other academic pursuits as well.</p>
<p>Question: I'm trying to figure out these departmental requirments. I have no problems with the extensive humanities requirements, but I hate science and math tragically.</p>
<p>Have taken: Intro. geo. at Duke (they said this would transfer), Econ at Duke (would transfer but not count for general. ed. requirements), and AP Calc AB and AP Psych (but isn't this humanities)?
Want to take: Statistics.</p>
<p>Other than that, I'm morally opposed to math/science. Can you tell me what my courses already would fill and name some others I should take?</p>
<p>Also: Do dorms have a/c? </p>
<p>Other college options: I'm applying to Duke and Princeton as well (Duke for $$$). Convince me to go to Stanford. And how true is the perception of Stanford students as the "Yeah, man you know I was like totally chill dude" types. I'm a bit of a nerd, and well, not quite that cool. </p>
<p>Also: When are quarter breaks? When I come home, will I be home at the same time as people on semester schedules?</p>
<p>I can't really convince you to go to Stanford over Princeton or Duke, because truth be told, all three are wonderful schools and you'll have fun at any of them. The decision rests with you and you alone. Don't worry though, cause you can't make a wrong choice.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what classes will transfer or not, because there are so many classes here and I am not familiar with credit transfer policies. I'm sure the registrar can tell you everything you need to know. </p>
<p>The quarter system is a bit weird and unfortunately you won't be home at the same time as people who are on the semester system. There are tons of colleges on the quarter system, so you can always be at home with them :). </p>
<p>I think some dorms have a/c, but air conditioning is not a necessity in the Bay Area because it rarely get's super hot.</p>
<p>I am a bit of a nerd too and not everyone acts cool all the time. I certainly don't. But yeah, there are some people who are like "yeah dude, I was like totally chill out." However, most of these people are really nice, and are some of the smartest people you will ever meet. Don't let outside appearances fool you. </p>
<p>In the end, ANY college will provide the best education because the material is the same anywhere you go. Just pick a place based on how you feel.</p>