<p>I heard that drinking is a big thing at Stanford since there aren't many restrictions on it. But I don't like to drink and this will not change when I get to college. Does this mean that I won't fit in well?</p>
<p>I'd like to know that too.</p>
<p>Leely: You're not alone. I'm a big control freak and drinking, to me, means loss of control, which is hard for me to let go of. I understand why other's do it though, but it doesn't mean that I will too. I think there will be other people like you (and me!) so don't worry. I guess there are always other things, like concerts and performances, etc. which don't necessarily "require" drinking.</p>
<p>I agree.''</p>
<p>Yes, I'm definitely with you. Perhaps we can form our own sober yet cool group. Ha ha.</p>
<p>I'm with you leely888 too... we should so meet up in the fall to form our own sober yet cool group.</p>
<p>Me too! I'm glad there will be some people I can stick with.</p>
<p>Yeah, a sober yet cool group!</p>
<p>marlgirl - so did you end up choosing Stanford? Or are you still deliberating, like me?</p>
<p>Same here!!!!! I hate the thought of not being completely in control! looks like there's quite a lot of us that aren't that into drinking :) so I'm sure it'll be ok.</p>
<p>I live on the (mostly) sober but cool hall, and we have some awesome times. I also go to frat parties but don't get drunk, just dance... which is fun for about an hour. Hey, it's sober-party-time, I have fun. :-) But you definitely don't have to drink. Unless you play ultimate frisbee.</p>
<p>collegebound123, no I'm still not 100%. I will apply to Yale and Swarthmore still, and visit each place if I get in there in the spring, but at this point I'm like 95% sure I will end up at Stanford. I really don't think I'll get into Yale (I predict that I will be waitlisted), so I imagine it'll just be Swarthmore vs. Stanford at the end, and if I decide I can find most of what I like about Swarthmore at Stanford then it'll be Stanford for sure. Otherwise... I'll have a VERY hard decision in the spring!</p>
<p>i'm actually a big drinker in social situations. does anyone know if stanford tough on drinking, or if it has a policy, like yale, where they don't really care or bother you about it...</p>
<p>There is absolutely no pressure to drink, even if you hang out with drinkers. I know many people who have practically alcoholic friends, but for religious/moral/personal reasons, they don't drink and their decision to do so is always respected.</p>
<p>Nobody is quite sure what Stanford's alcohol policy is, since nobody follows it. In all-frosh dorms, alcohol is not allowed in the lounge, although I've seen drinking games take place in the lounge plenty of times. RAs also won't take alcohol away from you unless you're causing a big scene or you've had too much. It's all very lax, just be responsible and nothing will happen.</p>
<p>They are however big on MIPs- minor in possession, if you have it outside. Like, the police won't come searching for you, but they will stop you if they see you. Policy varies by dorm, in Branner, we're technically not allowed to have it in the halls or lounge. All this really means is that we CAN get in trouble for it if they decide it's an issue, which they'll give warning for. At frat parties they will "serve only to 21 and over" (check IDs- give wristbands for 21+ at the door) but you see freshmen with alcohol ALL the time... so it's pretty easy to get.</p>
<p>I read your post that "if I decide I can find most of what I like about Swarthmore at Stanford then it'll be Stanford for sure." I have in fact read your posts and the other Stanford posts for months. I have numerous friends that went to both Stanford and Swarthmore, and I cannot understand why you would choose Stanford over Swarthmore; Swarthmore is clearly a better fit for you.</p>
<p>Maybe because Stanford has more opportunities and is more fun?</p>
<p>Wow pod that's a pretty strong assertion... 99% of everyone else I've talked to have said that they cannot understand why I would choose Swarthmore over Stanford. Why do you feel so strongly that Swarthmore is the better fit? Perhaps you should PM me or IM me. On these message boards I tend to push a bit more for Swarthmore to compensate for strong support for Stanford, so I'm very curious to see if Swat really is the better fit or if the issue is more that my posts were artifically biased towards Swat. I was so set on Stanford for the past couple of weeks... but now after writing my Why Swat? essay tonight (yes, on Christmas Eve, sad I know) I remember what I love so much about Swat... So yeah, definitely let me know why you think that, I'd be really interested to hear what you have to say.</p>
<p>Actually, I'd be interested to learn more about Swarthmore too, and the reasons for picking it over Stanford (aside from the obvious-- LAC vs. large university reasons). Hopefully marlgirl or pod, you could PM me as well.</p>
<p>marlgirl and collegebound123,
There can be many reasons to choose Swarthmore over Stanford and vise versa. I have a child at each one, and both are very happy with their respective choices. It really depends a lot on your personality, and which school is a better fit for you, as well as, to some degree , on your educational goals. No one can help you make this choice without knowing you really well. It does not surprise me that 99% of people you talk to cannot understand why you would choose Swarthmore over Stanford (especially if they are from the west coast). Most people, unless they are in the academia, never heard of Swarthmore (although it is very well known and well respected in academic circles). If your goal is a career in applied sciences, and you don't want to go to grad school, Stanford is probably a better choice, regardless of "personality" issues. If you are into "pure" science or humanities, you really should try to find out, which one will be a better fit for you. Overnight at Swarthmore, preferably NOT during the admit weekend, can be very helpful, I think.</p>
<p>I might be wrong, but it is my impression, that Swarthmore-type kids at Stanford are the ones that sign up for the SLE program (and are being viewed as "weird" by the larger Stanford community)...</p>
<p>nngmm, on the SLE thing, I think you would be surprised. SLE kids are maybe half classics/english majors, but the other half are the over achieving science/math kids who have to take anything portrayed as the "challenging" alternative. They're also on the whole less social... maybe Swarthmore kids aren't that social? My friend stayed overnight at Swarthmore and hated it because the kids were very elitist (the kids in the "party" dorm didn't want to visit the "geek" dorm, etc), but I think that's the east coast spirit versus Stanford.</p>
<p>I had my physics teacher (who happens to be a very good friend of mine) watch the swat video. Even though he's a really big fan of the smaller schools (he went to a smaller college himself) he thinks that a larger university would serve my needs/talents better. A couple of his concerns
1) that a lot of the students seemed to be saying the same thing, all wanting to change the world, etc. very liberal, not a lot of disagreement/diversity-- is that just the video? or are there some topics where the student body is very one-sided?
2) this part really surprised me, but he worried that swat wouldn't be enough of a challenge, that I wouldn't be up against strong enough students nor be in an environment with people who are top in their fields quite like I would at stanford... I think he often overestimates my ability, but might this be an issue? is it possible? swat kids seem pretty damn smart to me, so I was really shocked to think that that could even be a possibility</p>
<p>I did not see the video, so I can't really comment on that. The school as a whole is liberal, but so is Stanford. Swarthmore seems to view social responsibility as part of its "mission", so they probably wanted to show that side in the video. But it's not like students have changing the world on their daily schedule there. The "activist" groups are just more vocal, so there is that "Kremlin on the Crum" impression some people get. But the student body is very diverse in every way. There are active Young Republicans, there are many different religious groups, etc.</p>
<p>I don't think you will have a problem with not being challanged enough at Swat. That said, you have to have reasonable expectations. At either place you will not always be surrounded by brilliance, but both will have many, many smart and very interesting kids. At Stanford you'll probably meet more new people. At Swarthmore you will get to know the people you meet much more.</p>
<p>As for the professors, there are many more big names at Stanford. Many of them are teaching undergraduate students, including freshmen. However, you have to realize that many of them are not there because they want to teach undergraduates. They are there because of their research, and because they can have the resources and the grad students working with them that Stanford provides. Teaching undergrads for many of them is a chore, a price they pay for being Stanford profs. Whereas at Swarthmore the profs are there because teaching undergrads is what they want to do. They are often on first name basis with students, and the relationships are much more close and personal. Sure, at Stanford the profs have office hours, and you can go and talk to them, but it is not the same as just chatting before or after class, or having seminars at their homes.</p>