Posted this in the Brown forum, but decided it’s only fair if I pose the same question here to balance out the pro-Brown bias over there!
I got accepted to Stanford over the weekend and have a likely letter from Brown in the bag. I’ve been struggling deciding where I should go, and I thought I’d ask you all for help. Can those of you who are very familiar with Stanford (or Brown!) offer me advice based on my own preferences/provide me with some guidance as I do research over the next month?
Ideally, I’d be doing something interdisciplinary that bridges biology with political science (or more broadly, the sciences with the social sciences—possibly something public health related)—are those kinds of programs generally supported by Stanford? I’ve heard Stanford is pretty STEM heavy and research heavy so I want to know if my “kind” will fit in within Stanford’s curriculum.
I want to be surrounded by students who care about making the world a better place—activism is great, political interest is great, and desiring to make change via areas other than activism/policy is great as well! Just number one thing I can’t deal with is apathy. Also, I’m a URM so diversity is important to me, and ideally I’d be in a place that makes space for other POCs, but at the same time I don’t want to be friends with only other POCs. I’m from the suburbs of Atlanta so I’m used to areas that aren’t particularly diverse, but I very much would like to have a very diverse friend group—ethnically, interest-wise, etc.!
Additionally, if you could tell me more about the culture of Stanford, that’d be greatly appreciated! I’d like to know more about it before I go off and visit end of next month. Thanks y’all!
Congratulations on your acceptances! It sounds like Stanford would be a great fit for you—it’s an exceptionally interdisciplinary, diverse place full of students who want to make the world a better place. Many, many students combine interests in two or more different fields—it’s easy to do, and often those fields are completely different (e.g., computer science and English). Though there are lots of STEM students, you’ll find plenty of “fuzzies” as well (and many who are both).
Stanford’s culture is open, friendly, nonjudgmental, and forward-thinking. The weather helps a lot too! Quite a few students are from California, which is a very diverse and open state. As I’ve said elsewhere, Stanford isn’t bound by the sort of traditions/elitism you might find in an Ivy—here’s a link to a 2014 Harvard Crimson article comparing Stanford with Harvard (admittedly, Brown is very different from Harvard, but some of this should be helpful anyway):
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/10/30/stanford-vs-harvard/
When you visit, try to talk to as many current students as you can. Go to the activities fair and speak with people at the tables about their organizations. I think you’ll find that there are countless opportunities for activism and making the world a better place at Stanford. Have fun, and good luck with your decision!
These two schools are very, very similar. They both value academic freedom and personal freedom. Back in the day, Brown was the only school that I knew that asked POC students whether they wanted to room with a POC student when visiting. I’m sure you’ve read Stanford’s statement about finding your own course of study and of course that approach is similar to the Brown open curriculum. Also both places are advanced in offering interdisciplinary study. Both have programs and funded support for public health initiatives. Stanford just received a large gift towards the support of programs that help solve big societal problems and while it’s for grad students, undergrads get yo participate in the form of on campus jobs, lectures, and studies, for example. Providence is just lovely. Lovely! Palo Alto is very different, but to compare the cities us to miss the point. Attending Stanford is living in the self sufficient and equally lovely 9000 acre Stanford bubble. You will just have to visit it. Finally, I think Stanford leans more right, politically. Perhaps Libertarian is more accurate. Both student bodies report being happy.
And yes, Brown is very different from Harvard, but the article Planner cites helps to give you a sense of Stanford versus the world.
Good luck, but now I have a question for you. Did the Brown likely letter state why you got it? Do you think you know why? I am curious about this LL approach. Thank you.
Planner gave you some great information that I’d agree with. It’s laid back, collaborative, intellectually engaging, supportive and happy.
There are a lot of public health related organizations and activities on campus and in the neighboring areas. If you’re interested in anything health related there are tons of opportunities. Many bio/humbio majors do “clinic” where they help provide free/low cost health care nearby to mostly lower income families. From how I understand it they help doctors with patient intake and initial assessment. There are of course quite a few research opportunities as well, but there’s a lot more than just research here.
I’d clarify what myyalieboy said about political leanings. Brown is extremely liberal - Stanford might lean less left than Brown but it’s still a very liberal vibe (and very far away from the right). There are some conservatives here, of course, but most students tend more liberal and that’s the overall vibe I get from the school. I’d also add that although there are conservatives, the between-party interactions are usually extremely polite and mature. I’ve been really impressed with how respectful both sides are and how even debate-watching parties can be viewed with students from both parties. It’s nice to have views challenged and I think having an entirely liberal environment would actually get a bit stale. Debating and conflicting views are much more real-world than everyone agreeing with each other.
As far as diversity, you can check out all the cultural/ethnic organizations (as well as other student orgs) on campus here: http://admission.stanford.edu/student/organizations/
There are tons of student orgs and even more support from other groups on campus. If you’d like to live with many other students of color in a black culture themed dorm we have that too: https://resed.stanford.edu/house-profiles/theme-houses/ethnic/ujamaa. There are other cultural themed dorms as well.