<p>anyone familiar with what is offered to transfer students? Browsing the school website has made it clear that most elect to live on campus and that a 'draw' system exists where it is essentially a lottery for premier housing. Are transfers housed in the leftover dregs? Is it possible to have a single as I'll be a junior transfer? any and all information is appreciated!</p>
<p>I believe transfers that are new to the school don’t go through the draw and instead have housing assigned from a short list of selections, much like new freshman. This makes sense for a variety of reasons, including not being familiar with the specific housing units and assisting with the community feel and getting used to the campus. When I was there, there weren’t many housing options with singles. However, there are several housing options that have separate rooms for roommates. As I recall, a self-op called Bob usually was the highest pick in the draw.</p>
<p>Transfers generally have all housing draw tiers available for the draw (1, 2, 3), but these are not available your first year. </p>
<p>I lived off-campus my first year as a transfer, but I believe those who stayed on campus went through something the sorts of what Data10 has described. Most (at least 90%) transfers are housed together in the same dorm (Kimball) though; there is the option for singles within this structure, although you should provide reasoning for it. Alternative students (those with kids or those far older) may be assigned other housing, in order to better suit their needs. </p>
<p>Things will become clearer as the year goes on though, so I wouldn’t worry much right now. The transfer community is kept exceptionally well-informed on what they need to be doing and what they are to expect.</p>
<p>thank you for the great information and the reassurance!</p>
<p>@Fistsoffaith can you speak to your experience integrating with the campus as a transfer? any other tips to make the transition smoother/better prepare myself for the quarter system?</p>
<p>^yolocholo - congrats! Advice re: quarter system…be prepared to study your a** off! Best of luck.</p>
<p>Integration really isn’t all that tough if you’re living on campus. Initially, you are going to be enclaved with the rest of the transfers (housed together, go through NSO together, have various meetings together, etc), but, with campus activities, groups, parties, events, etc, I imagine it would be quite the challenge to not assimilate. </p>
<p>One bit of advice would be to get involved in things early and to not expect special treatment - one of the things they’ll try to grind into you during your early transfer meetings is how special/rare transfers are, and how they’re treated as such on campus (by professors and students alike). This really isn’t the case; there are established cliques that are challenging to infiltrate, along with administrative course hindrances that you’ll have to get through. To get to this point (trust me, I understand the amount of work that one must complete just to have their application considered) you had to grind and work your ass off, and, in a lot of situations during your first year at Stanford, you’ll have to rely on that mentality (both socially and in regards to schoolwork). That being said, it’s a tight campus and, so long as you completely invest yourself and your time into adjusting as quickly as possible, you’ll be fine. Pariahs are those who markedly identify themselves as such. </p>
<p>As for the quarter system, you’ll love it. Some students coming from the semester system feel rushed at first, but feeling a bit rushed is at the least an acceptable tradeoff for only having to deal with 11 weeks of class. It doesn’t allow for the prototypical course stagnancy that usually hits around the 60% completion marker, and it actually helps you pace your work quite effectively. I think the only real difficult adjustment for people to make (I can’t speak personally, because I came from a quarter system community college) is just getting used to the demands of completing the same amount of material as a semester school in a shorter amount of time - but, hey, you’re a Stanford student now, so you should be fine.</p>
<p>Most transfers are housed in Kimball, which is a large upperclass dorm on east campus. While Kimball has singles (moreso than the average Stanford dorm), I wouldn’t expect to get one - they are all assigned to current students through the in-house draw in May. You might luck out and get a two room double, though, which Kimball also has in spades.</p>
<p>Hi Yolocholo,
congrats that you got into stanford! I’m preparing to transfer to Stanford, too. And I’m seeking valuable advice and help. I’m wondering can you give me some advice on how to transfer to Stanford? Thank you!</p>