<p>For those of you who go to Stanford.... or anyone in general, what qualities about it do you really love?</p>
<p>the distance from home</p>
<p>mmm agreed. :D</p>
<p>Is it bad that this thread's been floating for over a day and still hasn't really gotten a good response?</p>
<p>The location!!!!!!</p>
<p>HYPM=crummy weather</p>
<p>people are chill and not insecure, weather is nice, school has great reputation, school isn't trying to rip you off esp in regard to campus housing and campus food, lots of free stuff, ordering transcript is free (lol I just found out about this), great location for techies (silicon valley), lots of opportunities on campus be it for research, startup, intern, employment or just any kind of crazy fun activities, staff and admins are generally nice and friendly, did I say the people are nice and down to earth?</p>
<p>• The people are ridiculously amazing and interesting. I lived down the hall from a Swedish girl who writes children’s books. I lived next door to a volleyball player; she was one of the top players in the nation. I have met people who have done scientific research since high school, and I have met people from poorer areas who have not had as many opportunities. People at Stanford have such different backgrounds and interests, and it’s fascinating to be able to live with them, eat lunch with them, and hang out with them. It has really opened my eyes to all the things that the world has to offer. Also, despite all these differences, people at Stanford are amazingly welcoming, kind, and helpful.
• I love the challenge of the courses – I’m continually pushed to think in new ways about different things. I can’t cruise through the classes, and I have to work really hard to do well, but I find it really satisfying to be pushed in this way. I really like that, in discussion sections, people are eager to speak up and contribute.
• The athletics are great, and it’s really fun to go to sporting events with my friends to cheer on some excellent teams.
• Dorm life is wonderful – having guaranteed housing for 4 years is a blessing. I can’t express how important the dorm comes to be. You’ll do many things with your dormmates, from eating dinner to working on problem sets to going to the beach.
• Taking classes from world-renowned professors is amazing. In the sciences, in particular, I’ve taken classes from professors who are doing cutting-edge research and have written the textbooks that we read. Even better – they welcome students into their office or into their lab to learn more. They’re really nice.
• There are so many ways to get involved – there are hundreds of student groups that cover Christianity to ice skating to engineering to volunteering. It’s really neat that the students at Stanford are so driven; everyone I know is involved in some extracurricular because they think it’s fun and rewarding to get involved outside the classroom. This goes back to how interesting all the people are.
• I am absolutely thankful that Stanford doesn’t make you choose a major until after your first two years. There are so many things to study that were never touched upon in high school – classics and urban studies come to mind. Stanford lets you explore and take classes in any area before discovering what really makes you tick.</p>
<p>^ thanks for that informing post.</p>