<p>^^I agree that Stanford is much like the other schools you mention and one should be “oneself” when applying…but the OP is trying to get a “flavor” of what Stanford’s community of students is like (those who are actually attending Stanford over other schools they were admitted to)…and to be frank, each “institution” does have a particular “vibe” (developed over the years for good or bad) that one student will choose over another…and it’s called “FIT”…and that is how both my children ultimately picked their respective schools to matriculate…and there is no right or wrong choice…</p>
<p>…and one student’s interpretation of FIT may be different to another person’s definition of FIT…so, it’s all relative…to one’s geopolitical, cultural, temperament…</p>
<p>…after all, Stanford is the ONLY institution on the list that is and has it’s flavor strongly influenced by the West Coast (Pacific Rim) and the Bay-area…</p>