What is BAD about Stanford?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
41

<p>
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Wow mathboy you go to BERKELEY???

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<p>And on the Berkeley copy of this thread:

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I only have one small pet peeve...the moment some (NOT ALL) Stanford students find out that I go to Berkeley, their response is something like "Oh...you [only] go to Berkeley..." and immediately begin to treat me as....some sort of lower being.

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<p>Case. In. Point.</p>

<p>There are so many wonderful Stanford students, but some of you just give a bad rep to the others. (Beef Supreme, you don't even attend the school yet!)
I'm glad I didn't get in, I still have dignity left.</p>

42

<p>Don't be so quick to judge, Mr. Fifi. Mathboy parades himself on every single thread, glorifying Berkeley and subtly denouncing Stanford, obviously upset that he was rejected. Every single thing that I've read of his talks about randomness in the admissions process or why Berkeley is so great. Bro, you need to get over this, be comfortable where you are, no need to go overboard convincing everyone else you're comfortable. Stanford people don't treat you "as... some sort of lower being" because you go to Berkeley, that's just your irrational inferiority complex kicking in. I don't think a single person on this board or in real life really gives a **** what school you go to, drop the complex and stop thinking that they do.</p>

<p>And, Mr. Fifi

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I'm glad I didn't get in, I still have dignity left.

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No you're not. You're following directly in mathboy's footsteps with that attitude.</p>

43

<p>"Don't be so quick to judge, Mr. Fifi. Mathboy parades himself on every single thread, glorifying Berkeley and subtly denouncing Stanford, obviously upset that he was rejected. Every single thing that I've read of his talks about randomness in the admissions process or why Berkeley is so great."</p>

<p>Are you serious, Beef Supreme? I do talk about the randomness of the process, but I criticize Berkeley's admissions process equally. Check out the "is it hard to graduate Berkeley" where I explicitly endorse how Berkeley's grade deflation policy is not productive, and Stanford maintains a much better balance -- e.g. having a great engineering program, which is hard enough, yet keeps things in perspective better. I think Stanford's a wonderful university. You'll find Stanford students [like kyledavid for instance] who have understood that I'm well-intentioned, and probably know more about Stanford than you do as well. Plus, some of my best friends go to Stanford...not sure what you're trying to say.</p>

44

<p>"Stanford people don't treat you "as... some sort of lower being" because you go to Berkeley, that's just your irrational inferiority complex kicking in. I don't think a single person on this board or in real life really gives a **** what school you go to, drop the complex and stop thinking that they do."</p>

<p>You take a naively optimistic view of people, sir. There are Berkeley students who hate Stanford, and Stanford students who hate on Berkeley. Simple as that. I don't endorse either. And I just said that I respect Stanford [or any other school] students who put things into perspective.</p>

45

<p>
[quote]
Mathboy parades himself on every single thread, glorifying Berkeley and subtly denouncing Stanford, obviously upset that he was rejected.

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He has every right to be upset. And if you would look at his past posts, you can see that the topics of all of them are quite diverse, not only about Berkeley v. Stanford. Also, parading around on every thread is quite different from what he actually does, which is offer insight from another students perspective.</p>

<p>Could it be possible that the adcoms are humans? That they can overlook untapped potential? The admissions process is not fail-proof, and he's one of the people who believe that.
Everything you read of his might be about admissions, or the positives of Berkeley, because those are the only threads you read. It's clear that you're searching for many reasons to like Stanford, and you're even strongly defending an institution that you don't attend. Stanford, although really amazing, is not infallible.</p>

<p>I'm getting over it more and more by the day, I don't need other people to tell me that.
The topic was what was bad about Stanford, and I answered that. There's no need to attack me because I'm not agreeing with everyone on this forum. Until you answer the OP's question with substantial examples, I'm going to write your criticism off.</p>

<p>
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Stanford people don't treat you "as... some sort of lower being" because you go to Berkeley, that's just your irrational inferiority complex kicking in.

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I didn't say that, I just pointed out that it was stated on the other board.
And the wording of your post was near identical to that of the example, something that needed to be pointed out. And until you become a matriculated student, or have specific examples to back up this statement, I question its validity. Your statement regarding Berkeley was enough proof to show that ego-centrism is evident in the minds of many Stanford students.</p>

<p>Must you automatically think I have a complex? Doesn't that reveal that you think you're better than me for a complex to exist? Mathboy had it right when he said:

[quote]
it's what you do in college, not where you go, which makes you what you are.

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I know I'm going to be far happier at Berkeley than I would ever be at Stanford, and I'm sure this holds true for so many other people as well.</p>

<p>Edit:

[quote]

And, Mr. Fifi
Quote:
"I'm glad I didn't get in, I still have dignity left."
No you're not. You're following directly in mathboy's footsteps with that attitude.

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I am glad I'm [hopefully] going to Berkeley. I could list literally hundreds of really specific reasons why I would be happier there than Stanford, but that is off topic for this thread. I can see you're resorting to personal attacks to maintain your argument, and I really don't feel the need to stoop to your level. I'm so glad I didn't let my ego take control of me like yours did, thanks for helping me realize that =]</p>

46

<p>Well, in fact I don't think I've ever said one university is better than another, or come close to making any such claim. I've consistently pointed out what I particularly like about certain universities.</p>

<p>Beef, it takes a little careful reading to see that I'm well-intentioned, and I understand why you might be confused about my intentions, but really, I guarantee many Stanford students have read my posts and realize I'm far from narrow-minded about these schools.
You will understand as well if you take the time those students have to do careful reading.</p>

47

<p>You're floundering. It does mean you have a complex when you make massive and/or numerous posts, like mathboy, defending a certain position. Who are you two trying to convince? It is absolutely what you do that makes you who you are, it has nothing to do with what school you go to, and I never said it did. But the fact that you keep saying that completely shows that you have self-doubts after being rejected. Nobody likes a sore loser, nobody wants rejects on a crusade to prove to themselves, under the pretext of proving to others, that their rejection was meaningless. We get it, it means nothing, go have a great life, be successful, but don't betray your pre-decision ideology. Admissions officers are human, but I guarantee you that if you had full applications in your hand, you would be able to predict very accurately who gets in and who doesn't. The process only seems random because everyone has pretty much the same grades and scores, and that's all you see. You don't see the essays, you don't see the recs, you don't see truly meaningful occupations. The admissions process is anything but random. Maybe you were one of the rare ones who had bad luck; maybe your recs didn't play you up to be as great of a student and person as you needed to be, maybe you weren't as qualified as the admit pool. It doesn't matter. Go on with your life, don't dwell on your rejection and spend copious amounts of effort trying to convince yourself it was for the good, or that you wouldn't want to go there anyway. Again, no one likes a sore loser, and that's exactly what you are. I recommend you bow out gracefully and quit your focus on the one that got away.</p>

<p>Mathboy, I've read your posts carefully. Maybe you don't realize it, maybe you think your being completely equitable, but you're not. You're sore, just like Mr. Fifi, and have become way to focused on a school you don't even go to.</p>

<p>Last thing, Mr. Fifi

[quote]
I know I'm going to be far happier at Berkeley than I would ever be at Stanford, and I'm sure this holds true for so many other people as well.

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And how the **** do you know that?</p>

48

<p>"Again, no one likes a sore loser, and that's exactly what you are. I recommend you bow out gracefully and quit your focus on the one that got away."</p>

<p>Well, I guarantee you students from your own school who've read my posts would disagree with this. I made one harmless remark that it's what you do which makes you who you are, and it really doesn't have to mean anything more than that. </p>

<p>My posts have dealt with several matters, and are hardly about comparing how "good" schools are. I have confidence that if you sit and read those posts, you'll figure that out.</p>

49

<p>I think we should take a poll of everyone who reads this thread. How many people think mathboy's continued focus on Stanford and the specific nature of his posts reveal that he is not only trying to convince others but also himself that his inability to gain admission to Stanford has not had an enduring effect on him, when really it has seemed to have had one?</p>

50

<p>"Maybe you don't realize it, maybe you think your being completely equitable, but you're not. "</p>

<p>Yeah? I wonder what makes you think so. I have said good things and bad things about both schools. If I've genuinely said something that misrepresents what you believe to be true about Stanford, let's hear it. I'm not above conceding that I made a mistake, but if all you can tell me is that I'm a sore loser for whatever reason, I don't think there's much more to say.</p>

51

<p>"How many people think mathboy's continued focus on Stanford and the specific nature of his posts reveal that he is not only trying to convince others but also himself that his inability to gain admission to Stanford has not had an enduring effect on him, when really it has seemed to have had one?"</p>

<p>You're confusing yourself. I even now will tell you myself that I thought the schools I was admitted to vs. the ones I wasn't were somewhat crazy and random. And I've found many who have had such an experience. So you need no poll, because I am already telling you what you want to hear there. </p>

<p>That doesn't mean that I take a narrow view on how wonderful schools are. You are apparently not even a Stanford student, and I can probably speak more for its academics than you can...given I'm looking into it for graduate school in 2 years.</p>

52

<p>And sure, some of the questions I ask are certainly influenced by how I was clued into the way admissions are done. I like to understand why things happen.</p>

<p>Probably the randomness I experienced convinced me to look closely into not just one, but many schools' policies.</p>

53

<p>It's everything that you say. It's your tone. The way you constantly mention Stanford in Berkeley in single thoughts... you're drawing comparisons that exist solely to try to put the two schools in perspective for yourself. You dwell on Stanford when ostensibly there is no reason to. I think you realize that your rejection from Stanford has caused you to try to look at the bright side of everything, of your current situation. Look how defensive you're being. Why? Come on, who are you really trying to convince. I really don't feel like going back through your posts to find detail after detail but if this arguments rages on I suppose I'll be forced to.</p>

54

<p>
[quote]
Mathboy, I've read your posts carefully. Maybe you don't realize it, maybe you think your being completely equitable, but you're not. You're sore, just like Mr. Fifi, and have become way to focused on a school you don't even go to.</p>

<p>Last thing, Mr. Fifi

[quote]
I know I'm going to be far happier at Berkeley than I would ever be at Stanford, and I'm sure this holds true for so many other people as well.

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And how the **** do you know that?

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<p>You don't go there either. If you visited both schools, had intense conversations with students from both schools, and were not involved in the admissions process at either, then I would say you're being equitable. No one with a connection to either school could be fair, and you try to portray yourself as being impartial. We at least admit any bias we may have, unlike you, who has failed to admit that you were accepted but do not attend the school, and thus are biased.</p>

<p>If you really want to know why I would be happier at Berkeley, here's a handful of reasons:
1) I love the Computer Science program there. OS X is offered as a decal, which offers more breadth and depth, in both iPhone and general OS X programming, compared to Stanford's iPhone-only program. (not to forget the beautiful design of Soda Hall as well)
2) Getting an apartment off campus in my later years seems so exciting. After living in the dorms for a year or two, I know I'm going to get tired of it.
3) The town of Berkeley is an amazing place. Hello Gourmet Ghetto! Stanford is quite limited on the number of places to eat.
4) SF is less than half the distance away compared to Stanford, and I know I'll be encouraged to visit the town more.
5) The people are from all walks of life. While everyone at Stanford is a leader in their respective fields, Berkeley is really an amalgamation of the entire world population, from the top to the bottom.
6) Berkeley is more affordable in my situation. Stanford would cost over 140k, while Berkeley is around 100k.</p>

<p>I could go on and on, but it's not on topic. In my reasons to choose Berkeley, I still provided examples on how Stanford is bad, thereby staying on topic and contributing to the thread. Suffice to say, I'm going to be happier at Berkeley. No need for you to try to take that away from me =]</p>

55

<p>woah, people need to cool it.</p>

<p>The OP (as well as I) want to know what is BAD. So if you came to this thread to say nice things about Stanford, you're being counterproductive. </p>

<p>And neither of you even go to Stanford.</p>

56

<p>"Look how defensive you're being. Why? Come on, who are you really trying to convince. I really don't feel like going back through your posts to find detail after detail but if this arguments rages on I suppose I'll be forced to."</p>

<p>Well, you can think what you will =] but I've posted in many places about many things. I am not interested in arguing here, and I'm obviously not the one who has a problem with you, given I'm not the one doing name-calling. How bout this...instead of doing that, why not from now on call me out if I say something unreasonable...I'd appreciate that too.</p>

57

<p>So Mr. Fifi, if you're going to be so much happier at Berkeley for all of those reasons, why was Stanford your godly number one? I'm willing to bet my left nut and half of my right one that you wouldn't be convinced at all that you're going to be so much happier at Berkeley if you were admitted to Stanford in the first place.</p>

<p>stanfordrejects.com, please</p>

58

<p>PS, Tyler, the original question has been answered in such depth that I think any new post on the matter would be in some form a repeat of a previous point.</p>

59

<p>
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stanfordrejects.com, please

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<p>I can't believe I actually typed in that website and it is linked to Cal's website LOL.</p>

60

<p>
[quote]
So Mr. Fifi, if you're going to be so much happier at Berkeley for all of those reasons, why was Stanford your godly number one? I'm willing to bet my left nut and half of my right one that you wouldn't be convinced at all that you're going to be so much happier at Berkeley if you were admitted to Stanford in the first place.

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</p>

<p>Actually, when I was doing my hours of research about Stanford, a lot of the above things bugged me...
But I kept on thinking, "OH! It wont matter, because I'll have an ego the size of Texas to make up for any problems."
If I was admitted to Stanford, I can guarantee you that I would be in your position right now.
I would be on the CC forums saying, "If you deserved to get in you did, and if you didn't, you were clearly not good enough. shut the f up" and also...
"Berkeley? That's just a stupid public school, who accepts anyone. There's a reason why stanfordrejects.com redirects to their website."</p>

<p>But you know what? I can't say those things now, nor would I ever want to.
Saying slander like that would make me really disgusted with myself, as I would forgo everything I stand for. I'm a really nice and unique person in real life and Stanford would have just sucked that out of me.</p>

<p>I loved so much about Stanford as well! The architecture, the palm trees (later turned into a turn off once I found out the truth), the beautiful design in everything and the prospects after college.
But nearly everyone of those things can be found in many other schools.</p>

<p>Stanford is great, but it's just as good as its competitors. It's special, but so is Berkeley.</p>