I don’t know how conclusions should be made, but from the basic high school stats class, do we need at least a simple sample survey to make a bold claim by abusing the stats? Stats to us is a tool as is a lamp post to a drunk person - it is not for illumination but for support.
Maybe it is taught at a graduate course at MIT.
@websensation I too am not inclined to believe the claim that “Students are becoming increasingly interested in entrepreneurship at the expense of fully enjoying the four year college experience.” This is the first time I’ve ever heard such a claim, and I keep in touch regularly with many of my underclassmen friends and former Frosh residents who are still there. No student, alum, parent, or professor I have ever talked to has expressed this sentiment.
After all my four years there, I can’t actually remember meeting even one student who ended dropping out for entrepreneurial activities, even as a STEM major who was friends with plenty of engineers and computer scientists. I can think of only two students I knew who were significantly involved in startups during the academic year, which was nothing if not a great way to take the pressure off their parents to finance their education. Nor did either have any issue enjoying his time in college–if anything, they probably enjoyed a bit too much! One actually met his current girlfriend in their freshman dorm, and we’re all expecting that couple to be part of the 20% of Stanford alums who end up marrying a fellow Cardinal.
Both of those students were STEM. I just ran the above post by one humanities friends still on the Farm, and she laughed at the suggestion that Stanford humanities students was in any danger of being threatened by an “entrepreneurial mindset” that detracted from their education or their social life.
We concur with @googledrone’s estimate of 1%. Maybe with a confidence interval up to 5% at most. But as for the claim that “Most are ready to bolt to work in a startup”? :)) Most Stanford students also ready to bolt to join a monastery!
As for the part about not “fully enjoying the four year college experience”…no. Overall it’s an incredibly happy campus, as you and your son will soon see for yourselves. 
For those interested in getting an insider’s view of how the “hacking” culture and STEM focus has made it difficult for non-STEM students please read Cath’s blog. You can google it “Cath in college W for Wisdom”. (And yes I know that this a sample size of one!)
I read the article. I do agree that there is more of a techie feel to Stanford campus – I sat in that Student Union and restaurants in the Union. However, it wasn’t long ago “nerds” or “geeks” were made fun of by Hollywood or the popular culture. Therefore, if techies wish to exercise their power or flex their muscles, who can blame them? I also think Stanford culture reflects the general culture or perception around the world. After all, the very medium of communication – internet – was created by techies. But where is the true passion if you don’t struggle to hold on to what is important to you? I like the fact that Stanford offers this combo or mixture.
At least Humanities majors have one advantage: their superior bulls**tting abilities probably helped them get into college. Even though you can make millions writing good codes, you also can make millions writing good books. Just ask the creator of Harry Potter. Besides, I don’t think anyone who majored in STEM area in college ever became POTUS yet.
Let’s take animation movies as an example. These days, I find animation movies to be more fun than movies with actual human actors. Animation movies require a lot of technology, but good ones also require great story lines and characters. Anyway, I am not quite sure what I am trying to say because I am getting sleepy but hopefully you get the idea.
I have one new development at Stanford which bothers me. Stanford recently announced that they will be suspending Beijing Study Abroad Program because they were losing money due to low enrollment. I find it odd and concerning that a rich school like Stanford would discontinue a China Study Abroad Program without having already another China Study Program. What about future students at Stanford who want to study abroad in China via Bing Study Abroad program?
Regarding my above post, I found out that Stanford will replace the Beijing Study Abroad Program with the Shanghai Study Abroad Program without any interruption. Therefore, I am not bothered by anything anymore. lol
FYI, there were a lot of problems with the Beijing program and that’s why there was low enrollment. It wasn’t changed for financial reasons, but rather because it wasn’t a program that was working out well for Stanford student.
What were some of the problems? I also don’t think 1 quarter is long enough.
Prof Sopolsky said something funny about this topic when asked at the Los Angeles Reception. He said what is bad about Stanford is that you cannot find parking space in one of the largest campus in USA. Everyone laughed. Another student presenter said if she could change one thing about Stanford, she would lengthen the Bing Study Abroad duration from one Quarter to two Quarters.
<3 Sapolsky
At the Admit Weekend Welcome event, students came up to the stage with various protest signs and sat down and interrupted Dean Shaw’s intro speech. I am not against their positions but thought the way they went about this showed a very poor taste. Some parents were confused what these students were doing on the stage, and thought this was a part of the program. It wasn’t. Dean Shaw tried his best though.
We couldn’t be there, so appreciate all information on what we are missing.
So, what were they protesting?
Before Dean Shaw came up to stage to speak, around 10 or 12 students holding various homemade cardboard signs walked to the stage from the side entrance. They sat down and chanted some stuff. Dean Shaw tried to incorporate this new development by dancing towards the sitting group, as if they were part of the presentation. I bet some people did think it was a part of the presentation. The group just chanted some stuff time to time during Dean’s speech and held up their signs. The signs were about every issues. I didn’t even look carefully at their signs. When the stage lighting technician darkened the light around the space they were sitting, few protesting students shined either their iPhones or flashlights on their cardboard signs. They sat, chanted about 10 times during Dean Shaw’s speech, and then left in orderly fashion when Dean Shaw was done. Some in the audience booed them. I thought it was lame. I am all for free speech but interrupting the Admit Weekend event – the event they themselves went through – was rude and a violation of campus rules (is it?). I personally believe they should be punished for what they did. Think about them doing this when some minister is praying on the stage.
Again, I don’t mind if my kid participates in protests on Stanford campus, but I would be upset if he did it this way. Kinda dumb I thought.
We all know Stanford is not a perfect place; no university is. It is what you make of it. I am going to protest when these students are eating turkeys in their dining rooms by holding up signs “Save turkeys” sitting next to them. I will write up a piece on what I liked and did not like about the Admit Weekend when I return home.
Admit weekend/days are nothing but shows put on by the universities. Stanford is no different. http://www.stanforddaily.com/2017/04/27/the-stanford-profros-dont-see/
Agreed, @CA94309, though students and parents can still get a good sense of certain things (in addition to the pros and cons of a school’s location). If you’re thrilled and energized by all the options and excitement at Admit Weekend, that’s a good sign; if you’re overwhelmed and exhausted by it, that isn’t. Pay close attention to this—it’s a very important aspect of life at Stanford, which usually has many, many great (and often conflicting) options in terms of courses, activities, etc. Depending on the kind of person you are, this will either be wonderful—or not. Despite its idyllic location, Stanford can be a very stressful place. That said, this is a very forward-thinking school that goes above and beyond in trying its best to help students in every way possible.
A recent survey of current students found that 65% of the humanities and arts students felt out of place at Stanford, 40% felt so very often. For social sciences it was 43% feeling out of place and not surprisingly, the numbers for natural sciences and engineering were 15% and 16%.
@CA94309 would u care to provide any reference/link to that survey? Just reporting percentages out of nowhere doesn’t mean much
It is interesting that in the student life/ engagement ranking by Niche, Stanford comes ahead of all other elite schools.
@Penn95 It was in a report from Stanford’s VPUE. I can’t find any publicly available version. You have to contact VPUE at https://undergrad.stanford.edu/about/contact-us A current student or employee might be able to help also.