<p>I've often heard people calling stanford laid back, but isn't it as rigorous as the Ivies? How does this work?</p>
<p>I think that people may be referring to the social atmosphere rather than comparing the schools academically. Location probably has an impact on that impression, California being known for a "laid back" attitude while the east is known for a more "up-tight" attitude. My impression is that Stanford is very comprable to the ivies academically, but being a west coaster I just might be brainwashed...</p>
<p>At Stanford, people aren't so high strung publicly... People tend to "play hard, work hard" and, while they may appeared laid back, they're working hard behind closed doors.</p>
<p>My cousin attended and said it was very competitive among students,and that is saying a lot because she went to to very competitive northeast rep school. She says it was superficially "laid back".</p>