Why Stanford?

<p>After reading this thread, it makes me wonder what life would have been like if I had went to Stanford instead.</p>

<p>^ where'd you go if I may ask?</p>

<p>also,
how's the food? ;)</p>

<p>Aside from being awesome in general, Stanford caters to a lot of my hobbies. There's a triathlon team that competes with other colleges which is cool because I'm really into competing in triathlons.</p>

<p>And then there's the LSJUMB. I've been in band for a while and I want to continue at some level but I'm not much into traditional marching. Stanford's band scatters and they're awesome in every single way so naturally that's something I'm drawn to. =] Seriously, I sent them fan mail and everything.</p>

<p>dt_: I go to Yale.</p>

<p>Okay, so although I have not been accepted into any of the schools yet, I am still having a hard time figuring out which school to go to( if i get in both). Friends say I should go to berkeley but parents and teachers say Stanford. I'm super confused... Does any one have any insight on what I should do??</p>

<p>One thing I learned during this year's college admissions process, is to NOT let others influence your decision to what college you want to go to. In this case, your gut feeling is usually correct. IMO, in order to succeed at a college, one needs to fit well, which means that one needs to feel comfortable there. </p>

<p>So to answer your question, you should really take a weekend trip and visit both schools and get a feel for the campus environment yourself because many times the pictures you see and the words you hear about a school don't completely justify the school itself. While Stanford and Berkeley are both excellent schools, and while I'm sure you won't go wrong with selecting either, they both have completely different feels throughout the campuses and the student bodies.</p>

<p>how much competition do you want to go through in college; i hear (from several knowledgeable sources, such as alumni) that even in "easier" classes, competition is like the stereotypical premed thing...at stanford, and other comparable private institutions, competition is mostly with the self and the (not too cutthroat) curve, and not with others, like at berkeley and other elite public schools.</p>

<p>i'm used to having competition so thats not a problem...hopefully</p>

<p>There is a lot of cooperation among students at Stanford. I don't know where you heard "that even in "easier" classes, competition is like the stereotypical premed thing...at stanford" - it certainly was not my son's experience in CS, or any classes for that matter.</p>

<p>no, at that point, I meant Stanford did not have the crazy competition of Berkeley...sorry for the confusion.
everything from the first semicolon to the ellipses is about Berserkely...</p>

<p>Can anyone tell me about the engineering program at Stanford?</p>

<p>after reading alllll 12 pages i want to go to stanford more than anything in the world. my SATs and GPA are okaayyy but not amazing. i've heard that stanford focuses more on personality...would you say that's true? bc my essays are really good</p>

<p>lol I just made an anagram of Stanford: Fat Nords</p>

<p>If only an "e" replaced the "o" hahah!</p>

<p>^ lol.....</p>

<p>I am a current Cal student, just to make it known. I think those who've said to follow your "gut feel" are very correct. </p>

<p>The bottom line is that both schools have some very strong faculty. And both schools will make some strange admissions decisions (I think Stanford does more of this). Once you're IN to both, I would say that if you really have a good idea on what to do, somehow I'd lean towards Cal...public schools are just more flexible with how they let you plan your classes and schedule. Cal's faculty are nothing short of astonishingly talented, and you'll have access to a gold mine if you want to do good work with them.</p>

<p>The one exception is if you intend on an academic program like premed or prelaw, where your GPA is most heavily weighted. Cal really does grade deflate these classes...though the specialized classes I'm in, it does not as much. And if you're less certain on what you want to do, I just think Stanford is more of an "overall undergraduate's" school than Cal. </p>

<p>I know that I want to study math, and have been using Cal's outstanding department as much as I can, with minimal diversion of focus. All depends on what you like. Good luck!</p>

<p>the students there are AMAZING. the people defy ALL stereotypes and everyone has a special story.</p>

<p>
[quote]
public schools are just more flexible with how they let you plan your classes and schedule.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I really like Cal (no lie), but that makes no sense. Cal is far from flexible in that area; you often struggle to get into classes you want, you're often on the waitlist hoping to get in, and sometimes you don't get in at all. On top of that, the add and drop deadlines are soon after. And finally, it enforces a 120-unit cap, with some additional units if you double-major.</p>

<p>At Stanford, there are virtually no classes you can't get into (except some activities courses); you take your classes when you want to take them. All the class capacities are set to "999" yet Stanford still has 75% of its classes with 15 or fewer. The add deadline is a month into a quarter, and the drop deadline is halfway through the quarter. And on top of that, since Stanford's on the quarter system, you can take more classes (undergrad or grad, at that), which allows more flexibility in your schedule. You aren't required to graduate once you hit 180 units; Stanford could have a 90%+ four-year graduation rate, as very few students "have" to stay more than four years.</p>

<p>hi !! i'm an international student from india hoping to apply to stanford. but there have been some rumours that Stanford has "black listed" my school coz like 10 years back two guys who applied sent false information . do you think that i should still apply ??????</p>

<p>ull be fine.. Just make sure you don't send in false information yourself.</p>

<p>thanks !!!</p>