Stanford University Visit Report by 20jt20

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: No - Not available on-campus.

Information Session: Yes - I've already applied, so it wasn't super useful, but in light of the admissions' session, there might have been a couple things I would have done differently on my application.

Campus Tour: Yes - It's a BIG campus--about 8180 acres, if I remember correctly. Students mostly bike, and there's a free shuttle that runs throughout.

Classroom Visit: Yes - Went to an epidemiology class, and there was a guest speaker from the medical school, which was cool. About 30-40 students in the class. Professor was fine with me visiting.

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Campus:

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Didn't interact with many students, but there was a nice doctoral student (studying drama) from Italy who talked with me in the cafeteria. Everyone seemed nice, though.

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Again, not a lot of interaction.

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Beautiful! Spanish architecture, palm trees, sun...

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Really good for a large university.

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Didn't see.

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No problems here.

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I begrudgingly applied to Stanford because my mother, coach, and guidance counselor told me I should. Now, it's my top choice school.

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Off-Campus:

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There are grocery stores within the range of Stanford's free shuttle, which for me is a big plus.

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Palo Alto is really nice. The downtown area right of campus has a good variety of shops, restaurants, etc.

Campus Visit Notes for Stanford University

Visit Description:

The campus "atmosphere" felt intense but at the same time laid back. Students seemed like they were busy and very driven/focused--and happy about that. California is known for being a "chill" place: Stanford fits that role, in its own, intense sort of way.

One of my favorite things to do on college visits (I've been on a few...) is to go for a run on campus. This time, I went for a 4 or 5 mile run around Campus Drive and then wove around a little bit on some of the smaller streets. The size of the campus impressed me.

Another thing I really like is how many people bike. Apparently, there are more bikes registered at the school than there are students. Of course, it helps that the weather is perfect for biking almost year round.

The food was pretty good for cafeteria food, and there are a lot of cafeterias, so there is variety.

Of course, not everything was perfect: some of the classrooms looked a little bit old; if you don't like warm weather, it might not be the place for you; being a student could be stressful because of the expectations, high level of involvement, etc., if you aren't used to that type of pressure; etc.

But, IF I am accepted (well...one can always hope), I will almost certainly be going to Stanford next year.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

Yeah...it's expensive.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

There's a Turkish restaurant called "Baklava" that I enjoyed quite a bit.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

The school's free shuttle (the Marguerite) is one of the best resources you can use. Runs all day, all over campus.