Stanford University Visit Report by FindAPlace

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: No - Last year, Stanford started non-required interviews in six test cities (none in CA.) The plan is to continue the experiment this coming year in six test cities not yet selected.

Information Session: Yes - The room was packed since it's spring break. The admission's officer was very knowledgeable and two of them stuck around after to answer more questions.

Campus Tour: Yes - Gorgeous with a safe feel to it. The campus has a consistent mission style architecture. More buildings are under construction. The campus is several blocks away from downtown Palo Alto.

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Campus:

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Our tour guide, a senior in economics, exuded a very good vibe representing the place, per our son. He did, however, use certain adjectives like "great, awesome" a bit to excess.

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The staff at the counter in the admissions office appeared to be very efficient and helpful, during the time of year when there are LOTS of students and families visiting during spring break.

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Elegant, clean and well planned, even the areas where new buildings are under construction. There is a sameness to the mission style architecture, which could be a plus or minus to different people.

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This is hard to rank since we didn't get to see inside of them. Based on exterior views and the description of them, it sounded nice. They are guaranteed for four years.

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The campus itself is a distance away from anything in the city that could be considered run down. The campus has the blue emergency poles and services to escort students after hours.

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Absolutely world class.

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Off-Campus:

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Campus Visit Notes for Stanford University

Visit Description:

If our son wasn't convinced before the visit that Stanford would be his number one application, he certainly was after the visit. The admission officer's presentation to a large group (thanks to spring break) of people even convinced him that his (relatively) weaker application areas may not be as much of a hindrance as he'd envisioned.

There appear to be significant research opportunities for undergrads in all areas, not just the sciences. Some classes are a bit fanciful (a Nobel winning physics prof teaches one on the physics of photography.) Study abroad for a term seems to be well established and normal in the course of a student's time here. Stanford ensures that the course credits are transferrable.

Per the description from out tour guide, a senior in economics, there are a lot of resources available at Stanford to assist the undergrad in all areas: class selection, research opportunities, housing arrangements, outside activities (and funding for them.) Again, world class university ... high cost to attend yes, but lots of opportunities as well, if the student chooses to use them.

Of the domestic admits, about 40% come from CA. While there is no quota, they like to keep the CA contingent of significant size, and not only due to the charter of the school. It was noted that by doing so, they keep the vibe of the campus as one where students can work hard and achieve but without the negative side of hyper competitiveness see on certain NE campuses. (Before the tour I heard it described thusly: an elegant swan, casually floating on the lake but if you could see the feet below the water surface, you'd see them paddling like crazy.)

The sports facilities for all levels are excellent. For students seeking funding for their group activity (our tour guide worked to create a blue grass group), the university will provide the students money (I think he said $30?) for every fund raising appeal letter written. The blue grass group got to travel to NY and perform because of this. Another student has a part-time paid position going over materials for Condolezza Rice, as she prepares to write her book about her experiences as Secretary of State.

Four years housing on campus is guaranteed. Some top notch professors live in the housing, making for further chances for learning experiences outside the classroom. The impression I got is that Stanford is big on creating the opportunities for learning around every corner and in the nooks and crannies, yet in a subtle style, not in your face at all. Stanford claims to have been involved in the interdisciplinary studies area decades before other schools. The most common major (their version of pre-med) is a humanistic biology approach where the student studies both the scientific and the social aspects of the human being.

It's easy to see why Stanford had a 20% increase in applications last year, around 30,000, and a 7% admit rate. Tough odds for sure, but I can see why top students are willing to give it a shot.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Burmese food (a kind of fusion of Chinese, Indian and Thai) can be found at Rangoon in the downtown area.

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

Parking is extremely tight in the downtown area but many public parking structures offer three hours free parking on multiple floors.