Chance me on Stanford?

Pericles22
Sun, 19 Nov 2017 05:43:59 +0000

@“aunt bea”
Let me start this off by thanking you for the time to reply to my post: I honestly appreciate it because constructive criticisms fosters the growth of an individual. But if I may - I would like to address some of the points you have made about me.

On your first point:
I wholly agree which is why I was looking for alternatives in addition to my beloved first choice. Stanford is my idealistic intuition but I keep an ‘open mind’ that even if I am unable to attend the instiution: I will still find another institution that will let me shine as an individual as well as help the community around me. Plus the pecuniary issue of finances is irrelevant for me. I may derive from a poor socioeconomic upbringing but I will not be limited by the constraints upon me. If I have to I will go out of my way to start a Go-Fund me page or actively participate more in my career as a Real Estate agent or Model to provide my necessary finances - then I will do what needs to be done.

On your second point: “The Cardinals that we know, husband included, haven’t had to, or, didn’t really sacrifice time in these areas because they had previously established habits that allowed for rigorous study, as well as sleep and social activities.”
Firstly, may I ask what courses your husband has taken during his academic experience? Secondly, when I said, “I have to literally sacrifice everything to do what I am doing right now. I’m talking about parties, spending time with loved ones, forming intimate relationships and so on,” I am talking about the fact that when the important times like midterms and finals come around: it is a huge stress to have to take 9 tests all in the same week. Even with my near eidetic memory (no one in the world has a perfect photographic memory and neither do I, or I would go take the test and collect my million dollars) this is still a challenging feat. For the majority of the rest of the time, I comfortably enjoy getting 8 + hours of sleep a day and I make regular appointments with my closest friends and companions. I do not study because I pay close attention in my lectures and truly grasp the quintessential concepts upon first exposure or else I would not have time to engage in Realestate or my Modeling activities.

On your third point: “How would you know? You do not attend Stanford. It’s disingenuous of you to assume that you are better than the current Stanford students. They are at Stanford, you are not. They make Stanford what it is.”
You are absolutely right and I am sorry for my hasty generalization fallacy. But you are committing the same fallacy by assuming that I am superior to Stanford students. I am not above anyone and I am sorry if I made it seem that way - but I also never once mentioned that because I truly believe we are all equal as human beings. I merely stated that, in hopes of juxtaposing myself from the traditional student and showing that even in the most rigorous institutions - not everyone shares the same ideologies or drive. There are still attendees whose family have a high status and wealth that give them more than just an ample avenue to Universities like Stanford, Harvard and more.

On your fourth point: “I know you think you know everything already, but trying to prove how intelligent and great you are isn’t working to your advantage on this post. It sounds arrogant. The adcoms, that we met, when our kids were going through the process, indicated that they could immediately detect the prestige-seekers.”
I never once claimed to know everything and it is the fool - who incorrectly assumes, that they have mastery over the knowledge of the world (I am not calling you a fool, it is an Aphorism). If I came off as arrogant well I am sorry. Only so much emotion can be conveyed with words and I thought this was supposed to be a simple discussion form - not another 30 page essay from AP Literature. I also never mentioned chasing prestige, I specifically said I wanted to attend the institution because of their professors and learning environment - not because the name of the school is Stanford. Let me put it this way with a hypothetical syllogism: imagine if you had potentially groundbreaking research that could shake the scientific community and when you presented your findings to your institutions best professors in Physics and Mathematics: they could understand where you are coming from but lack the resources or understanding to help further develop the idea. Like right now, I am working on a Meta-Analysis that delves into Quantum Chromodynamics (a subset of Quantum Mechanics) and the hierarchical relationship between discrete fluctuations as they manifest themselves through Neuronal Plasticity. Would it not be nice to have an individual like Leonard Susskind to be able to bounce ideas off of? To be able to objectively analyze the plausibility of mathematical models and intangible concepts such as Quantum Mechanics? Or even work alongside with? It’s this rational that draws me to Stanford-not the name itself.

On your last point: “We don’t need any books: students who spend all their time their rooms or in labs… we have plenty of those in the library.”
I see where you are coming at with this statement, but personally I do not see myself as a mere ‘book’ ready for impregnation upon the repositories of Stanford. While I pride myself on learning, I am more than just a ‘human encyclopedia,’ I take immense pride in my creative pursuits like writing, vocal performing, and fashion designing. If I went to Stanford I would almost certainly engage in these club activities and I know I will make many friends doing so! Plus I have dozens of research and I am perpetually adding to that number every time I sit in a class lecture. I do not need to be in a lab aside from research pertaining to Neuroscience which is heavily experimental and when it comes to concepts of Physics, I adopt a theoretical approach to ponder the mechanisms of physical phenomena (strict mathematics). Honestly, no one is going to theoretically grow Neurons in their head (although there is a little bit of Neurogenesis that occurs in the Hippocampus with about 700 new nerves being produced each day) and no Institutional Review Board (IRB) is going to allow them to publish their findings without seeing the practical safeguards to protect against pseudoscience. What I am saying is that maybe, the adcom is trying to illustrate the point that an individuals homogeny is not what Stanford is looking for, rather it is the heterogeneity amongst the individual - the multidisciplinary specializations that make their student body idiosyncratic and competitive.

Again I would just like to stress, if this response came off a little arrogant I am sorry: but I just wanted to clear a few things from the air. Also I intend for no malice through any of my points, I am only seeking to foster intellectual discussion.