<p>Athletics seem to be a priority at Stanford, more so than at other institutions of similar academic caliber. With that arrives the conclusion that more recruitment for athletic teams results in more student recruits possessing less scholarly merits. Of course there are very smart athletes, but the average Stanford athlete is likely “less” smart.</p>
<p>Because of this, I am wondering whether Stanford is divided socially? Do the athletes most hang out with other athletes, etc?</p>
<p>This might not be the exact answer you were looking for, but nevertheless…</p>
<p>Stanford’s overall graduation rate is 95%. The graduation rate of athletes at Stanford is 96%.</p>
<p>Compared to “institutions of similar academic caliber”, this number is high. The University of California, Berkeley, has an 80% graduation rate for athletes. (91% overall).</p>
<p>This is, of course, according to the student handbook.</p>
<p>Yes, Stanford has cliques. Every school has cliques. Not because they have dumb athletes, but because they have people and people form cliques.</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen, yes, athletes tend to associate with athletes.</p>
<p>There are athlete cliques, frosh dorm cliques, student group cliques – Stanford is insanely full of them as is any other university.</p>
<p>Also, please don’t discount or dismiss the athletes. Some of the most talented, driven, hard-working people I know are athletes. Both inside and outside of the classroom.</p>
<p>Your generalization about athletes at Stanford “possessing less scholarly merits” is not correct. Just because you conclude they are less smart doesn’t make it accurate-- it is an assumption on your part. Hang out with a Stanford D1 athlete for any length of time and see what it is really like to juggle classes, papers, midterms, workouts, travel, possible injuries, studying, group projects, etc…</p>
<p>I agree with many of the posts already made. OP. From reading your other queries, I get the impression you are looking for any sign of “weakness” from schools like S, H, and Y…I see that you posted identical questions to H and Y’s threads (as shown below) but decided to pose a completely different question on Stanford’s thread rather than posing the same honest question as you did for the other two schools…why is that?</p>
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<p>To answer your question about athletes and athletics at Stanford…you must understand Stanford’s reputation and tradition in the world of ACADEMIC college athletics…there is no equal…Olympic medals won…Director’s cups won…many in professional sports…and most importantly, many of these STUDENT-ATHLETES become very successful CEOs of major corporations, investment bankers, hedge fund managers, venture capitalists, physicians, attorneys, engineers, computer scientists, entrepreneurs, and professors…no different than many top student-musicians, student-artists, student-dancers, student-writers, etc who go on to similar careers…</p>
<p>…you have to give them credit (where credit is due)…unlike many of the other academic peers…which frequently have to settle for “good to mediocre” athletes with “excellent” academics…Stanford seeks “great” athletes with “excellent” academics which is even harder combination to FIND/MEET…</p>
<p>…and, as in all variety of EXTRACURRICULAR activities…those who are passionate about that particular activity (sports) will usually hang around those who are similarly inclined…as in musicians, artists, debaters, entrepreneurs, inventors, community activists, writers, dancers, political junkies, etc…</p>
<p>…by the way, there is NO social division or hierarchy among the athletes and the rest of the student population…the athletes feel just as comfortable around the computer/engineering geeks as musicians feel around the athletes…after all, many athletes also play an instrument or vice versa…most students have the utmost respect for each other’s unusual talent(s)…whatever it may be…and that’s how it should be…don’t you agree?</p>
<p>I would like to add one more important point. Over the years there have been many great student-athletes that have graced the halls of Stanford…but no one quite like John Arrillaga who attended Stanford on a basketball scholarship…</p>
<p>[Stanford</a> Billionaire Benefactor John Arrillaga Makes Record-Breaking Gift To University - Forbes](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2013/07/01/stanford-billionaire-benefactor-john-arrillaga-makes-record-breaking-gift-to-university/]Stanford”>Stanford Billionaire Benefactor John Arrillaga Makes Record-Breaking Gift To University)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.news.stanford.edu/news/2013/july/arrillaga-major-gift-070113.html[/url]”>http://www.news.stanford.edu/news/2013/july/arrillaga-major-gift-070113.html</a></p>
<p>Stanford University News</p>
<p>Stanford Report, July 1, 2013</p>
<p>John Arrillaga and Stanford: Generosity begets generosity</p>
<p>John Arrillaga’s $151 million gift to Stanford is only the latest in a long history of extraordinary contributions to the university. The gift is the university’s largest ever from a living donor.
Stanford alumnus, friend and benefactor John Arrillaga, '60, has made a gift of $151 million to the university. The gift, Stanford’s largest single gift ever from a living individual, will be used over time to support a variety of university projects.</p>
<p>It is only the latest in a long line of extraordinary contributions to Stanford. The Arrillaga family name graces many buildings across the campus, and Arrillaga has played a key role in the development of many other campus projects. In addition, the Arrillaga family’s endowed scholarships support nearly 50 Stanford students each year.</p>
<p>“John is a true friend to Stanford, combining extraordinary generosity with unwavering service,” said Stanford President John Hennessy. “He brings his professional expertise to each project, and our entire community has benefited from his vision, attention to detail and passion for Stanford University.”</p>
<p>Arrillaga’s daughter, Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen an alumna, philanthropic entrepreneur and lecturer at the Graduate School of Business contributed this perspective on her father, his relationship with Stanford and his decades of generosity.</p>
<p>BY LAURA ARRILLAGA-ANDREESSEN</p>
<p>Generosity is a gift that keeps on giving so many of the gifts we receive in life turn us into givers. In no one do I see this principle more powerfully demonstrated than in my extraordinary father, John Arrillaga Sr. More than 50 years after becoming the recipient of someone else’s generosity through a Stanford scholarship my father is making a $151 million gift to Stanford University, its largest ever from a living donor.</p>
<p>Now among Silicon Valley’s most active real estate developers, my father grew up in Inglewood, Calif., as one of five children. He could only attend Stanford because a generous individual believed in supporting the potential of an unknown young person. His tuition athlete-scholarship did not cover living expenses, so while meeting his basketball and academic requirements, he held six jobs, from washing dishes to delivering mail and working as a gardener. Meanwhile, he achieved stellar grades in his major and became an All-American basketball player.</p>
<p>Athletics creates strong family bonds. My father attended every basketball game, tennis match and softball or baseball game in which my brother, John Jr., and I played as kids. Today, he rarely misses a Stanford home basketball or football game often accompanied by his lovely wife, Gioia (who could easily win Top Chef, but is too busy cheering on the Cardinal).</p>
<p>My father’s giving story begins with his first gift to Stanford a two-figure donation made just after he graduated. He gave what he could at the time, and even then the gift was a stretch financially.</p>
<p>A few years later, he met my late mother, Frances, another Stanford graduate (MA '64, MA '65) and a sixth-grade teacher in the Palo Alto Unified School District. They fell madly in love, married and began a family life. Their partnership of service and generosity spread to the university that had educated them (including my father’s endowed scholarships that help nearly 50 students attend Stanford each year), as well as to the Silicon Valley community in which my father generated our family’s financial resources.</p>
<p>However, my father’s gifts have not only been financial. As importantly, he has applied his vast knowledge of architecture, construction, landscape design, real estate and project management to all his philanthropic projects, making the most of everything he has to give.</p>
<p>With his vision and expertise, he identifies unmet needs and enhances the physical infrastructure. Over the past five decades, he has constructed and donated dozens of buildings and other projects at Stanford, including the Frances Arrillaga Alumni Center (honoring my late mother’s own Stanford service), the Arrillaga Family Dining Commons, the Graduate Community Center, the Physics and Astrophysics Building and the Arrillaga Center for Sports & Recreation. He has also financed and built dozens of building projects for the Silicon Valley nonprofit community.</p>
<p>Of course, in financial terms he is extraordinarily generous. Perhaps driven by the competitive spirit that led him to All-American basketball fame, he is constantly out-giving himself, and his new gift to Stanford is no exception. It is his second nine-figure donation the first was also at the time Stanford’s largest gift from a living donor.</p>
<p>But for my father, writing a check is not enough. He sees philanthropy as marrying financial resources with intellectual, network and human capital.</p>
<p>As part of making his first nine-figure gift to Stanford, he led the construction of the university’s state-of-the-art football stadium completed under-budget and in just 42 weeks’ time. He made high-level decisions on stadium design and landscaping while paying attention to detail, overseeing 24-hour construction crews, picking out every tree, selecting seat materials and tasting countless hot dogs before choosing which brand to serve.</p>
<p>My father is my philanthropic hero. He and my late mother were born with the giving gene precious DNA they shared with my brother and me. In fact, my father’s philanthropy was a primary inspiration behind the $27.5 million my husband, Marc Andreessen, and I gave to Stanford Hospital in 2006 to fund a new Emergency Department.</p>
<p>And while my father taught me many important lessons (including always picking up any trash you see on a university or nonprofit campus), two stand out: Give as much as you possibly can and give equally from among your resources time, mind and money. These are principles I follow every day.</p>
<p>My father embodies humility, service and generosity. But one of the most exciting things about his philanthropy is that it’s impossible to tell where it will lead. Who knows what will emerge from my father’s latest gift how many athletes, scientists, politicians, business leaders and community pioneers will use their Stanford education to enhance our society? How many will graduate as philanthropists with a mission to change the world because of his example?</p>
<p>In his generosity to Stanford University, my beloved father has therefore created a remarkable gift one that, far, far into the future, will keep on giving.</p>
<p>Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, BA '92, MBA '97, MA '98, MA '99, is a lecturer in philanthropy at Stanford Graduate School of Business, a lecturer in public policy at Stanford, and founder and chairman of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society.</p>
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<p>…the above quote speaks volumes…</p>
<p>@gravitas2. Thanks for posting that. I read that before and was deeply touched. It was great reading it again.</p>
<p>As a second point I would add to this. At this years Admit Weekend there was a presentation by several students who talked about their experience at Stanford to a packed hall of Admits.<br>
A question came up about research opportunities and one student gave a really interesting and inspiring answer about his experience on a research topic that he felt deeply about.
The moderator then mentioned something like:
“Oh by the way, he did this while also playing football.”
“Oh, and he was the MVP at the Rose Bowl.”</p>
<p>Student-Athletes are just as much a student as Student-musicians or Student-CS majors or Student-premed people.</p>
<p>But I don’t think it should be a factor…Athletes are more likely to associate with athletes because they have much more in common. It isn’t really a ‘Stanford issue’. If you like the school, apply, and if you get accepted ,great, don’t let little things waiver your decision! :)</p>