<p>I’m sorry if this has been discussed over and over again but is this “syndrome” true? I know i shouldn’t be applying this to the whole school but after reading the stanford confessions page, i got a little scared… </p>
<p>Having read through your other threads I believe you are a freshman in high school picking classes for your sophomore year…and you are asking about this? Why? What does Stanford have to do with you…you are not a student yet. The odds of you getting the GOLDEN TICKET to Shangri-la in 3 years is so remote…I wouldn’t be too concerned about this…</p>
<p>besides what @gravitas2 said, what scares you about this?</p>
<p>there are people who get stressed at college, especially during midterms and finals.
some people openly show it
some people act cool on the outside (the “duck”)
so what?</p>
<p>I got some people with “Stanford Duck syndrome” people at work - and they aren’t even Stanford alumni ;)</p>
<p>Agree with @fluffy2017. And by the way…this so called “syndrome” is great practice to have if one is planning to become a trauma surgeon, CEO, or any high powered job that requires you to look cool under pressure (even if you are nervous you don’t want to show it)…you wouldn’t want a Nervous Nelly operating on you in the OR or working on you in the ER when you’re having a heart attack …would you? I would say most of the medical students that do well in medical school and residency have this syndrome down “pat”…</p>
<p>Hehe ok, sorry I know I don’t have have chance but I’m just interested in colleges. And to me it seems like the duck syndrome is more present at stanford than other schools ( correct me if I am wrong though)</p>
<p>It depends on which part of the duck syndrome you are talking about.</p>
<p>Part A: Students under stress, especially during midterms and finals. I would expect that is pretty common.
Part B: Students having the outward appearance of being calm, despite the stress. I don’t know how common or rare that is. But @gravitas2 said it well: it ain’t a bad thing if you know how to deal with stress.</p>
<p>Other schools have different cultures about stress. Check out “IHTFP”.</p>
<p>If it bothers you so much, maybe you shouldn’t apply.</p>
<p>@fluffy2017. I always enjoy your acronyms…I and our K1 know too well about couple of schools near Boston that is notorius for “IHTFP” until they graduate…along with one in the Midwest…and the other one in lovely Pasadena…
8-| </p>
<p>Well that’s why I’m asking, to see if I should even waste my application money later on. I feel like an environment where people share their problems and stuff is more healthy than hiding the fact that your dealing with a lot of stress</p>
<p>okay, last post here.</p>
<p>Of course people share their stress and issues with their friends.</p>
<p>That is different from sharing it with the entire campus.</p>
<p>Hi there! I’m an incoming Stanford freshman, so though I can’t say I’ve experienced this myself, I’ve looked into it a fair bit and talked to a number of current students, and this is generally what I’ve gleaned:</p>
<p>Stanford students are known for having a more “chill” vibe than their peers at other institutions of a similar prestige level. It’s not that they’re lax about their academics, it’s just a bit of a California thing. The “duck syndrome” describes when the students seem calm, but are paddling like crazy underneath the surface. Of course, it’s a stereotype and is not going to be exactly what you find with all students, but I’m sure it happens.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is, though, the students are going to be “paddling like crazy” whether they appear calm or not. I guess if “running-around-like-a-chicken-with-its-head-cut-off” syndrome is the alternative, the “duck” scenario doesn’t seem so bad. I’d rather be calm under pressure than outwardly freaking out all the time.</p>
<p>Haha! Thanks for clearing that up Bingo77!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You will be wasting your money everywhere you apply except for one. </p>
<p>Haha reminds me of Duke’s equivalent of “effortless perfection.”</p>
<p>Here’s what’s bad about the “duck syndrome,” to the extent it still exists (it definitely existed a generation ago, but I don’t know whether and to what extent it still does):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Because people are hiding the fact that they are working, some students can get the idea that they shouldn’t have to work hard to do well, and those students can be in for a very rude surprise. (This describes my sister’s first two years of college at Stanford perfectly.) Other students figure out that they have to work hard to get by, but they feel crummy about themselves because they have to work so hard to keep up and no one else is working that hard (or so they think). And, of course, that leads them to hide and to lie about how much they are working, which further reinforces the duck norm.</p></li>
<li><p>People who are hiding how much they are working are generally not talking about what they are studying and researching. So there may be a lot less sharing of intellectual interests among undergraduates than you would get in a place where people talked to each other about what they were really doing.</p></li>
</ol>