<ol>
<li><p>It’s generally ranked pretty well–top 5 (Harvard and Stanford tied for #1 in physics in US News). We have Nobel Prize winning physicists (like Brad Osgood), the ‘father of string theory’ (Leonard Susskind), etc. Fun fact: Stanford’s main physics building, Varian, has the same name as the company that spun out of Stanford to commercialize microwaves (Varian Associates).</p></li>
<li><p>I’d say you’d fit in just fine. I’ve actually known several low-income Asian students. Stanford has the highest proportion of low-income students of all private schools–17%.</p></li>
<li><p>Pros of the quarter system: you get to take more classes; if you don’t like a class, it’s over quickly; cons: it’s hard, because you’re kept on your toes the entire time. That said, I would much prefer quarters over semesters. (There are lots of threads on this, so they’d be more helpful.)</p></li>
<li><p>It’s not hard. I have a friend who had to go up to the Oakland area every week for a job, and while a commute is never fun, the commute between the two isn’t bad. I also had a friend who had a boyfriend at Berkeley, and she seemed to be okay with it. I’m actually surprised there are so many Berkeley-Stanford relationships. :p</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t know whether one has better equipment–I’ve never attended Harvard. I can say that Stanford’s are generally great:</p></li>
</ol>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://soe.stanford.edu/visit/facilities_map.html]Stanford”>http://soe.stanford.edu/visit/facilities_map.html]Stanford</a> School of Engineering - Visit<a href=“this%20is%20from%20the%20School%20of%20Engineering%20website,%20but%20they%20list%20a%20lot%20of%20non-SOE%20facilities,%20and%20a%20lot%20of%20physics%20research%20goes%20on%20at%20these%20places%20as%20well”>/url</a></p>
<p>I’ll add that not only does Stanford have a linear accelerator (which students do research at as well), but it has the longest linac in the world.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Agreed with the above, though I’ll add that many students prefer the dorms as upperclassmen, as opposed to one of the houses. There are some 600-700 student groups on campus. Lots of activities.</p></li>
<li><p>That’s for you to decide. They’re both great schools. But we love it here at Stanford. :)</p></li>
<li><p>You apply to coterm a few quarters before you get your degree, and if accepted, you can start taking classes that count toward your master’s (early, essentially). At the same time, you finish taking undergrad classes. In the 5th year, you take mostly master’s classes. At the end, you get both a bachelor’s and a master’s.</p></li>
<li><p>You can observe classes, but it has to be a lecture (the small seminar-style classes would get annoyed if prospective students kept popping in).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Take a tour of SLAC and the physics department. Check out inside the new Science and Engineering Quad (SEQ). Visit Lake Lagunita. Go to the top of Hoover Tower and look out on the observation deck; it’s gorgeous, and you can even see the Golden Gate. Go inside Memorial Church. Explore Stanford’s libraries. Definitely check out Stanford’s two student unions – Old Union (which also has the Clubhouse, where the Asian-American student center is) and Tresidder. Look into Stanford’s athletic facilities, including Arrillaga gym. If you’re bored, maybe go to the Mausoleum (it’s a beautiful walk in the arboretum, so it’d be worth it just for that).</p>
<p>I chose Stanford over Harvard, but I realize it completely depends on the student, probably why historically the students admitted to both split almost 50-50 in where they ultimately choose to attend. One thing that was jarring to me when I was choosing is that supposedly ~25% of Harvard seniors said that if they could choose all over again, they wouldn’t choose Harvard. I don’t know of any similar surveys at Stanford, but I’d be willing to bet that that percent is very small here–people at Stanford are pretty happy.</p>