<p>For me, initially there were a lot of factors. But once it came down to actually choosing between Stanford and other schools, these were the things that were my favorite:
- First and most important: the atmosphere. People here are awesome. Faculty members (mostly) are great. People are cooperative and work together on just about anything. Everyone looks for ways to help each other. Most people have no desire to compete with you just because the class is graded on a curve. People do care about grades, but it isn’t like other colleges where people are so competitive that they don’t want to help you.
- I was really attracted by the Program in Human Biology (i.e. major in Human Biology). Please see <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/1019763-humbio.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/1019763-humbio.html</a> for a full explanation of why i like it.
- It’s an awesome place to be and has the best of both worlds: academics of a top university and an actual college experience. People here are not afraid to get a B+ if it means that they can be extra-involved in an organization they love. Students balance academics and other things pretty well here. I never really liked sports before I got here, but it makes a huge difference in how happy students are, which affects everyone. These and other things make it just a great place to be.
- The area. Not just the weather or Silicon Valley, but the entire society around Stanford and the Bay Area is a really great place to be. People are always looking for innovation, whether in technology, public policy, health issues, environmental issues, or anything else. It’s not as stagnant as the East Coast (I’m from New Jersey, which I love, but the Bay Area is so different).
- Stanford is really a university always looking to the future.</p>