<p>My daughter is admitted to Stanford for the class of 2016 and a slew of other schools including USC which offered her a trustee merit award (full tuition) and invited her to apply to the Thematic Honors Program. She took a class at Stanford, each of the past two summers. I often drove up and toured the campus.</p>
<p>Like many of you, acceptance to Stanford, Harvard, Yale is viewed as a remarkable achievement. To be one of the 6% or so invited to attend is a clear, rewarding marker of where you stand in life relative to your peers at this point in time. By comparison, USC had 46000 applicants and accepted 2650. Of those 2650, 100 were awarded trustee merit scholarships, or about 4%. 4% USC trustee merit vs. 6% Stanford admit. Hm. Something to consider. I don’t have the GPA or SAT’s of the 375 Finalists in front of me and don’t have that information for the 100 who were awarded the Trustee Merit Scholarship, but I recall the Finalists’ stats met or exceeded those I have seen published for Stanford.</p>
<p>University rankings are just that–University wide. Often having little bearing on the undergraduate classroom experience or campus wide social/intellectual learning experience.
I visited USC with my daughter for her Trustee Merit interview holding the same preconceptions as many posting here. I was truly shocked to find such an engaged, articulate and happy student body–everywhere. The place seemed alive and vibrant.</p>
<p>I spent 3-6 hours 3/week for 8 weeks the past two summers at Stanford. Granted, summer is not regular session. I agree the atmosphere is a lovely office park setting and a very peaceful one. But, it did not feel like a vibrant campus. Students seemed self-absorbed, few made eye contact, it was just weird. I plan to spend more time on campus this month, as will my daughter. I don’t know if having 44% science and engineering majors provides a distinct campus vibe. I am curious to go back soon to see.</p>
<p>No doubt Stanford has world class engineering programs, medical school and information science programs which serve well as an incubator for the fine tech and biotech industries in Silicon Valley. But, what does it offer to the humanities undergraduate major in comparison? How much of Stanford’s ranking is based on science/engineering/medicine graduate programs as opposed to the day-to-day experience for an undergraduate?</p>
<p>I have heard and read the classes can be large at Stanford, especially in undergraduate required courses. By comparison, the Thematic Options honors program at USC is offered to those accepted in lieu of all required core courses. The goal is to create a small liberal arts college within a larger college. Faculty apply and are unique to the program, classes are small with an emphasis on writing skills. Courses are interdisciplinary and emphasize critical thinking. </p>
<p>My daughter may well decide to attend Stanford. My purpose in writing is to share my experience and invite feedback since I am trying to weigh options from my perspective as a parent and PhD who has taught PhD candidates. Also, to move beyond the generalities of reputation and ranking to specific experiences. At this point, the decision for my daughter is Stanford or USC. We are each in our own way comparing two exceptional options we are very grateful she has. Bottom line–which will provide the richest, most intellectually stimulating and enjoyable undergraduate experience?</p>