<p>Solemn,</p>
<p>You raise the expected, valid points regarding Stanford and in no way am I detracting from Stanford’s reputation. Your comment regarding “a campus with students whom you KNOW are academically, athletically, and artistically gifted, the best of the best in the entire world” seems to strike a chord. My point in citing the relative statistics is simply admit rates are viewed as indications of exclusivity, which is not limited to Stanford or Harvard. Most trustes award students at USC have been admitted to one or more Ivy’s or Stanford, but choose not to attend. What I can say is that something quite incredible is happening at USC presently that I would not believe without seeing it with my own eyes. The vibrancy and dynamism is infectious, the programs for the “best of the best” are engaging and innovative. I hope I do see the same level of vibrancy when i soon visit Stanford again and hopefully not students simply basking in the glory of seeing themselves the “best of the best”. As an aside, being intellectually superior in intelligence does not equate to superiority in emotional intelligence. My daughter was accepted to Stanford and is extremely bright, likely the brightest in her private school. To her credit, however, her friends may be somewhat bright, but have superior personal qualities, including superior emotional intelligence. Maybe personal qualities, not quantified on SAT scores and GPA’s, or excelling in a sport or art form, account for what I saw at USC, but not Stanford. Hopefully, I will be struck by the vibrancy and happiness exuding from Stanford undergrads on my upcoming visit.</p>