What is Stanford like?

[Anonymous]

Just like Harvard and the other top 20 schools with the exception of MIT and Princeton, admissions picks the perfect cast from a huge casting call. Once selected the average student graduates with a 3.85, with those above and below average have GPAs a little higher and a little lower and then everyone works really hard to keep the reputation going.

Chicago is no longer the king of where fun goes to die.

[Anonymous]

https://stanforddaily.com/2022/05/26/from-the-community-stanford-needs-more-not-fewer-multiple-year-housing-options/

They have had to form a committee to bring fun back to Stanford. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The laid back CA culture does not really exist at Stanford. Kids work really hard but try to put on a facade to mask their competitiveness. In reality it is no different from east coast elite schools.

Spot on -- from a former Stanford faculty kid (med school) and grad of the law school

[Anonymous]

We’re from the east coast and my kid absolutely loves Stanford! The weather is amazing and DC has found it to be a very collaborative culture (CS major) I’ve heard of “Duck Syndrome” at Stanford which is looking chill and laid back on the surface but actually paddling furiously under water vs at the ivies, where students don’t try to hide the fact that they work hard and are stressed. I have another at HYP (did not want to be in California and didn’t like the Spanish colonial aka Taco Bell architecture of Stanford) It is hard to compare because the schools are both excellent but very different.

[Anonymous]

This Taco Bell stuff is funny. I will never be able to unsee that.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you like Taco Bell? If yes, then you will like Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you like Taco Bell? If yes, then you will like Stanford.

All of you saying taco bell are making me laugh because if little Billy or Muffy got into to Stanford you all would be shouting it from the top of Washington monument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you like Taco Bell? If yes, then you will like Stanford.

All of you saying taco bell are making me laugh because if little Billy or Muffy got into to Stanford you all would be shouting it from the top of Washington monument.

Lol. It's 2023. More like ' if little Ha Joon or Rakesh go in...'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure where this anti-Stanford vibe comes from. School campus is gorgeous with great weather but if it’s brick buildings and snow your kid is looking for that is not Stanford. Lots of campus spirit and activities. Also easy access to San Francisco (Cal Train), Palo Alto and lots of internship positions. It’s laid back in that east coast prep uniform of khaki pants, collared shirts and boat shoes is not prevalent.

I’m an alumni who lived near the school and is very closely connected to it still, and I am the one who posted that it used to be quirky and creative but now is a corporate money grind.

It makes me sad.

[Anonymous]

I can't tell you much about Stanford proper, but I can tell you about the Silicon Valley where it is located. If you think DC has competitive people, you haven't seen anything yet. Everything in SV is a competition, doesn't matter what it is. Jobs, money, retirement funds, what kind of lettuce you eat, what car you drive, and on and on and on. The constant one-upping never stops, and it's always over stupid stuff that doesn't matter. Everyone takes themselves too seriously. Even the kids. If you don't work 80 hours a week -- preferably at a marquee company -- you are a pretty much nonentity to them. Very uncomfortable, stressful striver culture contradicted by comfortable, perfect weather. Miles upon miles of soulless strip malls, and office buildings. A lot of NIMBY attitude. Personally, I find it exhausting to take this all in when I visit every year to see friends and family. The whole area is wound up in striver culture, it affects everything. Reddit has many threads that discuss the dark side of living in the Valley.

[Anonymous]

It used to be a place for the quirkier kids but that has changed in the last 20 years. It’s like Harvard with better weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't tell you much about Stanford proper, but I can tell you about the Silicon Valley where it is located. If you think DC has competitive people, you haven't seen anything yet. Everything in SV is a competition, doesn't matter what it is. Jobs, money, retirement funds, what kind of lettuce you eat, what car you drive, and on and on and on. The constant one-upping never stops, and it's always over stupid stuff that doesn't matter. Everyone takes themselves too seriously. Even the kids. If you don't work 80 hours a week -- preferably at a marquee company -- you are a pretty much nonentity to them. Very uncomfortable, stressful striver culture contradicted by comfortable, perfect weather. Miles upon miles of soulless strip malls, and office buildings. A lot of NIMBY attitude. Personally, I find it exhausting to take this all in when I visit every year to see friends and family. The whole area is wound up in striver culture, it affects everything. Reddit has many threads that discuss the dark side of living in the Valley.

Sounds like a bit worse than around here
but w/good weather, yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't tell you much about Stanford proper, but I can tell you about the Silicon Valley where it is located. If you think DC has competitive people, you haven't seen anything yet. Everything in SV is a competition, doesn't matter what it is. Jobs, money, retirement funds, what kind of lettuce you eat, what car you drive, and on and on and on. The constant one-upping never stops, and it's always over stupid stuff that doesn't matter. Everyone takes themselves too seriously. Even the kids. If you don't work 80 hours a week -- preferably at a marquee company -- you are a pretty much nonentity to them. Very uncomfortable, stressful striver culture contradicted by comfortable, perfect weather. Miles upon miles of soulless strip malls, and office buildings. A lot of NIMBY attitude. Personally, I find it exhausting to take this all in when I visit every year to see friends and family. The whole area is wound up in striver culture, it affects everything. Reddit has many threads that discuss the dark side of living in the Valley.

Sounds like a bit worse than around here
but w/good weather, yes

A "bit worse" is an understatement, but maybe it's a back-handed compliment to the DC area to pretend the areas are similar. DC has niche areas with extreme competitiveness in certain narrow areas (your political connections, the private schools your kids attend, the other journalists you know, etc). SV is pervasive competitiveness over everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not laid back

There are more weirdos that go there than hypm

Anarcho-libertarians that don’t grow up

The campus feels like it’s a Taco Bell

Lots of grifters and scammers

Campus feels like a Taco Bell! I grew up in the Bay Area, was born at Stanford hospital, my mom worked at Stanford, and I’ve never heard this comparison, but it’s somehow so true!

But what does this mean???
I've never been to campus, but have been to many Taco Bells... not sure I understand!

Stanford buildings look like a Taco Bell fast food restaurant.

And true to its taco stereotype, Stanford was overheard saying it wants to donate money to fix the Liberty Bell crack and rename it Taco Bell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beautiful campus with amazing tech internship opportunities (you can easily bike down to Amazon and Palantir offices). Everyone works hard but takes time to enjoy the outdoors.
Palo Alto is just a different world $$ wise. I remember seeing a unshaven person in sweats looking out of sorts and then getting into a McLaren!

lots of tech bros wear grubby clothes. Just walk around the Google campus. I used to work there.