Is Stanford the "gold standard?"
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Anonymous
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Stanford is the most selective college in the world, it is located in the heart of Silicon Valley in an area of great natural beauty and wonderful weather.
Many would agree with me that Stanford is the gold standard for undergraduate, law or MBA programs. I know that some disagree, but why? If you think some other school is better (in general, not for a niche program) what do you think that school offers that makes it better overall than Stanford? PS – I am neither a Stanford Grad nor a Stanford Parent. |
Anonymous
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Why do you care? We’re lucky to have lots of colleges and universities that offer educations that are excellent for all sorts of kids.
Be grateful for that and stop caring. |
Anonymous
I'm interested in the views of others - why does that bother you? |
Anonymous
| Because you seem to think it’s possible to say that one school is unequivocally better than all others. Considering the diversity of the human race and the diversity of people’s educational styles and needs, I can think of few statements that are stupider and more narrow-minded. |
Anonymous
I expressed an opinion. You resorted to insults. You seem strangely intolerant - you CAN chose to ignore what I write if it troubles you. |
Anonymous
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I guess I'm a Stanford parent. My son went. My daughter went elsewhere because another school seemed like a better fit for her personality.
I think she was very happy with her choice. |
Anonymous
| I can’t say any other school is “better,” but there are certainly comparable schools (Harvard)that might be more appealing to some and (as you noted) niche programs that better suit an individual’s needs. |
Anonymous
| I know quite a few people who turn down Stanford. Usually the others are schools like Harvard, Yale, and MIT- for various reasons. Some like the urban vibe of Harvard and MIT or want to be in the East Coast either because it's close to home or because it's a change of pace from California. Yale gets picked because the undergraduate experience emphasizes a liberal arts philosophy more, with the social sciences, arts, and humanities more openly celebrated and a great residential college system. Occasionally you'll have places like UPenn or Brown picked because of unique programs like Hunstman or PLME. There are a couple picking elite SLACs, which have a totally different vibe. And of course, a handful pick honors, state schools, or full ride merit scholarships over full pay or near full pay Stanford. |
Anonymous
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Gold Standard of overpriced maybe.
It's the school for East Coast kids who can't stand their parents and want to get as far away from them as possible (e.g., Chelsea Clinton). |
Anonymous
| The California culture and climate is not ideal for everyone. |
Anonymous
Oh but OP said it’s the gold standard and can’t understand the concept that there are different schools for different kids. |
Anonymous
| OP, if it’s the gold standard, then how do you explain why it’s not number one in every ranking of every undergrad and graduate program it offers? |
Anonymous
Why do people make sh!t up in a thread where any literate person can see that that is NOT what OP said? I suppose it's designed to get a reaction, but it makes the troll look foolish. |
Anonymous
Literally a quote from OP: Many would agree with me that Stanford is the gold standard for undergraduate, law or MBA programs. |
Anonymous
| I went to Stanford, back in the 90s when it was a lot easier to get into. It's an amazing school. Because it's west coast based, and has pretty good geographic diversity, it feels much more like regular "America" than the east coast ivies (one of which I attended for graduate school). That's not to say that it isn't incredibly privileged, but it definitely wasn't as much of a cultural adjustment for a working class Southern kid as my grad school was. |