Stanford University Top Questions

No. People at Stanford often talk about the "floating duck syndrome," where students appear to be calm and composed on the surface but are actually paddling frantically to stay afloat. In my experience, Stanford students face a lot of pressure from the amount of academic work and extracurriculars most people do, and the result is a very high stress level that is usually taboo to talk about.

Not at all.

1. I would say the 'duck' effect is true, but most seem to manage well. Everyone will always be busy here, no question about it, but those who want to have fun and relax do get that in. It depends on your major and your personality, but it's all a balance here. 2. Stanford girls (and guys to be honest) don't put much effort in how they dress at all. Athletes wear their team gear, and many other just throw an outfit together. I'd say there are a good share of attractive girls here. It seems that everyone is very fit, so that is nice. In the Spring, girls seem to get much more attractive. 3. The Stanford 500 is definitely true. If you are one of the people who leaves their rooms/dorms to go out, you will see these people and get to know them well.

Extremely cool educated people is a more accurate statement.

Those are.

Yes.

To some extent. The campus is beautiful, the weather is generally quite nice, and while the students can be laid back, they also work incredibly hard. Rather than fostering a cutthroat environment though, Stanford encourages collaboration, which I have really appreciated in my time at both Stanford University (undergrad) and the Graduate School of Business.

For any claims that Stanford is not diverse (ethnically, politically, socio-economically etc.) -- this is nonsense. I challenge you to find a more diverse campus of this stature anywhere in the world. While some self-segregation is an unfortunate reality, students from all ethnicities and backgrounds participate in extracurriculars, sports, research -- not to mention classes. You'd have to live under a rock to not be exposed to other points of view at Stanford. Full financial aid and need-blind admissions mean that Stanford is now economically more diverse as well. There are more hippies and farm boys there than anyone fitting that unfounded stereotype above. One of my best friends at Stanford is from Kenya. Another is from Turkey. My freshman roommate is from Inglewood -- one of the grittiest neighborhoods of Los Angeles -- not exactly Beverly Hills.

Although some Stanford students attend Harvard University, most attend Stanford University.

Partially. Stanford isn't nearly as snotty as most other big-league universities and campus is hardly conservative, but people do tend to be very mainstream in their taste and somewhat bland. There are a lot of nerds at Stanford, but there's also a lot of love for keggers and pot. Stanford women maybe aren't the hottest in the nation, but there are definitely lookers.