Stanford University Top Questions

There is somewhat of a rivalvry between the engineering/hard science majors and the humanities/social science majors called the techy-fuzzy divide, and it can sometimes be counterproductive since both disciplines are equally important.

The workload is sometiems frustrating, but again, most Stanford students would not be here if admissions doubted an admit's ability to thrive in such a competitive environment. On a similar note, the competition here is humbling. Many students were valedictorians of their respective high schools. Here, they are just one in a crowd of intelligent young people. It was quite a shock to realize that I was not even close to academic perfection.

Sometimes people are too uptight because it is academic although the people I surround myself are not.

Nothing about the school itself. I love everything about Stanford. The most frustrating thing related to Stanford is the stigma that everyone has that it's a school filled with rich nerdy kids that don't know how to socialize or have fun. In fact, Stanford is more diverse than any school I have ever been in.

It is difficult to find things about Stanford that frustrate me. But if I had to choose one thing, it woud be the size of the campus. The campus is lovely. But getting from one class, on one end of campus, to the next class on the opposite end of campus can be a challenge.

I thought that, going to a top-tier university, I would find people who would make smart choices in terms of their studies, priorities and allocation of time. This is true for many of the people I've met, but at the same time I've seen a lot of irresponsibility. Students get embarrassingly drunk and sick every weekend, play beer pong down the hall, and a few have been taken away via ambulance for alcohol poisoning. My university's "laissez faire" alcohol policy is so frustrating - it downplays the consequences of drinking and undermines the honor of being here.

I think the most frustrating thing about my school is the demanding nature of the quarter system.

The lack of appreciation for people different from themselves (conservative, hispanic, black, jewish, female, ect.) and the alcoholism.

It is so far away from my family, which is in NYC. The surrounding city is defenately not a college town and one has to travel to San Francisco to go out.

The advising program did not help me at all. I was placed in the incorrect math class and then told there was nothing they could have done to help me. Classes can be large when there is money enough for them to be small.