Stanford University Top Questions

There's a stereotype that Stanford students aren't very intellectual--they don't enjoy learning for learning's sake. It's also pretty techie-heavy. As an English major, I sometimes feel looked down upon by the engineers and premeds. But like I said before, Stanford's a huge school and there are plenty of niches. You just have to choose who you associate with.

There are some professors who are really engaging, and their classes are always amazing. But then there are some professors are just here for research, and aren't the most interesting lecturers.

The academics are fantastic. There's an unfortunate bias against the humanities, but the upside is that humanities professors are thrilled to have you as a dedicated student. The faculty is great on the whole and the selection of interesting classes is overwhelming and wonderful. One can take almost any class in any department in any year if one is willing to argue their way in. Pre-med classes are cut-throat, what else is new?

Academics at Stanford are what you make it. All the resources are there, but it's up to students to make use of them. This includes getting to know professors, using tutoring, etc. One of my favorite ways to study is in groups; people aren't very competitive here--no rampant sabotaging, which is good. Except maybe premeds. You always need to watch out for premeds, at any college.

Professors sometimes know your name, and sometimes they don't. In a seminar, they most certainly will. In a lecture, they are likely not to bother. Favorite class: Nabokov and Modernism, taught by Prof. Monica Greenleaf, through the Comparative Literature department. Students study patterns vary. Class participation is common in humanities classes, and significantly less common in science/math courses. Stanford students do have intellectual conversations outside of class, but are most likely to do so with regard to humanities' courses, and in graduate seminars. Students are competitive. The most unique class: American Rock Music of the 1960s. Major/department: English. Fairly disconnected, no real activities. Didn't spend time with profs. outside of class. Academic requirements (in the humanities) are very, very doable. And, in the humanities, they are not geared towards getting a job.

Professors can and do know your name, but it depends on the class. In big lectures, you have to make an effort to get to know professors. It seems like students are always studying here, even though people are always complaining about not studying enough. And Stanford students have intellectual conversations outside the classroom, which is both a good and a bad thing. It's great that people are excited to discuss important issues, but sometimes I just want to relax and not have to clarify everything I say or back it up with evidence. Stanford's general education requirements are pretty flexible, I think, so you'll fulfill them while taking classes you like. Requirements for the major vary by major, and sometimes they can be overwhelming, like Chemical Engineering. One thing about Stanford education is that it gives you perspectives on everything, not just what you need to know for your job. And if you don't learn these things in class, you'll learn them from the people you're around.

I've had many phenomenal professors who really take the time to learn their students names, and then continue to remember them months and even years later. That is definitely a validating feeling. Not every professor does it, but those who do are awesome. I have a few favorite classes, but one of them was Ethics and Politics of Public Service. The professor is one of the most engaging, phenomenal teachers ever, and he crafted the class in such a way that a large room full of 60 people felt like a seminar--and he brought us all on a personal emotional roller coaster that examined our ethical obligations to the world in the form of public service. It was a formative class in my conception of who I am and what I care about, and was one of the most intense and powerful academic experiences I have had at Stanford. Students study a lot, but that isn't a bad thing. Many study because they want good grades to go to grad school or do something else ambitious, but I also think, especially by senior year, that many people study hard because they really really care about what they are studying, and just generally intrigued and want to learn more. When that is true, studying doesn't feel like an obligation, it feels exciting. Not everyone participates in class, and whatever happens at the beginning of the quarter usually develops into a trend. People who are too shy to speak out early often never get over that, and never speak out. I never used to ask questions or speak out in class, and then I realized I was letting my pride get in the way of my education, and I forced myself to ask questions and offer comments, and my experience in my classes has been greatly improved. There is definitely a lot of intellectual discussion that happens outside of the classroom, and it is guaranteed to be engaging. I've had many an awesome conversation that I just stumbled upon and it turned into hours of debate. My major is amazing. Earth Systems is a group of students who are all so creative but also really care about the world and making it a better place. There is no limit to the number of interesting ideas and conversations that take place in the Earth Systems office. It is a great community of people to be in. Very accepting, very open-minded, very inter-disciplinary.

It's hard to choose a favorite class, because I really enjoyed all of them, however, American Foreign Policy class with professor Blacker was the most memorable. There we had the greatest and most inspiring discussions, as well as one of the most challenging class project. In general, professors are very approachable and eager to help out and assisst even outside of classes. The students are indeed very competitive but this is something you would expect, especially when one considers Stanford's academic requirements. My department, International Policy Studies, was composed of a small group of people from various parts of the world and, perhaps surprisingly, we were quite a homogenuous crowd.

I had to work hard to get to know professors, but I didn't take many small classes. There is a huge mix of academic and non-academic students. Some students are smart and don't work very hard, but there are a lot of students who work very hard to get the grades they do. I didn't study very much my freshman and sophomore years, but my junior and senior years I had to spend about 20-30 hours a week studying to keep up with my peers.

Yes, professors know my name. My favorite class is called "Eros in Modern American Poetry." It is an introductory seminar that only has four people in it including myself. The professor is amazing and our discussions are very animated.