Stanford University Reviews

"While I was at Stanford University, I struggled and I thrived. It is odd to see both of those adjectives together, but here is the reason why I believe I experienced both of those realities. As a high school student, school was easy for me. I excelled in my classes, so when I was academically challenged, I did not know how to cope. I failed to request for help, and I was actually put on academic probation my second year of college. That is when I realized I needed to take ownership of my education. I sought mentors and individuals who understood my backgrounds and experiences. They set me on a path towards success. That is when I began to thrive. I took classes that captured my intellectual curiosity. I was able to switch majors my junior year without neglecting all the hard work from my first two years. I found people who shared similar identities as I, and collectively we had a voice on campus. While there are ways that I feel Stanford as an institution does not cater towards people of color/minority groups, there are people on campus with whom I was able to unite. I do not regret my decision to attend this university."

"I recently attended my 35th reunion from Stanford, where a lot of my classmates showed up because we created real, nurturing friendships that have lasted a life time. Stanford has a big reputation, but it's a pretty intimate campus with lot of natural beauty. I remember my first journalism class, where my professor encouraged me and nurtured my talent. It set me on a path that I'm still on, and still passionate about. A few years back, when I returned for my 20th reunion, I ran into the head of the Communication Department, and he still remembered me. The kids at Stanford were super smart, as you might expect, but the culture of the campus was relaxed and warm."

"Stanford has a very open-minded attitude for student's diversity in academic and life. Also, the school greatly emphasizes the application of studies in real engineering world."

"Pretty good, good place to learn engineering"

"Stanford University is a top-notch learning institution with unparalleled experiences for students."

"Stanford was an amazing experience. Great people."

"It was a great education. It was a lot more liberal than I thought it would be, both in the classroom and on campus. It was very competitive but I made some good friends."

"Pretentious students but great faculty and programs. Stay the course and focus on yiur goals. Don't tey to keep up with the jones. Find a solid group of frieds but be careful because they are your competition."

"Stanford is an amazing institution with some of the top professors in the world. There are so many resources available to you as a student to help ensure your success. The community is also incredibly welcoming and offers many activities and extracurriculars."

"When I first arrived at Stanford, I was not sure where I stood compared to other students. I was not sure whether I was prepared enough. I immediately came across what I think are Stanfords two main strengths: there was a support system for me to succeed, and the diversity of preparedness and backgrounds in students was endless. The classes were challenging but through office hours, review sessions, and extra tutoring, all provided and encouraged by the university, I realized I could do well and enjoy my experience. While I believe the design of some of their introductory science classes needs improvement, they definitely build on each other and as soon as I started doing more research in my field (biology in general and marine biology in particular), I realized how well-prepared I was and how broad of a background I had acquired almost without realizing it. My favorite part about Stanford was the people I met, both students and faculty, precisely because they came from a wide variety of backgrounds and mindsets. I met people who inspired me, by the things they had done and continued to do, and by the way they connected with others. The students and professors passion, curiosity, and positivity were contagious, the resources and opportunities felt endless, and I feel very lucky and honored to have graduated with the knowledge and memories that I did. My learning and research experiences at Stanford and in the field of marine biology were immersive and unforgettable ones."

"Stanford University has a excellent and renowned faculty members and instruction. Although some professors are not the most skilled at teaching, there are ample free tutoring services on campus. My favorite aspect of the university was the emphasis on personal growth and the ample opportunities for research and community service."

"The Stanford GSB is a very interesting institution. On one side, it is deeply tied to top of market professionals in every market, and recruits very high potential individuals to study and teach. On the other side, it has a severe lack in leadership, the schools shows almost no innovation and really encourages passivity and in the box thinking."

"Stanford is a great school, but you must take advantage of all the wonderful resources and networks the school has to offer or you will be losing out. The international relations major is not that helpful in preparing you for a career in human rights, but there are many classes you can take to educate you if that is the field you are interested in. I would recommend customizing your major if what is already planned out for you is not what you are interested in."

"This is a great program that can be tailored to the needs and interests of the individual student. There is a strong cohort model that allows you to meet and develop strong relationships with your peers, as well as have the opportunity to work collaboratively on a number of projects. The final project is also practicum based and can be formatted to fit to your intended career. There is a lot of room for growth due to the flexibility of the program."

"The International and Comparative Education program is one of its kind--intensely ran with a research-focused component. The excellent quality of teaching, rigor of curriculum and diverse mix of students makes it exceptional, more so for being located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Outside the program, there are tremendous amount of activities to partake in. The main challenge you might have here is at saying 'no'."

"The college is great overall for undergraduate and graduate studies. I would definitely recommend students to apply. They have an alive social clubs and activities around the campus."

"Stanford is an amazing school. I loved it. But the program wasn't my favorite - they had a great idea of what they wanted to be, but they aren't really there yet. And I think it should have been a two year program."

"The electricity and knowledge transferred between students is the perfect ground for the foundations of an education built for free thinking and market disruption. In parallel, the academic dissemination is so well understood by Stanford professors that they can explain the most complicated of subjects to a novice."

"Because I wrote an honors thesis, my concentration in History was particularly intensive. As a result, I feel well-positioned to review the department. Firstly, anyone in a history class should notice that Stanford has a particularly prolific faculty. Professors often teach their own books along with those of other leading scholars in class: my African American history course, for example, included the Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by the professor himself. This level of access is a privilege, and it allows students to understand the material in the same terms as their professors. The research opportunities available to history majors expanded considerably during my time as an undergraduate at Stanford. With my first research assistant position, I was paired with a Pulitzer-nominated professor creating innovative data visualizations and publishing online. Thanks largely to the efforts of my colleagues at the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA), my original research group expanded from a loose collective to an institution of several dozen students, faculty, and support staff from across the burgeoning space known as the digital humanities. Utilizing state-of-the-art mapmaking software and publishing in experimental genres such as historical geography, researchers at CESTA merge powerful technological tools with classical humanistic thinking. These methods inspired my own research into the history of billboard advertising in the United States, which concerns the intersections of race, rights, and resistance where billboards stand. Without the support of a research university like Stanford, my project could never have come to fruition. While attending undergraduate courses in the "bubble" that is the Stanford campus, it's easy to lose sight of the importance of career growth. The presence of successful academics inspires many students to follow a strictly academic path, and for a long time, I was one of them. I still entertain ideas of moving further in education (I'm set to take the LSAT exam before the due date of the GraduatePrograms.com scholarship), but now I also recognize the need to earn an income and to plan my own future. When it comes to career planning, then, I would not necessarily recommend the Department of History on its own. Thankfully, Stanford provides robust career counseling and alumni services, and the biannual career fairs draw top companies who don't necessarily require technical degrees for the positions they seek to fill. I did not personally join any companies I encountered at a job fair, but I will continue my job search through my connections at the university. As a coterminal Master's student, I am returning to Stanford as a graduate student in History this fall. I will gain even greater insight into the workings of the department as a graduate student, and I'm now financially independent as well, so I hope to work with GraduatePrograms.com sometime in the future. Thank you for your consideration--if I were to win the scholarship contest, the money would support my own research. My eventual goal is to write a book and hire my own research assistants, so I can pass on the gift that my professors gave to me as an undergraduate."

"This past spring -- 2016 -- I received my bachelors degree in American Studies from the school that four years ago promised to shape my character, help me find my passions, lead me to the greatest friendships possible and also promised to challenge me every step of the way. It did this and more. As an undergraduate at Stanford University, I served as editor-in-chief of The Stanford Daily, served as project manager to two entrepreneurial pursuits, launched a business enhancing application and in my senior year solidified my focus of study on digital media in society. From these experiences, my initial interest in the intersection between psychology and product decisions has grown into a deep passion and that is why I have chosen to stay at Stanford an extra year to pursue a masters degree in Communications. At Stanford, I was able to discover my interest in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and this will eventually lead me to my desired career in Product Marketing. I want to influence the roadmap of a product and share its story with the user. I would have never found my passion if it were for the amazing opportunities I was afforded at Stanford. As editor-in-chief I learned how to set goals for a corporation and manage and work cooperatively with a staff of 130 editors, writers and photographers. I made time-sensitive editorial and business decisions, provided feedback, pitched ideas and ensured that all parts of The Stanford Daily worked together efficiently. The greatest accomplishment during my term was recognizing a need -- for students to have an unfiltered voice -- and filling it with a new section of the paper, the Grind: A snapshot of campus life written by Stanford students for Stanford students. I worked with my team of editors and graphic designers to create the name, description, logo and plan for gaining readership and hiring writers. Through Communication and Computer Science classes I became fixated on the impact of digital media technologies on society. I would love to apply this passion to the APMM position at Google. My interest in how technology affects human interactions is why I decided to pursue a masters degree in Communication/Media Studies at Stanford and why I would be a creative and tireless contributor as an APMM. Two classes in particular have established my interest in tech, UI design, marketing and project management. In Digital Media Entrepreneurship, I was a project lead in the development of a social media venture, Short notice for Businesses, which enables businesses to send messages directly to their customers. Preceding the class, I assisted in the launch of the product and continue to develop new ideas for the company. In the Social Impact Collaborator, I led my team in developing a company that removes barriers to healthy eating. I learned that theres more to a successful product than just the product. I pitched both products to venture capitalists, developed business plans and go-to-market strategies, while acquiring product management, user testing, need finding, team building and creative decision-making skills. In addition to professional skills, I have also learned life skills and have become much stronger and accomplished due to the relationships and opportunities that Stanford afforded me. Stanford is a wonderful place that offers so many opportunities to occupy every second of our day. My freshman year, I remember panicking the first few weeks because I had free time in between classes that was not filled! But then, I got swooped up by the sports section of The Stanford Daily. I had found my thing. Ive learned over the last six months that theres no right way to live your life at Stanford -- there are many ways that are just as rewarding. As students, we just have to do what makes us happy, proud and confident in ourselves. Twenty years from now, I will look back on my Stanford career and remember the late night conversation I had with my friend in my sorority kitchen eating Skinny Pop or that time I sang along to Justin Biebers early hits with my editors at 2am at The Stanford Daily office, along with the endless readings and problem sets that helped guide me to my chosen career. Stanford students are expected to cure diseases, fight for justice, change the world, solve world hunger, run multi-billion dollar companies and have our lives all in order by our 10-year reunion, but I learned that were not perfect. Some of us might have it all figured out as undergrads, but the majority of us are still figuring it out, and we wont reach one of those achievements until we''ve tried out some other pursuits, failed a bit, meandered a lot through our road map and ultimately lived. And the great thing about Stanford is that it celebrates and encourages those trials and errors as opportunities for growth and learning. Stanford assured me that I don't have to have to have all the answers, but to just keep living and laughing and propelling myself towards my passions."