Stanford University Reviews

"Highly prestigious and good job placement. Phenomenal faculty and highly intelligent peers. Cons: Expensive."

"Stanford is a great place to be a grad student, but for the ridiculously high cost of living , and the boredom of surrounding suburbia. The Political Science department is very supportive of its grad students, and the faculty are excellent."

"The history program at Stanford is very rigorous but offers great support for all of its students. The professors are true mentors and do their best to help their students succeed."

"Great school and a fantastic Linguistics program. Both the department and the University itself really know how to take care of their graduate students so they can be as successful as possible."

"Pros: This is an amazing place to learn to be a linguist. The faculty are all-stars but always available to talk to you; the program requires you to write high-quality research papers early on, which prepares you for your dissertation; and if you take initiative, there is no limit to how much you can learn here or how far you can go. It's also great that Stanford is overflowing with resources for workshops, dissertation year grants, etc. Life-wise, subsidized housing is pretty adequate, cheap enough and very close. I also like how the area is beautiful, warm and safe. The pool/gym are great too. There are a lot of activities to get involved with if you want to (teams, religious/cultural groups, etc) Cons: Like any PhD program, it's not clear that you'll get a job afterward. It's also sometimes not clear what you need to be doing to be a good grad student, since it's not clear how much work anyone else is doing (a lot of people work from home), or how many reading groups etc. you should go to vs. do your own research instead."

"Stanford is a great place to study and to live. As a graduate student, you have plenty of resources to explore your future career options and to network. The quality of research is excellent, and you can attend pretty much any course you find interesting."

"Stanford is expensive and hard. You will love it here. Graduate school isn't about "lifestyle" it's about challenging yourself to become something new. Stanford has achieved in all expected and many unexpected levels on that front."

"One of the most valuable tools I gained from my studies at Stanford was a better understanding of the relationship between media and technology, as well as a better grasp of the technology tools that are most useful to members of the media. Courses in digital journalism and entrepreneurship, as well as workshops and tutorials on podcasting, basic HTML, and video editing have continued to be useful in my career as a content developer in educational technology. While I didn't end up in a career as a journalist (though I had previously worked as a journalist prior to getting my degree), I continue to produce freelance articles and consider myself part of the community, even if only as a hobby these days. However, my degree from a prestigious university directly resulted in being hired at my current position, and has lead to interviews with other high-level companies as I currently look for a new job. What I wish I had done differently: make better use of the connections I made while at school and pitch many of the in-depth articles I produced for publication outside of the university. I think I could have made better in-roads to an ultimately more satisfying job if I had taken advantage of the work I did at school in order to freelance and accept a job more closely related to my field, instead of jumping at the first full-time job offer (for fear of defaulting on student loans)."

"I really enjoyed the college experience. Stanford is a great school with a good mix of interesting, intelligent people from different backgrounds and with different interests. While I think my degree prepared me in some ways for my career, I ultimately think that academic study in general can't prepare you for a career in engineering, and experience working on complex problems in a professional setting is the best way to become a good engineer. Additionally, while the quality of instruction at Stanford was certainly very good, I think you can learn the same engineering fundamentals from many other quality schools that are much cheaper and/or less competitive. Ultimately, you can become just as good at your job with a degree from a "lesser" school if you still get quality work experience in your early career. To phrase it another way, if you have a choice between practicing in an internship or entry level engineering position vs. going back to school or staying in school for longer or transferring to a more prestigious school, I would suggest choosing work over school. That said, I will acknowledge that having a degree from a well-respected university can help a lot in the process of finding a job or moving to a new job. While I don't think that any particular thing I learned from Stanford has had a significant impact on my career, I do believe that having a framed piece of paper with Leland Stanford Junior's name on it certainly helped me get the job I had after graduating."

"There are barely any cons when it comes to an Engineering graduate program at Stanford University. If you are expecting a busy social life, this might not be the place for you. It is quite expensive to attend Stanford, but in the long run it will pay off very quickly. As for pros, they are unlimited. If you disregard finances and learn to have a limited social life, everything else about Stanford is a pro. Especially in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department."

"The program is very intensive and incorporates field work, graduated responsibility, and strong support networks. While we have very many opportunities to thrive, the workload and the amount of time that we devote to the program leaves time for very little else."

"Stanford University's graduate program for Mechanical Engineering has a lot to offer students and definitely helps make sure that students are prepared for future careers in engineering. For my track in design and manufacturing, the classes become more project based and give me more perspective into what it take to bring a product from conception to commercialization. The classes are relatively small and the professors are easily accessible and give really thoughtful feedback that challenge us to evaluate every decision we make. Students are very open to collaboration and really buy in to a culture of helping each other succeed. The cons of my graduate program is that there is very little financial aid (although these costs could be offset by taking a teaching assistant position or taking part in a research project). Also, students are usually extremely busy so it is sometimes difficult to accomplish your work at a reasonable pace. In addition, it can be difficult to build new friendships since many students either already have established their friend networks on campus from undergrad or are very busy and involved with their work and don't have much time to spend just having fun. Overall, I believe that Stanford University has a great Mechanical Engineering graduate program and really will help set me up for success in the future."

"The Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology program is extremely competitive, but it is a healthy form of competition. Not only do you compete with your fellow students, but you learn from them. The diversity is so immense that there is always something to learn from the person next to you. The support from faculty and staff is beyond comparison. A personal, academically oriented relationship with professors are almost a common thing. The support doesn't just apply to the classroom but extends to future careers during which the communication channels are kept open. Due to the quality of the education received and the area where the campus is situated, the prices are somewhat on the expensive side, but in the end it will be well worth every dollar spent."

"Excellent network, phenomenal teaching and career support."

"Amazing program with all the material and emotional resources you can ask for, but Palo Alto is expensive and kind of boring."

"Stanford GSB is a fantastic place to immerse oneself in world-changing ideas and friendships with incredibly interesting, talented classmates. Really, the only downside is the incredibly high cost of living and tuition. Though everyone I've spoken too says it was well worth the investment."

"The Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) is geared for adults returning to school after years away. It gives broad experience in research and writing as well as exposure to the liberal arts. So it's career-useful to writers, librarians, teachers, arts administrators etc. Others enroll because their initial education was very career-focused (they have law degrees, MBAs etc) and missed taking subjects just because they loved them. The great advantage is that you can go part-time and pay as you go, thus minimizing debt. This is not possible at most other T-1 programs. Our profs are great: many are MacArthur or Pulitzer winners and all love teaching. Downsides: the area is very expensive, the diversity found elsewhere at Stanford is lacking, the financial aid is very limited, the course offerings are limited, and most of all Stanford understates the effort needed to complete the program. We are told it is possible to graduate in four years while working but in fact hardly anyone is able to do so. There's a large opportunity cost because I had to cut my (paid) work hours in favor of schoolwork. Recently the program changed the claims on its website from "a program for working adults" to "a program for BUSY adults." In fact, only about a third of my classmates have full-time paid jobs. The rest are retired or homemakers, or consult a little on the side. Still, if you want or need a master's, I would look into MLA programs at Stanford or elsewhere."

"The faculty and classes are amazing. The major drawbacks are the lack of funding for master's students and large class sizes."

"The workload is intense but the year-long student teaching experience is extremely valuable. Stanford is a great place to be, although the area is expensive. The faculty and staff are very accessible and supportive, and the post-program career opportunities are numerous."

"The business management program at Stanford has been a life-changing experience for me. With amazing peers, remarkable faculty and the charming environment of the Bay Area - Stanford really ensures that your graduate school experience is holistic and enriching."