Stanford University Reviews

"Really great experience. The professors and the campus are wonderful. The location is also perfect for a college experience (innovative area, nice weather all year) Would recommend joining a student group and volunteer group to meet new people on campus."

"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."