When I thought about visiting the Stanford University campus, I imagined that student-designed robots who had sprung to life from 3D printers would guide me along shiny computer chip-paved streets. Yet, in reality I found myself walking around what looked more like a pristinely-managed neighborhood park than a high-tech university. Old timers walked around the tree-lined streets, college students meandered around on old-fashioned bicycles, and groups of primary students ran around the vast fields enjoying their summer holidays. To my surprise, Stanford had a real community feeling, open to (and enjoyed by) the public, and it was refreshingly free from the cloistered and closed culture of some other renowned university campuses.
And as it turned out, Stanford was full of even more surprises. Let me list my top three:
- My students would understand why I am listing this as my #1 Stanford surprise and why it gave me such great joy: If you find a quiet spot and pay attention, you’ll see wild rabbits hopping around campus! (Rabbits, not robots!)
- To my surprise, I was guided around campus for over two hours by the Director of Admissions, a Stanford alum, who was bursting with enthusiasm for and knowledge about the university! I am so grateful for such an incredible opportunity!
- Last but not least, as the park-like campus foreshadowed, I found that Stanford was more than just a place to get in touch with my inner-Geek. Stanford inspired and valued curiosity. Here’s how:
- When applying for Stanford, you apply to the university and not to the college of your “intended study.” This means that once you are admitted, you can generally take courses from any major. The school encourages students to keep an open mind and to try out different courses. Instead of having two or three terms per year, Stanford has four terms, which gives students the opportunity to try out many different courses for shorter periods of time.
- The arts facilities are amazing, and they are not just for fine arts students! You may be surprised to hear that a famous tech school encourages students to take fine arts classes even if they have no intention of majoring in arts. Curiosity and creativity are valued and encouraged! You know how universities have gyms that non-athletes can use to exercise their bodies? Well, Stanford has an Arts Gym that both art-majors and non-art majors can access to exercise their creativity! Stanford, as it turns out, is not about producing robots; instead it aims to produce well-rounded, widely educated young adults.
- When asked what advice he had for high school students who were deciding which universities to apply to, the Director of Admissions said that students should ignore the rankings. They should instead think about the type of community they would like to spend their next few years. For example, Stanford is very competitive to get into, but once you are a student there, individual competition is not valued as much as collaboration, exploration, and passion for many different areas. So, if this is not in-sync with your priorities, Stanford would not be the best fit for you.
This raises some questions that I’d like to ask you:
- Close your eyes and imagine that you have been transported to the future. What type of community would you like to be living in? What would this community value? What would your peers be like? Pay attention to your answers because they are the keys to discovering the type of university that would be a “best fit” for you.
- What assumptions and stereotypes do you have about certain universities? After you discuss your assumptions, research the university and see how it differs from your assumptions.
Fun Facts:
- Stanford does not have an official mascot, but it has informally adopted the El Palo Alto Tree as its “unofficial mascot.” The tree is also a member of the Stanford Band. After visiting the university, I now can see that a tree really is the perfect mascot (uh, “non-mascot”).
- Stanford has many fountains around campus, and it encourages students to “fountain-hop.” In fact, fountain hopping is so common that the fountains are chlorinated— so please don’t drink from them!
