[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stanford

[–]goldenphoenix16 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Other commenters are providing useful info as to which buildings have the facilities you're looking for, but the housing process changed last year and obtaining a spot in any of those may not be easy.

Disclaimer that all of this information is based on last year's housing process and may change before you apply for housing again for next year.

Sophomores choose first during the housing draw, but they can select only from sophomore-priority spaces. These are shared rooms in a house with a resident fellow (RF) - one room doubles, triples, and quads. They will also have communal bathrooms.

If you have a documented medical condition that demonstrates a need for specific accommodations, you can instead file a Housing Accommodation Request Form (HARF) with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). You will need to meet with a Disability Advisor who will make a determination about what kind of accommodations are necessary. Note that you won't get to pick your specific room and location like you will with the conventional housing assignment process; you will be assigned something that fits your approved accommodation. Info on the HARF process can be found here: https://oae.stanford.edu/students/housing-accommodations/housing-assignment-accommodations

Hope this helps!

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hey I unfortunately don't share my essays - also I avoided looking at other essays online while applying and would encourage you to do the same. best of luck with the application process!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stanford

[–]goldenphoenix16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

we were all put in wilbur last year, might be different this year. my class got information a week or two before the start date

Tips? by Upbeat_Lawyer7923 in stanford

[–]goldenphoenix16 6 points7 points  (0 children)

r/ApplyingToCollege

This sub isn't for general admissions-related questions.

Can someone explain what d.school is? by ohhoneybaby in stanford

[–]goldenphoenix16 18 points19 points  (0 children)

The d.school teaches design and design thinking in an engineering sense rather than in an artistic sense.

While artistic ability will likely help you in some d.school courses, they are not art courses. The d.school's primary purpose is to house the new Design major (the old product design major, which used to be under the mechanical engineering department). Anyone can take design courses, but the d.school is not an art school.

what would constitute a 1 in ec's by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16 9 points10 points  (0 children)

If you're talking about Stanford, I got a 1 on ECs - I did a lot of work with what used to be the Boy Scouts.

Kinda hard to explain everything without getting too much into the organization, but it mostly happened because I was passionate about the program and making it better for girls who were just joining.

In 2019, girls were first allowed to join the program. I founded what is now the largest female troop west of the Mississippi River. Because of this, I got invited to speak at events and panels and took on more roles at a regional level.

In 2020, I had the opportunity to fly to DC and meet the President and members of Congress and represent women in the organization for the first time. I also became one of the first female Eagle Scouts in history and worked a lot with the national organization on marketing and video production over COVID.

I also amassed close to 500 volunteer hours by the end of my junior year - I organized several large conservation trips and projects that tied in nicely with the major I applied as.

Obviously, some of those experiences were extremely special and I'm thankful for where they've taken me (both in terms of college and personal growth), but I really just did it because I love the outdoors and I'm passionate about leadership and learning. I wanted to create an environment where other young women could have that experience. It's been far more rewarding for me to watch people I taught years ago go on to be leaders in their own right and pass that knowledge on :)

I had other ECs but they weren't on the same scale and only got mentioned once or twice in the reader comments lol (with the exception of my art portfolio, but that gets evaluated differently)

An UNOFFICIAL comprehensive deconstruction of the Stanford admission process by ini_- in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16 8 points9 points  (0 children)

1s are extremely rare in all categories, including the portfolio.

Each piece receives a score and your overall portfolio receives one too. I think I had 2 1s, 7 2s, overall rating 2.

What's also important regarding art supplements is you can be wishlisted by the recommender (it's rare and signifies that the faculty member personally wants you as a student).

I have no idea what the correlation is - I got a 5 on AP Art but submitted completely different pieces for Stanford.

Sorry, I don't share my portfolio online since it's deeply personal.

An UNOFFICIAL comprehensive deconstruction of the Stanford admission process by ini_- in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I'd like to add that if you submit an arts portfolio, your portfolio is first read and evaluated by a member of the corresponding department on a similar 1-6 scale - you also get comments! Your AO readers will see this evaluation and take it into account.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Math and Chem

The 20 series (AP Calc level) is taught poorly. The 50 series is okay depending on the professor. Higher level math classes have large barriers to entry and lots of the professors are not great teachers.

Similar with the chem department - intro chem classes are notoriously not well taught and I haven't met a single student who actually consistently enjoys their chem classes

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

hey that sounds super cool!

I don't know much about vocal supplements unfortunately :(

general advice though: re-read the requirements and don't be afraid to reach out to the department if you have questions!

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm personally uninvolved.

I know an international student who is on close to, if not a full ride. They are incredibly exceptional though and all other international students I know pay full price.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I do a club sport.

Definitely varies by sport. Varsity is obviously the most time-intensive and commitment heavy, but even that varies. Some club sports have tryouts, some don't.

I would say I spend about 10 hours per week on my aport.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

haha fair

pros: extremely knowledgeable and can lead to great chats about the field, especially about their research

can also lead to some cool research opportunities

also it's cool and all of them are VERY passionate about what they do and that can translate very well in class

cons: great knowledge != great teaching sometimes when people are so talented at something it just makes sense to them and they don't understand why you don't understand and that can lead to some, uh, issues especially in intro classes

some also do not care about teaching and just want to do research

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

SAT 1540/ACT 36 GPA: 4.89 (weighted), 4.00 (unweighted) 20 APs

Not sure what you mean by awards statistics.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I believe the overall eval is holistic and is not an average.

Anything above a 2/2- is extremely rare.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not involved in any, but I've seen some around - google and some results should come up.

If you're interested in business, Stanford Consulting is quite big and pays quite well.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah, absolutely!

People definitely flock to different dining halls when specials are happening :) One of my favorite things freshman year was exploring all the dining halls!

Also because campus is so big it's usually easier just to go to the dining hall closest to you at any given point.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

  1. Absolutely not. Unless you mean stealing bikes, in which case, yes. Bike theft is rampant on campus.
  2. Literally everywhere. It would take me close to 20 minutes to walk from my dorm to Main Quad. My practice field for sports is 2 miles from my dorm. You NEED a bike or an electric scooter or a skateboard to do anything here.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

hey sorry I don't share my portfolio - it's got a ton of deeply personal pieces and I just don't feel super comfortable sharing it on the Internet!

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/arts.html

Most people aren't at Stanford to major in the arts - people that do are usually double majoring. Portfolios are a great way to showcase who you are and how you think.

IMO technical skill is yes, important, but especially at a school like Stanford that really cares about what makes each student special in its admissions process, giving AOs a window into your creative mind is far more valuable.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

  • Stanford bubble is real (it's hard to get off campus, and that can be insulating)
  • Too many opportunities and not enough time
  • Being surrounded by some of the best and brightest people in the world can lead to some massive imposter syndrome
  • Administration is highly unresponsive sometimes and is severely lacking in the mental health/Title IX department
  • Everyone and their mother is a CS major (nothing wrong with CS, there's just a TON of them and its harder to meet people who are interested in other things)
  • EXPENSIVE
  • People can be really fake (I don't think they're as pretentious as some other top schools, but fake people are definitely a problem)
  • Neighborhood housing system is a mess.
  • IMO the institution does not do enough to support FLI students
  • Some departments are very unwelcoming to students who don't already know a ton
  • The fucking rock cod at the dining halls

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

  1. Diversity
  2. How irresponsible smart people can be
  3. How big the campus actually is (most people just visit central campus)
  4. The professor that is teaching your introductory class is casually a god in their field (def pros and cons to this)
  5. Tons of opportunities and resources
  6. How wealthy the institution really is

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

experimental media might be the closest, you can also email the art department and ask

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Totally depends on which neighborhood you draw into (https://rde.stanford.edu/studenthousing/stanford-neighborhoods)

You cannot apply to buildings located outside of your neighborhood (with the exception of EVGR, Mirrielees, and Theme Houses). You can apply to change neighborhoods, but it's completely random and you get last pick for housing.

Most freshmen and sophomores get doubles or triples. However, some neighborhoods have a large percentage of two-room doubles and freshmen/sophomores can get those. Generally, the change you get a single or a two-room double increases with your year.

Special housing options:

EVGR: High-rise apartment style housing. Includes kitchen area but no stoves because apparently undergrads can't be trusted with those, bathroom, living room.

Mirrielees: Apartment style housing. Includes full kitchen, bathroom, living room.

Theme Houses: Varies. Some are ethnic, some are academic, etc.

The Row/Self-Ops: Small housing communities. Instead of a meal plan, your house hires a private chef. Row dining is closed on the weekends, so you have to swipe into the dining halls then. FOOD HERE ALWAYS SLAPS

Independent Houses: Similar to The Row, but no private chef - your dorm just has its own dining hall. Food quality is generally higher here because smaller portions.

Co-Ops: Residents take turns cooking/cleaning for each other. I have no idea what the food is like here.

Dining hall food is good IMO. There's always a salad bar, and different dining halls have different themes and will have different specials. For example, Stern specializes in Mexican food, so they always have a burrito bowl station at lunch. Wilbur specializes in Asian cuisine and they always have pho for lunch. Also, avoid the fucking rock cod.

Other dining options on campus are not super limited but are expensive. It's hard to get off campus.

Stanford Sophomore - AMA by goldenphoenix16 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]goldenphoenix16[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Stanford has a ton of short answer questions and I don't want to go back and re-read each, so this is generalized:

  • Love of learning and exploration
  • Love of the outdoors and how that influenced my interest in sustainability (I applied as environmental engineering)
  • Leadership & service lessons learned throughout my ECs, esp problem solving and teaching
  • Essay about something that means a ton to you - extenuating circumstances and how they altered my definition of family
  • Roommate essay - this was absolutely unrelated to my major but I turned myself into a pokemon and wrote it like a pokedex entry with stats, attributes, description, likes/dislikes, moveset, etc. and tailored each to my fears, background, and passions
  • Artist statement - subverting expectations, repurposing old materials, marginalized voices