Friday, July 11, 2008

I'm Sold

Stanford University, no, sorry, Leland Stanford Junior University, is quite some place. I wasn't meant to like it - coming from a family ingrained in the public University of California, LA. On the other hand, Stanford has an "old-boy" stigma, and boasts strong associations with Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleeza Rice, so for a liberal kid from a liberal family, I had a hard time convincing myself that I could belong at such a place. Boy, that task became easy once I actually stepped foot on campus.
The campus itself is on an aesthetic par with UCLA, my benchmark for beautiful, relatively urban schools, so that made for an ideal first impression. Then consider the fact that weather is great (not far off 250 days of sun a year), big cities like San Jose (with entailing NHL franchise) and San Francisco are under an hour away and the urbanish feel of campus and you can see why I'm so smitten with Stanford. Then figure in big-time sports and the academics don't even need to be that great for the school to strike a very marked impression.
But wait a minute. Stanford has fantastic academics, a great library and the financial capabilities to make it work for any admitted student. Academic flexibility is emphasized, there is a strong international focus and...prices on campus generally don't correspond to its private status.
The old-boy stigma was perhaps my biggest stumbling block in thinking about Stanford, but hearing that it a source of great agony to students, faculty and alumni alike, I felt reassured that, whilst no Berserkeley, Stanford is not a pure republican haven.
Point is, if the Big Guy in the Sky has mercy on my sinful ways and lets me come to this palace of education, I am sure I will become one of those 86% who are happy they came to The Farm.

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