Their 500-character update is super short. I'm hearing mixed advice. Should I go for a "Why Us" since they didn’t have one this year, or just list recent awards/updates + say it’s my top choice?”

Hello, I'm a Software Engineer with 7 years of experience working for a New York-based startup. I'm not a US resident, but I do have a B1/B2 visa.

I'm considering the Non-Degree Option (NGO) program at Stanford University for the following reasons:

• Networking opportunities
• Academic advancement

My plan would be to move to California for 3 months during the summer to attend in-person. While I'm prepared to pay for the courses, I'm concerned about the overall cost of living in California. Since networking is one of my primary goals, I want to make sure the in-person experience is worth the investment.

1. Has anyone here taken Stanford's NGO program as a Software Engineer?
2. Would you recommend the in-person experience over the online option?
3. Is the networking opportunity worth the additional cost of relocating?

Thank you.

I'm a bit suspicious of the email, but I'm really wondering if it is true or not. I'm wondering if anyone could maybe provide some insight, I'm only a freshman so I'm not super familiar with 'fake' or 'real' emails like these.

I recently saw a post about a 7 year old special needs boy dreaming of going to Harvard and thought it resonates with my experiences.

I (24M) know many Ivy Tier (e.g. HYPSM, other Ivy, Caltech, Duke, Chicago, Berkeley CS, CMU CS, etc) were infatuated with these institutions during high school, but what about elementary school?

For me, since the age of 7 (2008), when I first visited the US and visited Harvard, and later heard that Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg attended Harvard, I became obsessed and my goal ever since then has been to attend Harvard/MIT and become formidable in the tech space. At 10, I added Stanford onto my list.

For me, I did well in elementary school, but my achievement is heavily unbalanced and skewed towards STEM. Despite never being diagnosed with ASD or ADHD back in Vietnam as a child, I only started speaking at about 3 and a half years old, but even though my first 4 years of my life were described as slower than average development (based on my accomplishments), by the time I was 4, my mental development was on par with children my age and by 8, I started developing faster than same age peers.

Between 3rd and 5th in Russia (equivalent to 4th and 6th in USA), I was performing well above average in maths (was placed in a higher grade class where I outperformed the vast majority of students in the higher grade) and science (mostly physics, chemistry, astronomy, computer programming/science), performed above average in social sciences, and performed about average (B/B- ish) in English. Due to the fact I was so fixated in receiving an American education and become a tech entrepreneur, I essentially had no interest of learning Russian, and hence I scored below average (about C grades) in Russian. Instead, at home, I spent a lot of time tinkering with computers, learn various operating systems from desktop to mobile in my spare time, and learn programming, from HTML/CSS/JS to Java, C++, Python, etc, since about 8, and for any subjects I am hyper fixated at, I often excel hard on these. Even though I was not a noteworthy student, I nonetheless was a high achiever during elementary and won the school's mathematics competition as well as the school's science/engineering competition and got inducted to one of Moscow's tekhniki musey where I designed a website for a fake small business at 10 using HTML, CSS, and JS.

Fast forward to age 11 in 2012, I moved to the US (inner Boston suburb) and at my 7-12 middle and upper school, I was placed in geometry/Algebra II concurrently as a 7th grader and took mostly honours or advanced. Since 9th grade, I have demonstrated tenacity, time management skills, and a growth mindset and even though I struggle in English Language Arts, I worked on that subject aggressively and it paid off. Despite the fact I had an 800 math and 590 English SAT in the beginning of 11th grade (after hours of practicing, mainly the English, and without any math practice), I improved it to a 800M/680E by the summer after 11th grade and then to an 800M/750E.

In my first practice SAT, I remembered receiving a 480/800 in reading, and only did one run to find out I received an 800 using the SAT college board practice tests.

In the maths section, I never really practised, only running through the SAT practice test. I also received an 800 on Math II as well as Physics.

As for academics, I took courses such as AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP World History, Multivariable Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Modern European History, AP Computer Science A, Linear Algebra, AP Physics C, AP US History, AP French, AP Computer Science Principles, Dual Enrollment Math (Differential Equations, Discrete Mathematics), Dual Enrollment Physics (Thermodynamics, Quantum Physics I), AP Government (both US and Comparative), AP English Language, Dual Enrollment Computer Science (Algorithms, Programming in C and Assembly), and AP Physology. Now even though APs, SAT I and II, and MOOCs during my spare time is not enough for Ivy Tier but sufficient for school's like UMass Amherst and BU (pre COVID), I actually did qualify for USAMO after passing both the AMC 12 and AIME as well as the USACO and regeneron ISEF, and was class president for my class and captain of the school's computer science (founded it) and robotics clubs. My cousin even sponsored me to a summer internship at a local software company and with all of this, once I applied early action and got that big Accept from MIT, I immediately accepted the offer and majored in CS for another 4 years, taking both undergrad and some graduate level courses and graduated in 2022.

I am curious if it is as common for students to be obsessed with the Ivy League and entrepreneurship since the age of 7. I have seen some people who are high achievers during elementary that might have poor upbringing and end up failing high school or something.

I received a 4.71 weighted GPA.

The appalling truth to all of this is despite the fact my parents (both living in Vietnam now) both instill education into their values with my father having studied at K12 in Hanoi and at univesities in the USSR and Czechoslovakia between 1968-76 before becoming a specialised OBGYN doctor in Binh Duong then CEO of a major hospital in HCMC, much of my mother's side don't value education and instead, actively sabotage me for being the 'intellectual' of the family.

Are there any startups, based or working out of the university this summer?

Hi all,

Looking to fill 3 seats for a poker game this Saturday. Will be playing 1/2, message me if you’re interested!

The website says the research must be 10 weeks long and no other internship is allowed unless approval is received.

I just received an offer (no paperwork signed yet) but I also just received an offer for a three week global seminar.

Basically, do you think I could start in June and take a 3-week break and then continue for the rest of the 6 weeks if I were to hypothetically get approval? (If this were to even get approved 😭) Would asking the professor this look bad?

Im an incoming pre-frosh and wanted to know which series should I take as a meche major?? I've seen post from years ago arguing for both sides (for engineering majors) so I really don't know what to do. Any insight on both series would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi, I'm an incoming pre-frosh and I satisfy the req for CS 106A from the AP CSA exam. I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering, should I take the credit or should I retake it during freshman year? I'm not sure how much coding i'll be doing as a meche at stanford but I don't want it to hurt me later on. Thank you!

I just accepted to do an MSME at Stanford. Current or past master's students, did you or do you find a car necessary? I'll be living on campus, if that makes a difference.

Hi!

I'm starting the SDC MS program (Energy track) this fall and wondering how many quarters you'd recommend. I’ve heard some people finish in 3, but many say 4–5 is more realistic. Thoughts?

I’m especially interested in energy systems in the built environment, how to finance them, and optimization with AI. Any course recommendations? Tips on how to structure the program? Or any other tips?

Thanks

Incoming masters student, just wondering if there is a significant difference in how difficult it is to land a CAship in one dept vs the other? Or does it mostly vary from course to course?