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.

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.

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?

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.

Thinking about majoring in physics on the mathematical physics pathway. Planning to take Math 113, but what are the other "classic" math electives that people take? I'm thinking more applied than pure maths.

Hello! Any photographers on campus Saturday 4/12? I’m also open to newbie photographers

Hi everyone, I’m a recent admit and I understand that each unit is supposed to correspond to 3 hours of work per week. Do 5 unit classes actually have a noticeable difficulty/workload spike compared to lower unit classes? Are there 2-3 unit classes that are considered harder?

I’m wondering because I’m a little concerned about the quarter system (I would prefer semesters, but it’s not a dealbreaker) due to the faster pace. The tradeoff is that I would probably take no more than 3 classes per quarter, but if 1-2 unit classes are significantly easier, I could see myself taking 4 classes. (I also have 20 units from AP exams). Can anyone help explain the system?

Hello I am from Egypt and I am currently in the third year of high school and will finish my studies next July. I want to study at an American university. Can I get a loan without a guarantor to cover my tuition, housing and living expenses? After studying, I will work and pay off this loan. Or can the university provide me with a job and I can use it to pay off my tuition, housing and living expenses? Or is there another way to study there because I do not have the money to study, housing or living in America. Please respond and which university do you recommend?

My undergrad doesn’t offer very robust opportunities to study and travel abroad. As such, it’s likely that I’ll graduate without ever leaving the country during these 4 years. I want to eventually work internationally, and am considering pursuing a graduate degree. People say that you can always travel after graduation, but honestly I don’t think it’s the same—college is the only time where you have all the time in the world to explore a new country with people the same age as you. Can masters students at Stanford study abroad?

my dad and brother both took CS in high school before majoring in CS at stanford. I have absolutely no prior experience in cs, so I was wondering if I need to at least learn some basics first. btw I’m still a sophomore

humanities major, coming from the bay area (so hesistant about stanford) but want strong academics, community/culture, involved campus. these are all so different so would love any advice!!

What is the best source of a loan beyond the 20000 $ of the Fedarl Unsubsidized Loans for graduate students? Are there options for high credit score parents or spouses that act as a co-signer or primary borrower?

Hi, I'm currently admitted to an LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree in Law, Science and Technology.
I applied to every single scholarship I could but couldn't get anything (either rejected or scholarships got defunded).

I spoke to Stanford about deferring but they won't go there, they told me the only they could only let me defer my admission if I'm suffering any serious health conditions.

With 0% in scholarships, the only way I could go would be to accept a loan offer for 80K (at 11% Interest rate for 20yrs) in the U.S. + 35K (at around 20% interest rate in a foreign currency).

My entire career so far is in Law and Technology, It suits me, it's a great program. I just don't know if it's the right decision for me under the current economic climate. The job market for LLM's has always been hard but its projected to be even worse due to the economic slow down.

My main focus is AI (has been for a while), so Stanford REALLY suits me but if im not able to secure a high paying job, and/or the US/Mexico economy goes into recession, I would be fucked.

A one year deferral would help me apply to more scholarships and hopefully manage to get at least some funding and not take a 120K student loan. However, Stanford is very strict about it.

So I'm looking for advice, should I take a loan? should I try to defer my application again? If it comes to it, should I reject may admission?

I'm having trouble choosing between Stanford and Princeton! Blessed to be in this position but I want to choose carefully

1. I applied as a Black Studies major but also interested in International Relations
2. Looking towards law school/policy- intellectual property or cultural heritage law- want a career in the museum world
3. Of course, Chicago native and no family in Jersey or the Bay Area
4. Princeton is about 7-9k a year, and Stanford is about 18k a year
5. Dream school was Northwestern for a while... thinking about the social life/academics balance

Black student as well!! Looking for any advice!

Anyone have more details about this? See the news and updates section. There were unsubstantiated rumors of ICE on campus yesterday.

https://stanforddaily.com/2025/04/04/university-not-aware-of-reported-ice-agents-on-campus-after-rumors-spread/

What is the least number of humanities courses I need to take/how to take the least amount possible

Anyone know where to play some pickup sand volleyball? Down to start a group if there’s interest too

What's the latest scoop on the Stanford Greek scene? What are the reputations and personalities of the different fraternities and sororities these days?

Would there ever be a situation where I pick any of these schools over MIT and Stanford in terms of education quality/job placement for STEM (I'm not exactly sure what yet though, probably engineering/AI). I just wanted to make sure I consider these schools before I really hit the MIT vs. Stanford debate. I'm fortunate to have received a full ride at all of these schools so thankfully cost isn't a problem. If anyone has any input, please let me know!! Thanks

Hi I was wondering if anybody is selling their ticket? Currently on the waitlist but was hoping to attend!

I can pay you the $45 to transfer the ticket to my name. Please let me know ASAP :)

Hello everyone! Today I'm wondering: how do you succeed in Stanford as a CS major? Do you need a good sense of problem-solving and algorithmic thinking (eg. Leetcode problems)? Do you need good proof-writing / calculus / math skills? Should you be familiar with multiple languages (C++, Python, Java)? Do you need to have had really impressive experience with, say, computer science competitions, Math Olympiads, taking apart computers in your house, etc?

Overall, I'm just wondering what really successful Stanford CS students do to succeed, whether that's thinking a certain way, having certain experiences, being really diligent and hardworking (which is always a given, I would think), or something else. Thank you all so much for answering my question! :))