Stanford University

Student Life

Stanford University was founded in 1891 by Leland and Jane Stanford with the mission to “promote the public welfare by exercising an influence on behalf of humanity and civilization.” Today, Stanford remains dedicated to finding solutions to modern challenges and to prepare students for leadership in today’s complex world. There are a wide variety of unique student organizations such as the Stanford Solar Car Project which designs, builds, and races a solar car every two years. An annual football competition, known as the “Big Game” brings the Stanford Cardinals face to face with their rivals over at California University which awards the much sought-after trophy – the Stanford Axe, to the victor. Stanford is well known for its theatrical and musical groups which includes the Ram’s Head Theatrical Society and Mendicants – an all-male a capella group. Whether in the library, in the classroom, in a laboratory, in a theater or on an athletic field, the pioneering spirit that inspired the founders to establish this university over a century ago encourages boldness in everything they do today.

Freshmen are required to live on campus. In fact, 91% of enrolled students live on campus leaving only 9% who seek housing elsewhere. Out-of-state students account for 54% of total enrollment with 7.2% being international students. The average age of students is 20 years with only 1% being aged 25 or older.

Greek Life

Fraternities and sororities have been part of Stanford University since the day it opened in 1891. Today, 13% of the undergraduate population take part in Greek life. There are 28 active Greek organizations which are formally recognized by the university and offer students a unique chance to be involved with a strong, continuous community over the course of their Stanford career.

Specialty Colleges and Programs

• Stanford Graduate School of Business – includes the two-year MBA, the 10-month Sloan Management Program, and the PhD program.
• School of Earth Science – focuses on the history and structure of the Earth, the physics and chemistry of earth materials, and more.
• School of Education – recognized as one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions.
• Stanford Engineering – modern science and engineering through teaching and research.
• School of Humanities and Sciences – music, math, political science, art and history, chemistry, and psychology.
• Stanford Law School – offers four one-year master’s degree programs and a doctoral degree.
• School of Medicine – a premier research-intensive medical school that improves health through leadership and collaborative discoveries and innovation in patient care, education, and research.

Location

Stanford is located in Santa Clara County in California and is adjacent to the city of Palo Alto which contains College Terrace – an all-residential neighborhood for students of Stanford University. One of the most popular landmarks in the city is The Dish – a radio telescope with a diameter measuring 150 feet, located in the Stanford foothills. Typical of the San Francisco Bay Area, Stanford has a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Nearby Palo Alto is home to numerous technology companies and research facilities including VMware, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Groupon, Skype, and Nokia to name only a few.

Useful Resources

Official Website – Stanford University
Best of the Web – Stanford University
Wikipedia – Stanford University