Stanford University

[viet]

Alright folks,

As promised, I make myself available in the next week or so to answer any question you have about Stanford University, or about any issue that I can provide some insights. I know that the deadline for Early Action to Stanford is approaching, and I guess not many of you are applying there early. So yeah, this is mainly for Regular Decision, for transfer, or for future application if you are too young for this annoying application process :D

Before you start asking any question, I would recommend you to visit Stanford Snapshot (http://www.vietabroader.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=1915) to get some basic information.

I expect questions about:
- application tips/advice/insights
- stories about the Wild Wild West
- what's fun over there
- why I fell in love with Stanford
- anything else under the sun

Alright, I'm excited to hear your questions. *Interesting* comments and *entertaining* posts are extremely welcomed here in this thread ;)

Việt

[viet]

hix, I feel so unpopular here ;) seem like no one cares about Stanford ;( Tú, what have you done? No one is interested in Stanford now hic hic...

Anyway, here the latest update about Stanford admission procedure:

Application review procedures for prospective freshman changing under new dean
BY RAY DELGADO


Applicants for undergraduate admission to Stanford will undergo a vastly different screening process than those who preceded them, courtesy of Rick Shaw, the new dean of admission and financial aid.

The criteria for judging applicants will remain the same, Shaw said, but the top-heavy evaluation system, in which the dean gives the ultimate stamp of approval to those who have been admitted, has been abandoned in favor of a committee-review system.

The system is used at most of the university's peer institutions, including Yale University, where Shaw most recently worked as dean of admissions and financial aid before coming to Stanford in September.

"The evaluation system is pretty much a paradigm shift," Shaw said. "It gives [admission officers] a firm professional involvement in the process and ownership. Their opinions and contributions to the process are valued and equal."

The change in the evaluation system is one of numerous initiatives and goals Shaw is planning. He is overseeing the implementation of a paperless evaluation system that encourages students to submit their applications online and that will use scanners to create electronic copies of any application materials received via mail. He is exploring a goal that President John Hennessy outlined earlier this year to implement a need-blind admissions policy for international students. He also plans to devote considerable resources to better outreach on a national level.

When Shaw arrived on campus, his staff was in the process of moving from the Old Union to new offices in the renovated Bakewell Building. (Robin Mamlet, Shaw's predecessor, officially stepped down from the position at the end of May.)

Although Shaw felt it was important to get a feel for the place, he wasted no time in implementing the new review system before the early-admission applications began to roll in. What hasn't changed is that, in both systems, one or two admission officers are assigned to a region of the country or world and review all of the applicants from that region within a pre-determined and often demanding time frame. This time around, however, admission officers can review the files on their computers instead of hauling paper files to and from home.

Under the old system, the applications of competitive candidates identified by admission officers would be forwarded to their supervisors for review and further whittling. The process was repeated up the chain of command until all cases ultimately would be reviewed by the dean.

In the new system, all 20,000 or so applicants have their cases reviewed at the committee level, although many who have been identified as noncompetitive candidates by the admission officer's initial screening are given only cursory glances.

Competitive candidates are reviewed and discussed at the committee level, with the admission officer from their territory often advocating for their admission. The committee then votes on whether to approve the candidate.

"A system like this helps strike out issues of bias," Shaw said. "Biases aren't allowed to creep in, but if they do, you can argue it. My goal is to always make the process transparent."

However, an initial approval is not a guarantee of admission. The new system is more likely than not to produce a higher number of approved candidates after the initial rounds of committee reviews are conducted, Shaw said. But another committee process will be employed to whittle down the "approved" candidates to a manageable class size by re-evaluating those applicants who received split votes or were on the margin.

More outreach efforts planned

Shaw also believes that Stanford is a "sleeping giant" on a national scale, and he has ambitious plans to extend outreach efforts so that the university can enroll an even higher number of the top candidates from across the country. The university does not do enough to represent itself to top high school students on the East Coast who are well informed of what opportunities Harvard, Princeton, Yale or MIT offer, he said.

"It's important to say that Stanford is not a state university," Shaw said. "It is a competitive environment. [The East Coast] is where the competition is, and we need to be cognizant of the competition."

Stanford must be a stronger presence at college recruitment fairs and use current students and alumni to help represent the university to prospective students, he said. Although he's been on campus only a little over two months, Shaw said he has been amazed to see the ways in which the university encourages undergraduates to explore their potential through research opportunities, seminars and programs like Freshman-Sophomore College.

"As I continue to discover the undergraduate experience, I see that there is an extraordinary opportunity for students to take advantage of an amazing undergraduate experience," Shaw said. "There is a willingness to push the boundaries of knowledge here, and it teaches students to think outside the box and to relate academic disciplines through each other."

The location also makes the university an attractive option to students who have grown up in cold-weather climates, he said.

"I'm just bowled over by the weather here," Shaw said. "Students need to know that there's sunshine 300 days out of the year out here. These are cool things that kids should be aware of. It's my role to get that information out there so that great 17-year-olds can make a good decision."

[NTV]

I do care about Stanford!!!

Em có vào trang web của Stanford và cũng biết thêm được chút thông tin về Stan. Anh có thể cho em biết là Stanford có scholarship ko, và điều kiện như thế nào?

Nếu may mắn được cho need-based financial aid, theo kinh nghiệm của anh thì có đủ sống ko ạ? Và nếu là sinh viên quốc tế thì chế độ làm việc ngoài giờ như thế nào? (legally?)

Và hi vọng anh ko nghĩ em nhiều "chiện", anh có thể brag some more about Business school of Stanford?

Thanks, Vân.

[testdasi]

Anh Viet, it looks like Harvard stole the limelight... Wait untill Mozilla + google kill IE... Then Bill Gates is gonna cry (without me getting my billion dollar :(()... And Stanford endowment is gonna go up and overtake Harvard... Then Stanford is gonna steal the limelight and another kid (who should have my kind of personality) will complain about that and try to talk other kids into not wasting their time and money applying to Stanford... And Brown is still gonna be poor... And I am using Opera... :))

[KP]

Stanford Snapshot:
http://www.vietabroader.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=1915

Stanfordians, any cool pix to share with prospective students? :D

[viet]

híc, cuối cùng thì cũng có em Vân quan tâm đến Stanford, mừng quá ;)


Anh có thể cho em biết là Stanford có scholarship ko, và điều kiện như thế nào?
- Cũng như các trường khác, Stanford có full financial aid. Theo anh biết, mỗi năm Stanford cho khoảng > 20 financial aid packages cho international students, trong đó khoảng > 10 FULL aid packages.
- Điều kiện thì cũng như nhưng trường khác thôi. Anh nhắc lại, những yếu tố quan trọng:
1) Academic - results from high school, top 5% in the school or so
2) Standardized Tests - SAT and TOEFL
3) Essays
4) Recommendation letters
5) Leadership/Service experience
6) Potential to grow and background



Nếu may mắn được cho need-based financial aid, theo kinh nghiệm của anh thì có đủ sống ko ạ? Và nếu là sinh viên quốc tế thì chế độ làm việc ngoài giờ như thế nào? (legally?)
- Stanford either rejects students or offer you with VERY GENEROUS aid packages. In average, students with full aid are required to contribute about 2000 USD/year by working on campus. Legally, you should not work more than 20 hrs/week - I THINK. But I never work that much! Just borrow money to spend first, then i work during short breaks to pay back. The pay is good here, from $10-12.5/hrs!
- I general, I do not advise people to work a lot during school time. Enjoy life, work hard, have fun, and work at the "right time!" Don't waste the precious college time working while your peers are playing in the field ;)


Và hi vọng anh ko nghĩ em nhiều "chiện", anh có thể brag some more about Business school of Stanford?
- Save Business School for later discussion ;) I'll introduce more about cool stuff at Stanford along the way!

Okie, waiting to see if there is a 2nd Stanford applicant!

Việt

[ohoneyoopshit]

I wish I could T.T but I didn't take enough SAT II :( I took 2 math test instead of math iic and another subject T_T

[jindo]

<ohoneyoopshit
I wish I could T.T but I didn&#39;t take enough SAT II 02.gif I took 2 math test instead of math iic and another subject T_T>
Does it mean you need 2 different subjects in SAT II to apply to Stanford (not Math IC AND Math IIC)????????? :-/ :-/ .

[ohoneyoopshit]

yep :D they stated that on the application instruction

[hlvietlong]

Poor you oopshit :D
@anh việt: Em muốn hỏi về major 1 chút ạ, giả sử sau này em muốn là advisor/counselor và làm việc cho IIE hay 1 tổ chức giáo dục nào đó thì em phải học major gì và Stanford có đáp ứng được yêu cầu của em ko ạ :D
Còn nữa là anh Việt có còn giữ app essay của anh ko ạ :D Anh gửi tổng cộng bao nhiêu essays cho Stanford ạ ? (cả required và supp)

[HiLine]

Anh Việt ơi,cho em hỏi tại sao anh lại chuyển ngành từ engineering sang economics ạ?
Ngoài ra :Stanford đã giúp được gì anh trong việc trở thành một con người nổi tiếng ạ ? (not j/k)
Cụ thể hơn:làm thế nào mà anh tổ chức được các chuyến từ thiện và các tổ chức các nhà lãnh đạo trẻ ASEAN,v.v... ạ ? :) Môi trường ở Stanford có thuận lợi như thế nào đối với các hoạt động ngoại khóa của anh ạ? (hơi khó trả lời,anh Việt cố gắng nhá :p)

[bee188]

anh Việt ơi, em cũng muốn hỏi anh 1 câu tương tự. ;)

tại sao anh lại apply cho Stanford mà ko phải là Princeton??? điều gì ở Stanford đã khiến cho anh quyết định chọn nó? có điểm gì đặc biệt ở Stanford mà khi đã trở thành SV Stanford rồi, anh nhận thấy và muốn chia sẻ với mọi người hả anh?

[viet]

hehe alright, I feel more popular today, thank you Khoa for pinning this post, and for everyone for your questions&#33;

For this post, a good news for some of you, especially ohoneyoopshit and jindo:
from Stanford Admission (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_2e4_standardizedtest.html)


SAT Subject Tests
We strongly recommend that students taking the new SAT also take two SAT Subject Tests. We recommend Math Level 2 as one of these tests; the other test can be in any subject of your choosing. For those students submitting scores only from the old SAT, we strongly recommend three SAT Subject Tests, one of which should be Math Level 2, or the former Math IIC.

These tests can often be helpful supplements to a student&#39;s testing profile.

Because the SAT Reasoning Test or ACT is a required part of our application and the SAT Subject Tests are not, we advise you to take either of those before taking the SAT Subject Tests.
==> My reading & comprehension skills tell me that SAT II are OPTIONAL, but of course you are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to take. However, if you are a VERY strong candidate but you can&#39;t take the SAT II at all for some reason, I DO NOT think that disqualify you from the application pool. The reason why we the international students SHOULD take SAT II is to prove our academic aptitude since they don&#39;t know how good we are with ĐTB of 8.5/10&#33;&#33;&#33;
==> So yeah, Math IC and Math IIC should be sufficient for your Stanford application. However, if you can, take one more, either History, Physics, Chem, or Liturature... The purpose of SAT II is to reflect your academic aptitude, and Math IC and Math IIC seem to serve the same function&#33;&#33;&#33;

@hlvietlong:

Em muốn hỏi về major 1 chút ạ, giả sử sau này em muốn là advisor/counselor và làm việc cho IIE hay 1 tổ chức giáo dục nào đó thì em phải học major gì và Stanford có đáp ứng được yêu cầu của em ko ạ
==> em học môn nào ở Stanford cũng được hết&#33; Anh không nói cho vui đâu&#33; Vì để làm việc cho IIE hay 1 tổ chức giáo dục ở VN, em chỉ cần hiểu về nền giào dục ở Mỹ, và học môn nào ở Stanford cũng giúp em hiểu chung chung về giáo dục. Hơn nữa, anh không nghĩ em nên limit future career options của mình sớm như vậy. Em chỉ cần nói là mơ ước của mình là để đóng góp cho giáo dục VN trong tương lai - "vì đàn em thân yêu&#33;" thế là nghe hay mùi mẩn lắm rồi ;) không cần phải nói cụ thể đâu. IIE and the like are EXAMPLES, not definite career options.

Yeah, that&#39;s about Stanford in general. Next one seems to be more personal&#33;

Take a break first,
Việt

[viet]

alright, a more personal post here.
@hlvietlong:

Còn nữa là anh Việt có còn giữ app essay của anh ko ạ Anh gửi tổng cộng bao nhiêu essays cho Stanford ạ ? (cả required và supp)
==> I still keep the essays, and may post here in a few days if that will be helpful. Just a warning, my writing has no flowery language, only a tinge of humor in the big essay. Everything is straightforward and well, sincere as some people commented.
==> I sent the minimum number of essays that Stanford required: 3 small paragraphs on 1) activity, 2) academics, and 3) a note to my roommate; and 1 long essay on the risk that I took. I didn&#39;t send any optional essay &#39;cos I didn&#39;t have any outstanding writing sample, nor any special situation to explain. The essays already covered EVERYTHING I wanted to convey: my favorite activity (soccer), my academic highlight (a research program), my personality (easy-going and can live with anyone), and my attitude in life (the long essay&#33;).

Personal Reflections:
Part I: Why Stanford???
Alright, there are some special stories here, and I&#39;m happy to share. I was 110% sure that I will be an engineer, and during that time, I was already admitted to Cambridge, together with Tien Anh, so yeah, I only planned to apply to a few Engineering colleges in the US. With limited research and effort, I didn&#39;t know about financial aid and such, and I was pretty serious about getting a scholarship from Singapore, so that, according to my idealistic view that time, to pay back the debt I owe the Singapore government for educating me before returning to Vietnam&#33;&#33;&#33;

So yeah, I applied to ENGINEERING schools&#33; MIT is too tough for students from Singapore, and I heard that people committed suicide over there, so MIT is out. Plus, a top student from my school, who got in both MIT and Stanford, went to Stanford the year before, so I thought Stanford must be fun&#33;&#33;&#33; I tried and got in Stanford, Penn, and Cornell.

After hearing that Khang got in Princeton, I thought Princeton had a lot of money to give everyone, so I cut and pasted my Stanford app, and for a few other essays for Princeton, I only wrote one line: "I really want to get the financial aid&#33;" Yeah, Princeton rejected me w/o a second thought&#33;

Harvard rejected me too&#33; As you know, I was extremely serious about engineering, so Harvard was a big dilemma. The name sounded very cool&#33; However, if I got there, my engineering dream wouldn&#39;t look too bright - from my view last time. (Khang and Tien Anh tried to correct my hardcore Engineering passion, but I refused to listen&#33;&#33;&#33;) So yeah, I didn&#39;t take it AS seriously compared to Stanford, submitting my Stanford essays without changing anything. Harvard encouraged interviews in Vietnam, but I didn&#39;t have any money left, and my interest was not strong enough for me to fly back. The biggest reason for my rejection was because Tiến Anh was a much stronger applicant that time. Tiến Anh was much better in English, in Standardized Tests, in academics, and in doing research (both in scientific research and knowledge about college application process). I was perhaps slightly stronger in service, sports, and some olympiads and contests - special thanks to my teammate Boon Leong in MIT now who helped our team to get many the Gold Medals in MENSA, Physics Quiz and many more...

So in short, Stanford was my very first choice mainly for Engineering reason, and also because I seriously considered Cambridge as an alternative, so no other place was as appealing.

*well, another interesting story about my not-applied-for-financial-aid and still got it eventually, but save that for another time.

Part II: What Stanford?
@HiLine: Why Engineering to Econ? Well, I was desperate to do Engineering NOT because I was passionate, but because I thought that was the ONLY thing I could do&#33; What else could I do with my decent math & science knowledge, with my little social sharpness and with no smile in my face&#33;&#33;&#33;
However, Stanford then nurtured me in every aspect; I was valued and appreciated, encouraged and inspired. One after another opportunity to lead and to learn from others at Stanford has boosted my confidence, and I&#39;ve changed a lot over the past 2-3 years. I did shared a bit about my leadership evolution, you can check out here. (http://www.vietabroader.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2112&st=30)

I was and has been interested in doing some good for the VN economy in the future, and my new found confidence allowed me to be my self.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost-
Yeah, perhaps I was inspired by Robert Frost&#39;s words, and took the path that most typical science students from Singapore did not. Indeed, that has made all the difference ;)

To sum up, I didn&#39;t achieve much before my Stanford career, nothing but some math and physics prizes in Singapore. (Oh, and -- Giải khuyến khích Toán lớp 5 và lớp 9 ở VN&#33;&#33;&#33;) So, I am very serious about my view that almost everything can be learned, for I&#39;ve learned so much at Stanford. So don&#39;t worry if you haven&#39;t done anything significant up to this point in time. You have plenty of time. My very first "significant" activity was to lead the medical team to Ninh Binh after my first year, and I was 20 then&#33;&#33;&#33; Most of you are much younger than that, so no worry&#33;

Dream big, do your best, and stay contented with your choices in life&#33;
Lastly, smile and you&#39;ll see its reflection,

Việt

[NTV]

Thanks anh Việt about the inspirational stories. I really hope to hear more about your life in Stanford, it&#39;s nice to see your passion for helping others.

By the way, I&#39;m trying to get the AP Scholar Recognition from College Board (if I can ace my AP Tests with a 4 or 5). Should I supply my college app with AP score? Does Stanford evaluate my academic load only by looking at my senior year&#39;s class or by looking at my transcript from 9th-12th grade?

Small reminder: you still owe me the story about Business in Stanford, please don&#39;t take your break too long.

Thanks, Vân.

[NTsquare]

haha, anh Viet cho em xen vao ti hen... EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MRS. ANNA TAKAHASHI, STANFORD ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS..

Q: To what extent does need factor influence the decision? Is Stanford
going to go need-blind for int&#39;l students soon?
A: Stanford has a need-aware admissions policy, which means if an international student request financial aid, it will become a consideration when evaluating the application. Every year, Stanford admits about 30 students with full-need financial aid package from the university. Because of limited funding, we can&#39;t accept all amazing applicants. We only admit applicants if we are sure that we can provide them with financial aid or they can come up with the fund themselves through family contributions, or other scholarships. We don&#39;t have a specific amount as to how much need would be considered "small" or "substancial", since it depends on family circumstances and many other factors. We do, however, meet 100% need of the admitted students. A student will need more than 40,000US&#036; to attend Stanford. If the family contributes 100US&#036;, then we will make up for the rest. If a student who can contribute 50,000US&#036; but still apply for financial aid should, however, be aware that the financial aid application will be a factor in consideration.

I don&#39;t have an exact timeline as to when Stanford will be need-blind. But becoming need-blind for international students is now one of the priorities for the university. President John Hennessy, in his last Stage of the University, mentioned that Stanford have been making major fund raising efforts in order to be need-blind.

Q: What are the most common mistakes int&#39;l students applying to Stanford make?
A: Usually they put too much values on test scores (SAT, TOEFL, IB). While test scores place keeps an important role and we do require them, we do not have a formula nor plug those numbers as for whom to be waitlisted, denied, or admitted. Test scores can be heloful in underestand the students&#39; abilities (such as quantitative or English ability). But, what is more important is that whether we can hear their voice. Transcript is important, as is a fluency in English. We should be able to know if the students can read and write in a rigorous academic or not. However, we are more interested in knowing how they might contribute to the university outside of the classroom, what they are passionate about, what they are interested in. We love to see diverse international students sharing their interesting stories with their friends, as a lot of the college experience takes place in the interaction between peers and in the conversations they make everyday. In reading students&#39; essays, we look for their language ability and also their experiences. We like to hear about their personalities, their characteristics, for example some may be very warm and genuine, while some may be very funny. Recommendations from teachers are important to show us the students&#39; academic presence. American education style is different. We look for students who are willing to disagree, to bring up a question, to voice their opinions, to raise a different way of application. Successful applicants are usually have a love of learning, a passion in the learning process, whether it&#39;s in Math, poetry, or American history. They interact by ideas and play with ideas. We do have entering students with a specific interest. But many students come to Stanford do not know what they are going to do. But once they choose something, they will make the best out of it with their passion and love.

Q: How does the process work exactly?
A: An application will not be read untiil all the required documents are received. We don&#39;t have a pre-screening. Once all materials are in place, we will give the applications to our first readers, depending on where the students go to school. For example, a student who go to school in Vietnam will have the application read by me; another going to the U.K. will have a different reader. When reading different pieces of the application, the first readers will write down any comments, what stands out or didn&#39;t stand out in the application. Then, a second reader will read the same application and add comments or questions. Finally, we bring all applications into the commitee, where we make final decision. We have a majority policy in the commitee as to make a decision. Our process ensures that we can read and determine all the subleties in the applications that computers cannot. The time for reading each application varies. Some may take longer time than others as they are complicated. Some may be very straightforward. For international students, it usually takes longer time as we consider the students&#39; different cultures and backgrounds. We don&#39;t have a quota at all for the application process. Out of 20,000 applications per year, we aim to admit 2,400 students in order to have a yield of 1,600 students for the new class. We don&#39;t have a quota of the applicants&#39; intended majors either.

[more to come...]

[wildrock1989]

hey anh Việt, in ur opinion, what is your *most* special characteristic that appeals to Stanford adcoms ;))

[viet]

Yo em Phương,
I guess I didn&#39;t have any *most special* characteristic, and didn&#39;t have anything special about me. Perhaps a few aspects that helped me to stand out were:
- my accomplishments in Maths and Physics
- my decent English standards
- VERY GOOD recommendations from teachers&#33; Somehow, I tend to get pretty powerful kind words from my teachers. Perhaps I was the typical "good boy" who worked hard and was really helpful to my peers.
- A little experience in service work, and strong commitment to my soccer team

If I were to pick one *most special characteristic*, I would pick my helpfulness to my peers. To be frank, I learned the most by explaining to others&#33; My friend Boon Leong was much smarter, but he explained so fast that no one could understand him haha, so yeah, my peers turned to me. As you know, in the Singapore system, as long as you practice past years exam papers well, you can get good grades. So the harder the questions, the more people asked me to explain, so in the end, I kinda learned by heart all the questions and answers from most of the previous exam questions&#33; I spent quite a lot of time helping out my schoolmates from various classes, and my teachers even recommended more people to see me. So yeah, in the end, the teachers wrote really nice things about me haha

Thanks to their questions, I mastered the concepts and did well for exams, and later, when I returned to teach in ACJC, the students there liked my teaching style too - since I knew all the *tricks* ;). A number of them paid me good money to tutor them at home. Thanks to that, I could afford my first trip to the US&#33;

Việt

[phamt]

Em định thi SAT 2 vào tháng 1. Mà Deadline của Stanford là Dec 1. Vậy em có thể gửi điểm SAT 2 để bổ túc lại hồ sơ vào cuối tháng 2 ko? (Vì khoảng cuối tháng 2 điểm mới đc mail đi). Thanks anh Việt và chị Tú

[viet]

Yo em T.,
Deadline của Stanford la Dec 15, con Dec 1st la recommended thoi. Vậy nên em chỉ cần post trước Dec 15 là được.

Trong website có nói:

You should arrange to have your test results sent to Stanford by the application deadline [...]
Please take note of test dates, registration deadlines, and our application deadlines. You should plan on registering at least one month before the desired testing date, and should expect the test results to take at least four weeks to reach Stanford. Rush reports are not necessary if you arrange for the testing agency to send us your scores by our application deadline.
Theo anh, em phải có scores gửi đến Stanford trể nhất là vào ngày Dec 15 - posting date. Nếu như em thi vào tháng 1 thì anh sợ là trể quá.
Trong brochure có nói ngày cuối cùng em có thể thi SAT là ngày nào không? Dù nói deadline la Dec 15, nhưng thường thường vào tháng 1 mới review.

Tú ơi, em ghé qua hỏi cô Anna thử ngày cuối cùng thi SAT là ngày nào được không?

Gluck em T.,

Việt

[NTsquare]

BY the deadline --&#62; diem phai gui den around deadline (around = 1-2 weeks extension). Nam ngoai em take SAT thang 12, gui diem van kip. Ngay thi la 9 hay 10 gi do, 2 tuan sau co diem (around deadline Dec. 15) --&#62; email bao cho truong de add vao profile. (con score report tat nhien la den sau).

Stanford Admissions FAQ:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_4c_faqs.html#sat

[NTsquare]

Only SAT Reasoning Test (SATI) and TOEFL are required:

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/...rdizedtest.html (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_4a_standardizedtest.html)

[melas]

anh Việt ah, B-) em có vào wa trang collegeboard search info về major của Stan,nhưng em ko thấy có Architecture anh ạ :-/ ? trong khi đó Yale,MIT,Princeton đều có,ngay cả Harvard trong site của trg` thi` có thấy ghi Archi related nhưng trên collegeboard thì ko? em nên tìm và dựa vào thông tin ở đâu đây @-)

[viet]

Yo em Linh,
Tiếc là Stanford không có 1 separate Architecture Department, nhưng Architecture Program ở Stanford thuộc về "Civil and Environmental Engineering Department," và được gọi là STANFORD ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROGRAM và DESIGN CONSTRUCTION INTEGRATION .

Em có thể xem thêm thông tin ở những địa chỉ sau:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/archdesign/

http://cee.stanford.edu/

Nếu em cần thêm thông tin gì thì cứ hỏi&#33;

Việt

[hlvietlong]

Bro Viet&#39;s stories was great, how about sis Tu&#39;s ? Why did you choose Stanford :D ?

[melas]

anh Việt à,thế nếu muốn apply vào đây thì cần có những test gì? và thủ tục có khác hơn những cái khác ko? BTW thxs for your helping ;)

[meomeo]

em thấy anh Việt và chi Tú có nói rõ ở phía trên, Linh nên đọc kỹ lại và vào website coi thêm

[viet]

hey guys,
College life is a new chapter of your life. Where you spend the next 4 years will be crucial in shaping the person you are for the rest of your life. I keep thinking whether I can write something cool, but definitely this piece is 1001 times better.
Enjoy,
Việt

&#39;You&#39;ve got to find what you love,&#39; Jobs says
Stanford University (http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html)

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I&#39;ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That&#39;s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents&#39; savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn&#39;t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn&#39;t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn&#39;t all romantic. I didn&#39;t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends&#39; rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn&#39;t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can&#39;t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can&#39;t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a &#036;2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn&#39;t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn&#39;t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I retuned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple&#39;s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I&#39;m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn&#39;t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don&#39;t lose faith. I&#39;m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You&#39;ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven&#39;t found it yet, keep looking. Don&#39;t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you&#39;ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don&#39;t settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you&#39;ll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I&#39;ll be dead soon is the most important tool I&#39;ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn&#39;t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor&#39;s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you&#39;d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I&#39;m fine now.

This was the closest I&#39;ve been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don&#39;t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life&#39;s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don&#39;t waste it living someone else&#39;s life. Don&#39;t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people&#39;s thinking. Don&#39;t let the noise of others&#39; opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960&#39;s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much.

[My_Nguyen]

Anh Viet a, o Stanfort co nhan hoc chuyen tiep tu Viet nam ko? Va dieu kien thi the nao? full financial aid cho sinh vien hoc chuyen tiep? Loi the gi thi minh duoc truong chap nhan?

[leminhduc]

anh viet cho em hoi ve cach verify incom hay aset o viet nam va thuong thi co bao nhieu thi tot. em dang dinh nho ngan hang lam thu tuc nhung chua ro lam
cam on nhieu

[leminhduc]

em quen, anh chi cho em hoi diem SÁT version moi chung khoang bao nhieu thi vua neu hoi xua form cu la 1400.

[NTsquare]

Originally posted by My_Nguyen@Nov 18 2005, 10:11 PM
Anh Viet a, o Stanfort co nhan hoc chuyen tiep tu Viet nam ko? Va dieu kien thi the nao? full financial aid cho sinh vien hoc chuyen tiep? Loi the gi thi minh duoc truong chap nhan?
@My_Nguyen: chuyen tiep tu truong dai hoc VN co the duoc xet la transfer students. Nhung muon sure nen email admissions hoi de xet case-by-case basis vi co the Stanford ko ro~ nhieu ve truong dai hoc cua ban.
Dieu kien thi cung lam application, essay, diem o dai hoc, diem SAT, TOEFL.

Criteria for transfer students:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/...ncriterial.html (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_3a_admincriterial.html)

Stanford will meet 100% need of all admitted students, i.e. including transfers.

More FAQs on Stanford Admissions:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/...afford_stanford (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_8_faqs.html#afford_stanford)

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Originally posted by leminhduc@Nov 19 2005, 05:24 AM
em quen, anh chi cho em hoi diem SÁT version moi chung khoang bao nhieu thi vua neu hoi xua form cu la 1400.
Like many other top schools, Stanford DOES NOT have any cut-off score. They look for all different pieces of the application and try to picture a real person, rather than number and transcript.

However, if you still insisit on knowing some numbers, here are some facts of the class of 09:
Applicants: 20,194
Admit rate: 12%
Matriculants: 1,630

Admitted Freshman Class: (Never be discouraged by those numbers&#33; SAT is just a tool for the admissions to know your competence in English and Math, not your intelligence, talents, or most importantly, your personalities.)
SATI Verbal: 71% 700-800; 25% 600-699; 4% 500-599; <1% <500

source: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/....html#transfers (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/extras/1_2a6_profile.html#transfers)

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Originally posted by hlvietlong@Nov 18 2005, 09:01 AM
Bro Viet&#39;s stories was great, how about sis Tu&#39;s ? Why did you choose Stanford :D ?
@Long: I started out choosing a bunch of liberal arts colleges and never thought of Stanford. All I assumed was it&#39;s an hi-tech engineering school, while I&#39;m a very fuzzy person. Plus, Stanford does not have a "Why Stanford" essay so I didn&#39;t spend much time reading its catalogue :)

The truth is I picked colleges "randomly", which doesn&#39;t necessarily apply to everyone. I looked for financial aid policy, popularity among VNese applicants (I didn&#39;t apply to any hot-spot school such as Bates :p), and maybe the attractiveness of their websites ^_^ Since quality among top schools (top 50-60s US News) is relatively similar, I decided to devote my time to working on my essays and SATs rather than asking around. My rationale was "if my application is good, then I&#39;ll have a month to choose which colleges and consider their characteristics and so on". Of course, there are some exceptions to 1-2 schools I was particularly interested in. (but that&#39;s not Stanford&#33;)

So if a generous financial aid policy was what I was looking for, why did I apply to Stanford? again, it was very random. After a while, my college list had only East Coast schools. I then added 1-2 California figures. That&#39;s how I met Stanford and luckily got admitted with financial aid =)

And this was exactly how Viet "lured" me to Stanford:
- (Q: Stanford co khong khi the nao?) haha em cu*&#39; den day roi biet. (&#33;&#33;&#33;)
- students with most happy life
- less academic-oriented (which is very much like me ^_^)
- best national psy department
- haha thoi anh di ngu nha (luc do la 6-7 hay 7-8h sang gi do, Viet moi di retreat ve&#33;&#33;&#33;)

what Viet didn&#39;t emphasize, which I found very cool now, was Stanford is a research university. Depending on your personalities and initiatives, you can be part of many kinds of research right from freshman year. There are numerous grants and fellowships for undergrad research, although they are all very competitive. And when I say research here, I don&#39;t mean working in a lab with books and professors only. There are anthropology, sociology, econ... research that need field work somewhere else outside of the university, or even the States, or maybe research which has service component.

This is what my professor told me, which is true to some extent: "A good liberal arts college will give you much better teaching experience. Stanford is a research university. If you don&#39;t take advantage of that, Stanford will really rip you off&#33;"

[NTsquare]

Some more about Stanford:
- We have a quarter system (fall, winter, spring). Each quarter is 10 week. Midterm/paper every two or three weeks. In general, classes have 2 midterms/papers and 1 final. This makes things go extremely fast. I feel like I haven&#39;t really done anything yet the quarter is over.
- Offering quite often lectures given by guests, famous people, key figures (recently, Dalai Lama, French Ambassador in the U.S., Former Indonesian Minister etc.)
- Freshman Sophomore College (FroSoCo), big-kept dorm secret: a small liberal arts college feeling in a research university ^_^
- Biggest campus in the U.S. so yeah, be prepared to bike and bike a lot here&#33;
- Football rival: Berkeley
- Nearest town: Palo Alto, which doesn&#39;t have much to see, but still enough decent places for pizza, Pho, Thai food, dessert...
- 30-45mins by train, 20-30 mins by car to San Francisco. 20-30 mins by car to San Jose.

....5 am...

[NTsquare]

Why Stanford?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showth...91&page=1&pp=20 (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=105291&page=1&pp=20)

[viet]

Why Stanford? My personal views
You may find the answers to this question elsewhere on the internet, but here I want to share a few aspects of Stanford that are particularly wonderful to ME. Some people may find other schools more matching and attractive, so these views are strictly subjective from my perspective.

1) The weather: To be honest, I didn&#39;t know Stanford was in California when I applied, and only found out much later. When I first heard that some people chose Stanford for its weather, I thought such people are silly, putting the weather before their academic goals. However, after spending 2 years there and especially cuddling myself NOW in many layers of clothes in the Oxford frosty weather, I truly appreciate CA weather. Even when you are stressed with homework or busy chatting online, you can look through your window to a vast green fields that occupied with peoply playing all kinds of sports THROUGHOUT the year. Yes&#33; Snow may be cool for a few days, but may prevent many from having fun and releasing stress with a few games of football or Frisbee. Finally, I enjoy Stanford location the most &#39;cos I study hard, have a lot of fun on campus, and spend the weekends elsewhere in the wilderness where I can go camping, hiking, ice-skating, mountain-climbing, rock-climbing, cross-country skiing - Yes, I did ALL of those stuff ;)

2) Friends, professors, and random people: Yeah, this may sound cheesy, but I really think the people I met over the past 2 year have changed my life, or at least 70% of the way I think and act. I guess there are kind and nice and cool people everywhere. However, the inspirational and fun friends I made, the brilliant and caring professors I had, and the cool and awesome random people I bump into everyday convince me that Stanford is my ideal home, and if I would not trade my experience here for anything else in this world.

3) Fellowship/Grant/Academic Program: So most of us come to college for educational purpose, and I do study hard at Stanford, though absolutely not as hard as I used to in Singapore. I was fortunate to get various fellowships, grants, and take part in exciting intellectual programs such as a psychology seminar on "Mating, Dating, and Friendship" and a Political Science seminar on "Globalization and America&#39;s economic Future," which then inspired me to learn more about economics. The Haas Summer Fellowship in the end of my freshman year, the research grant for my work at the World Bank this summer, and the Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Progam are opportunities that I would not have dreamt of if I went elsewhere. Such opportunities have enlightened me socially and intellectually, and I&#39;ve truly grateful.

4) Student groups: I came to Stanford with no experience in social work, no skill in organizing, and no confidence in working with others. Friends here are extremely supportive and willing to share their expertise. I gradually learned to follow, interact, and lead various groups, such as the Alternative Spring Break 1 week trip, the trip to Vietnam, the project in Vietnam. Perhaps the highlight should be the Southeast Asian Leadership Network, the group that my friends and I started at Stanford with support from many wonderful professionals who are our great friends now. SEALNet becomes a significant part of my life, and more than ever, I now believe that people become good friends especially through WORKING on something together, or spend sleepless nights to struggle over some problems.

Yeah, perhaps those are things that significantly affect my life at Stanford, and I am now have a strong bias for this institution. I then wish very much to have you share such wonderful experience. Stanford may not be the most popular name internationally, at least not yet. However, I believe with conviction that Stanford offers the MOST balanced education environment - a great balance between a research institution, a liberal art education, the No. 1 sport program in the US, and the amazing weather.

I end this post with a strong view which is not supported by any evidence. I think the quality time you spend on your application for A PARTICULAR COLLEGE SIGNIFICANTLY affects your chance of getting in. There are just too many students who are equally qualified, and the adcom have to rely on intuition to select eventually. So yeah, make sure that your application materials reflect how much time you put in, and how much you really want to attend the colleges you choose to apply.

Best wishes,
Viet

[ohmu]

What are the chances for transfer students?

[ohmu]

Sorry for double post.

I&#39;m currently a freshman in a colloge around top 50.

My GPA for this semester will probably range from 3.6-3.8.

I&#39;m also active in some extra curricular activies : MUN, Debate...

I took the SAT I ( the old one) last year. My score is 660 Verbal and 730 Math. I&#39;m planning to take the new SAT I and 2 SAT II subjects ( one is Math IIC as required and one may be about the language that I&#39;m currently learning at elementary level in my college) this coming Febuary.

My reasons for trasfering ( honestly) are:
- Money: I am paying a lot of money ( compared to my parents&#39; income)
- Economics department: the economics department in my school is not good.
- More grants/fellowships/researchs
- And may be the weather.

Do I stand any chance?

[viet]

Hey ohmu,
It&#39;s usually tougher for students transfer, and I start with the stat last year:source (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/extras/1_2a6_profile.html)

Applicants: 1282
Applicants Admit Rate: 4.5%
Matriculants: 50

SAT I Verbal Score:
700-800 => admission rate: 13%
600-699 => admission rate: 5%

SAT I Math Score:
700-800 => admission rate: 9%

Though it&#39;s tough, i knew one Vietnamese student got in Stanford after 2 years in Foot Hill college, a community college nearby. However, he didn&#39;t apply for financial aid. Applying for finance aid as a transfer candidate may be tough &#39;cos most of the funding of THAT class has been allocated to people who got in Stanford as freshmen. Another reason why it&#39;s tough to apply as transfer is because some of the applicants DID get in Stanford before, but chose to study elsewhere to save money and transfer 2 years later, so they have some advantage.

I just explain a few reasons why it&#39;s tough to apply as transfer students, but you definitely should do your best, &#39;cos when I applied, my profile was among the average Stanford applicants.

Lastly, if finance is a big factor on your decision to transfer, I would recommend you check out outstanding public schools such as Berkeley. Economics there is just as good as Stanford - in fact I don&#39;t see much differences at the undergrad level, and the expenses will be much lower.

Yeah, all the best and let me know if you want to know anything about Stanford life,

Việt

[tuanvinhtran]

Nghe anh Việt nói về weather thì công nhận ở CA sướng thật. Chỗ em cứ mùa đông thì thôi rồi trời toàn tuyết, ảm đảm, thầy cồ giáo cũng cho bài khó hơn, sinh viên lười học hơn. Sports thi vẫn chơi frisbee với soccer ngoài trời nhưng mà tình hình hơi bị lạnh. :D May mắn là term sau đi làm rồi, quay lại trường học term hè thích hơn. Thời tiết lại như CA. :D hehe

[viet]

hehe đúng vậy Vinh ạ&#33; Lâu ngày không gặp ;) Tại ở Anh mấy hôm nay lạnh quá, nên nhớ thời tiết ấm áp ở CA...

[My_Nguyen]

fin_aid cua anh Viet o Stanfort la bao nhieu the? hehe

[viet]

Financial aid của anh Việt năm 2005-006

Tuition: &#036;31,200
Room and Board: &#036;11,982
Books and Supplies: &#036;1,260
Personal/Miscellaneous: &#036;3,726
Transportation: &#036;1,030

Total Expenses: &#036;49,198

Parent Contribution: 0
Student Contribution: 0

Financial Aid: &#036;46,598
together with Overseas Study Grant (&#39;cos I&#39;m overseas for 3 months): &#036;1,000
Campus job contribution: &#036;1,600

Stanford may not have need-blind policy for international students yet, but when they offer aid package, it&#39;s extremely generous. And financial aid is excluding grant, fellowship, or award money.

[NTsquare]

Originally posted by viet@Nov 20 2005, 03:38 PM
However, I believe with conviction that Stanford offers the MOST balanced education environment - a great balance between a research institution, a liberal art education, the No. 1 sport program in the US, and the amazing weather.


I second this. My academic advisor lives right next door to my dorm. I can knock on his door whenever I want to talk to him. He even goes to our dining halls to eat with us. Then, my resident fellows live right downstairs. Students can chat with them and play with their kids. Pizza with Vice Provost every other week for a study break. Dean&#39;s Dinners with renowned faculties. Wonderful College Assistants, who are super-helpful, super-friendly, and of course super-resourceful upperclassmen. Right now is Thanksgiving break at Stanford. For the people staying, it means movies and cardboard games and cooking and fun every night until morning =)

Yo, that&#39;s FroSoCo - Freshmen Sophomore College&#33;&#33;&#33;

hmm @Viet: i&#39;m not sure about sport. but we lost big game this year...again =) our basketball also lost... and weather... well, it can be very nice in the morning with hot sunshine and blue clear sky...then it will drop to 9-10 deg. C at night. haha people are still cold here. but still, it&#39;s only California cold =)

[NTsquare]

Originally posted by viet@Nov 20 2005, 03:38 PM
I end this post with a strong view which is not supported by any evidence. I think the quality time you spend on your application for A PARTICULAR COLLEGE SIGNIFICANTLY affects your chance of getting in. There are just too many students who are equally qualified, and the adcom have to rely on intuition to select eventually. So yeah, make sure that your application materials reflect how much time you put in, and how much you really want to attend the colleges you choose to apply.


I agree. Just want to add: Don&#39;t be forced to express yourself in the application as someone who is not you, but someone you assume adcom will like. Most of the schools I applied to, although somewhat "random" at first, end up having a laid-back and happy student body, which is very much like me =)

[leminhduc]

chao chi Tu&#33;
em hien nay la hoc sinh lop 12D2 cung truong cap 3 voi chi. HOi do chi nho ai ghi Recommendation vay chi? khi minh nho thay viet thi nho hoc viet ngay tren common app hay tren mot to giay rieng vay chi, vi em dang dinh nho mot co day VAn viet nhung chac co khong ranh tien anh cho lam.
chi oi, khi apply vao nhieu truong em thay cac deadline nhu regular decision 15/12 tuc la minh phai hoan thanh tat ca cac ho so de gui truoc ngay do nhu common app, teacher evaluation ect... nhun neu cac standardized vao luc do chua co diem thi sao chi. nhu em thi sat vao thang 12 hay thang 1 minh co can viet mail toi de thong bao cho ho biet khong chi?

[NTsquare]

@Minh Duc: chi dua co My Lan (English), thay Sinh (chu nhiem), thay Han (Ly). Viet tren common app hay la mot seperate letter deu duoc. neu la seperate letter thi van nen kem common app, dien may cai info tren do. co day Van co the viet tieng anh hoac tieng Viet roi em dich ra, tuy thay co, co the se check lai ban dich cua em voi thay co day tieng Anh khac ^_^
Em vao thread rec. lettter de doc them ha&#33;

Deadline 15/12:
- Common app submitted online by 11:59pm on 15/12
- Teacher evaluations + supp. materials: should have sent at least two weeks by then. it can arrive late about 1 week, as long as you inform the school in advance, although it&#39;s not recommended.
- Standardized test: check with schools. Last year my december test was accepted but I&#39;m not sure about this year. If the test is say on 1/12, it&#39;s still acceptable since SAT score&#39;s available after 2 weeks. Email school to let them know your new score. I think it&#39;s ok. Official score report will arrive around the end of December, which is only 2 weeks after the deadline 15/12.

@All: Communicate with the schools you apply to. It helps with accurate information and showing your interest to adcom. Email them if you want to update anything important, for e.g. new test score, award or achievement. Don&#39;t ask too obvious questions. Be concise and specific with your problems.

[leminhduc]

chi Tu oi
em co email vao admission office cua may truong nhung deu ko co cau tra loi
Vay minh phai mail vao dau de lien lac duoc voi truong bay gio?

[NTsquare]

goi Internet phone =)

anyway, em can hoi Stanford Admissions cau gi, tuan sau het break chi goi len hoi thu xem =)

[nguyentrihung]

Cho em hỏi anh Việt có phải từng học ở Singapore, Victoria Jc may năm trứơc ko ạ. Tại ở đây em có nghe nói anh Việt giỏi lắm. Nếu đúng vậy thì xin đc nhận anh làm Sr nhé. Mong anh giúp đỡ Jr nhiều (cho em địa chỉ email để thỉnh thoảng còn hỏi han :) ). Còn nếu ko thì cũng cho em địa chỉ email luôn. Đa tạ đa tạ. Năm sau em apply Stanford first choice mà

[viet]

chào em Hùng,
Ừa, anh là ASEAN scholar. Nhưng cũng như Khang và Tiến Anh, bọn anh học ASC (I) rồi sau đó học ACJC, chỉ có một vài người học VJC thôi. Trong số đó, có Trâm đang học ở Illinois và Hà học ở Wesleyan.
Ở Stanford có học sinh từ RJ, sau đó là ACJC, rồi HCJC. VJ anh không nhớ người nào. Nếu em muốn chuẩn bị cho sang năm, chuẩn bị sớm và chủ động nhờ thầy cô sớm vì nhìn chung, thầy cô ở VJ ko nhiệt tình về US admission so với thầy cô ở AC.
work hard and hope to see you here next year&#33;
Viet

[nguyentrihung]

Có lẽ em nhầm. Some how I have the illusion that most of the best Vietnamese here comes from VJC.(Người sang bắt quàng làm họ chăng?). I know ACJC/ACS(I) seniors are great, but the college is no longer the favourite for the Vietnamese lot in my time. Not sure why. :-?
Cho em hỏi là nếu ko phải là sportman thì có bị ảnh hưởng cho application ko? Jack of all trade but master of none. :( Em focus nhiều hơn cho các club và society. Theo anh community service có cần thật nhiều ko ạ? Leadership và Comm service thì cái nào quan trọng hơn? Em biết là rất subjective nhưng anh có thể cho biet opinion của bản thân cũng đc.
Thầy cô ở Vj thì đúng là ko active lắm trong việc promote học sinh của mình cho US application nhưng mà cũng khá caring và helpful. Hi vọng tiếp bước đc các anh.

[viet]

@Hung:


Cho em hỏi là nếu ko phải là sportman thì có bị ảnh hưởng cho application ko? Jack of all trade but master of none. Em focus nhiều hơn cho các club và society.
==> not everyone in top colleges can play sports&#33; Do what you enjoy, and do them WELL&#33; I don&#39;t think many of us can claim that we can master anything, and I don&#39;t think I mastered anything during my time in JC or even now. Quality is more important than quantity, so as long as you demonstrate your commitment and valuable lessons learned through such clubs, you should be fine.


Theo anh community service có cần thật nhiều ko ạ? Leadership và Comm service thì cái nào quan trọng hơn? Em biết là rất subjective nhưng anh có thể cho biet opinion của bản thân cũng đc.
==> As you can guess, i can&#39;t prove a clear answer, and I don&#39;t think there is one right perspective. I would advise that we should not do things because such work may be valued MORE than others, &#39;cos we tend not to be commited and productive if we do things that are not appealing to us. So, community service, leadership, or leadership in community college, just dedicate to any that you find the most fulfilling, fun, and enriching. There is no way we can tell how much "community service" is sufficient, or how much "leadership experience" is enough.

All the best,
Viet

[nguyentrihung]

Thx Viet.
By the way, I have one more question. Sorry for asking so much questions but I dont know many seniors except for Batch 6 guys :( (They are bunch of cool and motivated people and I am sure they will join u next year - I&#39;m from batch 7 by the way), so this is a rare good chance for me to learn from u all.
Back to the question, are S papers considered AP? How about F math. Can u earn credits from A Level subjects? What is your experience on this? Moreover, will 3 S papers give u an advantage over those with only 2? In term of US admission as well as Singapore gov Scholarships? Because I am eligible to do 3 S papers next year but doing so may affect my CCA (EC) a little. Perhaps I am too greedy here. :stupid:

[viet]

@ Thang:

are S papers considered AP? How about F math.
==> No, S papers and F maths are NOT AP. However, adcom here know that S papers are more challenging than the regular ones.


Can u earn credits from A Level subjects?
==> Some colleges allow us to transfer credits from A level, others do not. Luckily Stanford does. However, such extra credits won&#39;t be useful at all&#33; well, perhaps the math courses except us from 1-2 calculus courses here, and that&#39;s it&#33; Dont be bothered about transfered credits and such for now.


Moreover, will 3 S papers give u an advantage over those with only 2? In term of US admission as well as Singapore gov Scholarships?
==> I don&#39;t see a big advantage in doing 3 S papers, unless you are very confident of getting all 3 Distinction WITHOUT much effort, &#39;cos the effort won&#39;t be worthy. 2 Distinctions are much better than 2 Distinctions and 1 Merit&#33; If you can take 3, and won&#39;t spend much time to prepare, then go ahead. Otherwise, I would suggest you spare those few hours every week to help out your fellow friends who struggle with their preparations and to have some fun.

And again, quality is more important than quantity. Khoa wrote an excellent piece about this somewhere, so yeah, don&#39;t spend too much time on random activities that you don&#39;t enjoy. Instead, pick a few and give your fullest commitment.

Gluck&#33;
Viet

[nguyentrihung]

@ Viet
Wow, very comprehensive Viet. Thanks loads. But I guess I will continue with 3 S papers anyway. worth giving it a try since u dun have so many chances in life. My passion lies in academic activities anyway. Not that I dun like EC but somehow i find studying more fulfilling. But trying to never be a nerd, ever. And I do spend a lot of time helping my friends with their study. Perhaps that&#39;s the trait of all Vietnamese scholars in spore, helpful. Sorry once again for being long winded here
One more thing, in the future (cos I am not really ready yet), can i send u my profile + personal essays to judge my chance of being admitted to stanford, viet? cant thank u enuf.
Hùng

[viet]

double posting hehe ;)

[viet]

all the best, and I&#39;ll be happy to help out in the future.
Việt

[nhqtrang]

Anh Viet va chi Tu oi&#33;&#33;&#33; Giup em voi&#33;&#33;&#33; Em dang apply cho Stanford va muon request application fee waiver, co duoc khong? Sao Stanford noi la phai follow the College Board guidelines, fee waiver for College Board is only for American students&#33;? Did you apply for fee waiver?
One more thing, who can I email to if I have questions? I mailed the admissions office but always got an automated reply.
Cam on anh va chi nhieu lam&#33;

[NTsquare]

Fee waiver: kem mot fee waiver letter from counselor/form teacher and check the using fee waiver box in form 1 (or smt similar to that)

Yup, Stanford admissions receive tons of emails from applicants so they have to use automated reply. But they will ultimately reply, maybe in one or two weeks, depending on the time of the year. Now things are pretty busy as they have to finalize the early action round.
If you have any question, just post it here (or pm me) and I&#39;ll try to answer it or call the Admissions Office to get the answer.

Best&#33;

[mulanshu]

Dear Viet and Tu,
I am thinking about transferring to Stanford (or rather, applying to transfer :) ) and I have some questions regarding the quality of life there.
1. How are the students (nerdy, friendly, individual, fashionable…)? Do they always study or also spend time for extra-activities (clubs, organizations, games...)? Do Stanford students throw a lot of parties during weekends?
2. How are the professors? Are they reachable after class? What is your general opinion of their teaching and communication skills?
3. How is the town? Are there many events going on around campus?
Thanks a lot,
Hien

[mulanshu]

Hey, I just read the part about how balanced Stanford&#39;s academic program is so please disregard my first question. Sorry about that :) &#33;

[NTsquare]

Originally posted by mulanshu@Dec 8 2005, 03:16 PM
Dear Viet and Tu,
I am thinking about transferring to Stanford (or rather, applying to transfer :) ) and I have some questions regarding the quality of life there.
1. How are the students (nerdy, friendly, individual, fashionable…)? Do they always study or also spend time for extra-activities (clubs, organizations, games...)? Do Stanford students throw a lot of parties during weekends?
2. How are the professors? Are they reachable after class? What is your general opinion of their teaching and communication skills?
3. How is the town? Are there many events going on around campus?
Thanks a lot,
Hien
hi Hien,

1. students here are cool and friendly AND they always have something to do besides classwork: work in a lab, volunteer, organize something, plan a summer research project somewhere in the world... I&#39;ve never visited other schools so I don&#39;t know but you can never get lost here, as there is always smo super-friendly coming to help you. As many other schools here, there are lots of parties in weekend, which I don&#39;t know much unfortunately. But parties in my dorm only involve music, dance, and some fun games. And we do procrastinate a lot =)

2. I can&#39;t say all professors are good. but in general, we have the best people here. they are quite open and approachable to undergrads. just make an extra effort to see them as they usually have a lot of stuff to do, or hve lunch/coffee with them (not all of them can, but some are happy to do that). And you don&#39;t have to be in their class to make an appointment or go to their office hours.

3. Palo Alto is a small town with a theater and some dining places. San Francisco is one of America Greatest Cities. San Jose is where you can find VNese/Asian food. Come and explore&#33;

Note: Are you in the U.S. now?

[mulanshu]

Hi Tu,
Thanks for the quick response. Yes, I am in DC right now so if you want to visit the capital someday, I&#39;ll be more than happy to welcome you to my place.
The 2 things about a university that I am most concerned are the students and the professors.
My current school is a good one but I don&#39;t like the general type of students I often run across on campus. They are very fashionable and chic and outgoing and all that, anything but studious. I often feel the campus is superficial and not intellectual enough. There is also a lack of unity here, probably because the school is located in the centre of the city. People tend to mind their own business and don’t really care how others are doing. Additionally, many of my professors are excellent intellectual but sadly not great communicator. They fail to make the classes engaging despite my initial interest in the subject. In general, I can’t really say I’m happy here.
Anyways, I have questions about the curriculum at Stanford. Are there a lot of requirements that you have to fulfill or is the school rather liberal? Is each student assigned an academic advisor or something like that?
Thanks in advance&#33;

[NTsquare]

Yes, freshmen/transfers are assigned an academic advisor and a peer mentor. When declaring major, students have to get another advisor from the department they major in.

Requirements:
- Introductions to Humanities IHUM (sefl-explanatory ^_^): required for all freshmen, humanities topics (philosophy, arts, literature, citizenship, etc.). everybody has to take IHUM in all 3 quarters of freshman year. But transfers are normally exempted from this requirement.
- Program in Writing and Rhetoric PWR: basically a writing class. PWR1: one quarter in freshman year. PWR2: sophomore year, more emphasis on oral presentation. Transfers also have to take these classes.
- General Education Req.: everyone has to take at least one class in Humanities, Social Sciences, Math-Applied Sciences, Natural Sciences, Education for Citizenship. They change GER requirements every year so you may want to check back later. But normally, all the classes you take for your major and/or just for pure interest can satisfy GER.
- Major: it depends on which major. Engineering requires a lot of units and of course, careful planning ^_^. Social sciences usually need 75-90 units (History: only 50 something&#33;) Minor maybe 30-35 units. Co-term: 45 units in graduate courses. Double majors or major and minor can&#39;t double count the credits.
- max. units per quarter: 20 (we hve 3 quarters in total per year).
- for more accurate info: registrar.stanford.edu

[mulanshu]

Tu,
So how many credits is one class? I looked on the registrar website but it didn&#39;t say.
Aww, I barely survive my english class here...seems like I may have to take eng courses again if I transfer (depressing&#33;).
Anyhow, so far, what do you like most about Stanford? Is there anything you don&#39;t like about it as well?
Btw, I&#39;m a lhper too&#33; :D

[NTsquare]

1-5 units/class.

anything I don&#39;t like? hmm so many distractions during dead week (bfr final) =) final final -_-

[mulanshu]

Umh, is there a minimum of credit/unit per quarter that you have to take?
Is your current workload heavy or reasonable, especially during this time of the year when finals are coming soon? Are the professors easy-graders or it requires serious efforts to get an A?
About students&#39; life at Stanford, how is the dining hall? We don&#39;t have a dining hall but a food court and the food really sucks so I am just wondering if Stanford students are enjoying their dining hall.
Thanks for answering thoroughly my questions :) &#33;

[NTsquare]

minimum: 12. max: 20 (21 if there&#39;s one activity class)

of course, there&#39;s no easy A and I believe all classes do require "serious effort" no matter how =) but I really don&#39;t know bcs I haven&#39;t received my first-quarter grades yet [sigh]. perharps Viet can answer this question better. Anyway, take classes you like --&#62; enjoy class reading/lecture/homework/paper... --&#62; grades will be secondary.

Dining hallS here are good. Asian food everyday. yummy I had xa xiu, banh bao, chao ga yesterday :p lots of dessert. food is decent but service is great. There&#39;re also Subway, Jamba Juice, Pizza, Restaurant on campus. Ah, and 3 Late Night Dining halls from 9pm-1am&#33;&#33;&#33;

[mulanshu]

It&#39;s great to know Stanford has good dining hall. Food is vital to my success&#33; :p . Umh, it&#39;s also amazing that although Stanford students take 4 classes a quarter, they still have time for other activities.

Anyway, take classes you like --&#62; enjoy class reading/lecture/homework/paper... --&#62; grades will be secondary.
I agree with you though not totally.
I&#39;ve heard some rumors that top schools always give out easy A. Personally, I think it may look good on resume but it discourages students to really try to do their best. If a good grade is harder to get, then it&#39;s so much more satisfying to receive an A (which, in turn, urges me to continue the good work). Additionally, it&#39;s unfair for students from other schools (like me&#33;) when it&#39;s time for getting a job: top school students have the name and also a better looking GPA. Just my 2 cent :D&#33;

Thanks a lot Tu :-). When I start my app, I may have more questions for you.

[lihelo]

I&#39;m applying for Stanford and intend to major in communication. How is communication in Stanford : 1. Compared to other majors of the school.
2. Compared to communication at other colleges?
:D:D:D thx anh viet chi tu or whoever ^____^ &#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

[viet]

YO hilelo,
communication is decent at stanford, but definitely not among the top 5 most popular majors. i am not sure how communication at stanford compared to other colleges, but i know many of them in the program tend to major in other things such as english, history, econ, ... and minor or double major in communication. so yeah, do not feel so strongly about communication major at least for now, cos i know so many ppl at stanford change their major after a few months.

yo mulansu,
grade inflation is common at a few colleges, such as princeton IN THE PAST and harvard where the percentage of students getting A is pretty high, up to 50 percent or more for a lot of courses i think. TIEN ANH and KHANG can verify this information. at stanford, for most courses, 30-35% of the students get A and A-, about 50% get B+, B, and B-, and the rest get C, and a few really lazy folks get D. Getting A is not easy at all, and getting C is not common too. For most students, A, A-, B+, and B are the common grades, and all my grades so far span that range. there are a few classes that i worked little but still get As, such as math, and other courses that i strived so hard still get B or B+ such as computer science. overall, as long as we get about B+ or A- overall, i.e. GPA about 3.3 or 3.5 and above, we tend to be qualified for almost anything. the rest depends on our work experience, communication skills, research ability, leadership and such...

gluck,
viet

[Lugia]

I really love computer and want to major in it. Can you tell more about Computer Science department? :) If possible, can you please help me or introduce anybody from CS department to me? I want to ask someone for his/her expericence and opinion about pieces of software I created.

[khang]

On grade inflation, check out official information at www.gradeinflation.com (not .net or .org heh)

Extracted from the same website:
Some schools (alphabetically) and trends in average GPA over the years

Brown 3.34 (84) -- 3.47 (99)
Columbia 3.22 (82) -- 3.36 (01)
Dartmouth 3.06 (75) -- 3.33 (01)
Harvard 3.17 (85) -- 3.39 (01)
UPenn 3.16 (93) -- 3.32 (01)
Princeton 2.99 (71) -- 3.40 (01)
Stanford 3.04 (68) -- 3.44 (92)

[viet]

yay, Princeton is the first to officially combat grade inflation.

From USA (http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2004-04-26-princeton-grades_x.htm) Today

Under the guidelines, which go into effect in the fall for Princeton&#39;s 4,600 undergraduates, faculty are expected to restrict the number of A&#39;s to 35% in undergraduate courses. For junior and senior independent work, the percentage receiving A&#39;s will be capped at 55%.
A&#39;s have been awarded 46% of the time in recent years at Princeton, up from 31% in the mid-1970s. Since 1998, the New Jersey school has encouraged its faculty to crack down, but grades continued to rise. Finally, Princeton administrators decided that the only solution was to ration top grades.
At other Ivy League schools, the percentages of A grades in undergraduates courses ranges from 44% to 55%, according to Princeton&#39;s Web site. At Harvard University, 91% of seniors graduated with some kind of honors in 2001

hehe here and see like all the schools have some kind of inflations:
WIKI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University#Grade_inflation)
The high percentage of honors awarded prior to 2005 raised concerns. Harvard conferred honors upon about 90% of its graduating seniors, although summa cum laude still accounted for less than 4%. These accusations prompted reforms in grading and honors determinations. In June 2005, less than 60% of the class graduated with honors, a 50% reduction from 2004, and more in line with comparable Ivy League institutions such as Yale and Princeton. In addition, it has been accused of grade inflation, like other Ivy League institutions and Stanford University.

[viet]

@Viet Anh: CS is definitely one of the departments that Stanford is known for, other than physcis, bio, chem, psy, econ, and political science. I think the most popular majors at Stanford are Human Biology, Econ, International Relation, Political Science, and CS. CS Department website is http://www-cs.stanford.edu/

Many people say that students with the highest IQ at Stanford are CS, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering majors.

A few reasons why Stanford CS may be attractive:
- Your lecturers may be the top researchers at Google.
- Your classmates may be the person who wrote FireFox.
- Your CS friends may start the like of Google and Yahoo tomorrow.
- CS Departments have the best lecture halls with comfortable chairs and high-tech facilities.

Yeah, and of course you can change your mind and decide to pursue hmmm Feminist Study or Comparative Literature later on&#33;
All the best,
Viet

[anhduff]

Regarding Grade Inflation:
Well I can verify that it is not that hard to get a B or B+ in Harvard, but it is sure as hell not easy to get an A or even A-, so I think the national media "raising concerns" is a bit of an exaggeration. Moreover, if you have a class with 8 persons, all of whom worked hard, is it not justified in giving them A and A- grades if they all deserve?
In fact, I have talked to people who graduated from other schools who transferred to Harvard, or goes to Harvard for Graduate School, just to see how different are the programs:
This is what they say:
- "The normal week in Harvard is like the final week in UCLA "- Political Science Transfer
- "Harvard is definitely more demanding in many ways, homework, exams, grades, although after graduating you kinda learn the same thing and are equally qualified" - Comparing Harvard and Stanford Math programs.

So it&#39;s hard to make statement about such thing as hardness or grade inflation without actually experiencing them first hand. I would urge everyone to talk to people who go to the school and verify with many sources before trusting the media. Also differentiate "grade inflation" with "giving away too many honor degrees" - you can get a pretty average GPA but still can get some kind of honor some times, depending on the honor award system of the school. For example, in Harvard, there are two types of honor degree: the latin-named ones: cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude, and then the English-named ones : with honor, with higher honor, and with highest honor. To get the latin degree, the student has to be approved by the whole faculty of arts and science. To get the english-degree, they just need to be awarded by their department for the work they did in their major, and your GPA does not have to be stellar to get that. So it explains why Harvard seems to be giving away too many degrees before 2005. Certainly I do believe that it is still pretty ridiculous to have a majority of the graduating class receiving some kind of honors, even now after they try to reduce it to 60%, but it can be a very separate issue from grade inflation per se.

Lastly, I quote from Wikipedia&#39;s article about Grade Inflation, though by no means Wikipedia is an authoritative source:
"It is widely claimed that disproportionately high grades are being given out, at least in the United States. But even these moderate claims are difficult to substantiate, often based on the self-reporting of a self-selected segment of the population. Some more thorough investigations have shown the opposite. Clifford Adelman, a senior research analyst with the U.S. Department of Education, reviewed official transcripts and found "grades actually declined slightly in the last two decades."

Best,

[Pygmalion]

Yeah &#33;&#33;&#33; I am fully in favour of bro TA&#39;s point. Don&#39;t put too much trust on the media, even Wikipedia- a frequently visited site of students. At the moment , critics are raising concerns about the wisdom of Wiki when some well-known people detect that thier personal information is printed wrongly. I now don&#39;t remember exactly but in American , viewers can write on Wiki ( of course they will be verified by experts). But the newspaper says exactly what bro TA has said: Don&#39;t believe too much in the accuracy of media. :)
( Sory if my post has disgressed from the main point of this thread :) ).

[viet]

hehe dont worry, digression is common and necessary in college&#33;
yeah, as Tien Anh said and I agree that its ridiculous to cap grade by quota - cos even when the entire class of 200 works hard, about 20 percent or 40 students will get C and below... hmm...

in short, prospective candidates should not care about grade inflation.
viet

[danthibachdiep]

Nghe nói Toefl ko có cần ở Stanford, nếu có thì tốt, ko thì thôi, chỉ lấy ACT , SAT 1, 2 là đủ rồi. Mới nộp xong, ko biết sao nữa. Anh, em nào ở Stanford, coi xem em có đậu ko ??

[danthibachdiep]

Nghe nói Toefl ko có cần ở Stanford, nếu có thì tốt, ko thì thôi, chỉ lấy ACT , SAT 1, 2 là đủ rồi. Mới nộp xong, ko biết sao nữa. Anh, em nào ở Stanford, coi xem em có đậu ko ??

[viet]

ua, nếu điểm SAT Verbal và writing khoảng > 600, anh nghĩ Stanford ko quan tâm đến TOEFL. Nhưng em nên hỏi cho chắc.
Có ai vào Stanford thì báo cáo nhé...
Warmly,
Việt

[danthibachdiep]

Không tại hồi trước em lên trang của Stanford coi, thì Toefl họ nói là ko cần, có càng tốt. Họ nói thế, em biết đâu

[hieu999000]

Anh VIệt ui cho em hỏi :
-Apply vào Stanford cho financial aid thì nên ED hay EA hay RD ạ? :-/

[jasminenguyen]

Hi anh Việt,
Hình như lúc đầu anh có định post bài esay của anh lên phải không ? Em chờ hoài mà chưa thấy, hì hì :p

[Rhapsody]

Chừng nào anh Việt chị Tú mới post hình lên đây. Em đợi mờ cả mắt mà chưa thấy đó nha.
So warmly.(nhái theo anh Việt một tí)

Happy New Year.

[viet]

@Thanh Minh: theo anh, apply Stanford for financial aid thì nên apply RD, vì Stanford vẫn chưa đủ tiền để cho international students need-blind, nên tốt nhất là apply RD khi trường đã biết rõ hơn về funding của khóa học.

[viet]

@Anh Tú: Here my plain and simple essays with minimal flowery language...

Short essays:

Of the Activities, Interests and experiences listed previously, which is the most meaningful to you and why?
Only when I came to Singapore four years ago did I start to play sports. I played soccer in secondary school and joined my college’s soccer team when I entered college. Soccer has helped me become an all-rounder, who excels in my academics as well as in sports and eventually I received the Principal&#39;s Honour Roll Award for my achievements and contributions for the college. I started to realise my potential and talent in sports as I started to participate in numerous competitions and to my surprise, won many medals. I have learnt the importance of teamwork and discipline via training, the secrets that helped my team win many tournaments. I was also voted in as a committee of the club and was given many opportunities to develop my leadership qualities. I have learnt to communicate and lead people from different backgrounds while in charge of my team. More importantly, through soccer, I have made many true friends who are steadfast and who have made my life more meaningful and enjoyable. Playing sports and soccer in particular has made my life more eventful and fulfilling.

Sharing intellectual interests is an important aspect of university life. Describe an experience or idea that you find intellectually exciting and explain why.
In 2001, I was selected by the National University of Singapore to do research with a professor on the topic of semiconductor; my project was entitled ‘Electronic Properties of Semiconductor CuAlO2‘. I really enjoyed exploring new ideas and applications of semiconductor materials to industry. Nowadays, materials with good optical transparency and high conductivity are in great demand in electronic device applications such as ultraviolet diodes. Unfortunately, although n-type transparent semiconductors such as ZnO, SnO2, and Indium tin oxide are well developed, only very limited p-type transparent semiconductors have been reported, and the conductivity of these is far below that of n-type semiconductors. Therefore, good quality transparent p-type semiconductors are crucial to the successful applications of transparent p-n junction based devices. Recently, stable p-type CuAlO2 thin films have been fabricated using plasma-enhanced metal-organic chemical vapour deposition. The conductivity of the CuAlO2 thin film was found about two orders of magnitude higher than those obtained before. This is only one or two orders of magnitude lower than that of the best n-type transparent film. This success may be an indication that the promise of transparent devices composed of p-n junctions can be fulfilled in the near future. Hence, I find this research area very exciting and hope to have the opportunity to do further research on this topic to contribute to the world industry of electronic devices.

Relate a personal experience that reveals something about you to your future college roommate.
I have left my village since I was eleven to study in towns and cities in Vietnam and have left my country for Singapore to study under a scholarship program. From an early age, I have been staying in boarding school and in strangers’ houses and honestly, I have never seriously disagreed with anyone&#33; Some of my roommates were Asians, others not; some were poor, others rich; some were quiet, others noisy; some were nice, others nasty; some are religious, others atheistic. However, I have managed to live peacefully with all of them. I have faith in people’s virtues and believe everyone can be reasonable if we treat them with respect and understanding. Once that I realised that we misunderstand each other or had opposing views about some common issues such as being messy, turning music too loud or staying up too late, I always initiated discussions where both of us were in a good mood. By listening to their views and respecting their opinions, I managed to settle all the misunderstandings we had and lived in harmony with everyone. Hence, I believe I can live happily and have fun with different types of people, obviously including my future roommate&#33;


Long essay:
People cannot succeed without taking risks. By taking challenges, people develop their self-confidence, faith in their own potential and the courage to succeed. My life has been very eventful with countless changes and challenges, from a child in a small village to a pupil in a town nearby, from a student in a small city to a scholar in Danang City. However, the most significant change, the greatest risk I have ever taken, was my acceptance of the scholarship to further my education in Singapore; my acceptance to confront my own fear of a new education system, a new environment with a completely new culture.

In 1998, I was awarded the scholarship by the Singapore government to study abroad, a precious chance for me to broaden my horizons and to make my dreams come true. Going abroad to study was a source of pride for me. I have always had a dream of exploring new horizons. It was a moment of pride for my parents who did not even complete their secondary school education and a pride for my village, the place where nobody has ever had his education abroad. However, apart from all these honours there lay numerous worries and fears concerning my future.

The fear of difficulties I would face in learning a new language was looming. I went to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, to take the test and it was the first time I talked to a foreigner. The interviewer asked,’ Are you hardworking?’ I did not know the meaning of ‘hardworking’ at that time and did not even know how to phrase my answer; I blushed. The thought of studying in a country where everyone spoke a language that I could not understand sent shivers down my spine. However, I was not deterred. I knew that Singapore provided a holistic education with breath and depth, an education through which I could develop my full potential in both studies and sports. Furthermore, Singapore has an English-speaking environment, a great opportunity for me to learn a new language and from which to further my education in a prestigious university in the United States. I took the challenge.

Before accepting the scholarship, I had to overcome my fear of an unforeseeable future with eerie notions heard from many old village tales. It was a rumour in my villager that people from other countries would lure away talent from our own country. It was believed that if the scholars wanted to return to Vietnam, they would be killed. I felt shivers again. I scrutinised the scholarship offer and my fear escalated. There was no bond attached to the scholarship. ‘Why would people give me the scholarship for free?’ I wondered. I did not realise that the Singapore government had a strategy to attract foreign talents. In my village, I had no one to consult; I had no Internet to use for information. I was suspicious of the offer. However, after careful consideration, I accepted the scholarship. I thought to myself, ‘No venture, no gain.’

I had conquered my fear and suspicion after considering my goals in life; going abroad was a stepping-stone for me to achieve my ultimate aims in life and to make my dreams come true. It has always been my dream to go abroad to a developed country and continue my education there. After my studies, I hoped to return to serve Vietnam, which lacks expertise and qualified personnel in engineering. My ultimate goal is to lower the present unemployment rate in Vietnam by creating jobs for the people. That ambition cannot be achieved if I shirk from challenges and difficulties, afraid to overcome predicaments in life.

Eventually, I decided to take the scholarship, to seize the chance by converting that greatest risk to the most precious opportunity for me to equip myself with a holistic education overseas. By overcoming those fears and worries, I have made the right choice and am one step closer to my goal in life. The next step is to apply for a place in a prestigious university such as Stanford to continue my education. I have this time, started to achieve my dream, by choosing to write this essay, I am confident that this risk will be worth all the effort.

[Nhat An]

Em đang là học sinh lớp 12, tiếc là đến năm nay em mới biết về các trường đại học ở Mỹ nên không kịp chuẩn bị để đăng ký nhập học nữa . Em rất muốn có được cơ hội vào năm sau, khi đang học năm I đại học. Lúc đó, em sẽ chuẩn bị cho thi SAT,...kỹ hơn.
Em muốn hỏi các anh chị là đăng ký nhập học khi không là học sinh phổ thông nữa có gì khó hơn không ?,nhất là về thư giới thiệu của các thầy cô và thành tích học tập không biết có còn phải có thêm năm đầu đại học ?
Em cũng đã hỏi một số trường ,họ nói là hoàn toàn được nhưng chỉ có vậy thôi. Em rất muốn biết ý kiến của các anh chị.
:) :)

[wildrock1989]

ơ cái vụ ĐH này thì tớ chịu =_= nhưng mà sao lại vào đây hỏi

anh việt viết nghe chân fương + straightforward nhưng đọc không bị nhàm, vẫn thấy hay quá :x =D>.

Bây giờ đợi chị Tú + ảnh chơi bời bên STF ạ ^_^

[jasminenguyen]

Cám ơn anh Việt đã share với mọi người esays của anh. Bài long esay, theo em, quả thật là chân thật nhưng lại cũng hấp dẫn người đọc theo cách riêng :) Ngôi làng ở Đà Nẵng và những chi tiết về cậu bé 11 tuổi lần đầu đi interview, nỗi sợ hãi, những tin đồn về người đi du học bị giết nếu muốn trở về VN, và câu nói "no venture, no gain" để dấn thân vào một cuộc đời mới là những chi tiết đắt giá :D <sogi em học chiên văn lúc ở vn nên quen ...phân tích esay rùi :) >

yup, no flowery language iz founded and the honesty iz what gained our heartz <or at least mine lolz :D - hehe phải chú thích là mình trong sáng không thì bị fan của anh việt uýnh mất- mọi người ơi em trong sáng nhé -lolz>

[jasminenguyen]

Cám ơn anh Việt đã share với mọi người esays của anh. Bài long esay, theo em, quả thật là chân thật nhưng lại cũng hấp dẫn người đọc theo cách riêng :) Ngôi làng ở Đà Nẵng và những chi tiết về cậu bé 11 tuổi lần đầu đi interview, nỗi sợ hãi, những tin đồn về người đi du học bị giết nếu muốn trở về VN, và câu nói "no venture, no gain" để dấn thân vào một cuộc đời mới là những chi tiết đắt giá :D <sogi em học chiên văn lúc ở vn nên quen ...phân tích esay rùi :) >

yup, no flowery language iz founded and the honesty iz what gained our heartz <or at least mine lolz :D - hehe phải chú thích là mình trong sáng không thì bị fan của anh việt uýnh mất- mọi người ơi em trong sáng nhé -lolz>

[viet]

ha ha cảm ơn em Tú đã "phân tích và phát biểu cảm nghĩ," làm anh nhớ lại thời học văn ở VN&#33;&#33;&#33;
Đính chính một tí là anh ở Quảng Nam và đi phỏng vấn ở Hà Nội lúc cuối năm lớp 9. (Mặc dù anh bắt đầu "lang thang" ở nội trú và ở trọ từ lớp 4)...

Không biết có bao nhiêu em vừa applied RD vào Stanford...
Chúc các em thành công, và alo anh nếu nhận được fat envelops của Stanford.

Những em nào apply vào năm sau: all the best, và nhớ liên lạc nếu bọn em cần giúp đỡ gì.

Happy New Year from the California,
Việt

[Pygmalion]

Wow, bro Viet is admirable :p. It sounds great if you write a story about your early life and experience &#33; :p ( believe me, it will spontaneously become best-seller :D ).

Are you completely sober now ? :p. You looked slightly intoxicated in the pic I have recently seen in HAO ( of course in X&#39;mas 2005 in NYC ) &#33; :))

[NTsquare]

Stanford raised &#036;1.1 billion for undergrad education.

Check this out&#33; lots of pictures and Stanford highlights:
http://pgnet.stanford.edu/pgw/ood/victory/victory.html

[viet]

Stanford offers admission to 853 through Single-Choice Early Action

The Office of Undergraduate Admission announced today that 853 students have been admitted to the Class of 2010 through the non-binding Single-Choice Early Action admission program. These students were selected from an applicant pool of 4,503. They have until May 1 to confirm their enrollment, and are welcome to apply to other colleges and universities under the terms of Single-Choice Early Action.

"The Admission Committee concluded that each student offered a position in the Class of 2010 will bring unique strengths and perspectives to the Stanford undergraduate experience," noted Richard Shaw, dean of admission and financial aid. "We are honored to have had the opportunity to admit such exceptional and engaged students, and we look forward to the many contributions they will make to the Stanford community."

The number of early applicants to Stanford increased 4 percent over last year, and the strength of the applicant pool was again very impressive. This is the third year of Stanford&#39;s Single-Choice Early Action program and, in Shaw&#39;s view, "we have reached the conclusion that this system works exceedingly well by responding to our applicants&#39; desire to identify Stanford as their first choice, and at the same time, allowing them to consider all their college options until May 1. Of course, by admitting these students early we are very hopeful they will choose Stanford for their undergraduate experience." A number of candidates not offered admission were deferred to the Regular Review process and will be evaluated again with those candidates applying during the regular admission cycle.

Admission officers will now turn their attention to the evaluation of students applying during the Regular Review period. The application deadline is Dec. 15, 2005, and Shaw anticipates overall applications will again exceed 20,000. The majority of admission offers for the Class of 2010 will be made in early April 2006.

[bakersinn]

Originally posted by viet@Jan 6 2006, 03:37 AM
ha ha cảm ơn em Tú đã "phân tích và phát biểu cảm nghĩ," làm anh nhớ lại thời học văn ở VN&#33;&#33;&#33;
Đính chính một tí là anh ở Quảng Nam và đi phỏng vấn ở Hà Nội lúc cuối năm lớp 9. (Mặc dù anh bắt đầu "lang thang" ở nội trú và ở trọ từ lớp 4)...

Không biết có bao nhiêu em vừa applied RD vào Stanford...
Chúc các em thành công, và alo anh nếu nhận được fat envelops của Stanford.

Những em nào apply vào năm sau: all the best, và nhớ liên lạc nếu bọn em cần giúp đỡ gì.

Happy New Year from the California,
Việt
Anh Việt ơi, hình như Tân được RD Stanford em không chắc chắn lắm nhưng nghe là vậy...

[viet]

thật hả? Anh chưa nghe gì hết, nhưng được vậy thì mừng quá he he

[NTV]

Anh Việt và chị Tú thân,

Em vừa gửi điểm SAT cho Stanford thì thấy thông báo là Stanford ko có major of Business Management in undergraduate school. Vậy nếu em muốn học đến MBA of Business thì nên học gì ở undergrad Stanford ạ?

Thanks a million times,

Van

[new_road]

Chào Vân,
Mình xin trả lời câu hỏi của bạn.
Hệ thống giáo dục của Mỹ không có business như các nước khác (Singapore, Úc, VN,...), tức là không thể tốt nghiệp cử nhân với tấm bằng Business Administration mà phải học lên Master, khi đó sẽ có bằng MBA. Hệ thống MBA ở Mỹ thì nổi tiếng, khỏi phải nói.
Các trường MBA ở Mỹ thì quy định có thể học bất kỳ ngành nào ở đại học để vô được MBA (mình thấy cũng hợp lý, vì đi ngành nào thì kinh doanh ngành đó, cũng không đòi kiến thức chuyên sâu về kinh tế học, lên MBA sẽ được học).
Nói chung là bạn có thể học bất kỳ ngành gì, nhưng các anh chị thì thường chọn Economics, bạn thử ngành Economics xem (nếu chưa quyết định được).
Thân

[NTsquare]

just a quick correction: some colleges do offer Bachelor of Business Administration (or smt with "Business") like NYU, Trinity University (?). It really depends on school. If you&#39;re sure that you want to do business, go ahead. But for the most part, the general advice is major in anything you 1/ like 2/ do well and 3/ somewhat quantitative-based.
Viet had a post about MBA somewhere in this forum (sorry I couldn&#39;t find it -_-). It&#39;s true that you can major in anything then work then do MBA. But at Stanford, some of the popular majors (Psychology, Human Biology, Public Policy, etc.) have a special track for students interested in Business School (track means certain classes that are recommended but not required, and you still have a B.A. or B.S. in those majors). Or a popular Business-related major here is Management Science and Engineering.
For MBA, I guess business experiences certaily count (internships, jobs, etc.) (Please do some web research to know more. I really don&#39;t know ^_^)

[viet]

cảm ơn Thái đã trả lời giúp câu hỏi trên&#33;

mới vừa định trả lời mà Tú trả lời mất rồi... tức ơi là tức...

Please update on this thread as soon as you receive the fat envelop from Stanford yeah&#33;
Việt

[viet]

oh, and the cute boys in Tu&#39;s pix are my cousins ;)

[NTsquare]

off-topic: yay Viet, 4 minutes decide all :p and the boy in my avatar is told to be like Viet when he was little&#33;
on-topic :p: Stanford has a lot of interdisciplinary majors besides the usual ones like Econ, Psy, etc. Some examples are Human Biology, Science-Technology-and Society, MS&E, Public Policy, Interdisciplinary in Humanities. Any of these majors can provide a good background for MBA.
Some other cool majors: Product Design, Architechture Design, Biomedical Engineering.
Another cool option: people can have a Masters in Education in 4 years from Stanford School of Education.
End of advertisement =)

[khanhphuong]

Eh eh Tú bà "chôm" ý tưởng cái Stanford School of Education của tui nhé :khenh2:

Ối, sao Master lại học đến 4 năm thế này? :( Bằng luôn PhD rồi :(

[NTsquare]

??Phuong noi gi the em?? School of Education thi truoc gio van exist o day muh?
Masters + BA in 4 years, not only Masters.

Cheers.

[khanhphuong]

Chài ai, hôm qua 2 chị em đang chat với nhau nhờ tui gợi ý bà mới nhớ ra cái School of Education để mà còn đi quảng cáo chứ còn gì nữa?? B-)

Link đến School of Education nè bà con:
http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/

Congratulation to Reese Witherspoon on her Oscar award&#33; Hehe, she used to be an English Literature major at Stanford, do you know that? ;)

[danthibachdiep]

I don&#39;t know that. I know you.

[khanhphuong]

Originally posted by danthibachdiep@Mar 7 2006, 10:11 PM
I don&#39;t know that. I know you.
hic, what&#39;s the connotation here? :rolleyes:

[NTsquare]

Rhythms - Stanford Performances
http://www.ricandkara.com/video/images/Rhythms_Trailer.wmv

[KP]

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazin...earthquake.html (http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2006/marapr/features/earthquake.html)

[NTsquare]

You may have heard a story that a lady in "faded gingham" (Jane Stanford) and a man dressed in a "homespun threadbare suit" (Leland Stanford) went to visit the president of Harvard, were rebuffed, and as a result, went on to found their own university in Palo Alto. Follow the story at: http://www.stanford.edu/home/stanford/hist...begin.html#myth (http://www.stanford.edu/home/stanford/history/begin.html#myth)

(mere advertising :p)

[NTV]

Chị Tú và anh Việt cho em hỏi, nếu điểm SAT reasoning của em là 2100/2400 (CR 710, Math 720, Writing 670) thì có được cơ hội cao ko khi em apply cho Stanford?

Thanks a Pluto :D

[NTsquare]

from http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/...#average_scores (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_8_faqs.html#average_scores)

What are the average standardized test scores for admission to Stanford?
While we know that scores on standardized tests do not always accurately portray a student’s abilities, they still play a helpful role as one piece of an application. Every applicant to Stanford must submit either SAT Reasoning Test or ACT scores. For either test, we will look at the best scores submitted.

For the entering class of Fall 2006, 65% had SATV scores between 700-800 and 72% had SATM scores in that range. Please see the Profile of our most recently admitted freshman class, but remember that statistics cannot possibly predict your chances of admission. Our admission process goes beyond any numerical formula. Keep in mind that we have no cut-offs or targets.

[vuong89]

Chị Tú, em ko có apply to Stanford nhưng apply cho 1 ivy league khác..

Điểm SAT khoảng 2050.. về activities thì : jv sports, keyboard, competitions such as knowledge bowl.. GPA 3.95 unweighted. Good recommendations from teachers. Về classes thì cũng nặng (calculus, AP lang, honors Bio, Eco..) nhưng cũng balanced (general PE, sports, bible,..) (về bằng khen thì ngoài mấy bằng khen về sports, vẽ - hồi nhỏ, và mấy giấy cấp quận hồi ở vn, em cũng ko co thành tích gì đáng kể)

Cho em hỏi cơ hội của em thế nào? (thật lòng thì rất ngại post toàn bộ stats của mình lên thế này và hỏi trông có vẻ thiếu tự tin nhưng em vẫn muốn biết)

Cho em hỏi lúc chị học ở Vn, thành tích và điểm mạnh nào khiến Stanford nhận chị?

[vuong89]

Câu hỏi phụ: theo chị nói ở các posts trên, chị chỉ dành 1 tháng để search collges và apply, như vậy thời gian chị dành để viết essay cho common application là bao lâu?
Àh em quên nói em apply vào Dartmouth và (có thể là) Stanford (nếu em stand a chance). Nhưng nghĩ đến Dartmouth là đã thấy xa với lắm rồi. Mong nhận được advice của chị về việc này.

[NTsquare]

@vuong: it differs from one person to another. just go ahead, write, edit, and re-edit your essays. it took me months to do the applications not one month.
show a passion for something through essays/short answers. show them why you&#39;re doing the activities that you&#39;re doing.

[vuong89]

Cảm ơn chị. Chị chưa trả lời câu hỏi thứ 2 của em: điểm mạnh nào giúp chị gây ấn tượng cho Stanford?

[viet]

Vuong: Stanford is just like any other universities, looking for candidates with these strengths:
- Academic performance
- SAT scores
- Essays
- Teacher recommendations
- Leadership/Service Experience
- Special Achievement

Vietnamese candidates tend NOT to do well in (5). So work on that if you already do well in everything else.

Gluck,
--Viet

[viet]

@ Van: I honestly think that your scores are FINE, though a little bit less competitive compared to a few other Vietnamese applicants. That means if you write good essays, nice recommendations, and present a compelling case, you should stand a fair chance.

My honest advice is DO APPLY TO STANFORD but also focus on other good schools too.

Gluck,
--Viet

[vuong89]

Should i believe in what collegeconfidential.com says?

I just read some posts on collegeconfidential.com in IvyLeague>Dartmouth section. Lots of Asian kíds with highly achieved stats asked for chances to Dartmouth and the answer usually is "rejected" or simply "not a spectacular kid but might stand a chance". Then i went to Stanford section and even felt more desperate. They said "being an Asian hurts your chance of getting into Ivy League".
What do you think about this?

I already post my stats up here a few days ago. If consider what i read on collegeconfidential.com, then i don&#39;t have a hook or anything. (I don&#39;t have leadership/service experience). What do you think?

[NTV]

Cảm ơn anh Việt và chị Tú đã trả lời câu hỏi của em. Em đã narrow my college list và sẽ apply vào Stanford như 1 trong 2 trường dream school của em. Em sẽ cố gắng hết sức và mong là mọi chuyện sẽ ổn.

@Vương: Deadlines của Stanford là Dec 15 nên bạn cần quyết định nhanh lên. Mình nghĩ nếu bạn tự tin thì cứ nộp vào Stanford và Dartmouth, cũng là cơ hội để thử thách, và bạn cũng cần nên có 1 safety school và 1 vài reachable schools (of course with reasonable financial aid or scholarship for in&#39;tl students). Good luck&#33;

[NTsquare]

Originally posted by vuong89@Nov 22 2006, 05:35 PM
Should i believe in what collegeconfidential.com says?

I just read some posts on collegeconfidential.com in IvyLeague>Dartmouth section. Lots of Asian kíds with highly achieved stats asked for chances to Dartmouth and the answer usually is "rejected" or simply "not a spectacular kid but might stand a chance". Then i went to Stanford section and even felt more desperate. They said "being an Asian hurts your chance of getting into Ivy League".
What do you think about this?

I already post my stats up here a few days ago. If consider what i read on collegeconfidential.com, then i don&#39;t have a hook or anything. (I don&#39;t have leadership/service experience). What do you think?
1) I don&#39;t think Stanford admissions commitee post their opinions on collegeconfidential
2) Application materials are considered as a whole, without a clear cut-off on any single item/score.
3) Asians are about 20% here.

[vuong89]

Thank you for your replies.

Between Stanford and Williams, which one you consider a tougher choice?

[viet]

they are different choices. Apply to both first, and if you get both, ask this question again ;) For now, just try your best for both.

[vuong89]

I guess i&#39;ll give up Stanford. I&#39;m not good enough. Honestly, I didn&#39;t know Stanford&#39;s deadline is Dec 15 so i wasn&#39;t prepared. And there&#39;s not enough time left for me to complete 3 essays and 2 special teacher recommendations (i call them special because they aren&#39;t the common application teacher evaluation, it means if i apply to Stanford, i need to ask my teachers to write another recommendation. I don&#39;t want to bug them just because of my very little hope)

[pluz]

you are supposed to have 2 to 3 other recommendation letters apart from the teacher evaluation in common app anyway :-?

[vuong89]

But in the Stanford&#39;s recommendation form, teachers have to answer some questions, and if we want a good recommendation, we have to give them time.. Too bad, i gave my recommendation letters to my old teachers who know me the best and they&#39;re so far away from my home. It takes me time to go back and forth and i have lots of other thíng to do (i have my competitions and college essays and scholarship essays...) too many things at a time. Also, i don&#39;t think i stand a good chance for Stanford so i&#39;d better forget it.

[thodao1808]

@ Viet: What do you think about college life at Stan? Do you have time for yourself or everything is just study and study? Did you live in America before you got into Stan? if yes, how many years? Thanks.

[pluz]

Bro Viet attended high school in Singapore for (i think) 4 or 5 years. Then applied to Stanford
Stanford&#39;s got a great social life (that&#39;s what i heard). the football team and basketball team are really good and famous nationwide. I dont know how people might have a misconception of being full with workload all the time in top schools. Students always have spare time to do other things, not just being nerdy and studying.

[viet]

Thanks Dương for answering Thơ&#39;s question.

I LOVE college life here&#33; Princeton Review ranks Stanford as one of the very top school for highest quality of life, beautiful campus, and happiest students&#33;

There are many active students who balance schoolwork, sports, and social life well. A few people may not afford the time to do everything. However, relative to other schools, Stanford has amazing weather that significantly improves students&#39; lifestyle&#33;

Besides academics, I managed to do a few interesting things such as:
- Run SEALNet (http://sealnetonline.org) a non-profit organization that organizes service work in Southeast Asia
- Go hiking, camping, and skiing at many gorgeous mountains in California
- Play soccer for fun on campus
- Watch football, basketball, volley balls, and baseball games
- Go to party a few times a quarter and organize a few smaller parties each quarter in my room
- Spend a lot of time chatting and hanging out with friends
- Go to fun concerts on and off campus
- and many other fun things

--Việt

[thodao1808]

wao, awesome&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; Thanks for answering my question.

[TheImpasse]

Is stanford application process like MIT?

[viet]

I don&#39;t know how MIT application process is like, but I believe most colleges have the same process.

[duynguyen89]

@ Anh Việt : Does Stanford require 3 SAT Subject Tests? I just can get this test in January, so will it be impossible for me to apply to this school ?

[TheImpasse]

mình nhớ chỉ cần 2 cái thôi Duy ạh. (lên stanford.edu coi lại cho chắc hen.) mà thi January vẫn được mà. đâu có sao.

[duynguyen89]

Tại vì mình lên trang chủ của Stanford nó nói deadline cho SAT là Feb 1, mình thi SAT II vào Jan 27 thì làm sao mà gởi cho kịp giờ :((

[NTsquare]

TOEFL is not required, SATI is, SAT II in 2 subjects are recommended but not required.

All the deadlines can be found here:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/...sdeadlines.html (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_2f_datesdeadlines.html)

Last acceptable SAT test date for regular deadline (Dec 15) is Dec 2.

More on tests:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/...rdizedtest.html (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/1_2e4_standardizedtest.html)

--&#62; Duy: since SAT II&#39;s are not required but highly recommended, go ahead and take them. Email the admissions office saying your SAT II scores will come late and hope that they will still accept it.

[TheImpasse]

Cho em hỏi, Expected Family Contribution điền trong ISFAA cho ivy league (ngoại trừ, Brown, Cornell) và top school như Stanford, MIT, em điền &#036;1000 (&#036;2000 hay &#036;1000 hay &#036;4000) có tạo nên sự khác biệt trong quyết định của những trường top này ko? Anh Hoàng Long nói em là trường ko care lắm cho dù mình đóng được &#036;5000 hay &#036;1000.

[viet]

theo anh thi khong co su khac biet

[thodao1808]

thế có nghĩa la không nên điền 1 xu nao hết nhỉ? hì hì

[TheImpasse]

Nhưng nếu mình điền &#036;0 thì có lẽ có sự khác biệt đó. Mình nghe anh chị nào trên forum này đã nói rằng dủ điền ít cũng nên điền vào, ko nên để &#036;0.

To anh Việt: em chỉ sợ mình điền khoảng &#036;500 thì trường sẽ nghĩ muốn đóng có 500 thì cũng đâu có muốn học trường họ lắm (ko biết em lo xa hay thật là vậy?)

[viet]

theo anh thi nen dien > &#036;500. Neu hoc o VN thi gia dinh cung phai tra hon &#036;500&#33; Vay nen neu gia dinh khong kha gia, em nen dien ~&#036;1000. Neu kha hon thi dien khoang &#036;2000 - &#036;5000.

[viet]

Stanford offers 750 students early admission

Stanford University has offered admission to 750 students to its class of 2011 from the 4,644 high school seniors who applied in the non-binding early admission program.

Those students will have until May 1 to confirm their enrollment.

The students can choose to enroll in another university.

Stanford expects to receive more than 22,000 applications for next fall&#39;s freshman class, which is typically about 1,650 students.

This is the fourth year of Stanford&#39;s early admission program, which has seen an increase in applications each year.

The program "works exceedingly well by responding to our applicants&#39; desire to identify Stanford as their first choice, and at the same time, allowing them to consider all their college applications until May 1," said Richard Shaw, dean of admission and financial aid.

[viet]

The ED admission rate is about 16%, compared to 19% for the class of 2010. Last year, Stanford gave 853 offers to the pool of 4503 applicants. So there are more EA applicants but less EA offers this year..

Somehow, admission seems harder and harder over time...

[Athena]

How do I check to see if you have received all of my documents?
We will email you if your file is incomplete, although due to the volume of mail we receive, we may not contact you until a few weeks past the application deadline.

Does this mean you will NOT be notified if Stanford has received your complete application?

[NTsquare]

yup. you may be able to check on axess.stanford.edu your application status, although im not sure whether it will say which document is still missing.

[NTV]

Originally posted by Athena@Jan 20 2007, 06:55 PM
How do I check to see if you have received all of my documents?
We will email you if your file is incomplete, although due to the volume of mail we receive, we may not contact you until a few weeks past the application deadline.

Does this mean you will NOT be notified if Stanford has received your complete application?
I called Stanford last week, and the voice-recording message said that if you apply online (if you submit Form A online), they will contact you early Feb and let you submit missing documents. If you send in an application paper, call them. They only work during office hours.

[viet]

Stanford will notify you early if your application is incomplete. Stanford will also send letters to acknowledge complete applications - a bit later.
So don&#39;t worry ;)

[Athena]

Thank you all.

[LongKhoi]

Stanford has a limited amount of financial aid for international students, and, in most cases, the need for aid will be a factor in the admission decision.

Hic, vậy mà sao anh nói điền nhiêu cũng dc anh việt

[NTsquare]

Yes stanford is not officially need-blind, hence the above policy in its website. However, they have raised lots of money recently and are more and more generous to intl students. Just don&#39;t put 0. Except few legendary cases I know, it is very hard.

[nguyenp]

Anh Viet: Do you know about how Bio-Chem. -> Medical would be at Stanford?

According to some articles I&#39;ve read, Stanford is one of the best school for Medical=> I expect it to be xtremely hard to get in (and getting financial aid as well)...

Thanx a lot&#33;&#33;&#33;

[NTsquare]

Stanford undergrad (dai hoc) and med school are separate.

you cant apply to Medical school after high school. Get into Stanford undergrad (or any other good college), major in Bio, or basically anything, then apply again to Med school. It is academically competitive and hard financially to pursue U.S. med school.

Bio is pretty strong here. You can take some classes offered by the Med school too.

Nice to see you again here Phuong =)

[nguyenp]

Gee, Tu, Thanx alot, that was a fast reply&#33;

I intend to try for Bio-Chem and then may be Med. in Standford / John Hopkins (OMG=> I gotta work like crazy to "try to" get in)

Anyway, nice hearing from you again (it&#39;s been like 3 or 4 yrs isn&#39;t it?).

Are you still in contact with Ms. Tuyet and everyone? I visited her a month ago (my summer holiday), and met bro Tan & Hong Nhung there. They changed a lot.

[Athena]

Hi again,
Stanford had confirmed that they "have received all of the necessary credentials and materials to provide my Stanford University application with a comprehensive evaluation" BEFORE I sent my mid-year report

How do we know whether they have received our mid-year reports or not? Stanford does not seem to welcome phone calls, or emails enquiring about the completeness of the application, do they?
Thank you. :))

[NTsquare]

they will email you should they need anything else.

[viet]

Athena,
It&#39;s not that Stanford is not welcoming calls/emails. It&#39;s really tough to handle so many calls/emails from prospective applicants. Imagine how hard it is to answer calls and emails from up to 22,000 students&#33;
If your profile misses anything, they will email you and ask for it. They have been doing this for ... many years, so just have faith in the system ;)
-Viet

[KP]

Tu and Viet live near this guy :)

http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/Tianyon/Index.as...69&ChannelID=13 (http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/Tianyon/Index.aspx?ArticleID=187169&ChannelID=13)

[maiph121]

Hey I&#39;m thinking about visting your school this summer, just to see how it&#39;s like. I don&#39;t think about transfering to Stanford b/c my chance is really slight.
Maybe I&#39;ll save it for grad school.

anyways, maybe these questions have already been asked, but i want to ask again.

1. How are classes in Stanford? Hard? Challenged? How about school work such as assignments, essays, tests?

2. Do classes have many discussions/interactions between professors and students, and between students? Do you have any class taught by teaching assistant?

3. Do you get involved in any activities on campus?

4. How is dorm life? Food?

5. Stereotypes of students? Usually I see at many schools, international students hang out together, and the rest, or the Americans, stick to each other.

6. What don&#39;t you like about Stanford?

7. How do you feel about going to a huge school like Stanford? I don&#39;t think I can do it.

8. If I ask you to describe Stanford using three words, what will those words be?

When I think of more questions, I&#39;ll ask you later.

[viet]

Hi Mai,

Here is my attempt to answer your questions:

1. How are classes in Stanford? Hard? Challenged? How about school work such as assignments, essays, tests?
==> Some classes are exceptionally challenging, such as computer science, engineering, and bio/chem. Others are relatively easy, such as communication and other fuzzy courses. Generally, I feel that it is not hard to get B and B+ at Stanford, but A- requires decent work and A is really hard.

2. Do classes have many discussions/interactions between professors and students, and between students? Do you have any class taught by teaching assistant?
==> There are small classes called seminars which have about 12-15 students per professor. Very few courses are taught by PhD candidates, and these courses tend to be relatively advanced and thus have few students. As a graduating senior, I have not taken any courses taught by TA yet.

3. Do you get involved in any activities on campus?
==> OF COURSE ;) There is a lot of funding for students to do unique/random things. Plus, the weather is gorgeous so more people are tempted to do fun activities outside.

4. How is dorm life? Food?
==> The room size is reasonable - not too big compared to other campuses. However, most of the dorms are relatively new. Some dorms are more social than others. Food is really good&#33;&#33;&#33;

5. Stereotypes of students? Usually I see at many schools, international students hang out together, and the rest, or the Americans, stick to each other.
==> nah, Stanford is one of the most diverse campus in the U.S., so don&#39;t expect to see much of racial stereotypes. Still, there is space for people to click with their own circles.

6. What don&#39;t you like about Stanford?
==> Due to the huge size of the campus, it is hard to get to the city without a car&#33;

7. How do you feel about going to a huge school like Stanford? I don&#39;t think I can do it.
==> I LOVE IT&#33; Bigger schools ==> more interesting people + more opportunities + more learning experience + personal space for everyone

8. If I ask you to describe Stanford using three words, what will those words be?
==> Friendly, Gorgeous, Balanced (humanity, social science, science, sports...)

[hanayori]

Chào các anh chị :D
Bây giờ em đang học J1 ở Singapore (NJC) nên có lẽ anh Việt sẽ có thể trả lời giúp em mấy câu hỏi này được k ạ
- Khỏang tháng mấy anh bắt đầu chuẩn bị đơn thì vừa? (em có nhớ mang máng mấy trang đầu anh viết applying for stanford is a last minute decision kind of thing, nên có lẽ câu này nên hỏi là khi nào thì anh bắt đầu viết application form cho university là vừa?) Deadline của nó tháng 12, mà A levels results ra vào tháng 3 thì mình gửi Prelims result hả anh? Rồi update nó khi có official result liệu có được k ạ? /:
- Stanford không có interview với regional admission officer ạ? Tại đọc suốt 11 trang (híc) không thấy ai đả động đến việc này. Nếu có thì có ai ở việt nam không ạ?
- Lúc awaiting A levels result và entering uni, 9 tháng đấy việc mình làm gì, intern ở đâu có ảnh hưởng gì đến chance mình get in k ạ? Tại em định ăn chơi nhảy múa với đi du lịch cho đã đời nhưng nhiều ng` lại bảo kiếm intern hòanh tráng boost portfolio thì tốt hơn -__-
- Cái ông professor mentor của em ở research institute trước đây học stanford for PhD (mà ông ấy praise stanford lên tận trời xanh), vậy em có nên xin rec letter từ ông ấy k ạ?

Từ hồi nhỏ stanford đã là first choice của em rồi, mà em cũng chẳng biết tại sao, thậm chí không biết vào đó thì học gì, chỉ biêt là em rất yêu cái trường đấy haha :D mình weird... :p
Mà nếu học ở sing, đã có General Paper với E Lit (em học Integrated Programme nên lại còn có cả Econs Philosophy nữa) rồi thì chắc chẳng cần toefl nữa đâu nhỉ (điểm em cũng decent, occassionally thì cũng được high) - em ngại thi thêm 1 thứ lắm -.- lại rụng thêm 1 mớ tóc thì khổ. Mặc dù em thuộc loại lười biếng tham ăn k tham làm k ai bằng nhưng nếu ngồi trong phòng thi viết essay thì kiểu gì cũng rụng tóc XD

[Athena]

I have read Brother Khoa&#39;s post on the extremely slim chance of a student needing financial aid getting accepted to Stanford from the waiting list. Could I have your personal opinion on Stanford&#39;s waiting list this year? On the latest admissions update, I noticed that Stanford has already accepted 2. This does not look too hopeful for those on the waiting list, does it?

[NTsquare]

@Athena: from what I&#39;ve known so far, Stanford only admitted one undergrad from VN this year. The other is a Ph.D candidate. But the number of students admitted is not the main factor why they don&#39;t get students from the waiting list. Sadly, as they are not need-blind yet to intl, I guess they would rank students without financial aid need higher in their waiting list.

However, if you really like the school, there&#39;s no harm in writing a letter/email to show your interest and anything else that may increase your chance (new academic achievements etc.). Getting admitted from the waiting list to your dream school and hence rebuking your enrollment confirmation in another college is generally accepdtable.

[Hungpk]

Sorry all. I want to ask urgent question. In the envelop I receive from stanford, it says that (about Money):

Student contribution: 0.00&#036;
Parent contribution: 0.00&#036;

Stanford Fund: 2.800&#036; (per quarter, 3 quarters)
Anticipated Outside Award: 15.000&#036; (per quarter, 3 quarters)

I dont understant why the Anticipated Outside Award is so much (I don&#39;t know what is it source?) and how to get it? So I hope any kind person can help me clarify this problem. Thank you very much.

[hamahamieng]

Có nghĩa là anh không phải đóng 1 quarter dollar (25cents) nào cả&#33; :D

Thế này nhé:

1/ Anh nhận 3 quarters cho của quỷ trường Stanford: &#036;2,800x3 = &#036;8,400

2/ Anh nhận giải thưởng từ eindowment hoặc từ nguồn tài trợ ở ngoài 3 quarters nữa và mỗi quarters: &#036;15,000&#036;x3 = &#036;45,000

Như vậy anh được cái full bằng: &#036;45,000 + &#036;8,400 = &#036;53,400 mỗi năm để học tại Stanford. Hĩ nhiều thía :((

Ở Mẽo học uni chỉ có 3 quarters mỗi niên khóa mà thui. Mặc dù mỗi semester có 2 quarters. Theo em hiểu biết là thế. :p

Chúc mừng anh gold medal IOM&#33;&#33;&#33; :)>-

[ptm]

được giải IMO sướng thật . Hết Lê Hùng Việt Bảo roài lại đến Phạm Kim Hùng :-SS
@hungpk : hình như Bộ còn cho thêm 35k /năm nữa cơ mà :D

[Hungpk]

Cảm ơn em&#33; Anh vẫn ko hiểu cái Outside Award lấy đâu ra? Hình như phải nộp đơn nữa à? Mà anh thấy trong mấy cái Sample của nó còn có ghi thêm Stanford Scholarship?

[Hungpk]

Originally posted by tmphuc@Apr 6 2007, 09:36 AM
được giải IMO sướng thật . Hết Lê Hùng Việt Bảo roài lại đến Phạm Kim Hùng :-SS
@hungpk : hình như Bộ còn cho thêm 35k /năm nữa cơ mà :D
:) Thanks

[Greatwall]

Vietnam&#39;s elite :)>- :)>- :)>-

[hamahamieng]

Originally posted by Hungpk@Apr 6 2007, 09:37 AM
Cảm ơn em&#33; Anh vẫn ko hiểu cái Outside Award lấy đâu ra? Hình như phải nộp đơn nữa à? Mà anh thấy trong mấy cái Sample của nó còn có ghi thêm Stanford Scholarship?
Theo em đoán thôi nhé&#33;

Ở Mỹ các công ty nỗi tiếng nó thầu anh từ lúc anh nộp đơn, nên nó cho anh trước coi như xí chỗ sau này cái thèng IOM Gold Medal này mà ra trường thì Stanford phải để cho tao đấy nhé&#33; :p

Cũng có thể một giáo sư nào đó chôm anh và tìm nguồn tài trợc cho anh ngay từ đầu? :((

[Hungpk]

Who can answer for me? How I should do to find surely "Outside award"? Must I apply? Stanford gave me a paper about money and scholarship next year (the same as International Scholarship Application in my application). In my application, I only wrote : My parent contributes "1.500&#036; per year". Now when Stanford says "My parent contributes 0.00&#036;", should I write "1.500&#036; in this next page?

[diep]

@Hungpk: Stanford will automatically find the outside awards i.e. scholarship for you. As for myself, the founder of those Scholarship Foundations contacted me right after I sent in my acceptance letter to the school which was May 1 last year. So, don&#39;t worry&#33; Stanford Financial Aid Office is very helpful. They already took care of everything right from the first day you sent in your application.

Btw, are you coming for Admit Weekend? ;)

[hamahamieng]

Originally posted by Hungpk@Apr 6 2007, 09:54 AM
Who can answer for me? How I should do to find surely "Outside award"? Must I apply? Stanford gave me a paper about money and scholarship next year (the same as International Scholarship Application in my application). In my application, I only wrote : My parent contributes "1.500&#036; per year". Now when Stanford says "My parent contributes 0.00&#036;", should I write "1.500&#036; in this next page?
Hiiiiii&#33; :D Mấy chục ngàn họ còn kiếm cho anh được thì &#036;1,500 họ lấy làm gì? :((

Họ đã bảo là anh và bố mẹ anh chi trả là bằng 3 con số không rùi mà? :-?

[daxynkus9]

Originally posted by hamahamieng@Apr 6 2007, 09:27 AM
Chúc mừng anh gold medal IOM&#33;&#33;&#33; :)>-


Ở Mỹ các công ty nỗi tiếng nó thầu anh từ lúc anh nộp đơn, nên nó cho anh trước coi như xí chỗ sau này cái thèng IOM Gold Medal này mà ra trường thì Stanford phải để cho tao đấy nhé&#33; 09.gif

IMO bạn ạh Internationla Mathematic Olympiad ý
ko phải IOM :D

[NTsquare]

Hung, I suggest you email fin aid office. they are usually pretty responsive. =)

[NTsquare]

oi dung la thong tin cham chap... vi ca 2 nguoi duoc nhan deu ten Hung, nen truoc gio tuong la chi co 1 nguoi vao undergrad nam nay.. hoa ra la 2 nguoi :)
@Kim Hung: welcome =) nam nay... 4 nguoi admitted to Stanford, 2 undergrad, 1 PhD, 1 MA :)

[Hungpk]

Just want to ask a simple question.

I must send the response to Stanford decision before 1-5, but Mail from Vietnam to US is too low. Stanford says that it is possible to pay for deposit by Card (VISA Card, for example), so may I use Card to pay for deposit and delay sending my response by Mail? Or at least, if I do that, my mail to Stanford may be longer than 1-5, but it is OK, isn&#39;t it?

Can any body answer me?

[hamahamieng]

Originally posted by Hungpk@Apr 20 2007, 01:13 PM
Just want to ask a simple question.

I must send the response to Stanford decision before 1-5, but Mail from Vietnam to US is too low. Stanford says that it is possible to pay for deposit by Card (VISA Card, for example), so may I use Card to pay for deposit and delay sending my response by Mail? Or at least, if I do that, my mail to Stanford may be longer than 1-5, but it is OK, isn&#39;t it?

Can any body answer me?
Why don&#39;t you send to Stanford an e-mail with information content that You have sent deposit by Visa card or by mail? I think your e-mail will come to Stanford early and so that Stanford will understand your job&#33; :D

[hlvietlong]

Pls use Wire Transfer which is the fastest way

[ptm]

use FedEx or UPS . It only takes approx. 3 to 5 business days .

[Tue]

Originally posted by hlvietlong@Apr 20 2007, 02:10 PM
Pls use Wire Transfer which is the fastest way
Can not agree more.

[haicool]

Originally posted by tmphuc@Apr 6 2007, 09:36 AM
được giải IMO sướng thật . Hết Lê Hùng Việt Bảo roài lại đến Phạm Kim Hùng :-SS
Giải IMO là giải gì thía mọi người? Just curious... :D

[mdhquan]

International Math Olympiad? I dunno exactly ?

[Tue]

Originally posted by mdhquan@Apr 30 2007, 12:35 AM
International Math Olympiad? I dunno exactly ?
That&#39;s exact.

[Hungpk]

Hi every one. I still ask for a silly question.

What is the Declaration of Finance Form? Is it the form with 2 page? Since I send this form but Stanford says that it is not the form they need.

Thanks a lot.

[NTsquare]

... Hung, can&#39;t you just ask Stanford directly those questions?

[nguyentrihung]

Declaration of Finance form is the one that they sent you with the admission package. It has the logo of Bechel Intl Centre and all the details of how to fill in the form and what document to submit. My guess is that you are holding on to the very form itself.
Kim Hung, If there is anything you would like to discuss, you can email me. I would love to correspond with future schoolmate. You have my address rite?

[Hungpk]

Thank you very much, Hung ;)

[Hungpk]

Originally posted by nguyentrihung@May 3 2007, 05:16 AM
Declaration of Finance form is the one that they sent you with the admission package. It has the logo of Bechel Intl Centre and all the details of how to fill in the form and what document to submit. My guess is that you are holding on to the very form itself.
Kim Hung, If there is anything you would like to discuss, you can email me. I would love to correspond with future schoolmate. You have my address rite?
I send the form (4 pages) to Stanford and I really forgot if it has the logo of Bechel Intl Centre? If that, I am sure that I did send it because four pages are attached together. But do you mean that this Declaration of Finance is in the Financial Aid Handbook (I mean in the last page)? SOrry I am confused now.

Alternatively, when should we receive the I 20 form? TriHung? Thanks for help,

[Hungpk]

Please help me clarify it, hung.

[nguyentrihung]

Hi, this is just to revive the interest in Stanford University, one of the truly great institutions in the world. So from now I, and hopefully some of my compatriots over here will try to answer your queries you have about Stanford. The schedule over here can be a little overwhelming and frosh like me take some time to really settle down, so you may have to wait for a while for my reply, but I will try my best.
Just FYI, anh Viet has graduated from Stanford and Tu is taking this quarter in France as part of the exchange program. On campus now we have nearly 10 grad-students and 3 undergrads, including 2 freshmen. Stanford is expanding, and we have almost 200 international students this year, with many receiving some forms of financial aid. So Stanford is definitely not out of reach.
That&#39;s for now. Hope we will receive many applications from Vietnam, and some of you will join us next year. Remember, Stanford is the truly great.

[fite_2_alive]

I wanna to ask a question that:when filling the application form,in the First Name blank, should I fill in my real First name(Linh) or my Middle name(Thuy).Because it requires that the Name must be entered the same as my Name in official documents??
Thanks a lot to ans my ques&#33; :)

[nguyentrihung]

You can put in whichever way you like. Normally people put it like Linh Duong and Thuy as the middle name. However, in my case I put Tri Hung as the first name and Nguyen as the last name without a middle name. Just put the way you want yourself to be called. The officials are easy with the variation of names in this case.

[NTsquare]

Just a small correction: I&#39;m in Paris but not in an exchange program. Stanford has its own center in Paris, Oxford, Florence, Santiago, Berlin, Kyoto, Beijing, and in the future Cape town. The center can be located within a local institution/school but Stanford basically runs the classes and hire local professors to teach. That said, you can study abroad and not worry about transferring grades or not finding the Stanford academic rigor abroad.

There are also small seminars abroad in pretty much all over the places, changing every year (Singapore, Myanmar, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, etc to name a few). For more info: osp.stanford.edu.

Of course, Stanford is also flexible to let you create your own abroad program if you want (choosing a different school or try a semester at sea etc.)

Explore Stanford website, you will find tons of programs creating for students.
For academic opportunities: uar.stanford.edu.
For a glimpse of Hung&#39;s dorm: frosoco.stanford.edu.
The school&#39;s student newspaper: thestanforddaily.com
Search "interdisciplinary programs"

[NTsquare]

For public service opportunities (grants, funding etc.): haas.stanford.edu
For student grants (extra grants that you can receive outside of the fin aid package): studentgrants.stanford.edu

[KP]

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2007...nts-101707.html (http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2007/october17/students-101707.html)

Group to be appointed to explore freshman-class increase

Announcing the move, Hennessy noted undergraduate numbers have been nearly level over the past 35 years

President John Hennessy has announced plans to appoint a presidential task force to explore the idea of slightly increasing the size of the freshman class—and, as a consequence, the overall undergraduate population of the university.

Hennessy, who made the announcement at last week&#39;s Faculty Senate meeting, referred anyone interested in the topic to read his column in the most recent issue of Stanford magazine (September/October 2007), "Should Stanford Expand the Freshman Class? Historically Low Acceptance Rates Leave Many Deserving Students Out."

In the column, Hennessy said his primary rationale for asking the question now was the dramatic growth in the number of applicants prepared to do Stanford-caliber study.

For the Class of 2011, Stanford received nearly 24,000 applications—a university record. The acceptance rate for the class was 10.3 percent.

Hennessy noted that the undergraduate population has remained nearly level over the last 35 years. In 2006, the total was 6,689, compared with 6,630 in 1980 and 6,221 in 1970.

He said it was time for alumni, faculty, students, trustees and admissions personnel to "begin a conversation" about the issue. He noted that even a small increase in the number of freshmen would have educational, social and financial consequences for the university.

"How would we ensure that we maintain the small classes and seminars for undergraduates?" he wrote. "Where would the resources come from to maintain the faculty-to-student ratio? Where would we house the additional students and how would we finance new housing? How would we provide the additional financial aid to ensure that Stanford remains need-blind?

"In the end, though, I believe expanding the size of the undergraduate population would be both a practical and a principled response to current realities. It would create more opportunities for gifted students to attend Stanford and it would avail Stanford of some of the best and brightest minds in the country."

[nguyenandl]

Love you MIT....:)

[leolazy]

I loved the point of view of Stanford, but Stanford had no Financial aid base that is as good as Harvard, so I found my chance&#39;s better w Harvard.

[daxynkus9]

dear Leolazy, I sincerely suggest that you go and search an old topic of "Vietabroader and the age of optimism", read it carefully, scrutinize it by heart before making such statement like that. Nonetheless, I still say that everything is possible, so good luck with that high chance for Harvard.

[obstinateprincess]

Anh Việt ơi cho em hỏi một chút. Em rất muốn apply vào những top universities of America như Stanford nhưng nghe nói yêu cầu của các trường này rất cao mình không đáp ứng được. For example trường đòi hỏi học sinh top 5 như anh đã nói tất nhiên là cũng phải có GPA cao. Thế mức GPA sàn là bao nhiu ah? Em học trường chuyên nên giáo viên cho điểm phẩy cao hơi bị hiếm. Lại còn phải có giải quốc gia, quốc tế mới được ưu tiên ah? Em thấy vừa muốn học đều các môn để có điểm phẩy cao, lọt vào top 5 lại vừa phải giỏi môn chuyên để có thành tích quả thật hơi khó.

[ngocthuy_210]

Humh nếu em thi QG,QT ở 1 số địa phương người ta sẽ nâng đỡ cho chuyện điểm chính khóa :| chả phải lo chuyện này :> mình giỏi có khả năng đam mê thì sợ gì chứ :)

[NTsquare]

Story date: 08/13/2008



Elle Logan, of Boothbay Harbor, will be rowing for a Gold medal in Beijing, China at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday. It is the first Olympic experience for the 20-year-old, who is competing with the two time defending world champion U.S. women&#39;s eight crew.

They won their 2000-meter qualifying heat on Monday, beating out nearest competitor Great Britain by two plus seconds. She is the daughter of William Logan and Jennifer Kierstead.

Logan is a formidable athlete, standing 6&#39;2" tall, weighing 190 pounds and wearing size 15 women&#39;s shoes. Seats 3-5 in a coxswain are called the engine room. Logan is expected to put her strong muscles and large frame to good use in row four during the run for Gold in Beijing.

Logan started rowing as a freshman in high school, at Brooks School in Andover, Mass., in 2003. While at Brooks, she helped her team win the Women&#39;s four New England and National Championships.

She was named to the Junior National team in 2005, and finished fourth in the Eight World Junior championships. She placed first in the 2005 U.S. National Championships Elite Open Eight, and the 2005 U.S. National Championships Women&#39;s Senior Eight.

She is a sophomore at Stanford University, but took last year off to improve her chances of making the Olympic team. What Logan likes best about rowing is "the drive within rowers for perfection." Her earliest rowing memory was "pushing off the dock in a single and flipping in the dirty waters of the Charles," according to the Stanford University website.

In 2007 Stanford placed second in the Pac 10 championships, and she was chosen as an alternate to the 2007 U.S. National Rowing team.

Her team won a bronze medal in the U.S. Womens Eight at the 2007 under 23 World Rowing championships in Strathclyde, Scotland. She is a two-time Senior National Team member.

In 2008, she rowed for the U.S. team World Cup tour, taking Silver in the FISA World Cup in Lucerne, and Bronze in Munich.

[NTsquare]

Elle Logan won the gold medal with the u.s. rowing team.

[ngocthuy_210]

Hình như cái này em nghe đâu rồi thì phải B-) thấy cũng hơi lạ :) Stanford kiểu như cũng là trường đào tạo huấn luyện các vận động viên thể thao ^^

[learntostudy]

và các tỉ phú, các nhà lãnh đạo, ......... cũng như Harvard, Yale và Princeton.

[TK_GNUS]

em dang o trung hoc my~ day la stats cua em
SAT 2300
SAT chua take
7 AP (all5) : cal ab,bc,physic b,c,macro,micro,psychology
GPA 4.0
clubs: chess club, math team, philosophy
science self research
several short stories
essay : not yet ,but i think pretty mind blowing:D
em dinh apply stan , HVC, prince, MIT thi` chance cua em cao ko
nhat la stan va` HVC

[11248163264]

Originally posted by TK_GNUS@Oct 2 2008, 01:55 PM
em dang o trung hoc my~ day la stats cua em
SAT 2300
SAT chua take
7 AP (all5) : cal ab,bc,physic b,c,macro,micro,psychology
GPA 4.0
clubs: chess club, math team, philosophy
science self research
several short stories
essay : not yet ,but i think pretty mind blowing:D
em dinh apply stan , HVC, prince, MIT thi` chance cua em cao ko
nhat la stan va` HVC
:)
Is your question really necessary?
:p

[Lê minh châu]

Chi Tú và anh Việt cho em hỏi nếu không có giải thưởng gì apply Stanford có phải mạo hiểm ko? Từ đầu đến giờ mọi người hỏi nhiều chuyện về fin aid nhưng em chưa rõ là có phải Stanford ko cho fin aid cho international students ko nữa.
Hôm qua em đi College fair, có 1 cô đại diện cho trường Foothill College Denza nói là tất cả các trường ở CA đều ko bao h cho tiền sinh viên quốc tế

[ngocthuy_210]

According to the official website of Stanford, it says that it will give the full tuition fee for every accepted student whose family tuition is below 60000.

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/finaid/underg...hancements.html (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/finaid/undergrad/how/enhancements.html)

Is it true ???

[Dawn_chan]

Originally posted by Lê minh châu@Oct 11 2008, 03:58 AM
Chi Tú và anh Việt cho em hỏi nếu không có giải thưởng gì apply Stanford có phải mạo hiểm ko? Từ đầu đến giờ mọi người hỏi nhiều chuyện về fin aid nhưng em chưa rõ là có phải Stanford ko cho fin aid cho international students ko nữa.
Hôm qua em đi College fair, có 1 cô đại diện cho trường Foothill College Denza nói là tất cả các trường ở CA đều ko bao h cho tiền sinh viên quốc tế
I don&#39;t think that Stanford is that mean (&#33;) 2 years ago, there was one who was accepted and offered full aid by Stanford.

(About acceptance requirement, definitely it&#39;s very competitive&#33; Anyway, about the one I mention above, his situation is different, he got 2 IMO medals&#33; So,...)

[Lê minh châu]

yeah, đúng là phải có giải thưởng. Còn về câu hỏi ở dưới: có phải mấy trường ở CA như Thomas Aquinas, Occidental,... ko cho int.stu fin aid ko vậy
Bạn Ngọc Thủy có đưa link như thế, ko biết có đúng ko nhỉ?

[lanb]

Gui anh Pham Anh Khoa va anh Minh Viet, anh co the xem em co co hoi vao duoc Stanford khong a?

Em da finish A level UK at Abbey Collge with the following results:
A grade in Math (575/600)
Further Math (530/600)
Chemistry (490/600)
B grade in Economics
Distinction in AEA Maths
UCAS score is 500 points (among top 20 students of Abbey)
IELTS 7.0

Em hoc xong lop 10 o Le Hong Phong High school for the Gifted in HCMC roi sang UK hoc A level (50% scholarship).
Hoat dong ngoai khoa: trong doi bong da nu cua lop luc con hoc o LHP. O UK da tham gia tinh nguyen o Oxfarm, British Heart Foundation as a cashier, worked for Sports World in 2008 summer.
Nghe tay trai: can play the Piano (I&#39;ve spent 5 years on Piano as an amateur)
Em da thi SAT 1 ngay 4/10/2008. Chua biet diem the nao. Vi em moi chi biet ve SAT duoc 10 ngay thi dang ky thi luon, truoc day em khong biet gi ve cach thuc va chien thuat thi SAT nhung rieng Math section in SAT em nghi co the high score.
Hien nay em dang hoc Economics o 1 trong top 10 UK university.
Anh co the cho em loi khuyen la nen finish nam thu nhat o uni nay roi xin transfer sang nam thu hai o Stanford hay la apply Stanford cho nam 2009. Em khong biet Stanford co nhan transfer sang nam thu hai cua truong khong? Va co co hoi de nhan full aid cua Stanford ko?

Neu khong dat criteria cho Stanford thi neu em xin transfer nam thu hai hoac apply cac truong sau co kha nang khong? Cai chinh la co kha nang dc scholarship ko?

Princeton
Columbia
Pennsylvania
Chicago (my curent uni has exchange program 1 year at Chicago uni)
New York uni
Michigan uni
UCL at Berkely (my curent uni has exchange program 1 year at UCL)

BTW, em muon aply sang My de hoc eco va cung biochemistry nua.

[lstyle]

Minh noi khong phai de discourage ban nhung ban nhung transfer tu Anh sang My ma chon toan truong top the kia lai muon ca full aid thi se phi cong thoi. Ben My chang biet top 1 hay top 10 gi ve UK university dau, quan trong luc transfer van la GPA, ma o Anh, theo minh biet, lam gi co cai day luc apply nhi ? Neu theo chuong trinh exchange thi co the duoc, transfer thi chance rat thap, tru truong hop ban duoc SAT 2300+. Du sao cung chuc may man

[NTsquare]

Stanford DOES offer financial aid for international students. Most VNese undergrads here receive financial aid. Financial aid for international students who transfer from other colleges is more limited.

Tip: mot vai nguoi trong admission office noi T la neu apply fin aid cua Stanford thi khong nen apply early. ad office muon xem tat ca international applicants truoc khi quyet dinh fin aid.

They are working towards being need-blind for intl students. But so far they have been pretty generous for VNese students anyway :)

[NTsquare]

@Lan: I&#39;d say applying as a freshman gives you a higher chance. I don&#39;t think Stanford is likely to give aid to transfer students. You can email me at ntngo@stanford.edu if you have more questions.

If you want to take a look at Stanford lectures/ classes / campus, here you go: http://www.youtube.com/user/stanforduniversity

Cheers.

[11248163264]

neu&#39; em ko co leadership gi` thi` co&#39; nen thu? ko ha> chi.?

[trinhhongdangmindmaster]

Originally posted by lstyle@Oct 12 2008, 12:40 PM
Minh noi khong phai de discourage ban nhung ban nhung transfer tu Anh sang My ma chon toan truong top the kia lai muon ca full aid thi se phi cong thoi. Ben My chang biet top 1 hay top 10 gi ve UK university dau, quan trong luc transfer van la GPA, ma o Anh, theo minh biet, lam gi co cai day luc apply nhi ? Neu theo chuong trinh exchange thi co the duoc, transfer thi chance rat thap, tru truong hop ban duoc SAT 2300+. Du sao cung chuc may man
No, they DO know about top 10 colleges in the UK :D.
Anyway, I encourage you to choose more match and safety schools. Do not make the same mistake I made when I applied :D. (search my school list on VA, you will understand :D).
SAT: I trust that your scores will be fine since you should have a good command of English after 2 years of A Level in the UK. Math section is a joke. ==> learn about SATII and try to take it, since most schools you are applying to require SAT II (and it should be a joke compared to what you have learned in A Level Classes)
One more and, as I always say, the most important thing you will have to worry about is the essay. Get that neat and you should be fine.
Good luck.

[NTsquare]

@Duc Anh:
from admission&#39;s website:
The Common Application’s First Year Application asks about personal information such as birthplace and date, citizenship, self-reported test scores, major and career interests, and family background. You will also have the opportunity to tell us about yourself by describing your academic honors, listing your extracurricular activities, noting any work experience, and writing a thoughtful and insightful essay.

Remember there are no right answers. No club or activity is more important than another, and no essay topic will ensure your admission. Be yourself, and complete this form carefully and honestly, as we expect you to complete your entire application.

We are more interested in the depth of your commitment and achievement than in the sheer quantity of your activities. An exceptional experience in one or two activities demonstrates your dedication more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. We want to see the impact your participation has had on that club or organization, in your school, or in the larger community.

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applicati...hman/apply.html (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/application/freshman/apply.html)

[NTsquare]

more of Stanford :p http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applicati...hman/apply.html (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/application/freshman/apply.html)

As the largest contiguous college campus in America, Stanford is positioned in the heart of Silicon Valley just south of San Francisco and has served as an incubator for industry giants like Google, Yahoo, Netflix, the Gap and Charles Schwab.

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (of Central Park fame), the Northern California campus is an inspirational setting which is home to a virtually unrivaled network of Nobel, Pulitzer and MacArthur-winning faculty and an especially talented student body from all 50 states and from around the world.

[11248163264]

I sense that it is just the way to help them evaluate the applications by persuading students being honest on writing.

Their topic essay is wierd because it just questions partially the applicants&#39; characteristics.

[NTsquare]

??? I thought you always have to show your personal characters no matter what school you apply to. I can&#39;t answer for the school but if you have done all the research you can, you should be able to figure out/"sense" Stanford&#39;s style. And it&#39;s up to you to evaluate whether you like it.

[11248163264]

then lạy trời lạy phật
that I understand it correctly.
thx you so much anyway.

[NTsquare]

:) chill chill chill

[NTsquare]

yah let me know how I can help if you have other specific questions about Stanford

Cheers and my warmest wishes :)

[coldsunlight]

may I ask when you are gonna graduate? :)

[tnguyen]

Chi Tú

Do you have any advice about writing essay for Stanford, the one about "To Roomate" specifically? Please...

[NTsquare]

I will graduate in June 2009. interesting time to graduate lol

For the roommate I don&#39;t have any specific advice... Just another short essay version of what&#39;s "original" about you. I&#39;d be more helpful if you want me to edit your essay =)

[NTsquare]

oh no worries there are still about 10 Vietnamese students here after I graduate. My junior friends will still be around too. You will be well-loved if you ask for it =p You will be given space for yourself to grow too - California has... lots of space... =)

[van chu nguyen]

em cũng rất thích Stanford nên em muốn hỏi chị Tú một câu ạ :D
em định gửi bảng điểm của em và có một tờ giấy đi kèm chú giải về độ khó của trường em học (Tin Tổng Hợp) để làm tăng sức mạnh của đống điểm số đấy. Bởi vì theo mẫu bảng điểm ở trên VA thì chỉ có mỗi một phần lý giải là
7.0->8.0 good.
8.0->10.0 excellent.
theo chị có được không ạ :D ???? nếu được thì theo chị độ dài tối đa để không khiến adcoms buồn ngủ là bao nhiêu ạ :D ????
(Tại vì em không có điểm SAT II nên em không biết sao để chứng tỏ mình đủ năng lực để học ở Stanford). Điểm phẩy của em là 9.0 (10th), 9.2 (11th))

cám ơn chị,

[littlebell]

Just got accepted. Whooohooo...
Chi Tú cho em hỏi là có đông người Việt ở Stanford không ạh ? VISA của Stanford so với những nơi khác như Harvard và Princeton thì sao ạh ?

[NTsquare]

yah bang diem explanation: clear, to-the-point, bullet points - that should work.

@Tran: wow congrats&#33; You got in ED? VNese from Vietnam co khoang 10 anh chi (tinh ca PhD etc.). Vietnamese Americans: maybe 100.. Asians: maybe 20%+

Visa is contingent on financial proof and individual study plans, not just the school :)

[Strawberrieee]

@ Chị Tú:
Cấp 3 chị học LHP (TPHCM) phải không ạ?
Chị apply Stanford từ VN hay có học vài năm High School bên US?
Đối với adcom Stanford thì cái danh "LHP" có giá trị không ạ? ^^
Stanford có coi trọng giải HSG thành phố, quốc gia không ạ? Nếu mình không có các giải thuởng ấy nhưng bù lại điểm trung bình cao thì có được không?
Em cảm ơn chị.

[NTsquare]

@Phuong: chi di tu LHP, apply tu LHP, no U.S. high school =p
hmm well if they track the history of Vietnamese students applying and / or admitted to Stanford, they should know about LHP. Introducing concisely more about the school doesn&#39;t hurt.

There&#39;s no one cut-off condition. Show yourself in a multidimensional but coherent and beautiful way =p Show, not just telling that you have the prize or you have the high score.

[semo168]

Chị ơi trong application của Stanford yêu cầu ID number of common application cho tất cả các form, nhưng em tìm trong các phần của commonapp rồi đều chưa thấy. Cho em hỏi cái ID number đấy nó ở đâu ạ? hay là khi nào em submit online nó mới hiện ra?Thank chị nhiều.

[NTsquare]

i wish i could help but i have no idea either =p would you want to check with the admissions office or other people who also apply for stanford this year?

[Spika]

Hi semo168, if you print out your teacher evaluation, international supplements or something like that, you&#39;ll see your ID number of Common Application right at the bottom of those printed forms.
Hope that help and good luck with the application ;).
P.A.

[wonbin_phuc]

Hi chị Tú,
em wonder about transfering to Stanford from community college.
What is the rate of acceptance of CC students? Trường có tiêu chuẩn gì cho CC students khác so với freshman requirement ko chị?

Thank chị a lot&#33;

[semo168]

Originally posted by Spika@Dec 20 2008, 12:22 AM
Hi semo168, if you print out your teacher evaluation, international supplements or something like that, you&#39;ll see your ID number of Common Application right at the bottom of those printed forms.
Hope that help and good luck with the application ;).
P.A.
Thank you&#33;I finally found the way. To someone who still get stuck with this: as I did, you can get and print the secondary report, final report.... with your ID number at the bottom of each form page if your counselor/teachers refuse to complete them online. Actually, if so, you have to print and ask your teachers to fill out. In the "school form" section, Commonapp will give you the link right after your teachers refuse.

@chị Tú: chị có nghĩ là mình submit các school forms online thì tốt hơn là gửi mail không? Em thấy như thế mình khỏi cần xin chữ kí các thầy cô, chỉ cần hỏi ý kiến thôi.

[NTsquare]

@Kha: either way works.

@Phuc: i don&#39;t know the exact rate. This is from the admissions website:
"In recent years, the admit rate for transfer students has been between 1-2%. Between 20 and 40 transfer student spaces are typically available each year, depending on our freshman to sophomore retention rate (usually 98%) and the number of freshman applicants who typically accept our offer of admission."
(http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/application/transfer/index.html)

So yes it is even tougher if you apply for financial aid. If you really love the school though, do show the initiatives and just go for it :)

[van chu nguyen]

Chị Tú cho em hỏi một câu ạ,
Năm nay khả năng vào được Stanford đúng là rất khó mà ngoại trừ essay ra thì em thấy bản thân mình chắc cũng không có gì nổi trội trước các thí sinh khác. Em chẳng có giải quốc gia hay quốc tế gì. Hồi xưa chị có có không ạ? :-/

Em cảm ơn,

[katetran]

hi chị Tú & anh việt em cũng muốn hỏi như NGUYEN là em chẳng có thành tích nào nỗi trội cả ngoài việc em tham gia một số volunteer ở nhà thờ fortworth,tx <em đang học ở 1 trường private high school >và điễm SAT I &II <tạm tạm>...em có thể apply vào Stanford và xin financal aid của trường đc ko ? nếu có điều kiện jì thì chị nói rõ cho em bik
em cám ơn

[NTsquare]

Hi Nguyên và Nghi,

Vài điều chị muốn nhắn chung là thế này:
- Requirements của application thì đã ghi rõ trong website của trường. Em cứ thế mà làm theo - hỏi chị nhiều khi thông tin chị cũng không được update cho lắm :) Điểm SAT của những học sinh trường nhận vào cũng được cập nhật ở phần student body.

- Chị nghĩ mỗi người đều có điểm gì đó đặc biệt (vì mặc dù vd em có thể cùng học chuyên Anh, cùng điểm SAT ngang bằng nhau, thì vẫn có vô số các lý do khác từ gia đình, môi trường em lớn lên, các kinh nghiệm, sự kiện xảy ra trong cuộc sống của em, cách suy nghĩ của em,... để tạo ra bức tranh em là ai). Chị có thể trả lời lúc trước chị trong application có ghi những gì nhưng chị nghĩ thông tin đó sẽ không giúp được em nhiều. Em cứ bỏ thời gian ra suy ngẫm về essays, về những việc mình thích theo đuổi, về làm sao thực hiện hoạt động xã hội, về làm sao cân bằng thời gian học trong trường và thời gian làm application,... :) Chị biết có những trường hợp điểm SAT rất không gì nổi trội nhưng vẫn được nhận vào trường tốt.

- Mình theo đuổi ước mơ nhưng cũng đi kèm hiện thực. Vd: ước mơ em là được đi du học ở Mỹ. Thì em không phải nhất thiết chỉ nộp vào Stanford - rất nhiều các trường khác vẫn có thể cho em một môi trường giáo dục đại học tốt. Có hoài bão thì cũng nên có thêm chiến lược: - nộp nhiều trường ở các hạng khác nhau ; - viết ra timeline và kế hoạch, để không cảm thấy bị ôm đồm (timeline đã ở đấy rồi thì cứ thực hiện theo); - tưởng tượng tình huống xấu nhất và chuẩn bị tinh thần cho những điều cần thiết phải làm nếu tình huống xấu nhất xảy ra,...

- Được học ở Stanford là một mục tiêu cụ thể. Nhưng hoài bão thật sự bao trùm lên mục tiêu đó là gì? Vd: Hoài bão của em là được sống trong một môi trường nhiều thử thách, cơ hội để được học hỏi nhiều; hoài bão của em là được theo đuổi hay tạo ra một điều gì đó,... Chị nghĩ nếu có những hoài bão lớn này, thì em sẽ có thể linh động hơn và nắm bắt / tự chủ được nhiều cơ hội hơn. Vd: nếu em không được vào Stanford, nhưng em vẫn muốn theo đuổi ước mơ được làm startup, em vẫn có thể sáng tạo nghĩ ra những cơ hội khác cho mình :)

Hoài bão lớn quá thì nhiều lúc dễ thành ngông =p Nhưng các bạn vào được đến forum của VA chị nghĩ gia đình cũng có điều kiện hơn rất nhiều các bạn khác ở Việt Nam nên cứ tận dụng luck của mình để theo đuổi điều mình thích :)

[souhaits]

em chao anh Viet va chi Tu a, anh chi co the cho em hoi mot chut duoc khong a? Em apply vao stanford va co apply financial aid, nhung cho den nay em van chua nhat duoc notifications nao inform la ho da nhan duoc financial aid package cua em a. Em gui package nay cung application package, va ho nhan duoc application package roi a. Lieu em co can phai phone hoac email ho de check khong a? Em cam on anh chi rat nhieu a.

[KP]

Originally posted by souhaits@Apr 1 2009, 11:27 AM
em chao anh Viet va chi Tu a, anh chi co the cho em hoi mot chut duoc khong a? Em apply vao stanford va co apply financial aid, nhung cho den nay em van chua nhat duoc notifications nao inform la ho da nhan duoc financial aid package cua em a. Em gui package nay cung application package, va ho nhan duoc application package roi a. Lieu em co can phai phone hoac email ho de check khong a? Em cam on anh chi rat nhieu a.
em đợi 1 tí nha...anh email chị Tú và anh Việt rồi - they will come and respond to you soon.

[NTsquare]

@My: neu em da gui cung voi application thi mot vai ngay nua truong se gui financial aid package. neu muon sure hon, please feel free to give them a call at (888) 326-3773.

Yay congrats&#33;

Stanford is beautiful in spring (and all year long, cause we have sweet sunshine and no snow here ^^). I feel like I&#39;ve been living in a resort the past few days.

[NTsquare]

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/ntngo09/th_halfmoonbay.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/ntngo09/?action=view&current=halfmoonbay.jpg)
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/ntngo09/th_stanford3.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/ntngo09/?action=view&current=stanford3.jpg)
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/ntngo09/th_stanford2.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/ntngo09/?action=view&current=stanford2.jpg)
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/ntngo09/th_stanford1.jpg (http://s630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/ntngo09/?action=view&current=stanford1.jpg)

[viet]

My: if you applied for aid and checked that box in your application, Stanford should have the package for you. You may want to give Stanford a call or send an email (or both) to confirm.

I had the best 4 years of my life at Stanford, and I hope to return for business school in a few years&#33;

[NTsquare]

I&#39;m soooo happy to know Stanford admitted 3 awesome Vietnamese girls this year :D first-time ever in history :)

From our website :)

Stanford is a thriving residential campus and community. It sits on 8,000 acres of foothills and plains – once a horse farm belonging to Jane and Leland Stanford and still fondly known as "the Farm."

Living and learning are intimately interwined at Stanford. Extra-curricular programs, organizations, performances, forums and athletics beckon students, faculty and staff, as well as neighbors from the communities around us.