Some reasons why Stanford University sucks
Stanford University is a learning institution that most high school graduates hear about, but only few students are actually admitted to. On a yearly basis, thousands of people send their application packages to Stanford with high hopes of getting admitted to this school. More often than not, however, applicants receive the thin rejection envelope instead of the bursting approval envelope. If you are one of the many people who were not accepted to Stanford or if you decided against going to Stanford, you may want to read this article on reasons not to attend Stanford University.
The Farm: The good and the bad
As one of the most prestigious schools in the world, Stanford University has produced some of the most influential and most renowned world figures. Aside from having educated some leading scholars, writers, and artists, Stanford also produced numerous political and legal figures. Some of the most prestigious people to graduate from Stanford include US and foreign presidents, vice-presidents, prime ministers, members of the royalty, senators, and Supreme Court Justices.(1) You can bet that not all of the Stanford graduates were perfect role models though. A classic example would be the 1971 experiment of a Stanford professor of psychology and his students, who created a mock prison system. The experiment led to the mock guards getting more sadistic, while the mock prisoners would show depression and passivity. Some students were emotionally scarred by the experiment.(2, 3)
Berkeley’s better academic environment
One of the biggest problems with going to school at Stanford is that it can cost you more than your entire life savings. At University of California, Berkeley, you can get a great education at a great value. Berkeley has also produced numerous influential figures, including Pulitzer Prize winners and Nobel Laureates. Berkeley even has a larger student body, which means a bigger and more diverse network of friends and social contacts. Stanford even allows their students to drop classes before taking the finals without incurring any penalties to their grades. What kind of education is that? How can you forge character, virtues, and values if you allow students to just drop a class to save their GPA? Talk about baby feeding.(4, 5)
A bunch of preppies with attitudes
Another problem with Stanford is that the students can be stuck-up and conceited, only worried about how good they look in their designer outfits. If you aren’t the type to try and look like a goody-two-shoes preppy, then you’ll probably get annoyed as hell in Stanford. Besides, all they have to talk about is their money and the people they “know.” Whatever happened to real conversations?
Life over money
Finally, if you believe that there is more to life than just money, then Stanford isn’t the right place for you. The people at Stanford tend to get caught-up in talking about their financial capabilities. Who can blame them, though? With the huge tuition that they pay, they must have money. But you have to agree that there is much more to life than fattening your bank account, like getting a good education at a place other than Stanford University.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Stanford_University_people
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Zimbardo
(3) http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/02/ted_zimbardo
(4) http://ual.stanford.edu/AP/academic_policies/AcPolicies.html
(5) http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/04/us/stanford-u-decides-to-make-courses-harder-to-drop-but-easier-to-fail.html?pagewanted=all
