While it may seem like the campus is bustling and always busy, students know how to take time out and relax/socialise. If you are prepared to work very hard in a variety of academic fields while living a balanced and well-rounded lifestyle, this is probably a good university for you. The campus is very pretty and everybody is a lot more down-to-Earth than most would expect – this fact alone makes it a great environment for trying new things and making lots of interesting connections with people. As a New Zealander living in the States for the first time, I was a little worried about the transition to a new lifestyle, however, Stanford makes internationals feel very welcome and it doesn’t take long for it to feel like home. In addition, virtually everybody on campus (professors included) use a bike or longboard to travel around campus. This alone keeps you fit and is very refreshing. Lastly, another important point about Stanford is that they operate off the quarter system (about ten weeks). This means, while you will have to work hard in intense bursts, you will be able to try a great deal of courses during your undergraduate studies.

It’s a great environment to learn and grow, with so many options. I played intramural sports (Frisbee and Basketball) and I loved joining different clubs that would get great funding from alumni. You can study abroad, or study on “Semester At Sea” on a boat. I traveled to the Amazon rain forest after taking a class for one quarter. I think the presence of the Greek life creates a lot of social events, and Stanford has tons of formals, dances, etc, including Screw Your Sib, Screw Your Roommate, and other fun/crazy dances. The state of the art gym facilities are accessible to all students (even if you’re not an athlete) and is a pretty big part of the social scene. Dining halls are excellent (I definitely gained more than 15 pounds as a Freshman) and there’s also great things to do off campus (visit companies, drive into San Francisco, go hiking or skiing, etc). I think with such good weather, people are generally pretty active throughout the year. Hope that helps!