STA N F OR D

S TA N F O R D
h t t p : / / a d m i s s i o n . s t a n f o r d . e d u S t a n f o r d Un i v e r s i t y 2 0 0 7

U N I V E R S I T Y
2 0 0 7

Office of Undergraduate Admission

355 Galvez Street ■ Stanford, CA 94305-3020
(650) 723-2091 ■ Fax (650) 725-2846
Stanford University admits students of either sex and any race, color,

religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the

rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made

available to students at the university. It does not discriminate against

students on the basis of sex, race, color, age, disability, religion, sexual

orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its

educational policies, scholarships and loan programs, and athletic and

other university-administered programs.

Stanford University complies with the Clery Disclosure of Campus

Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. For a copy of

Stanford’s policies and statistics under this Act, please contact the
Stanford University Department of Public Safety at (650) 723-9633.

Stanford University
Of fice of Undergraduate Admission

355 Galvez Street ■ Stanford, CA 94305-3020

Phone: (650) 723 – 2091
Fax: (650) 725– 2846
Website: http://admission.stanford.edu
Email: admission@stanford.edu
International email: intl.admission@stanford.edu

Creative Direction and Design: Plainspoke / Portsmouth, NH

Production: Stanford Design Group

Editorial Direction: Andrea Jarrell

Photography: Steve Marsel (portraits), Dan Dry (including front cover)

and Linda A. Cicero (inside front cover)

The Stanford viewbook is published annually by the Office of Undergraduate

Admission. Special thanks go to our faculty contributors and the students and staff
members whose thoughtfulness and support made this collaborative project possible.
“Coming here was like seeing the entire world all at once.”
E m i ly L i v a d a r y, C l a s s o f 2 0 0 4

Stanford University 1
S t a n f o r d Un i v e r s i t y :
Exploration and Excellence

The world all at once: Limitless possibilities are at the heart of Stanford University.

Global positioning systems and gene splicing, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and

The Grapes of Wrath, the football huddle and the T-formation, Yahoo! and Google —

all bear the mark of a Stanford individual. At Stanford, you will find the entire

universe of what humankind knows and is endeavoring to know. From your first days

on campus, this universe will be yours to explore, yours to discover. Stanford will ask

that intellectual curiosity be your compass, that excellence be your true north.

Along the way, you will have the guidance of extraordinary faculty mentors who are

at the forefront of advancing the world’s understanding of subjects ranging from geo-

physics to history to bioscience to musical composition. You will also have the friend-

ship of fellow students who will awe and inspire you as much for their humanity as

for their talents. As you pursue the questions that interest you most, your mentors and

friends will give you the freedom to risk temporary failure as you push yourself both

intellectually and personally — along with the freedom and encouragement to pursue

what you love.

Your reward will be the exhilaration of discovery — the exhilaration of true excellence.

Stanford University 3
English Professor Paula Moya directs the undergraduate pro-
gram at Stanford’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and
Ethnicity, which is a national force in promoting the study of race
and ethnicity. Moya’s fields are 20th-century American fiction,
Chicana/o cultural studies and feminist theory, with special
interests in writing by women of color and U.S. Latina/o litera-
ture. Nearly 100 affiliated faculty in disciplines ranging from
archaeology, business, drama, education and history to human
biology, law and music explore questions of race and ethnicity at
the center. “I’m a humanist,” says Moya. “When I teach a work of
literature, I approach it with all the usual lenses — narrative
structure, language, thematic analysis — but I also situate that
THE HUMANIST
work historically. In my Introduction to Chicana/o Literature
class, many students, even Mexican-American students, don’t
know Chicana/o history. So I give history and economic lessons
along the way, sometimes team teaching courses with faculty
who specialize in other disciplines.” Moya adds that Stanford
humanists are among the world’s foremost scholars in their
fields. “In the area of literature alone, students are often taught
by the people who write the works they might only have the
opportunity to read at another university—writers and poets like
Tobias Wolff, Eavan Boland and J.M. Coetzee. It’s a tremendously
vital intellectual life.”
 T H E S T U D E N T A N D T H E M E N TO R

“Knowing what one is passionate about is not always self-evident.

Good mentoring draws from the student a spark of self-recognition,”
says Linguistics Professor John Rickford, who first met
Devin Griffin in his African-American Vernacular English class.
Later, Griffin was one of the students who accompanied Rickford on
a South Carolina and Georgia Sea Islands learning expedition. “I’ve
seen Devin grow from a freshman quite uncertain about what he
wanted to do, but wildly excited about the experiences he had on
the expedition, to a senior with a solid degree in economics who
had the honor of being a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship and a win-
ner of a Mellon Undergraduate Minority Fellowship. The fact that he
was able to organize a quarter of overseas study in Ghana on his
own and do groundbreaking research on the slave castles there
impresses me to no end. What the future holds for him, intellectu-
ally and in other respects, is still an open book, but his four years at
Stanford have convinced me that it will make exciting and high-
quality reading.”

Stanford University 5
 For many students and faculty, Stanford is special because of the
close collaboration among undergraduates, graduate students
and faculty. That collaboration creates a seamless educational
continuum at the university. Sitting around a table with graduate
students and faculty, undergraduates hold their own. At the
Center for Environmental Science and Policy, Dean of Earth
Sciences Pamela Matson works with researchers to address
issues of sustainability. Faculty from engineering, economics,
geology and biology are also involved. All members of her
research team, including undergraduates, present their research.
Says Matson, “It is wonderful to meet a freshman and, through
working with him or her, watch that person become engaged and
able to contribute original research that truly enriches the
overall project.”

THE CONTINUUM

From left: Karen Carney,

Shannah Metz, Pam Matson,
John Harrison and Becky Chaplin
at the Science and Engineering
Quad Teaching Center

6 Stanford University
Stephen Fried
backstage at
Memorial Auditorium

T H E D I R E C TO R A N D T H E AC T R E S S

Annie Abrams sees similarities in the challenges she encounters

as an artist at Stanford and those faced by friends majoring in
engineering, English or the sciences. “We’re all willing to go after
questions that may never be answered definitively,” she says.
Stephen Fried believes Stanford’s environment compels him to
examine the ways in which theater matters. “Stanford forces you
to justify the significance of what you’re doing.” A double major in
drama and history, Fried researched avant-garde Russian theater
director Vsevolod Meyerhold via an Undergraduate Research
Opportunity grant, then wrote and directed Habeas Corpus:
Meyerhold, the Final Chapter. Abrams and Fried agree that the
integration of scholarship and performance characterizes
Stanford’s drama program, as does the department’s close-knit
community of undergraduates, graduate students and faculty.
Abrams appeared with one of her professors in a production of
Max Frisch’s The Firebugs. Fried took his play on Meyerhold to
Moscow, where it ran for four performances.

Annie Abrams on
the stage at
Memorial Auditorium
 Freshman and
Sophomore Seminars

“ Seminars make you comfortable enough

to go and talk to professors. You feel that
there is no ivory-tower distance between
you. My freshman year, there was a
sophomore seminar I desperately wanted
to take on South Africa, which is my area
of research. The class was already full, but
I stayed, talked to the professor and was
able to take the class.” Chris Maloney,
Class of 2002

Intimacy Within a World-Class University

Stanford’s tradition of faculty mentorship begins with small-group learning experiences in

freshman and sophomore seminars. It continues through faculty-student research collabora-

tions and culminates in the launching of a student’s own research pursuits. These collaborations

are complemented by the university’s emphasis on residential learning. As a result, you’ll find

a “knowable” campus with a challenging, yet friendly and supportive environment.

Exceptional Research
A Continuum of Scholars Opportunities

“ There is less status consciousness here
about what level a student is at. I’ve taught
Ph.D. seminars with undergraduates and
undergraduate courses with Ph.D. students
in them. If a bright undergraduate student
wants to do a Ph.D. seminar, the reaction is: understands how I think. More important,
‘Give it a shot.’ There is an attitude about
facilitating someone’s education and
research. Rather than setting up roadblocks,
it’s ‘What can we do to make this work?’”
Theodore L. Glasser, Professor of
Communication
“ I chose to work with Professor Anthony Oro
after interviewing with him in his lab at the
medical school. By the time I graduate, I
will have worked with Dr. Oro for three
years, which is significant because he really
I have the opportunity to understand how
he thinks. The most surprising aspect of
working with Dr. Oro, or any professor at
Stanford, is the incredible responsibility
entrusted to students. Sometimes I ask
myself, why would my mentor ever trust me
to perform all these significant experiments
that are at the forefront of science? I realize
this trust comes from the respect Stanford
professors have for their students. It’s this
honest belief in our capabilities that helps
us build our own confidence to succeed.”
Jamie Hui, Class of 2003

8 Stanford University
 Yo u r S ta n f o r d E x p e r i e n c e

“ You can do anything you want here. You

can go to San Francisco, you can stay on
campus, you can study math, you can study
humanities. You can come here and find
your place and find people to share that
place with. There is no ‘Stanford experi-
ence’ — there’s your experience at Stanford.”
Jennifer Chan, Class of 2003

Freedom to Excel A c c e s s i b l e Fa c u l t y M e m b e r s

“ As a faculty member, I can teach my classes “ The Stanford undergraduate program is built
and speak about my research at a high on the assumption that students want to go
level. There are very few upper boundaries deeply into something and that they’re going
I need to impose on myself in talking about to find the faculty members with whom to
my work. What makes this place different is do this. It assumes that students who are
not only the high caliber of students, but intellectually curious, critical thinkers are
also the informality. That allows for a greater going to have the confidence in themselves
level of honesty and intensity in discussions. to say, ‘I can do something, and I can do it
When we can be honest and leave ourselves well, and I’m not going to be embarrassed
open for response and criticism, the environ- to knock on a professor’s door even if that
ment becomes one in which students and professor won a Nobel Prize.’ And when they
faculty can cut to the chase without fooling knock, they will find that faculty here are
around. That’s when you have the freedom happy to work with undergraduates and will
to excel.” Luis Fraga, Associate Professor of be encouraging in all sorts of ways that
Political Science make students feel valued.” Arnold Eisen,
Professor of Religious Studies

A t H e a r t, a S m a l l C a m p u s

“ One thing that’s really special about

Stanford is that you’ve got hills and vistas
all around you, but the heart of the campus
is small enough for a lot of interaction.
You’re constantly running into your friends
and professors — sometimes literally if
you’re on a bike!” Sohini Ramachandran,
Class of 2002

Stanford University 9
Roommates Jean Chow, Renee Ng and Noor Dawood are consider-
ably different, which is probably why they get along so well at
Stanford. Chow is a communication and Chinese major from Aiea,
Hawaii; Ng is a management science and engineering major from
Saratoga, California; and Dawood is a psychology major from
Newtown, Pennsylvania, who plays intercollegiate field hockey and
lacrosse. “It’s really cool that Noor can be a two-sport athlete but be
just as regular and involved in ‘normal activities’ as any other stu-
dent here,” says Ng. “I know at some other universities the athletes
are more segregated from the rest of the student body. But at
Stanford, they are very much like everybody else.” Having grown up
in different cultures, the three agree it’s fun to explore those differ-
ences. “I pinched Jean on St. Patrick’s Day because she wasn’t wear-
ing green, and Noor thought that was the strangest thing on Earth,”
says Ng. “We ended up having a big discussion about it in our
dorm — none of the East Coasters had ever heard of the tradition,
but all of the Californians had. I love things like that — learning little
things about people you just never knew before.”
From left: Jean Chow,
Renee Ng and
Noor Dawood in their
room at Toyon Hall
Huey Kwik and John Rote don’t attribute supernatural powers to
the Stanford housing staff members who paired them up. “I’d be
pretty impressed if they had the foresight to know we’d get along so
great,” says Kwik. They know they were matched as much for their
similarities — “taste in music, bedtimes, views on drinking and
drugs” — as for their differences. “Living with Huey, who is from
California, is living with jokes about my accent 24 hours a day,” says
Rote, a Tennessean. “But we have great respect for each other, and
that’s a big part of our chemistry.” What’s the best part of being
roommates? “How much we involve ourselves in the other’s life,”
says Rote. “If Huey has a computer science program to work on, I
might go grab him a sandwich while he’s at work. If I have a paper to
do late one night, he’ll stay up and keep me company. I couldn’t
imagine a better roommate.”
T H E RO O M M AT E S
John Rote, left,
and Huey Kwik in
the laundry room
at Toyon Hall

Stanford University 11
 Nico Slate personifies interdisciplinary study at Stanford. He
double majored in two interdisciplinary majors, Earth Systems
and Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities. A Rhodes
Scholar, Slate completed a master’s degree in environmental
change and management at Oxford. His next step will be an inter-
12 Stanford University
disciplinary doctorate uniting literary and philosophical studies
with social and environmental issues. He hopes to be a professor
and advisor to policymakers, with the ultimate goal of connecting
his future students’ learning to effective service on a global scale.
THE ‘INTERDISCIPLINARIAN’
 95 %
St u d e n t s l i v i n g
42
St a n f o rd a t h l e t e s
on campus and coaches at the
2004 Olympic Games
i n At h e n s

78 1/3
Nu m b e r o f Pr o p o r t i o n o f
undergraduate undergraduates who
re s i d e n c e s s t u d y ov e r s e a s

640
Nu m b e r o f
64
Pu b l i c s e r v i c e
student groups organizations housed
a t t h e Ha a s C e n t e r

35
Nu m b e r o f
12,000
Estimated number
varsity sports of bicycles in use
on campus
 On Being Well-Rounded
“ You hear people talk about the concept of
well-roundedness versus angularity. I like to
think of Stanford as an intensely angular
place, but the students all have many, many
points or angles. It’s that redefining of well-
roundedness that I find very exciting here.”
Stephen Sano, Associate Professor of Music
What We Mean When We Say “Interdisciplinar y”
“Thin walls” between academic disciplines encourage creativity and innovation. Some at
Stanford call that intellectual entrepreneurship. Others call it intellectual playfulness. All
agree that in this edge-pushing environment, you will find that no question is out of bounds
and no solution is out of reach.
“ I couldn’t bear to think of limiting myself
14 Stanford University
F r e e d o m t o Ta k e R i s k s
“ When I got to Stanford, two of the most
important things I learned were that I
couldn’t do everything myself, and that
I could take risks. So even though I’m an
engineering major, I can take a class on
Irish literature because I’m interested in it,
even if I’m not the best at it. I found that
freedom really engaging and exciting. In
the past, I didn’t feel that I could comfort-
ably go beyond my borders—I had that
fear of failure. But here, your peers respect
you when you cross the line. That’s one
of the best things about this place.”
Emily Ma, Class of 2003
Seeing No Limits
to one course of study. But how could
I possibly continue to study German while
taking mathematics, computer science and
statistics? Stanford’s introductory seminars
and Sophomore College rescued me. I took
two seminars and one Sophomore College
course in the German Studies Department
and was able to achieve fluent command
of German vocabulary and grammar.
My hope is to one day become a professor
and be able to lecture in German.”
Sohini Ramachandran, Class of 2002
 Departments Born of
C o l l a b o r at i o n
“ The interdisciplinary department of Symbolic
Systems was born out of a collaboration
among philosophers, linguists, psychologists
and computer scientists working at the
Center for the Study of Language and
Information. Basically, Sym Sys shows you
how subjects that seem like polar opposites
relate to each other. Instead of seeing 100
steps between Plato and computers, you find
bridges that make the distance only about
two steps.” Ezra Callahan, Class of 2002
One-fourth of Stanford’s undergraduates
major in one of the university’s interdiscipli-
nary programs. These programs characterize
Stanford’s dynamic intellectual environment:
Earth Systems provides students with an
understanding of how geological and
biological processes interact with humans
and their economic systems to determine
how the environment functions on global
and regional scales. Program graduates
apply their knowledge to the design of
effective environmental policy and the
reconciliation of competing environmental
and social objectives.
A Challenging
Academic Environment
“ An interdisciplinary frame combines lateral
accessibility as well as intense scholarly
depth. This is not simply putting a bunch of
people together, but creating a learning and
research environment that is challenging,
problem-driven and exciting.” David
Palumbo-Liu, Professor of Comparative
Literature
Human Biology examines the relationship
between the biological and social aspects of
humanity’s origin, development and environ-
ment. Students gain a broad and rigorous
exposure to the biological and behavioral
sciences and their interrelationships. The
curriculum incorporates an interdisciplinary
perspective by drawing from faculty mem-
bers from departments such as biology,
anthropology, psychology and economics.
Within the major, students choose to focus
on a specific topic, such as the Economics
of Health Policy or Human Genetics, by
designing their own concentration of upper
division and seminar classes.
Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities
investigates the intersections of culture,
history, art and philosophy with students
choosing to focus on one of ten fields:
Culture and Politics; Digital Humanities; Early
Modern Studies; Ecology, Philosophy and
Literature; Film Studies; Medieval Studies;
Modern Thought and Literature; Performance
Studies; Philosophical and Literary Thought;
and Philosophy and the Visual Arts.
International Relations focuses on the study
of changing relations (political, economic
and cultural) among nation states. Students
investigate a range of issues, including inter-
national security, international political econ-
omy, political and economic development,
and the politics of the transition to democ-
racy. They have the option of specializing in
a geographical area.
Stanford University 15
T H E ‘ G R A D S C H O O L’ C O N N E C T I O N

Sarah Huntwork hopes to apply her experience in Dr. Lucy

Shapiro’s microbiology laboratory at the Stanford School of
Medicine to a career in government service. Shapiro is a professor
of developmental biology and a cancer researcher. As director of
Stanford’s Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine,
she is leading efforts to apply basic science discoveries to the pre-
vention and treatment of disease. Huntwork joined Dr. Shapiro’s
lab team as a sophomore. “It’s interesting how much understand-
ing about biology and the scientific process in general you get
from doing research,” says Huntwork. “In high school, you never
question the facts you learn in class. You just know that some
scientists determined those facts at some point, and you take
them at face value. After doing research at Stanford, I’ve learned
that science is a much more dynamic process. You always have to be
questioning how the facts you’re working with were determined —
whether the interpretation of the data that led to those results is
really the correct one.”
 From left: Tess Bridgeman,
Jason Cheng and Valarie Brar
near the Quad
THE ENTREPRENEURS
“A common misconception is that entrepreneurship equals
starting a company,” says Jason Cheng, a double major in bio-
science and computer science. As a Stanford Technology
Ventures Program Mayfield Fellow, Cheng worked in Silicon
Valley with some of high technology’s most notable CEOs.
Cheng plans to use his entrepreneurial skills in combination
with an M.D./Ph.D. “Anyone who does anything innovative or
creative benefits from having entrepreneurial training,” he
says. ■ International relations major/religious studies minor
and now documentary filmmaker Valarie Brar proves Cheng’s
point. Brar planned to spend part of her junior year in India,
recording memories of the partition. But when the events of
September 11, 2001, caused her trip to be canceled, Brar
regrouped and used the funds to travel the United States
interviewing Sikh, Muslim, Arab, South Asian and Afghan/
Americans on post–September 11 backlash. She developed a
film and publication — her senior project and honors thesis —as
educational tools for use in both communities and classrooms.
■ “Social-service entrepreneur” is what some call human biol-
ogy major Tess Bridgeman. Others call her a visionary.
Bridgeman was invited by health officials in Oaxaca, Mexico,
to initiate a program aimed at eradicating the high incidence
of preventable birth defects related to folic acid deficiency.
Her successes include identification of a once-indigenous
source of folic acid (amaranth), renewed amaranth production
and the education of women through gardening and cooking
demonstrations, workshops and house visits in 28 Oaxacan
communities.
Stanford University 17
By the time most Stanford freshmen enroll in historian David
Kennedy’s freshman seminar or Introduction to the Humanities
course, they have already “met” him through his Pulitzer Prize –
winning work in American history. ■ For many years, psychologists
thought they studied the mind while anthropologists studied cul-
ture . Then came Hazel Markus, the social scientist most responsi-
ble for creating the field of cultural psychology. Markus is among the
most cited psychologists in the world. ■ Physics Professor Douglas
Osheroff is the first Nobel Prize winner most Stanford undergradu-
ates meet. He lectures in the introductory physics sequence and
teaches a small freshman seminar on photography. ■ In his book on
August Wilson, Drama Professor Harry Elam acknowledges the con-
tributions of his students, thanking each one “for how they shaped
my research.” ■ Professor of Biological Sciences Patricia Jones
loves to integrate her research on genetics and the immune system
From left: David Kennedy,
Hazel Markus, Patricia Jones
and Douglas Osherof f in the
Lane Reading Room of the
Bing Wing in Green Library
with undergraduate teaching. She teaches a freshman/sophomore
seminar on infection, immunity and public health , and mentors
undergraduate researchers in her lab. ■ Whether or not he or she
studies German, almost every Stanford student is likely to meet
Professor of German Studies Elizabeth Bernhardt, who directs the
Stanford Language Center. Bernhardt is an applied linguist who
conducts pioneering research in comprehension assessment.
■ Computer Science Professor Eric Roberts’ internationally recog-
nized program in undergraduate computer science education
reaches students all over the world. Stanford students find him
sitting across the seminar table from them.
T H E T E AC H E R - S C H O L A R S
From left: Eric Roberts,
Elizabeth Bernhardt and
Harry Elam in the
Charles and Frances Field
Room of the Bing Wing
in Green Library

Stanford University 19
 Th e S i l i c o n Va l l e y C o n n e c t i o n

“ You get up in the morning here and the

sense of the future is palpable. I had the
good fortune to cofound a biotech company
four years ago. The idea started on campus.
Now we’re off campus and hiring undergrad-
uates. This kind of environment simply does
not exist in other places.” Paul Wender,
Professor of Chemistry

Theory Active in the Real World

Research at Stanford is “outward looking,” meaning that faculty and students pursue work

that affects how people live worldwide. You will benefit from your faculty members’ partic-

ipation in the world’s most pressing issues. You will also benefit from the opportunity to par-

ticipate in groundbreaking research. The university commits substantial resources to enable

Stanford students to pursue their own investigations in the real world.

C r e at i n g N e w K n o w l e d g e

“Stanford encourages you to swing for the
home runs rather than the bunts—to try to
make a profound and lasting contribution…
more than ever, this means approaching a
problem from multiple perspectives and
disciplines…it means looking for advances
in one area that create opportunities in
another…you have to be bold. Rarely has
anyone changed the world who was not
willing to take a risk.” John Hennessy,
President
Stanford’s community of scholars includes:
■ 15 Nobel laureates
■ 4 Pulitzer Prize winners
■ 23 MacArthur Fellows
■ 21 National Medal of Science recipients
■ 3 National Medal of Technology recipients
■ 223 American Academy of Arts and
Sciences members
■ 134 National Academy of Sciences
members
■ 84 National Academy of Engineering
members
■ 26 National Academy of Education
members
■ 40 American Philosophical Society
members
■ 7 Wolf Foundation Prize for Mathematics
winners
■ 7 Koret Foundation Prize winners
■ 4 Presidential Medal of Freedom winners

20 Stanford University
 Mentors Who Make a Difference
“ Stanford gives students the chance to
develop their talents or interests to the
fullest extent possible. So if a student
wants to do biology, we’ll give her not
only biology but also a top-rate lab where
Nobel Prize winners and MacArthur
Foundation Fellows are doing cutting-edge
research and sitting with her day by day
teaching biology. If the student wants to
do international affairs, he can learn from
Scott Sagan (Professor of Political Science)
one day, knowing that the day before,
Scott Sagan was meeting with India’s
National Security Advisor and Pakistan’s
military leaders. Students here soon grasp
that it is an incredible opportunity.” Arnold
Eisen, Professor of Religious Studies
F i n d i n g Yo u r P l a c e
“ I’ve changed because I’ve scraped the
surface of where I’m supposed to be in
this world. From research projects to
the Stanford in Washington program to
professors to making friends from every-
where in the world, you begin to form a
much larger picture. Your task is to pull
the pieces of that giant picture together.
You start to see, ‘Oh, I fit here.’”
Christopher Mahoney, Class of 2002
Other Extraordinary
Student Research Grants Opportunities
The university’s commitment to undergradu- ■ Haas Public Service Summer Fellows carry
ate research is best exemplified by out their self-designed public service proj-
Undergraduate Research Opportunity grants, ects all over the world.
which are awarded to students who design
■ Overseas Study at one of Stanford’s nine
their own research projects under faculty
campuses is often a turning point, enrich-
guidance. Recent projects include:
ing the context of a student’s prior work
■ Almost Another Sister: Characterization of and sharpening the focus of the research
the Reader in the Novels of Jane Austen yet to come.
■ Gene Targeting to Define the Role of ■ Stanford in Washington places students
“DEZ” in Pulmonary Immunology in substantive internships in the nation’s
capital, working with senior-level officials
■ The Influence of Japanese-American
in government agencies and institutions,
World War II Internees’ Coping
public interest groups and the news media.
Strategies on Subsequent Generations:
An Intergenerational Examination ■ Mayfield Fellowships are awarded through
the Stanford Technology Ventures Program
■ The Impact of the War Crimes Tribunal
and include a paid summer internship at a
for the Former Yugoslavia on International
start-up company.
Human Rights Law
■ Who Directs the Future of Accessing
Wireless Communication Networks?
■ The New Jersey Diner — A Cultural
Investigation through Photography
■ The Rule of Equivalence in Aristotle’s
Theory of Definitions
Stanford University 21
From left: Erica Ma,
Clif f Nass, Kent Grif fin
and Sheba Najmi in
the main computer room,
Forsythe Hall

T H E I N V E N TO R S

Communication Professor Clifford Nass’s book The Media Equation:

How People Treat Computers, Televisions and New Media Like Real
People and Places reveals the intersections of communication,
computer science, technology and sociology. Nass has helped
invent products for more than 50 companies, including Microsoft,
Hewlett-Packard and IBM. Nass’s students are inventors as well. “In
one class, I randomly grouped students to design projects. Several
of them ended up creating patentable inventions,” he says. Nass’s
new book, Wired for Speech: How Voice Activates and Advances the
Human-Computer Relationship, was inspired by an undergraduate
course. “This was a course with small groups of students designing,
implementing and analyzing experiments in an attempt to con-
tribute to both the psychological and design literatures. Of the 10
projects, nine resulted in publishable research. Many companies
have now incorporated the research into their product designs.”
From left: Josh Haner,
Vlada Teper and
Willow Miller-Young
on the Quad
Josh Haner, Vlada Teper and Willow Miller-Young used
Stanford undergraduate research grants to pursue intellectual,
artistic and humanitarian interests. ■ Photographer Josh
Haner, whose photos have appeared in national publications,
was awarded the Pritzker Scholarship by Stanford’s Anthropo-
logical Sciences Department to pursue documentary photogra-
phy in a Maasai village in southern Kenya. “My photographs
attempt to create a more complete ethnographic documentary
of the culture of a people who have historically been romanti-
cized as the beautiful savage.” ■ Vlada Teper, who immigrated
from the Soviet Union at age 10, was deeply affected by Max
Weber’s statement that culture is a web of invisible influences.
T H E WO R L D C I T I Z E N S
“I left class understanding the importance of being a citizen of
the world,” she says. Teper studied in the Stanford at Oxford
program. Through her honors thesis, she conducted research in
Moscow on the selection of world literature for instruction in
Moscow and California Bay Area high schools. ■ As a high
school student, Willow Miller-Young “read and reread a mag-
azine article about Bali, awed by the island’s resilience in the
face of rampant tourism.” A Native American, she identified
with an indigenous population’s reaction to outside forces.
Miller-Young used a university research grant to write a collec-
tion of short stories integrating themes of Balinese culture,
human interaction and identity development.
Stanford University 23
 70 +
Fi e l d s o f s t u d y
7 to 1
St u d e n t t o f a c u l t y
ratio

200 +
Nu m b e r o f
1,771
St a n f o rd
f re s h m a n / s o p h o m o re professoriate
s e m i n a r s o f f e re d
each year

70 %
Classes with
15
No b e l l a u re a t e s
fewer than 20
students

$ 4.1 m i l l i o n
Re s e a rc h f u n d s
all 7
St a n f o rd s c h o o l s
granted to w h e re u n d e r g r a d u a t e s
undergraduates can take courses
in 2005
T H E I N N OVATO R
When you’re at the beginning of what becomes a world-
changing idea, do you have a sense of its magnitude? “You
rarely suspect how large the change will be,” says Stanford
President John Hennessy, whose work since the early ’80s
has helped revolutionize the computer industry. “Stanford
encourages you to swing for the home runs rather than the
bunts — to try to make a profound and lasting contribution,”
he says. In 1981, as a professor of electrical engineering,
Hennessy initiated a project at Stanford that pioneered a new
approach to computer architecture, now known as RISC
(Reduced Instruction Set Computer). “We started our project
by brainstorming, reading papers, thinking about unorthodox
and novel directions. In the end, we built a prototype that
embodied our ideas. Without the prototype, our theories
never would have found acceptance in the real world. Stanford
is an environment that encourages and supports the full range
of research, from theoretical insights all the way to practice.”
Does Hennessy have any advice for future innovators? “Look
for discontinuities or paradigm shifts such as the one being
created today in biological science with the decoding of the
human genome and advances in the understanding of detailed
operations of cells. In my case, we believed that a technology
change was coming: computers would go from room-size
things with thousands of integrated circuits to single-chip
microprocessors.” He says he and his team also believed the
industry was headed in the wrong direction — a direction
steered by conventional wisdom. “The major contributions
that change our lives in fundamental ways often occur when
you approach a problem in a different way. More than ever,
that means approaching a problem from multiple perspectives
and disciplines — engineering partnering with medicine,
physics with biochemistry. It means looking for advances in
one area that create opportunities in another. Of course, you
have to be bold. Rarely has anyone changed the world who
was not willing to take a risk.”
Stanford University 25
T H E S C H O L A R - AT H L E T E S Some people outside of Stanford may be surprised that the univer-
sity is both academically and athletically excellent. Cardinal teams
are almost always among the most competitive nationwide. But
those who know Stanford see these dual excellences as an
inevitable consequence of the type of student who comes to
Stanford. “Whether or not an athlete wants to admit it,” says foot-
ball player Brandon Royster, “he or she comes to Stanford to be
different. Stanford would not be your school of choice if you were
interested in being just another athlete.”

From left: Brandon Royster (football),

Tif fany Chao (lacrosse), David Martin (tennis),
Ellen Estes (water polo), Jason Cooper (baseball),
Bethany Donaphin (basketball) and
Sara McGee (volleyball) at Stanford Stadium
“When I think of justice, what comes to mind is young people
having the ability to pursue their dreams without obstacles,”
says Celina Ramirez, a Stanford Public Service Scholar who
wrote her honors thesis on the significance of romantic relation-
ships to Latina teenagers. “Many young Latinas become involved
in serious, often abusive, relationships because they believe
having a boyfriend is the only way to show the world they are
interesting or beautiful. If they had equal resources for extracur-
ricular activities and better access to information about birth
control, would they be more empowered?” As a Chicana/o studies
T H E P U B L I C S E RVA N T
major, Ramirez also conducted research on the growing bilin-
gual/multicultural children’s literature market and taught high
school classes on the representation of Latinos in film. She was
considering a Ph.D. in literature until she spent a semester
studying at Stanford in Washington. There, she studied civil
rights and education in a one-on-one tutorial with a Department
of Education scholar. “I discovered I could draw on all my theo-
retical knowledge about how people define themselves to solve
real-world problems,” she says. Ramirez received her J.D. at
Stanford Law School in 2004.
Stanford University 27
 “I think one of the biggest testaments to the intellectuality of this place is that people

don’t turn it off when they exit class. Whether it’s academic, recreational or some

hybrid of the two, virtually everyone has this personal vitality that drives them.”

S t e p h a n i e E a r ly, C l a s s o f 2 0 0 5

28 Stanford University
 Dear Prospective Student,

We are honored that you are considering Stanford among your college choices. In the

pages that follow, we try to give you more specific information about the academic,

extracurricular and social life of our campus. Stanford offers its students such a vast

array of opportunities that it is hard to capture everything about the university in

this single publication. If questions arise as you read the following pages, please feel

welcome to call or e-mail us.

Best Wishes,

Richard H. Shaw
Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

St a n f o rd Ad m i s s i o n
Learn more about Stanford and
how to apply for freshman or
transfer admission at
http://admission.stanford.edu.
St a n f o rd o n t h e We b
Visit department home pages and read
more about faculty and their research,
residential life, and student projects and
organizations at the Stanford website,
http://www.stanford.edu.
St a n f o rd C o u r s e Ca t a l o g
The Stanford Bulletin, a detailed catalog
of courses and requirements, can
be found on the web at
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/registrar/bulletin.

30 Stanford University
 Stanford University:
Exploration and Excellence

Th e f r e e d o m t o p u r s u e w h at y o u lo v e . . . Th e w o r l d a l l at o n c e . . .

32 Achieving Breadth and Depth 38 Haas Center for Public Service

32 General Education Requirements 38 Stanford in Washington Program
33 Majors, Minors, Honors and Degrees 38 Bing Overseas Studies Program
33 The Quarter System as Explorative Tool 39 Stanford Exchange Program
39 Visual, Literary and Performing Arts Programs
Fa c u l t y m e n t o r s at t h e f o r e f r o n t o f 40 Stanford Athletics
a d va n c i n g t h e w o r l d ’ s u n d e r s ta n d i n g . . .
34 School of Humanities and Sciences
Th e f r i e n d s h i p o f f e l lo w s t u d e n t s
34 School of Engineering w h o w i l l aw e a n d i n s p i r e y o u . . .

35 School of Earth Sciences 41 Living at Stanford

35 Undergraduate Access to the Graduate Schools 41 The Stanford Campus and Small-House System

42 Residential Education
Intellectual curiosity will be your compass, 42 Academic Resources and Services
excellence your true north . . .
43 Student Centers, Organizations and Services
36 Undergraduate Research
36 Student-Initiated and Faculty-Led Programs
G lo b a l p o s i t i o n i n g s y s t e m s a n d g e n e s p l i c i n g ,
and Grants
O n e F l e w O v e r t h e Cuckoo ’ s N e st . . .
37 Research Centers, Institutes and Laboratories
44 After Stanford
44 Fellowships and Graduate School

44 Career Development Counseling

44 The Alumni Connection

46 Admission and Financial Aid

Stanford University 31
 The freedom to take risks as you push yourself
both intellectually and personally . . .

On the preceding pages, we have described a number of student “explorations,” discoveries and
achievements. Together, these stories reveal the remarkable depth of undergraduate education at
Stanford. With such depth, it may not be immediately apparent that a complementary kind of
accomplishment is also at work: that is, breadth. The Stanford curriculum affords a breadth of
understanding in the liberal arts and a depth of understanding in a particular subject. We believe
a relevant education requires both.

AC H I EV I N G B R E A D T H A N D D E P T H Introduction to the Humanities (IHUM) Disciplinary Breadth

The IHUM courses explore what it means The Disciplinary Breadth courses provide
Stanford’s requirements are an expression of
to be human from multiple perspectives, students with educational breadth by giving
our ideals for a well-educated person. All
providing students with an intellectual them some experience in the areas of engi-
courses of study have the goal of achieving
foundation in the study of human thought, neering and applied sciences, humanities,
balance between breadth of knowledge
values, beliefs, creativity and culture. IHUM mathematics, natural sciences, and the
acquired through exploration and depth of
courses also enhance skills in analysis, social sciences. To satisfy these require-
knowledge acquired through specialization.
reasoning, argumentation and oral and ments, students may enroll in courses or
Committed to a liberal-arts foundation,
written expression, helping students to draw from the hundreds of introductory
Stanford does not require students to
prepare for advanced work in all areas. seminars offered each year. Sample seminars
declare a major until the end of their sopho-
Sample courses include: Citizenship; Visions include: The Coastal Zone Environment,
more year. Rather, students have the oppor-
of Mortality; Tradition and Revolution: The Nature of Engineering, A Social
tunity to sample widely before determining
Rewriting the Classics; Reason, Passion and Entrepreneurship Startup, Buddhist Political
an area or areas for deeper investigation.
Reality; and Serious Laughter: Fantasy and and Social Theory, and Language and
The undergraduate curriculum allows stu-
Invective in Greece, Rome and Beyond. Gender in Japan: Myths and Reality.
dents to conduct this initial broad explo-
Freshmen take three IHUM courses during Students take five Disciplinary Breadth
ration while choosing a combination of
their first year, one each quarter. courses, one in each subject area.
required and elective courses.
Education for Citizenship
The Education for Citizenship courses pro-
vide students with some of the skills and
knowledge that are necessary for participa-
Undergraduate Requirements
tion in our contemporary national and
global cultures of the 21st century.
Undergraduates complete at least 180 units, In addition to these requirements, Stanford’s
Education for Citizenship is divided into the
including courses in the following general academic program includes:
education requirement (ger) areas: following subject areas: American Cultures,
The Global Community, Gender Studies,
and Ethical Reasoning. Students take two
■Introduction to the Humanities (one ■ The Writing Requirement, which
Education for Citizenship courses, each in a
course each quarter of the freshman year); is offered during the freshman year different subject area.
and as part of the major;
■Disciplinary Breadth (one course Writing Requirement
selected from each of the five subject ■ The Language Requirement, which The Writing Requirement has two parts: the
areas); and ensures familiarity with one other Program in Writing and Rhetoric (PWR)
language; and and Writing in the Major. The PWR require-
■Education for Citizenship (two courses
ment is met by completing two courses in
selected from two of the four subject ■ The completion of a major, which
PWR or alternative Stanford courses that
areas). is generally chosen by the end of the are approved by the faculty. The Writing in
sophomore year. the Major requirement is met by taking a
course that has been designated by the stu-
dent’s major department as satisfying the
writing requirement in the major.

32 Stanford University
the freedom and encouragement to
pursue what you love.
Language Requirement
Stanford requires that students have basic
familiarity with a foreign language through
completion of one year of college-level
study or the equivalent.
The Stanford Language Center offers
courses for up to three years or more of
study in all major foreign languages. Some
special languages, such as Arabic, Hebrew
and Swahili, are regularly offered for up
to three years, while others are offered
to meet the needs of a specific group of
students, such as Indonesian for Volunteers
in Asia participants and Modern Greek
for classics students joining a summer field-
work project. American Sign Language is
offered as well.
Majors, Minors, Honors
and Degrees
The Major
Students are expected to choose a major by
the end of the sophomore year. Even after
this decision, however, the major can be
changed if a student’s interests shift. The
primary purpose of the major is to encour-
age each student to explore a subject in con-
siderable depth. Such study also provides a
sense of how knowledge grows and is
shaped by time and circumstances. Study in
the major gives students the opportunity
and responsibility to pursue original, cre-
ative work. Requirements for each depart-
ment’s major are set by faculty; these
requirements usually allow latitude
for tailoring a major program to a student’s
specific educational goals. Students may
also complete multiple majors and minors.
Minors are a limited version of a major con-
centration or a specialized subset of a field.
Honors Programs
Usually completed in the senior year, these
capstone programs allow students to engage
in advanced research, analysis or field work
leading to a written thesis; laboratory work
accompanied by a report; or creative projects
such as writing and directing a play, pro-
ducing and directing a film or choreograph-
ing a dance production. Completing an
honors program gives students the chance
to share their passion for a subject with a
faculty advisor who is interested in the
same idea or problem. It can be one of the
most rewarding experiences at Stanford.
Degree Options
Single and Dual Degrees
The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) is awarded to
majors in the social sciences and humanities;
the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) is awarded to
majors in the natural or physical sciences
and majors from the schools of Engineering
or Earth Sciences. The Bachelor of Arts and
Science (B.A.S.) is awarded to those who
complete the requirements for an under-
graduate degree and fulfill the requirements
for two majors (with no overlapping
courses), one leading to a B.A. degree and
one leading to a B.S. degree. Students also
have the option of earning a dual degree by
working concurrently towards both a B.A.
and a B.S.
Coterminal Degrees
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees may be pur-
sued simultaneously. The two degrees do
not have to be from the same department or
school, though they may be. A student may,
for instance, combine a B.S. in biology and
an M.A. in East Asian studies, or a B.A. in
economics with an M.S. in management
science and engineering.
Class Size
In 2005–06, nearly 70% of the courses
enrolling undergraduates at Stanford had
fewer than 20 students. More than 20%
were independent study courses in which
individual students created their own
directed reading program in conjunction
with a faculty member.
Disciplines in which many students major
tend to have larger introductory classes
than departments with fewer majors. Large
and popular introductory lectures that may
enroll as many as 120 students are generally
supplemented by small discussion groups
led by teaching assistants. Only 5% of
undergraduate classes in 2005–06 enrolled
100 students or more.
Stanford offers intensive small-group
learning experiences specifically designed
for freshmen and sophomores through such
programs as:
■ Freshman and Sophomore Seminars,
which are limited to 16 students and taught
by professors from different areas, including
faculty from Stanford’s education, law, busi-
ness and medical schools;
■ Sophomore Dialogues, which enroll no
more than six students in an intensive
course of directed reading; and
■ Sophomore College, which is a three-week
residential academic program for returning
sophomores held just prior to the start of
the school year and featuring an intensive
learning experience in a class with just 12
to 14 students.
The Quarter System as
Explorative Tool
Stanford’s undergraduate program is
divided into 10-week quarters. Students
find the quarter system supports the broad
and deep exploration Stanford encourages
because it allows them to take more courses
each year. Quarter courses are fast-paced.
The timeframe is conducive to highly
specialized topics such as a one-quarter,
in-depth study of “China Under Mao.”
Students find an exciting momentum is
achieved with quarter courses, which build
on one another in quick succession. The
quarter system also makes it possible for
more students to take full advantage of the
university’s curricular possibilities, such as
completing a second major, adding a minor
or studying abroad.
Stanford University 33
 Extraordinary faculty mentors at the forefront
of advancing the world’s understanding of

At Stanford, learning, teaching and the creation of new knowledge are inextricably linked. Teaching
and research are not separate enterprises; rather, they inform, enrich and enliven each other. This
interplay is promoted by faculty in each of Stanford’s seven schools — Business, Earth Sciences,
Education, Engineering, Humanities and Sciences, Law, and Medicine.
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES
AND SCIENCES
The School of Humanities and Sciences
(H&S), which consists of more than 500
faculty members, 28 departments and 20
interdisciplinary degree programs, is the
heart of Stanford’s liberal arts education.
H&S is the largest of the university’s
schools, awarding about 80% of under-
graduate degrees.
Within H&S are the core humanities, fine
arts, languages and literatures, social sci-
ences, mathematics and natural sciences.
Departments are divided into three clus-
ters — humanities, social sciences and natu-
ral sciences. The humanities encompass the
study of the history, ideas and artifacts of
human existence. The social sciences focus
on the systematic examination of the SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
human experience. Natural scientists study
One of the characteristics that distinguishes
the world around us, while probing for the
the School of Engineering is its proximity
factors that explain our existence on Earth.
to Silicon Valley, the center of a world-
The strength of H&S lies in its depth
renowned computer and high-technology
and breadth. The school offers excellence
industry created in large part by Stanford
in 27 disciplinary majors ranging from sci-
faculty and alumni. Comprising nine aca-
ences such as physics, mathematics and
demic departments, the School of Engineer-
biological sciences, to social sciences such
ing educates students to be technically
as economics, political science, archaeology
sophisticated, while preparing them for
and psychology, to humanities including
the complex problem solving they will face
English, classics and history. Additionally,
in the real world. Engineering students at
the school offers flexible interdisciplinary
Stanford are able to pursue all the opportu-
programs such as international relations,
nities Stanford offers such as double major-
symbolic systems, comparative studies in
ing in other disciplines and integrating
race and ethnicity, human biology and
study abroad and service learning into their
others.
scholarship.
For more information on H&S, visit
For more information, visit
http://humsci.stanford.edu.
http://soe.stanford.edu.

Undergraduate Fields of Study in the School of Humanities and Sciences

African & African American Studies Drama Mathematical & Computational Science
American Studies East Asian Studies Mathematics
Anthropological Sciences Economics Medieval Studies
Archaeology Education (honors only) Middle Eastern Languages, Literatures
Art English & Cultures (minor only)
Art History Creative Writing Emphasis Music
Film & Media Studies Interdisciplinary Emphasis Music, Science & Technology
Studio Art English Literature Philosophy
Asian Languages Ethics in Society (honors & minor only) Philosophy & Religious Studies
Chinese Feminist Studies Physics
Japanese French Applied Physics (minor only)
Biological Sciences German Studies Political Science
Chemistry History Psychology
Classics History, Literature & the Arts Public Policy
Greek History & Philosophy of Science Religious Studies
Latin & Technology Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies
Communication History, Science & Medicine (minor only)
Comparative Literature Human Biology Science, Technology & Society
Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity Individually Designed Majors Slavic Languages & Literatures
Asian American Studies Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities Sociology
Chicana/o Studies International Relations Spanish & Portuguese
Native American Studies Italian Statistics
Cultural & Social Anthropology Jewish Studies Symbolic Systems
Dance (minor only) Latin American Studies (honors only) Urban Studies
Linguistics

34 Stanford University
subjects ranging from geophysics to
history to bioscience to musical composition.
Mayfield Fellowships are awarded
through the Stanford Technology Ventures
Program, the entrepreneurship center
within Stanford’s School of Engineering.
Mayfield fellows combine an intense
sequence of courses on the management
of technology ventures, a paid summer
internship at a start-up company, and
ongoing mentoring and networking rela-
tionships with top industry CEOs.
SCHOOL OF EARTH SCIENCES
The School of Earth Sciences consists of
three academic departments—Geological
and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics,
and Petroleum Engineering—and two inter-
disciplinary programs. Its mission is to
educate students to become geologists,
environmental scientists, geophysicists and
petroleum engineers and to give students
an understanding of the Earth that they
can apply to careers in such fields as law,
economics, education, business and policy.
The university’s own 8,180-acre campus
includes a 1,200-acre biological preserve
and a marine station in nearby Pacific
Grove. Field experience is a rich component
of the undergraduate education in Earth
Sciences. Examples include trips to Mount
St. Helens to study the site of the devastat-
ing 1980 eruption and to Death Valley to
study the geology of a desert environment.
As in all areas of undergraduate study at
Stanford, research is an integral aspect
of Earth Sciences, with students joining
ongoing faculty investigations such as the
Yaqui Basin project in Sonora, Mexico.
Students also initiate their own research,
such as searching for fossil evidence of floral
extinction in Mongolia or discovering how
organisms use nutrients from cold seeps at
the bottom of Monterey Bay.
For more information, visit
http://geo.stanford.edu. For other
environmental endeavors at Stanford,
visit http://environment.stanford.edu.
Undergraduate Fields of Study in the Schools of Engineering
and Earth Sciences
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
Aeronautics & Astronautics
Architectural Design
Biomechanical Engineering
Biomedical Computation
Chemical Engineering
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Computer Science
Computer Systems Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Individually Designed Majors
Management Science & Engineering
Materials Science & Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Product Design
U N D E RG R A D UAT E AC C E S S TO
T H E G R A D UAT E S C H O O L S
Undergraduate education at a research uni-
versity has a distinctive character because
professors are the creators of new knowl-
edge and because graduate students are pur-
suing advanced study in an extraordinary
number of areas. Stanford’s encouragement
of interdisciplinary and interschool connec-
tions means that undergraduates have many
opportunities to participate in this rich intel-
lectual environment. The “thin walls”
between the undergraduate and graduate
programs of the schools of Humanities and
Sciences, Engineering and Earth Sciences, as
well as the graduate schools of Business,
Education, Law and Medicine, allow students
to access the human and physical resources of
some of the finest graduate programs in the
world. The benefits are multiple:
■ Undergraduate courses based on the most
current research, designed and taught
by graduate school faculty members. For
example, faculty from all seven schools,
including one-third of the professors at the
School of Medicine, teach undergraduate
introductory seminars.
SCHOOL OF EARTH SCIENCES
Earth Systems
Geosphere
Anthrosphere
Biosphere
Energy, Science & Technology
Land Management
Oceans
Education
Environmental Science, Technology &
Policy (honors only)
Geological & Environmental Sciences
Geological Sciences
Environmental Sciences
Engineering, Geology & Hydrogeology
Geophysics
Individually Designed Majors
Petroleum Engineering
■Ability to enroll in graduate courses and
participate in graduate school activities.
Enrollment is generally by permission.
■ Many academic departments also have
informal meetings that include undergradu-
ates, graduate students, post-doctoral students
and faculty who come together to understand
the results of recently published research.
■ Collaborative research and creative proj-
ects with graduate school faculty and grad-
uate student mentors, including honors
theses.
■ Coterminal degree programs offered
through the schools of Earth Sciences,
Education, Engineering, and Humanities
and Sciences.
Stanford University 35
 Yo u r s t o e x p l o r e ,
yours to discover . . .
intellectual curiosity will be your compass —

Research at Stanford is collaborative, rigorous, highly applicable and downright fun. “Structured
curiosity” is how one professor describes it — asking questions and then finding out if those
questions are answerable. As a Stanford student, you, too, will be invited to join this quest for new
knowledge. Experience shows it is one of the best ways to learn.

U N D E RG R A D UAT E R E S E A RC H
Opportunities for discovery begin in the
classroom and extend into the rich research
life of campus laboratories, libraries, stu-
dios and beyond. The university urges
undergraduates to join with our faculty in
the search for new knowledge and new
artistic creation. In doing so, you will have
abundant opportunities to immerse yourself
in a scholarly endeavor and become a vital
contributor to Stanford’s community of
scholars who are mutually dedicated to
exploration and discovery. The following
are some of the most common ways to
engage in undergraduate research:
Undergraduate Research Programs
(URP) is Stanford’s central resource for
information about how to design and/or
become involved in a research project.
URP offers grants directly to students who
wish to design their own research projects
under faculty guidance. It also provides
funds to faculty and departments to support
undergraduates as members of a professor’s
research team. URP staff members help
students connect with faculty who share
their intellectual passion, find departmental
programs that fit their research interests,
guide students in developing their own
ideas into working projects and assist
in integrating research into a student’s
overall academic program. URP also
advises and assists students in applying
for postgraduate fellowships or graduate
school admission. For more information,
visit http://urp.stanford.edu.
Student Research Grants sponsored by
the URP office provide students the funds
to pursue their intellectual passion in an
independent, faculty-mentored research
project. There are five different types of
grants for which undergraduates may apply
to support everything from one-quarter
seed-projects to extensive year-long studies
of a particular topic. Student grant recipi-
ents define the topic or problem that they
wish to investigate, and they define the
importance of the research question with
respect to their field of study, their personal
experiences or some larger community or
societal problem. They work closely with a
faculty member to translate the initial
research question into a working project
with a hypothesis and method of investiga-
tion and to identify the resources they will
draw upon to complete the project. Perhaps
the most satisfying aspect of receiving a
student grant is sharing research results
with the broader Stanford scholarly
community. Students write reports, publish
articles in the campus undergraduate
research journals and present projects at
campus research symposia. Whatever forum
students find for sharing their results, the
independent learning opportunities opened
up by the URP’s student grant programs
allow students to personalize their educa-
tion and define their own most important
intellectual questions.
Departmental and Faculty-Led
Research Opportunities allow students to
become part of a community of undergrad-
uates, graduate students, faculty and post-
doctoral fellows who share intellectual
interests and a commitment to advanced
study and cutting-edge research. In a typical
departmental research program, students
choose or are assigned a faculty research
advisor according to interest. The student
then conducts substantive, directed research
on a particular aspect of the faculty advi-
sor’s current project, either part-time during
the academic year or full-time over the sum-
mer, meeting frequently with his or her
advisor to discuss progress and future direc-
tions for the project. Many departmental
programs also sponsor weekly seminars.
Summer Research College and Bing
Honors College foster an integration of
students’ residential and intellectual
communities. Summer Research College
provides coordinated housing and social
activities for more than 200 Stanford
students who are engaged in full-time
research with faculty members campuswide.
Students share research experiences and
ideas in the dorm, and they enjoy special
academic and cultural programming to
enhance their involvement in the campus
research culture. Bing Honors College
allows seniors to return to campus three
weeks before the start of fall quarter for
a focused period of work on their honors
theses. In the daytime, students meet with
their departmental honors groups to fine-
tune their research plans and writing. In
the evening, the college hosts dinners and
social events to build an interdisciplinary
community of students committed to long-
term honors projects.
Honors Theses and Senior Projects
allow students to pursue in depth a line of
scholarly investigation that is profoundly
interesting to them. Many honors theses
present areas of research that have never
before been explored, charting new territory
for future scholars. But whether or not an
honors project has tangible results —
launching a career or providing a clue to a
larger discovery — the honors experience
affirms a student’s ability as a creative and
original thinker.

36 Stanford University
excellence your true north.
Research Centers, Institutes
and Laboratories
With more than 130 national and interna-
tional research centers, independent labora-
tories, centers and institutes, Stanford gives
students access to faculty with research
interests in areas as diverse as the human
genome, the novel, astrophysics, bipolar
disorder, Buddhism, petroleum, and gender.
Here are a few of Stanford’s unique centers
through which undergraduates regularly
engage in individual and collaborative
research:
Hoover Institution on War, Revolution
and Peace attracts hundreds of visiting
scholars each year eager to use the institu-
tion’s library, which houses one of the
largest collections in the world of materials
on 20th-century social, economic and politi-
cal change.
Hopkins Marine Station , the oldest
marine laboratory on the Pacific coast and
the second oldest in the United States, is 90
miles south of campus on 10 acres of pic-
turesque, rocky headlands overlooking
Monterey Bay. A division of Stanford’s
Biological Sciences Department, the station
has earned an international reputation for
its teaching and research. Courses in marine
biology are offered at the station each win-
ter and spring quarter. Students live in
Monterey while studying and conducting
research with faculty members in residence
at the station.
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve con-
sists of 1,200 acres on the western edge
of Stanford lands, where scientists from
academic institutions and resource manage-
ment agencies around the world have con-
ducted a wide range of environmental
research for more than a century.
Stanford Bio-X Program for
Bioengineering, Biomedicine and
Biosciences brings together engineering,
physics, chemistry and the information sci-
ences with biology and medicine to foster
new discoveries and inventions. Inter-
disciplinary in concept and scope, the Bio-X
Program formalizes in a very real way the
collaboration Stanford faculty and students
have long had between and among various
departments and schools. This program,
centralized in the new Clark Center for
Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, cre-
ates opportunities for undergraduates to
participate in fundamental discoveries that
emerge from new intellectual connections
between traditionally separate disciplines.
Stanford Humanities Laboratory allows
scholars at all levels — from freshmen to
senior professors — to collaborate on mid-
to large-scale research projects, with an
emphasis on flexible and cross-disciplinary
working methods. All projects have non-
traditional research outputs, such as films,
exhibits, music, CDs, online journals and
experimental technologies.
Woods Institute for the Environment
In 2004 Stanford established the Woods
Institute for the Environment, an interdisci-
plinary teaching and research effort that
brings together faculty and students from
all seven of Stanford’s schools to attack
some of the most pressing environmental
challenges of the new century. The institute
promotes multidisciplinary environmental
research, provides enhanced environmental
education and fosters outreach to policy
makers in an effort to create the scientific
infrastructure, discover and demonstrate
solutions, and help develop policies that
will lead to sustainable approaches to devel-
opment worldwide.
The establishment of the institute reflects
Stanford’s ongoing commitment to interdis-
ciplinary approaches broadly and its aware-
ness that environmental challenges have
become increasingly complex and must
involve an array of scientific, socio-cultural,
economic and ethical dimensions.
Freeman Spogli Institute for
International Studies
The Freeman Spogli Institute for
International Studies (FSI), Stanford’s
primary forum for interdisciplinary research
on key international issues and challenges,
consists of five major research centers—
Asia/Pacific Research Center; Center on
Democracy, Development, and the Rule of
Law; Center for Environmental Science and
Policy; Center for Health Policy/Center for
Primary Care and Outcome Research;
and Center for International Security and
Cooperation—as well as programs and
projects such as the European Forum,
the Initiative on Distance Learning, and the
Stanford Program on International and
Cross-Cultural Education that serves as a
bridge between Stanford and K–14 schools
across the nation. FSI draws together
faculty and research staff from all seven
Stanford schools, funds research and new
scholarly initiatives, coordinates and directs
research projects, and sponsors lectures and
conferences. Undergraduates are encouraged
to participate in the programs and research
initiatives sponsored by FSI.
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center is
operated by Stanford for the U.S. Depart-
ment of Energy. The 426-acre facility,
housing a two-mile-long linear accelerator,
is devoted to experimental and theoretical
research in elementary particle physics.
Stanford University Medical Center
serves as an umbrella for the Stanford
University School of Medicine, Stanford
University Hospital and Clinics and the
Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital.
Together, they form one of the nation’s
leading centers for medical education,
research and patient care. Undergraduates
can attend classes at the medical school,
observe surgeries and become members
of research teams.
Stanford University 37
 The world all at once.
The broad range of premier academic programs and research activities at Stanford is enhanced
by several additional hallmark programs. The resulting combination of superb academic, serv-
ice, cultural, creative and athletic endeavors offers undergraduates abundant opportunities to
seek and achieve excellence unique to their talents and interests.
HAAS CENTER FOR
P U B L I C S E RV I C E
The center is a national model for the inte-
gration of academic and service activities.
Through the center, students engage in
public service opportunities ranging from
direct human services to policy and advo-
cacy, touching virtually all of the univer-
sity’s schools, academic departments,
centers and programs. The center makes
the opportunity to serve available to all
students regardless of financial situation,
academic interest or political persuasion.
Indeed, Stanford leads the nation’s top
universities in using federal work-study
money for community service. At Stanford,
service informs scholarship and vice versa.
As a student’s knowledge, skills and experi-
ence evolve, so do the levels at which he
or she is able to engage societal challenges
such as poverty, civil rights, education,
environment, health and justice.
The Haas Center also offers the Public
Service Scholars Program for students in
their senior year who seek to write honors
theses that meet the highest standards of
their academic departments and of the gov-
ernment and nonprofit agencies and local
communities with which the scholars col-
laborate. This capstone program draws
highly motivated students from many
majors, including American studies, art his-
tory, computer science, earth systems, his-
tory, human biology, political science,
public policy, psychology and urban studies.
For more information about the
Haas Center for Public Service, visit
http://haas.stanford.edu.
38 Stanford University
S TA N F O R D I N
WA S H I N G TO N P RO G R A M
Stanford students can spend one academic
quarter studying and learning in a rigorous
residential program in the nation’s capital.
The program consists of four parts:
1) Weekly seminars taught by Stanford fac-
ulty members in which students and faculty
analyze government institutions, political
processes and public policy. Seminar topics
have included Law and Economics,
Environmental Science and Public Policy,
Power and Politics, and Policy for Children,
Youth and Families. Executive branch offi-
cials, members of Congress, Supreme Court
justices, and other policy makers are fre-
quent guest speakers. 2) Theme tutorials,
which bring together two to five students
taught by senior-level national experts.
3) Internships in which each student is
placed according to his or her interests in
a government agency, news, arts or health
organization or public interest group,
working closely with top individuals in
policy-making positions. Students have
interned at the White House; Office of
Management and Budget; Departments of
Interior, Justice, and Health and Human
Services; Senate committees; World Wildlife
Fund; Children’s Defense Fund; World
Bank; and many other agencies and organi-
zations. 4) Activities that include oppor-
tunities to meet and talk with members of
Congress, national media journalists and
museum curators, as well as special tours.
B I N G OV E R S E A S S T U D I E S
P RO G R A M
Students can study abroad at nine Stanford
campuses — Australia, Beijing, Berlin,
Florence, Kyoto, Moscow, Oxford, Paris,
and Santiago — with Stanford visiting
faculty and local faculty whose specialties
relate to their host countries. Students earn
full Stanford credit toward their majors and
general education requirements. In addition
to enjoying a diverse curriculum at each
of the campuses, students have the unique
opportunity to live in homestays. Overseas
Studies also offers the following special
programs:
Internships, either paid or for credit,
are offered in Berlin, Florence, Kyoto, Paris
and Santiago. Throughout a student’s over-
seas experience, internships are available at
a wide range of arts, government, business,
technology and nonprofit organizations.
These have included the National Research
Center for Environment and Health in
Germany, Banca Toscana in Florence and
the Musée D’Orsay in Paris.
Overseas Seminars are three-week
courses taught abroad by Stanford faculty.
Recent seminars were offered in Belgium,
Bhutan, Mexico, and South Africa and
focused on locally relevant topics. Each
seminar is limited to 12–15 students and
includes local travel to supplement class-
work. Seminar students receive two units of
fall quarter credit. Seminars conclude before
the start of fall quarter, allowing students to
return to campus before classes begin.
Limitless possibilities
S TA N F O R D E XC H A N G E P RO G R A M
This program was established in 1978 to
provide a cultural and academic enrichment
experience for Stanford students in a histor-
ically black institution of higher education.
Participating colleges include Howard
University, Morehouse College and Spelman
College. The program now also includes an
exchange with Dartmouth College for
Native American students. Students from
Stanford and participating schools exchange
places for a quarter, semester or full aca-
demic year.
V I S UA L , L I T E R A RY A N D
PE R F O R M I N G A R TS P RO G R A M S
An enormous extended artistic community
of students majoring in many disciplines
contribute their talents to Stanford’s maga-
zines, film screens, stages, studios and gal-
leries. Visiting artists further enrich the
range and depth of possibilities for engage-
ment in the creative process. A few key pro-
grams and resources include:
The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center
for Visual Arts includes the restored 1893
Stanford Museum building, spacious gal-
leries, an auditorium, cafe, bookstore and
the second largest Rodin sculpture collection
in the world. With collections in 18 galleries,
a superb schedule of special exhibitions, edu-
cational programs and events, the Cantor
Arts Center is a vital part of the campus.
The Thomas Welton Stanford Art
Gallery features frequent exhibitions of
works by Stanford students and faculty
members.
The Stanford Creative Writing Program
was established more than 50 years ago.
Through its Stegner Fellowship Program, it
offers emerging writers in fiction and poetry
the opportunity to advance their work. It
provides Stanford students in all depart-
ments with writing courses in fiction and
poetry, from beginning to advanced classes.
The program annually brings to campus
poets and fiction writers who teach semi-
nars, give public readings and hold collo-
quia. Recent visiting writers include Frank
Bidart, J.M. Coetzee, Michael Cunningham,
Mary Gordon, Robert Haas, Salman
Rushdie and Jane Smiley. The creative writ-
ing program also sponsors the Lane Lecture
Series.
The Drama Department presents 12 to
20 productions per year, at all levels, from
staged readings to full musicals. Student-
run groups also mount 10 or more produc-
tions each year. Opportunities for student
participation are numerous. Drama majors
also have the ability to combine academic
research with performance through the
department’s senior project requirement.
In addition to the department’s artists-in-
residence, visiting performers teach acting
classes each quarter.
The Music Department presents approxi-
mately 150 concerts each academic year,
from student recitals to full symphonic
works with choruses. Instrumental ensem-
bles include the Stanford Symphony
Orchestra, Stanford Wind Ensemble,
Stanford Jazz Orchestra, Stanford Chamber
Strings, ALEA II (new music), Stanford
Taiko, classical and jazz combos, and cham-
ber music groups of all sizes and styles.
Vocal groups include Stanford Chamber
Chorale, University Singers, Symphonic
Chorus, Early Music Singers, and the
Memorial Church Choir. More than 800
students participate in music in a given
year. Students are welcomed for private
and group lessons, ensemble participation
and for practice. The Friends of Music pro-
gram at Stanford provides scholarship sup-
port for many students’ private lessons.
The Committee on Black Performing
Arts (CBPA) presents professional perform-
ing artists, symposia, films and student
productions framed by related academic
study in drama, history, sociology, anthro-
pology and philosophy. Through the CBPA’s
offerings, students are able to concentrate
studies in Black Performing Arts as part of
the B.A. major in African and African
American Studies. The CBPA also publishes
an international journal of artistic expres-
sion and cultural critique, The Black Arts
Quarterly. CBPA is the umbrella organiza-
tion for student performing groups such as
the Kuumba Dance Ensemble, Stanford
Gospel Choir and Jam Pac’d.
Stanford Irvine Institute for Diversity
in the Arts annually sponsors
“Cartographies of Race: Mapping Race and
Space in California,” a visiting-artist resi-
dency program engaging students, faculty
and the surrounding community in a collab-
oration to create visual and performing arts
projects exploring issues of diversity in
California. Four student fellows are chosen
each year to serve as teaching assistants for
the workshops.
Student Organizing Committee for the
Arts (SOCA) creates artistic and cultural
opportunities for Stanford and the sur-
rounding community. One of the highlights
of SOCA’s offerings is its annual “An Art
Affair,” which includes performances, visual
art and short films by students, faculty and
staff in the community.
Stanford University 39
 a r e a t t h e h e a r t o f S t a n f o r d Un i v e r s i t y.
S TA N F O R D AT H L E T I C S
Stanford’s Department of Athletics, Physical
Education, and Recreation offers programs
of the highest quality that give all students
opportunities for athletic participation
and physical fitness at all levels of skill
and interest. More than 80% of students
take advantage of the extensive athletic
facilities and programs offered at the inter-
collegiate, intramural, club sport and
instructional levels.
Intercollegiate Competition includes
35 Division I varsity sports. “Home of
Champions” is the catchphrase for the
Stanford University Athletic Department
because no other athletic department in
the country has experienced the success
Stanford has achieved since the 1980s.
Stanford has captured 11 consecutive
Directors’ Cup titles (1995– 2005),
an award that honors the nation’s top
Division I athletic program.
Men’s Varsity Sports: baseball, basket-
ball, crew, cross country, fencing, football,
golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and
diving, tennis, indoor track and field, out-
door track and field, volleyball, water polo
and wrestling.
Women’s Varsity Sports: basketball,
crew, lightweight crew, cross country,
fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics,
lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming
and diving, synchronized swimming, tennis,
indoor track and field, outdoor track and
field, volleyball and water polo.
Coed Varsity Sport: sailing.
40 Stanford University
Championships (as of March 2006)
Total National Championships: 102
Total Individual NCAA Championships: 399*
Total NCAA Championships (NCAA rank): 91 (No. 2)
Total Men’s NCAA Championships (NCAA rank): 57 (No. 3)
Total Women’s NCAA Championships (NCAA rank): 34 (No. 1)
NCAA Team Championships Since 1990: 51*
NCAA Team Championships Since 1980: 74*
*Most in the nation
Club Sports allow students to compete Major Athletic Facilities
against skilled athletes from other colleges Arrillaga Family Recreation Center
and universities. Many of Stanford’s club
Arrillaga Family Sports Center
sport teams are the equivalent of varsity
teams at other colleges. What distinguishes Artificial Turf Field
Stanford club sports from varsity teams is Avery Aquatic Center
that club sports are student organized. There Boyd and Jill Smith Family Softball Stadium
are more than 1,000 participants in the club
Burnham Pavilion
sports program, which includes badminton,
Cobb Track and Angell Field
cricket, cycling, equestrian, ice hockey, judo,
men’s lacrosse, equestrian polo, men’s and Ford Center
women’s rugby, running, skiing (Alpine and Maloney Field
Nordic), table tennis and men’s and women’s
Maples Pavilion
Ultimate Frisbee.
Red Barn Student Equestrian Center
Intramural Sports ranging from basket-
Stanford Golf Course
ball and bicycle racing to table tennis and
inner-tube water polo are played by about Stanford Rowing & Sailing Center
9,000 students. Teams are affiliated with Stanford Stadium
various campus residences, organizations
Steuber Rugby Stadium
and departments.
Sunken Diamond
Physical Education Classes are coeduca-
Taube Family Tennis Stadium
tional and open to all students. Courses are
offered in all areas of competitive athletics In addition to the athletic facilities listed
as well as in aquatics, fitness, equitation, here, there are 26 tennis courts, outdoor
martial arts and yoga. basketball and volleyball courts nearly every-
where, a driving range, riding stables and
70 acres of playing fields throughout campus.
The friendship of fellow students who will

Nearly 6,700 undergraduates and 8,200 graduate students live on the Stanford campus, with most
faculty members living on or near campus as well. Students have access not only to Stanford’s
expansive campus with its extraordinary resources, but also to Northern California’s many ameni-
ties. Stanford is, for instance, about 30 minutes from San Francisco and San Jose. Easily accessible
are both cities’ world-class performances, film festivals and museums; Silicon Valley’s high-tech,
future-oriented industry and culture; and the beauty and adventure of nearby mountains, natural
parks and the California coast.

L I V I N G AT S TA N F O R D its doors after six years of planning and Freshman/Sophomore College

building. In an early letter, Stanford’s first (See Residential Education, page 42)
The Stanford Campus was designed
president, David Starr Jordan, wrote: “The
under the direction of Frederick Law Potter College
yellow sandstone arches and cloisters, the
Olmsted, the landscape architect who cre- (See Residential Education, page 42)
‘red-tiled roofs against the azure sky,’ make
ated New York’s Central Park. In 1885, a
a picture that can never be forgotten, itself Program in Structured Liberal Education
year and a half after the death of their only
an integral part of a Stanford education.” (See Residential Education, page 42)
child, Jane and Leland Stanford executed a
The size and varied topography of the
deed of trust conveying their Palo Alto Cross-Cultural Theme Houses
8,180 acres of foothills and plains in the
Stock Farm, along with several other Chicano/Latino, American Indian/Alaska
center of the San Francisco Peninsula pro-
parcels of land, to trustees for the founding Native, Asian American, Black/African-
vide a rare opportunity for comprehensive
of the Leland Stanford Junior University. American
land and resource management. Outside the
The campus still carries the nickname “the
main campus center, much of Stanford’s Focus Theme Houses
Farm.” In 1891, Stanford University opened
land is rural, with ecosystems ranging from Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity,
working farms and pastureland to the Public Policy, Community Service,
1,200-acre Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve Entrepreneurial Spirit, Environmental
(see page 37), used for research in popula- Issues, Arts and Performing Arts
tion biology, ecology, plant physiology and
Academic and Language Theme Houses
anthropology.
East Asian Studies House, German Language
Stanford’s Small-House System of and Culture House, Human Biology House,
undergraduate residences guarantees cam- Italian Language and Culture House, French
pus housing to entering freshmen for four Language and Culture House, Potter College,
years. Varied housing options are provided Spanish Language Immersion House,
in 78 residences, all of which are located on Slavic/East European House
the campus within 10 minutes walking or
Co-ops, apartments, small and large
biking distance of most classrooms and
dormitories
libraries. Each type of residence offers a
distinct lifestyle, including: Houses vary greatly; all, however,
All-freshman houses foster abundant social opportunities,
including dances, theme nights, intramural
Sophomore house athletic games, and off-campus day and
Four-class houses weekend trips.

Upper-class houses

Greek houses

Stanford University 41
 awe and inspire you as much for their humanity
Residential Education encompasses the
learning that occurs in campus residences,
including: residence-based advising and
tutoring; interaction with faculty, classes in
the residences, informal learning experi-
ences, exposure to arts and culture, discus-
sions of issues and introduction to new
people, ideas and experiences; development
of a pluralistic community in which each
student feels fully included intellectually, cul-
turally and politically; and training in lead-
ership and management skills as well as
opportunities to exercise those skills through
dorm governance and residence staff.
A key element of residential education is
the resident fellows program, through
which Stanford faculty members live in stu-
dent residences and serve as educational
and intellectual leaders.
Residential education in all its forms is
one of the reasons that, despite the univer-
sity’s size and breadth, Stanford is an inti-
mate community.
For more information on all
residence programs, please visit
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/resed.
Freshman-Sophomore College at Sterling
Quad is a residential education program
students may select as entering freshmen.
The college is specifically designed to inte-
grate classroom and residential learning and
to increase student knowledge of academic
resources and opportunities on campus.
Courses taught at the college include house
seminars and class sections in chemistry,
economics, humanities, math and physics.
Other academically oriented activities
include oral communication courses, work-
shops and tutorials to improve public-
speaking skills; advising programs; and
faculty talks followed by dinner at the
college Dean’s home.
Potter College. The Potter College at
Sterling Quadrangle is designed to create an
interdisciplinary community of students
engaged in intellectual exploration with a
particular focus on undergraduate research,
writing (including creative writing), public
speaking, the arts, and honors. Residents of
Potter College take leadership roles in
organizing in-College colloquia as well as
programming to spotlight undergraduates’
creative pursuits campus-wide, and are
supported by staff who share the excitement
of intellectual and personal discovery.
42 Stanford University
The Program in Structured Liberal
Education (SLE) is designed specifically for
freshmen interested in an interdisciplinary
approach to the liberal arts and sciences.
The program emphasizes intellectual rigor
(inquiry, criticism and tolerance for ambigu-
ity) and individualized contact between
faculty and students, as well as close inter-
action among students through shared liv-
ing areas. SLE is a demanding three-quarter
program, which consumes approximately
60% of the average academic workload of
a freshman.
A Multifaith Community, Stanford has
40 recognized religious organizations
on campus, including Christian groups,
the Hillel Foundation, the Islamic Society,
the Baha’i Association, Hindu Student
Council, and Zoroastrian and Buddhist
communities. Memorial Church was one of
the first interdenominational churches in
the West and is still among the most promi-
nent. The Office for Religious Life presumes
that faith and spiritual quest are consonant
with the University’s most vital pursuits of
meaning and purpose. For more informa-
tion visit http://religiouslife.stanford.edu.
Academic Resources and Services
The Stanford University Libraries
include more than 30 libraries and programs.
Stanford’s libraries have amassed collections
of books, journals, scores, sound and video
recordings, and printed reference works
numbering more than 8 million volumes.
The collections include over 50,000 current
serials, 281,011 cartographic holdings and
5.8 million microform holdings, as well as
access to thousands of digital resources.
Most of the materials in the collections are
open and easily accessible to students.
The J. Henry Meyer Memorial Library
serves many of the academic technology
support needs of students and faculty. The
second floor of Meyer houses a public com-
puter cluster that comprises Macintosh and
Pentium processor-based desktop systems,
a consulting desk, a multimedia studio and
a lab for foreign language study. The Cecil
H. Green Library holds the majority of
research collections in the humanities and
social sciences, as well as general reference
materials and periodicals. There are also
specialized libraries for students in areas
ranging from art to education to science.
Computing Resources at Stanford allow
students to enjoy one of the most extensive
and varied computing environments of any
university campus. Students can use pub-
licly accessible computers for a variety of
tasks including library collection searches,
course work, multimedia projects, e-mail
and Internet/World Wide Web access. Public
computer clusters with UNIX, Macintosh
or PC systems are available in Meyer
Library, Tresidder Memorial Student Union,
the Terman Engineering Center and Sweet
Hall. All dorm rooms are wired per student
and all residential buildings at Stanford
have computer clusters. Wireless access is
also available in most academic and admin-
istrative buildings. Students may purchase
personal computers at a discount through
the Bookstore, although students are not
required to own computers at Stanford.
The Undergraduate Advising
Programs, the hub of advising services on
campus, is staffed by experienced profes-
sionals who work with students throughout
their undergraduate years. Among the many
advising programs is freshman advising,
through which each entering student is
assigned an advising team based on shared
intellectual interests consisting of an aca-
demic advisor, a peer academic advisor and
professional advisors. Stanford also pro-
vides extensive tutoring and study-skill
development resources. Once students
declare their major, usually at the end of the
sophomore year, they choose an advisor
from the faculty in their major department.
Stanford’s Language Center is a national
leader in second-language pedagogy and
includes the most modern video and audio
equipment, cable and Internet connections,
eight computer workstations, a soundproof
room for recording and equipment for the
production of student language portfolios.
The center is linked with all the campus
area-studies programs and overseas studies
centers to ensure that foreign language
acquisition at Stanford serves students’
wider academic and career goals.
The Center for Writing offers tutorial
services to help students with writing
assignments.
as for their talents.
The Disability Resource Center offers
campus access information and arranges
accommodations to meet the needs of any
student with a learning disability, handicap,
chronic illness or physical limitation. It also
acts as a liaison between students, faculty
and student services offices. The center
provides Braille and recorded materials,
mobility training, transportation, special
equipment, notetaking and other resources.
Student Union and Centers
Tresidder Memorial Union is the
Stanford community’s gathering place. Its
main dining room, Union Square, serves the
entire Stanford community with six culinary
platforms offering international cuisine,
plus two national sandwich and coffee
chains, and offers configurable furniture,
wireless internet access and additional elec-
trical outlets for laptops, bistro tables and
chairs, and an amphitheatre with plasma
televisions, leather couches and other soft
seating for news, sports, television and
movie viewing.
Services offered in the union include a
convenience store, two banks, a travel
agency, copy center, hair salon, ticket office
for Bay Area and on-campus events, gym
and meeting rooms.
Tresidder is also the home of the student
government, the Associated Students of
Stanford University, and the Offices of the
Vice Provost for Student Affairs and the
Dean of Students.
Bechtel International Center
www.stanford.edu/dept/icenter
(see page 47)
Asian American Activities Center
www.stanford.edu/dept/a3c
Black Community Services Center
www.stanford.edu/dept/BCSC
El Centro Chicano
www.stanford.edu/dept/elcentro
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered
Community Resource Center
www.stanford.edu/group/QR
Native American Cultural Center — American
Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian
Program www.stanford.edu/dept/nacc
Women’s Community Center
www.stanford.edu/group/womenscntr
The Associated Students of
Stanford University represents
all registered students on campus issues,
funds student organizations, brings
prominent speakers to campus through its
speakers forum, holds concerts, sponsors
community service projects and offers free
legal assistance.
Student Clubs and Organizations
Stanford students move in many different
directions, often simultaneously. Having
the ability to engage in multiple interests
and find friends who are not only similarly
engaged, but also exceptionally talented in
those areas, is one of the values of Stanford’s
diversity. Stanford’s 600-plus student organi-
zations fall into the following categories:
Academic
Athletic/Recreational
Careers/Preprofessional
Community Service
Ethnic/Cultural
Fraternities/Sororities
Health/Counseling
Media/Publications
Music/Dance/Creative Arts
Political/Social Awareness
Religious/Philosophical
For more information on specific student
groups, visit http://osa.stanford.edu. To
glimpse the diversity of on-campus activi-
ties, issues and news, visit the online version
of Stanford’s student-run newspaper, the
Stanford Daily, at http://daily.stanford.edu.
Health Services
The Bridge Peer Counseling Center is a
group of student counselors providing free,
confidential, 24-hour peer counseling services
to Stanford and the neighboring community.
Counseling and Psychological Services
assures that high-quality professional coun-
seling is always available and, in addition,
offers a variety of educational programs.
Vaden Student Health Center provides
a full range of general and special medical
care for students free of charge.
Campus Restaurants and Stores
In addition to dining services throughout
student residences, the Stanford campus has
more than 30 restaurants and cafés offering
a wide variety of foods.
The Stanford Bookstore provides a
diverse selection of books and supplies to
students, faculty, staff and the community
in and surrounding Stanford. The main
bookstore carries more than 130,000 titles,
as well as periodicals, Stanford logo
apparel, gifts and souvenirs. The Bookstore
also houses a separate computer store,
which sells both hardware and software, a
one-hour photo processing center and a
café. The Stanford Bookstore has five other
branches: the Stanford Medical/Technical
Bookstore in downtown Palo Alto, which
carries medical and technical books, sup-
plies, stationery, medical instruments, best-
sellers and clothing; the Track House Sports
Shop; the Tresidder Express convenience
store; the Stanford Shop at the Stanford
Shopping Center, which carries clothing,
souvenirs and gifts; and the Bookshop at
the Cantor Center for the Arts.
Stanford Shopping Center is nearby
campus and has 140 retail stores. It is one
of the nation’s leading regional centers in
revenue and sales volume, providing income
for student scholarships and other univer-
sity expenses.
Stanford University 43
 Global positioning systems and gene splicing,
Stanford alumni bring the perspectives learned on campus to the greater world as, for instance,
distinguished academic leaders, actors, artists, astronauts, athletes, diplomats, entrepreneurs,
inventors and scientists, journalists and writers, and policy makers and politicians.
A F T E R S TA N F O R D
Fellowship and Graduate School
Application Services administered by
Undergraduate Research Programs provide
practical advice to Stanford students and
recent graduates on how to apply for Ph.D.
programs and postbaccalaureate fellow-
ships. Services include workshops and indi-
vidual consultations on choosing a graduate
school and fellowship program, managing
the application process, writing personal
statements and speaking in interviews.
The Overseas Resource Center (ORC)
administers a number of scholarships for
graduate study abroad, including the
Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright scholar-
ships. Because these scholarships are
awarded largely on the basis of academic
ability, each year ORC identifies students
who should be encouraged to apply.
Throughout the winter and spring quarters,
the ORC also holds open information ses-
sions to help acquaint students with these
scholarships. In addition, the ORC staff is
pleased to meet with students individually
to provide counseling on all aspects of the
grant application process. For further
information, please visit the ORC website
at http://icenter.stanford.edu/orc.
Career Development Counseling
is state-of-the-art at Stanford. Career
Development Center (CDC) services include
general career information through a library
of resources, an internship database, job
lists, handouts and alumni networks; indi-
vidual counseling at all stages of career
planning and development; group work-
shops to clarify career goals; the Cardinal
Recruiting Program; a reference file service
for management of graduate and employer
reference letters; and an extensive website
making many of the CDC resources available
via the Internet.
44 Stanford University
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and
National and International Scholarships and Fellowships
Recent Stanford graduates have John Gardner Public Service Fellowship
received the following scholarships Gates Cambridge Scholarship
and fellowships:
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
American University in Cairo Internship
Marshall Scholarship
Beinecke Scholarship
Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic Studies
Bundeskanzler Scholarship
The George J. Mitchell Scholarships for
Churchill Scholarship
Study in Northern Ireland
DAAD (German Academic Exchange
National Science Foundation Graduate
Service) Award
Fellowship
English-Speaking Union Scholarship
National Security Education Program
Tom Ford Philanthropy Fellowship
Rhodes Scholarship
Freeman Asia Study Grant
Donald A. Strauss Scholarship
IIE (Institute of International Education)
Harry S. Truman Scholarship
Fulbright Scholarship
Morris Udall Scholarship
IIE (Institute of International Education)
Fulbright Asia/Pacific Award
Connection for a Lifetime Academic Leaders
The Stanford Alumni Association, a com-
munity of nearly 200,000, provides lifelong Derek Bok, President Emeritus of Harvard
opportunities for alumni to maintain their University
intellectual and emotional ties to Stanford William Brody, President of Johns Hopkins
and to one another. As Howard Wolf, A.B., University
’80 and President of the Stanford Alumni
Nancy Cantor, Chancellor of Syracuse
Association observes, “I chose Stanford
University
because of the quality of education it
offered. What I didn’t anticipate at the time Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie
was how important the friendships and Corporation
associations I developed there would prove
Clark Kerr, former President of the
to be throughout my life.”
University of California (deceased)
The Stanford Career Network (SCN),
an online database containing more than The Rev. William Leahy, President of Boston
8,000 alumni volunteers, connects students College
and alumni with contacts for networking
Richard Levin, President of Yale University
assistance and professional development.
Among members of the Stanford com- Stephen Lewis, former President of
munity are leaders and trailblazers, cre- Carleton College
ators and innovators, peacemakers and Peter Likins, President of the University
problem solvers. The following list provides of Arizona
examples of those who have used their
Stanford experiences in significant ways: Susan Prager, President of Occidental
College
The Grapes of Wrath . . .
all bear the mark of a Stanford individual.
Actors and Artists
Actors: Andre Braugher, Jennifer Connelly,
Ted Danson, Jack Palance, Fred Savage,
Sigourney Weaver and Reese Witherspoon
Richard Diebenkorn, painter (deceased)
Edith Head, Oscar-winning costume
designer (deceased)
Robert Motherwell, painter (deceased)
Movie producers: Roger Corman, Richard
Zanuck, Mike Tollin and David Brown
Astronauts
Eileen Collins, Mike Fincke, William Fisher,
Owen Garriott, Susan Helms, Mae Jemison,
Tamara Jernigan, Gregory Linteris, David
Low, Edward Lu, Bruce McCandless,
Barbara Rudding Morgan, Ellen Ochoa,
Scott Parazynski, Sally Ride, Stephen
Robinson, Steve Smith and Jeff Wisoff
Athletes
Football: John Elway, James Lofton, John
Lynch, Ed McCaffrey, and Jim Plunkett
Olympic medalists: Janet Evans, Julie
Foudy, Eric Heiden, Misty Hyman, Bob
Mathias, Jessica Mendoza, Pablo Morales,
Summer Sanders, Kerri Strug, Debra
Thomas, Jenny Thompson, and Kerri Walsh
Basketball: Jennifer Azzi, Jarron Collins,
Jason Collins, Kristen Folkl, Casey
Jacobson, Brevin Knight, Mark Madsen,
Kate Starbird and Jamila Wideman
Baseball: Bob Boone, Mike Mussina and
Jack McDowell
Golf: Notah Begay, Hillary Lunke, Casey
Martin, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods
Tennis: John McEnroe
Business Leaders Herbert Hoover, former U.S. President
(deceased)
Samuel Armacost, former President and
CEO of BankAmerica Shirley Hufstedler, former Secretary of
Education
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft
William Perry, former Secretary of Defense
Eric Benhamou, Chairman of 3Com
Corporation Alejandro Toledo, President of Peru
Doris Fisher, co-founder of Gap, Inc. Journalists and Writers
Joseph Gallo, CEO of E&J Gallo Winery
Ted Koppel, former anchor of ABC-TV’s
William Hewlett and David Packard, “Nightline”
founders of Hewlett-Packard Co.
Henry Muller, editor-at-large of Time, Inc.
(both deceased)
Maynard Parker, editor of Newsweek
Philip Knight, Chairman and CEO of
(deceased)
Nike, Inc.
Authors: John Steinbeck (deceased),
Bill and Mel Lane, formerly of Sunset
Ken Kesey (deceased), Harriet Doerr
Publishing Corporation
(deceased) and Scott Turow
Sandra Lerner and Leonard Bosack,
Playwrights: Maxwell Anderson (deceased),
founders of Cisco Systems
David Henry Hwang and Warren Leight
Peter Magowan, President of the San
U.S. Poet Laureates: Robert Haas and
Francisco Giants
Robert Pinsky
John McCoy, Chairman Emeritus of
Bank One Corp. Scientists and Inventors
Scott McNealy, Chairman and CEO of Vinton Cerf, Internet protocol co-author,
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
called the “father of the Internet”
Robert Mondavi, founder of Mondavi Wines Ray Dolby, designed noise-reduction systems
Lawrence Page and Sergey Brin, founders
John Harsanyi, Nobel Prize in Economics,
and presidents of Google 1994
Charles Schwab, Chairman and CEO of
Dudley Herschbach, Nobel Prize in
Charles Schwab Corporation Chemistry, 1986
Greg Steltenpohl, co-founder of Odwalla
Scott Stillinger, inventor of Koosh ball
Chih-Yuan “Jerry” Yang and David Filo,
Brent Townsend, inventor of 56k modem
founders of Yahoo!
Supreme Court Justices
Government Of ficials
Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy, Sandra
Ehud Barak, former Israeli Prime Minister
Day O’Connor (retired) and William
Warren Christopher, former Secretary Rehnquist (deceased)
of State
U.S. Senators
Gray Davis, former Governor of California
John Gardner, former Secretary of Health, Max Baucus, Jeff Bingaman, Kent Conrad,
Education and Welfare (deceased) Dianne Feinstein and Ron Wyden
Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Former U.S. Senators: Alan Cranston
Endowment for the Arts (deceased) and Mark Hatfield
Carla Hills, former Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development and U.S. Trade
Representative
Stanford University 45
 Admission and Financial Aid
The Office of Undergraduate Admission assembles a freshman class of about 1,600 students and a
transfer class of about 80 students each year. We look for distinctive students who consistently
exhibit an abundance of energy and curiosity in their classes, activities, projects, research and lives.
The Evaluation Process
Each application for admission is carefully
reviewed by multiple admission officers.
Our task is to select not simply those who
are qualified, but those who have distin-
guished themselves in their schools and
communities. We look for intellectually
vital students who derive pleasure from
learning for its own sake and take the
initiative and responsibility for their own
education.
It is almost impossible for us to estimate
the likelihood of an individual being admit-
ted without seeing his or her entire applica-
tion. Nevertheless, on page 50 we have
given you some statistics describing the stu-
dents who were offered admission for fall
2005. You should be cautious in applying
these data to your particular case. It is a
combination of many factors, including the
academic record, references, and the com-
pleted application, that determines whether
a student will be admitted to Stanford.
We have no minimum figures for grade
point average, test scores or rank in class,
nor are there specific high school course
requirements for entrance to Stanford.
Academic excellence is the primary criterion
for admission, and the single most impor-
tant credential is the transcript. We look for
academic standouts who have selected a rig-
orous academic program and who have
achieved distinction in a range of academic
courses. We are not looking for a specific
“profile,” and academic success in and of
itself does not guarantee admission to
Stanford.
Students are asked to write about them-
selves and their interests on the application,
and we encourage applicants to think seri-
ously about their motivations, curiosities
and background as they formulate their
essays. There is no “right” answer; rather,
applicants should allow their own voice to
emerge through the essays.
We also take into consideration personal
qualities—how well an individual has taken
advantage of available resources and
whether the applicant shows promise as a
46 Stanford University
contributing community member. Students Single-Choice Early Action
need not be well rounded, nor do we count
Stanford offers Single-Choice Early Action,
the number of or rank order extracurricular
a non-binding early admission option for
activities. We value students who show
freshman applicants who have completed a
commitment in a single area as well as
thorough and thoughtful college search,
those who have pursued a wide variety of
know that Stanford is their first-choice
activities.
school, and who feel ready to be evaluated
In some cases, exceptional ability in the
on their academic and extracurricular
arts or athletics may influence our decision
record as it stands at the beginning of the
if the applicant is otherwise well qualified.
senior year. Single-Choice Early Action
Such abilities by themselves, however, never
applicants should present very strong soph-
guarantee admission to Stanford. Guidelines
omore and junior programs, and should
for submitting samples of work in the
complete their standardized testing by the
arts—for those applicants with significant
end of the junior year.
talent—are included with the application.
Single-Choice Early Action at Stanford
The Department of Athletics submits the
allows applicants to apply to as many col-
names of those applicants whom it is
leges as they want under a regular admis-
actively recruiting for the varsity sports
sion timeframe, but requires that students
programs.
not apply to any other college under any
Stanford does not discriminate on the
type of early action, early decision, or early
basis of disability, handicap or physical lim-
notification program. Please see our web-
itation, nor do we require applicants to pro-
site, http://admission.stanford.edu, for sev-
vide information about learning disabilities,
eral unique exceptions to this restriction.
chronic illness or physical constraints. We
Candidates who apply early to Stanford are
often find such information useful in devel-
asked to sign a statement in their applica-
oping a complete profile of a student, how-
tion agreeing to file only one early applica-
ever, so we invite applicants to provide
tion. Their parents and high school
details that might help us better understand
counselors are also asked to sign statements
their circumstances. The decision to tell us
indicating that the applicant is aware of the
about a disability is a personal one, and we
terms of Single-Choice Early Action.
respect an applicant’s decision not to do so.
Single-Choice Early Action applicants
We strive to build a class that cuts across
whose files are complete by the November 1
a number of dimensions to add to a rich
application deadline will receive one of
and diverse undergraduate educational
three possible decisions: 1) Admitted: the
experience for everyone. We do not use
student has until May 1, 2007, to respond
quotas of any kind in our admission
to Stanford; 2) Deferred for further consid-
process. We do not favor particular schools
eration in the larger applicant pool during
or types of schools, nor any particular geo-
the Regular Decision round: the student will
graphic region; there are no racial, reli-
receive a final decision in early April; or,
gious, ethnic or gender-related quotas of
3) Denied: the student may not re-apply as
any sort. Above all, we believe that a stu-
a Regular Decision candidate and is free to
dent body that is both highly qualified and
give full attention to other college options.
diverse in terms of culture, class, race, eth-
It is important to note that those students
nicity, background, work and life experi-
who decide not to apply early to Stanford
ences, skills, and interests is essential to the
need not worry they will be left behind; we
educational process. To that end, we
are committed to making the majority of
encourage applications from those who
our offers of admission to those who apply
would provide additional dimensions to the
during the Regular Decision round.
university program.
Information Sessions
and Campus Tours
Understanding that the best way to learn
about a college or university is to visit,
Stanford offers admission information ses-
sions as well as a variety of campus tours
throughout the year. We recommend you
call ahead or consult our website for the
most accurate information regarding all of
these offerings prior to finalizing your
travel plans.
“Discover Stanford” is a two-part pro-
gram that includes a walking tour of cam-
pus designed specifically for prospective
students and an information session that
focuses on the unique aspects of Stanford as
well as the admission process. Reservations
are required and can be made online at
http://admission.stanford.edu.
Space is limited and schedules are subject
to change; please contact us at least three
weeks in advance of the date you hope to
visit.
Visitor Information Services also offers a
one-hour Public Walking Tour daily at
11:00 A.M. and 3:15 P.M. No reservation is
required.
The university is unable to provide guest
accommodations, but there is a wide selec-
tion of hotels and motels in the Palo Alto
area. If you know a student attending
Stanford, he or she may be able to arrange
to have you stay overnight in a residence
hall. Admitted prospective freshmen are
invited to visit the campus during the
month of April, when Stanford students
volunteer to host newly admitted students.
Stanford admission directors and deans
travel throughout the United States during
the fall months to conduct information
sessions in major cities. If you received this
publication through the mail and there is
such a meeting in your city, you should
receive an invitation detailing the location
and time. You may wish to check with your
college counseling office to see if a visit
has been scheduled in your area, or check
our website.
Additional Information
Application, Notification
for International Students
and Response Timelines
In a small way, Stanford began as an inter-
national university. When the university’s Single-Choice Early Action
doors opened in 1892, students from 14
nations were among the registrants. Today November 1, 2006
students from 58 countries make up Early Action application deadline.
Stanford’s diverse community. Stanford is All forms and the application fee or
proud of the international character of its fee waiver must be postmarked by
student body and welcomes applications November 1.
from eligible international students. At the
Mid-December
same time, admission is selective and highly
competitive. The volume of applications is Admission decisions are mailed
so large that only a relatively small portion to Early Action applicants.
of the many qualified applicants is admit-
ted. We regret that Stanford is not able to
Regular Decision
be need-blind for international applicants
(see “Financial Aid for International December 15, 2006
Students” on page 49). Regular Decision application deadline.
All forms and the application fee
Examinations
or fee waiver must be postmarked
All applicants, including international stu-
by December 15.
dents, must submit scores from either the
SAT or the ACT. We do not accept substitu- Early April
tions, and applications without official scores Admission decisions are mailed
from one of these tests will not be consid- to applicants.
ered. We recommend that students make
arrangements to take the required tests well
in advance of our application deadlines. It is Transfer
unlikely that scores from tests taken after March 15, 2007
our deadlines will arrive in our office in time
Transfer application deadline. All forms
for our review process. The TOEFL is not
and the application fee or fee waiver
required for admission to Stanford, but we
must be postmarked by March 15.
do recommend this test for students who do
not speak English as their primary language. Late May
We look for a score of at least 260 on the Admission decisions are mailed
computer-based test or 620 on the paper- to transfer applicants.
based test.
We strongly recommend that all applicants
take two SAT Subject Tests as well: Student Response Deadlines
Math Level 2 and another of your choosing.
May 1, 2007
Please see our website for further details
Students offered admission under either
about required and recommended standard-
Single-Choice Early Action or Regular
ized tests.
Decision must notify Stanford of their
Resources enrollment decision, postmarked
Bechtel International Center (I-Center)
by May 1.
helps international students adjust to the
Stanford culture, offers special orientation Mid-June
programs and other support services Transfer students must notify Stanford of
and serves as a place for cultural their enrollment decision.
exchange. The I-Center also supports
more than 30 international student organi-
zations. For more information, visit
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/icenter.
Stanford University 47
 Admission and Financial Aid (continued)
Financing A Stanford Education
Below is an estimated budget for the
2006–2007 academic year at Stanford and a
description of the financial aid program to
help in your planning and decision making.
Tuition $32,994
Room and Board 10,367
Personal 1,935
Books and Supplies 1,290
Total $46,586
Tuition, room and board are direct costs
billed to the student by the Student
Financial Services Office in increments of
about one-third of the total each quarter.
Room and board rates vary depending on
the housing facility to which students are
assigned and the board plans they choose.
The other budget items are allowances and
are not part of the university’s billing
process. For financial aid purposes, each
student’s budget also includes a university-
established travel allowance.
Financial Aid Program
Managing the cost of an undergraduate edu-
cation represents a significant investment.
The university recognizes that not all fami-
lies are able to make that investment with-
out assistance. Stanford is committed to
providing a comprehensive financial aid pro-
gram that makes it financially possible for
admitted students to attend. The undergrad-
uate financial aid program is need-based. If
a student has financial need—a difference
between educational costs and the resources
available to the student—the university will
offer aid, including loans, job eligibility and
grants or scholarships, to meet that need.
Determining what you and your family
can be expected to contribute toward educa-
tional costs is the key to determining eligi-
bility for need-based aid. The Financial Aid
Office will calculate an expected family con-
tribution based on your family’s financial
circumstances as reported on your applica-
tion documents. Family income and assets,
as well as the number of family members
enrolled in college and future college costs
for younger siblings are among the factors
involved in the calculation. Beginning in the
2006–2007 academic year, parents whose
total annual income is less than $45,000
48 Stanford University
will not be expected to contribute toward
educational costs and those with income
below $60,000 will see significantly reduced
expectations.
In addition to tuition, room and board,
financial aid eligibility also considers
expenses for related costs like books and
supplies, travel to campus and to return
home, as well as personal expenses.
In 2005–2006, Stanford administered
some $112 million in undergraduate finan-
cial aid. The average aid package totaled
$28,000.
Applying for Financial Aid
Stanford University is need-blind in its
admission process; with the exception of
international students (neither U.S. citizens
nor permanent residents of the United
States), applying for financial aid will in no
way jeopardize your chances of gaining
admission.
Stanford requires all students applying for
university aid to file the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to establish eli-
gibility for federal and state grants and
loans, including the Pell Grant and Stafford
Loan. Our federal code number is 001305.
The FAFSA is available online at
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov and can be com-
pleted no sooner than January 1, 2007.
Stanford also requires all students apply-
ing for university aid to submit the College
Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE. You
may complete the PROFILE online at
http://www.collegeboard.com after
September 15, 2006. Our CSS code number
is 4704.
The CSS Noncustodial PROFILE is
required of the noncustodial parent if an
applicant’s parents are divorced or separated
as the University does consider the financial
circumstances of the noncustodial parent
in the calculation of the expected family
contribution.
Financial Aid Filing Dates
Type of Submit PROFILE
Admission to CSS by:
Early Action November 1, 2006
Regular Decision February 1, 2007
Transfer March 15, 2007
The CSS PROFILE code for Stanford is 4704. The FAFSA code is 001305.
California residents applying for a Cal Grant must submit the FAFSA by March 2, 2007.
Stanford also encourages applicants to
seek outside or private scholarships and
grants. Such awards may reduce or eliminate
the university’s expectation that a student
will work during the academic year or bor-
row to help meet his or her educational
costs. There are many free sources of infor-
mation on these awards, including libraries,
high school and community college counsel-
ing offices, state educational assistance pro-
grams, service organizations, corporations
and the Internet.
Please feel welcome to send an additional
letter of explanation to the Financial Aid
Office if your family has any unusual cir-
cumstances or special expenses, or if you
feel there are other details about your finan-
cial situation that we should know.
The Aid Award
The first component of the aid award is
called “self-help” and includes student loans
and academic year job eligibility. For aca-
demic year 2006–2007, the university
expects most students to work and borrow
up to $5,500. If the student’s need is greater
than the self-help expectation, the university
offers scholarships or grants to meet the
remaining need. The self-help expectation
may be higher than normal for independent
students and transfer students who have not
borrowed before entering Stanford.
Although the Financial Aid Office will
accept and process applications after the fil-
ing dates listed below, a financial aid award
probably will not be available before the
applicable admission reply date.
Applications filed after the filing dates may
require longer processing time and may
result in higher levels of self-help. Stanford’s
policy is generally to exclude undergraduates
from being considered independent for pur-
poses of university-administered scholarship
and grant aid unless the student is an
orphan, a ward of the court, at least age 25
Submit FAFSA Submit Parents’ 2006
to federal federal 1040 and W-2
processor by: forms to CSS by:
March 2, 2007 March 2, 2007
February 1, 2007 March 2, 2007
March 15, 2007 March 15, 2007
or has an extremely adverse home situation.
The university expects the parents and the
student (as well as the spouse, in the case of
married students) to assume the primary
responsibility for the student’s educational
costs.
All inquiries about financial aid, including
student loans, job eligibility and scholarships
and grants should be directed to the
Financial Aid Office, Stanford University,
355 Galvez Street, Stanford, CA
94305–3021. The toll-free telephone number
is (888) FAO–3773, and the financial aid
website is http://financialaid.stanford.edu.
Financial Aid for International Students
Stanford does not adhere to a need-blind
admission policy for international appli-
cants, which means that the need for finan-
cial aid is a consideration in the admission
process. Some international students may be
admitted to the university on the condition
that they not seek financial aid from
Stanford. International students applying for
financial aid must submit the application
documents indicated by the filing dates
shown on page 48.
All international students, except those
whose families earn income in the United
States or Canada, must complete the
International Student Financial Aid
Application (ISFAA) and the CSS
Certification of Finances (COF). These forms
are available in many countries and may also
be downloaded from the Stanford financial
aid website, http://financialaid.stanford.edu.
Those students whose families earn income
in the United States or Canada should sub-
mit the CSS PROFILE, converting all funds
to U.S. dollars.
Whether they receive financial aid from
Stanford or not, international students must
plan realistically to meet their educational
expenses throughout their undergraduate
career at Stanford. The university is not able
to assume responsibility for economic
changes such as currency fluctuation, nor
can it replace lost support that a student
may have expected to receive from friends,
relatives or government and corporate
grants.
For More Information
For more information on Stanford’s financial
aid program, we encourage you to visit our
website at http://financialaid.stanford.edu.
Calendar for Applicants 2006– 2007
Single-Choice Early Action
October 20
Optional fine arts submissions must be
received in our office; late submissions will
not be considered.
November 1
Postmark deadline for all application forms
and fee or fee waiver.
CSS PROFILE and Noncustodial
PROFILE priority filing date for those wish-
ing to apply for financial aid.
Official test results must be sent. All appli-
cants must submit scores from either the SAT
or ACT. Results received after November 15
may arrive too late to be considered.
Mid-December
Admission decision letters are mailed.
Estimated financial aid awards will be sent
shortly after to those who have completed
the CSS PROFILE by November 1, 2006.
March 2
Admitted students and those deferred to
Regular Decision who are applying for
financial aid must file the FAFSA.
Admitted students requesting financial aid
must submit signed copies of their parents’
completed 2006 federal tax returns, with
all schedules and W-2 forms, to the
CSS Institutional Documentation Service
(IDOC).
Regular Decision
November 20
Optional fine arts submissions must be
received in our office; late submissions will
not be considered.
December 15
Postmark deadline for all application forms
and fee or fee waiver.
Official test results must be sent for
Regular Decision applicants. All applicants
must submit scores from either the SAT or
ACT. Results received after January 15 may
arrive too late to be considered.
February 1
Priority filing date for the CSS PROFILE,
Noncustodial PROFILE and federal FAFSA
applications for those Regular Decision
applicants wishing to receive financial aid
consideration.
March 2
Financial aid applicants must submit signed
copies of their parents’ 2006 federal 1040
tax returns, with W-2 forms, to the
CSS Institutional Documentation Service
(IDOC).
Early April
Admission decision letters are mailed.
Financial aid awards will be sent approxi-
mately one week later to those who submit-
ted the CSS PROFILE and federal FAFSA
by February 1, 2007.
April 19–21
Admit Weekend 2007 activities on campus.
May 1
Students offered admission under either
Single-Choice Early Action or Regular
Decision must notify Stanford of their
enrollment decision, post-marked on or
by May 1, 2007
Transfer Applicants
March 15
Postmark deadline for all application forms
and fee or fee waiver request. Priority filing
date for CSS PROFILE, Noncustodial
Parent PROFILE, FAFSA, and other neces-
sary documents for financial aid applicants.
March 15
Optional fine arts submissions must be
received in our office; late submissions will
not be considered.
Late May
Admission decisions are mailed. Financial
aid awards are sent one week later to those
filing for financial aid on time.
Mid-June
Admitted transfer students must notify
Stanford of their enrollment decision.
Stanford University 49
 Academic Profile

The following statistics give a general picture of the freshman and transfer applicants and enrollees
for fall 2005. We caution you against too narrow an interpretation of this data. We are
providing it because we are often asked to evaluate an applicant’s chances of admission based on cer-
tain criteria. To make such a judgment without reading an entire application is impossible, but the
following information may prove useful to you. Bear in mind both that an applicant in the top of one
group may not be in the same position on another measure and that the rigor of academic programs
varies considerably among schools. Statistics below are based on October 2005 information for those
students for whom we had such information.

Freshmen Fall 2005 (as of October, 2005) ✟ Transfers Fall 2005 (as of October, 2005) ✟

APPLICANTS APPLICANTS
Applicants Admit Rate Matriculants Applicants Admit Rate Matriculants

20,195 12% 1,633 1,281 4.8% 50

SAT I V E R B A L S CO R E * SAT I V E R B A L S CO R E *
Percent of Percent of Percent of Percent of
Applicants Admit Rate Admitted Class Applicants Admit Rate Admitted Class

700–800 49% 19% 71% 700–800 35% 13% 70%

600–699 36% 9% 25% 600–699 38% 5% 28%
500–599 12% 5% 4% 500–599 20% 1% 2%
Below 500 3% 1% <1% Below 500 7% 0% 0%

SAT I M AT H S CO R E * SAT I M AT H S CO R E *
Percent of Percent of Percent of Percent of
Applicants Admit Rate Admitted Class Applicants Admit Rate Admitted Class

700–800 64% 16% 76% 700–800 50% 9% 70%

600–699 27% 10% 21% 600–699 35% 4% 23%
500–599 7% 5% 3% 500–599 12% 3% 5%
Below 500 1% <1% <1% Below 500 3% 3% 2%

H I G H S C H O O L R A N K I N C L A SS P R E V I O U S CO L L EG E G PA
Percent of Percent of Percent of Percent of
Applicants Admit Rate Admitted Class Applicants Admitted Class

Top 1–2% of Class 29% 20% 45% 3.5–4.0 81% 87%

Top 10% of Class 76% 15% 91% Below 3.5 19% 13%
Top 20% of Class 89% 14% 97%

✟ Data for the Class of 2010 was not available at printing time but can be viewed on our admission website at: http://admission.stanford.edu/profile
* While Stanford accepts both the ACT and the SAT, we did not provide data for ACT test results here, as the number of applicants submitting ACT scores is not statistically significant.

50 Stanford University
Stanford University admits students of either sex and any race, color,

religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the

rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made

available to students at the university. It does not discriminate against

students on the basis of sex, race, color, age, disability, religion, sexual

orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its

educational policies, scholarships and loan programs, and athletic and

other university-administered programs.

Stanford University complies with the Clery Disclosure of Campus

Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. For a copy of

Stanford’s policies and statistics under this Act, please contact the
Stanford University Department of Public Safety at (650) 723-9633.

Stanford University
Of fice of Undergraduate Admission

355 Galvez Street ■ Stanford, CA 94305-3020

Phone: (650) 723 – 2091
Fax: (650) 725– 2846
Website: http://admission.stanford.edu
Email: admission@stanford.edu
International email: intl.admission@stanford.edu

Creative Direction and Design: Plainspoke / Portsmouth, NH

Production: Stanford Design Group

Editorial Direction: Andrea Jarrell

Photography: Steve Marsel (portraits), Dan Dry (including front cover)

and Linda A. Cicero (inside front cover)

The Stanford viewbook is published annually by the Office of Undergraduate

Admission. Special thanks go to our faculty contributors and the students and staff
members whose thoughtfulness and support made this collaborative project possible.
 STA N F OR D

S TA N F O R D
h t t p : / / a d m i s s i o n . s t a n f o r d . e d u S t a n f o r d Un i v e r s i t y 2 0 0 7

U N I V E R S I T Y
2 0 0 7

Office of Undergraduate Admission

355 Galvez Street ■ Stanford, CA 94305-3020
(650) 723-2091 ■ Fax (650) 725-2846