Congratulations, ProFros (prospective freshmen – get ready for the abbreviations) on being admitted to Stanford, and welcome to Admit Weekend 2014!
You might want to be in the know as to what experiences to get while you’re here on campus for a short weekend, so we at The Daily compiled some of our best advice for the future Class of 2018.
Where to go and when
Looking at the Admit Weekend schedule with so many different events, many of which occur simultaneously, it might be tricky to choose which ones to attend and how to make the most out of these three days.
“[You] don’t have to feel the pressure to attend every [event],” said Marcus Alvarez ’16, an Admit Weekend coordinator, adding that ProFros may perceive the busy schedule as overwhelming. “Go to the ones that you feel attract you the most.”
Alvarez recommended attending the a cappella concert (Friday at 8:00 p.m. at Frost Amphitheater) and the Casino Cardinale (Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center) – a fun casino night, featuring games with prizes, that provides an opportunity for ProFros to socialize.
For the more outdoorsy admit, Alvarez suggested hiking the Dish, a trail through the foothills towards the edge of campus.
“I feel that a lot of Stanford students currently haven’t hiked the Dish yet – I think that’s a really good way to bond with others,” Alvarez said.
Getting around campus
The immensity of the Stanford campus can also be overwhelming, especially for someone without a bike.
However, a number of University-offered tours aim to break down campus in smaller parts and to help you get to know the place that you might call home for the next four years. Tours on offer include the Bing Concert Hall Tour, Humanities Tour, Science and Engineering Quad Tour and even the Stanford Stadium Tour.
Department and residence tours even allow you to see where you might study and reside. Other places to visit include the Oval, the Main Quad and its historical landscape and Memorial Church with its magnificent mosaic facade.
The Stanford communities
Transitioning to college can present challenges, according to Alvarez, who recalled encountering a different culture at Stanford compared to his background. During his Admit Weekend, Alvarez went to a First Gen/Low Income Partnership (FLIP) panel in an effort to find a group that he felt comfortable with.
“It really changed my life because it made me feel more like I was home,” Alvarez said.
The Activities Fair, which will take place Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at White Plaza, offers one easy way to get to know Stanford’s extracurricular organizations and student groups.
Friday will also see an LGBTQ Student Panel and Open House; open houses by Stanford’s diverse ethno-racial groups, which include the Chicano/Latino, Black, American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian, and Asian-American communities; a Multifaith Welcome hosted by religious groups; a Shabbat dinner hosted by the Jewish Student Association on Friday evening; and a Jumu’ah prayer and an Open House hosted by the Muslim community at the Markaz.
Alvarez advised ProFros to develop as much of an understanding of the campus community as possible over the course of Admit Weekend.
“My advice to them is to really understand the culture here,” Alvarez said, “Speak with a Stanford student one on one – more than a five-minute conversation.”
Contact Sevde Kaldiroglu at sevde “at” stanford.edu.