Status: Current student, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2003-Submit Date
Survey Submitted: July 2004

The admissions process at Stanford is one of the most supportive, unpretentious and seamless experiences I've had. Two main essays are required--one is designed to answer "who are you?" and the other is designed to answer "who do you want to become?" Though the first boils down to your personal experiences and things that had a major impact on you; the other is a career aspirations essay. There is no word limit; but combined, my essays were close to 10 pages. We also had to have three letters of recommendation--two from current/former employers (preferably) and one peer evaluation. I understand that Stanford places a lot more emphasis on the letters of recommendation than other schools do.

Several weeks after I submitted my application, I was contacted by the admissions office for an interview with a local alumnus. The interview process was surprisingly laid-back and conversational. Stanford does not aggressively sell the school because it encourages students to self-assess whether the school is a good fit for them. For me, Stanford was my dream school and when I got a long acceptance voicemail message from an admissions officer, I was elated beyond words. Stanford is, by numbers alone, the most selective business school in the country.

Academics: Students Speak

Status: Current student, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2003-Submit Date
Survey Submitted: July 2004

I have loved the courses at Stanford. Granted, some of the core (required) courses were less exciting than the ones I have taken as electives. The grading has been fair overall. It is much easier to accept a professor's subjective grade once your class decides to maintain the grade non-disclosure norm. The workload is decent. In fact, during the last quarter of my first year, I took 26 units and managed to get average or above average in all of them.

Status: Alumnus/a, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2002-6/2004
Survey Submitted: March 2005

Very rigorous during first couple of quarters. The majority of classes the first year were core classes, such as Accounting, Economics, Finance, Strategy and Organizational Behavior. The general quality of core classes was very good, but the elective classes usually had more experienced, higher-quality professors and were more interesting. There is a lottery system for the most popular classes. There were probably only one or two classes I would have liked to take but couldn't get into.

Employment Prospects: Students Speak

Status: Alumnus/a, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2002-6/2004
Survey Submitted: July 2004

I believe Stanford is one of the best schools if you want to go into finance, in general, and principal investing (e.g., hedge funds, private equity, venture capital), in particular. The reason I believe it is one of the best is because Stanford is able to attract premier firms without students being overly competitive with one another. This is part culture, part alumni relationships and part math. I found my classmates to be extremely helpful even though we were competing for the same jobs. I also found Stanford alumni at each of the firms at which I wanted to interview, and they were always helpful in securing the first-round interview. Lastly, I found that a smaller percentage of students at Stanford were interested in principal investing than at other business schools. This meant that Stanford had a higher position-to-student ratio, despite the fact that such a large percentage of our class worked in private equity and venture capital prior to matriculating.

Quality of Life: Students Speak

Status: Current student, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2003-Submit Date
Survey Submitted: July 2004

Second to none. There is unquestionably no better environment in which to attend business school. People talk about it being a country club, and it really is true. The weather is fantastic, and the students are all very humble and helpful. The one counter might be that it's kind of a bubble and too far removed from urban life. This is has some merit, but San Francisco is only 30 to 45 minutes away and, as a result, is accessible enough for those willing to make the commute.

Housing: great. Schwab is a great place to live, even if it is a dorm. Facilities: decent. The gym hours could be better, and the school building is mediocre. But I've never lacked any resource in the library or computing terminals. Neighborhood: very suburban. There are options close by, but if you're really looking for a good time, you'll have to head up to S.F. or down to San Jose.

Social Life: Students Speak

Status: Alumnus/a, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2001-6/2003
Survey Submitted: September 2005

The social life was perhaps one of the best aspects of the program. The class is just the right size that you get to know nearly everyone in your class by the end of two years. The community is quite close and isn't full of people who take themselves too seriously. Hence, the social activities might occasionally remind you of your undergrad days.

Status: Current student, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2005-Submit Date
Survey Submitted: September 2006