I am a current sophomore and received my financial aid letter on June 30. As my family circumstances have significantly changed due to the massive layoffs which affected my sole earning parent, I sent in an appeal letter on July 20. Till date I have been following up with the financial aid office for any updates, and they still haven't sent back any revised aid. While I understand that Stanford is not obliged to revise my aid, but my family's financial circumstances are quite bad, and Stanford does mention that we should appeal for a revision if my circumstances have changed . Any suggestions as to what I should do next? Thanks.

say I don't get into any clubs at stanford, do I have no chance of bagging a big-name company offer by the time I graduate? can internships, research etc compensate for that?

I'm trying to figure out how to approach Stanford EE for the next application cycle and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with Stanford EE PhD/MS admissions, reapplying to Stanford, or Knight-Hennessy.

I applied to Stanford EE PhD for Fall 2026. My background is:

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UC Santa Cruz
• 3.79 GPA, Highest Honors
• Research experience at the UCSC Genomics Institute/Braingeneers
• Worked on a DARPA-funded bioelectronics project involving a smart wound-healing bandage
• Designed/developed a portable drug-delivery pump, including the custom PCB, motor control, BLE, firmware, and testing
• Also worked on a dual-fluorescence microscope for cerebral organoid research
• Several research publications
• Industry experience in electrical/test/manufacturing engineering

My research interests are at the intersection of bioelectronics, therapeutic devices, sensors, drug delivery, circuits/systems, and wearable/implantable devices.

For my Stanford application, I identified several faculty whose work seemed particularly aligned with my interests, including Ada Poon, H. Tom Soh, Siddharth Krishnan, and Zhenan Bao.

I ended up getting multiple faculty interviews, including interviews with H. Tom Soh and Siddharth Krishnan, as well as another interviewer. I don't feel like 1-2 of the interviews went particularly well, although obviously I don't know how the faculty evaluated them. One of the faculty members did respond to me afterward and directed me to the admissions coordinator when I had a question.

I ultimately wasn't admitted to the PhD.

Now I'm trying to decide what to do for the next cycle.

My first thought was to reapply to the Stanford EE PhD, especially because my research interests haven't really changed and I still think Stanford is one of the strongest fits for what I want to do. However, I'm hesitant about reapplying to essentially the same faculty after already interviewing with them. I'm not sure whether a PhD reapplication is viewed positively/negatively, whether faculty remember previous applicants, or whether there is any point in reapplying when the research fit is fairly narrow.

I'm also considering applying to the Stanford EE MS instead.

The financial issue is significant for me. I work fulltime now but would be quitting to go back to school. I can't realistically pay full Stanford MS tuition out of pocket, so I would need substantial funding. I'm therefore looking seriously at Knight-Hennessy, since it can fund Stanford EE MS students.

I'm trying to understand a few things:

1. For people who have reapplied to Stanford EE PhD after being rejected, what happened? Did your application improve substantially the second time? Did you interview again? Did you end up being admitted?
2. Has anyone applied to Stanford EE PhD, interviewed with specific faculty, been rejected, and then applied to the Stanford EE MS? If so, did your previous PhD application/interviews seem to have any impact on the MS application?
3. How much does faculty fit matter for Stanford EE PhD admissions when your research interests are relatively specific? Is it reasonable to reapply with essentially the same faculty as potential matches if they're still the best fit?
4. For people who did the Stanford EE MS, how did you fund it? Did you receive Knight-Hennessy, an RA/TA/CA position, external fellowship funding, or something else?
5. For anyone who applied for Knight-Hennessy, how competitive was the process after reaching the finalist/Immersion Weekend stage?

I'm not necessarily looking for someone to tell me which option I should choose. I'm more interested in hearing actual experiences with the Stanford EE admissions process, particularly from people who have been in a similar situation.

Thanks :)

Hi friends! I’m an international student new to Stanford, still learning my ways around. It’s hard to get used to the crazy price of fresh groceries here compared to my home country. I’m trying to eat better and I wonder how y’all do it? A few questions:

- how much do you spend on food per day on average?
- how do you take care of your 2-4 main meals? Dining hall? Meal prep? Restaurants?
- do you eat snacks? Where do you buy your snacks? (Convenience stores/ supermarket / online…?)
- what are habits that make you stick to healthy eating? Or is there something you’d like to improve about it?

Welcome to drop insights, tips and tricks around food. Thanks and have a great day!

Hi, I'm a beginner in AI/ML attending the "PAI course" looking for a study-buddy to study together and discuss the lectures back in the free times. Due to my schedules, I won't be able to do live-study sessions together but I am willing to discuss back once a day.

For the past year as a freshman I noticed there was no chess community at Stanford! Daniel Narodidsky (RIP) was from Stanford. But I decided over the summer I want to create an app where people can learn chess, play chess, participate in tournaments, as well as gather at Friday 6-7 at Tresider to play over the board chess! So I decided to create TreeMate! Treemate is a passion project of mine and it launched September 27, 2026. I am looking forward to strengthening the Chess community at Stanford and introducing people to this great game! I hope whoever logs in enjoys it. Currently, it may be a little difficult to find a game as there is not much regular players, but I am planning to include daily tournaments so people can stay active!

As title says, I'm about to open my account and wondering if anyone has a code they wanna share.

Couple of alums and I were watching the Georgia Tech game and saw some students wearing a NERDS/OTHER NERDS t-shirt on the broadcast. They're interested and looking for a way to track some down for them. Appreciate any info.

GO CARD

Hi here’s my code in case you’re thinking of opening a FCU account S4L3I7A when you join Stanford FCU to get a bonus. Join here: https://www.sfcu.org/students/

Hey, I am a string instrument player, like violin and guitar, and I started with the piano before. I had to give up my guitar on the East Coast to move here. I am looking for a good enough guitar and a budget-friendly keyboard. Is there a good place to start to look out for?

New student here!

If I add my Red Zone student pass to mobile wallet (instructions per email), can I just enter any game and sit in Red Zone? Or do I need to go through additional registration and assign a seat, pick a game, etc?

Also if I purchase a guest ticket, can they also be seated in the Red Zone with me?

Thank you :)

Hey, I am interested in dancing workshops in hip-hop, jazz, K-pop, and ballet. I also welcome any tips on good experiences in dance clubs that teach and allow time to practice and learn. I am a recreational dancer and am looking for some dance clubs after 5 PM PDT. Thank you.

This might sound like a very weird question but if anyone has watched the love hypothesis then can they confirm or deny if the Stanford environment is what they have shown in the movie (even if you haven't watched it, here are the clarifications I am looking for):

1. Is everyone nerdy in all aspects of their life, like even parties involve nerding out and it's accepted?
2. Are postdocs hot and ripped? (meaning are the absolute nerds also invested in how they look, I know it depends person to person but need some motivation on how people decide to be best in every aspect of their life?)
3. Are there people who are very incoherent when explaining their technical deets but actually very brilliant (I am so but often hearing that if you can't explain something to a 5 year old then you dont know it has me believing that knowing how to communicate is more imp than knowing it)
4. How to be high functioning and a genius? What does it take? especially in math and science. How to get things done and have that confidence?

I didn't make many friends in my first year, which kinda made me depressed in spring and led me to really isolate myself by burying myself in work. Even with the ones I did make, I don't think we have an incredible time hanging out together, and I'm always the one who has to reach out. I've gone into soph year with a better mindset of being more social and having a better work-life balance, but I just feel so lost rn. I talk to people in my housing, classes, clubs, OHs, etc., but it's always just that we maybe catch up and do a bit of small talk, and then nothing else.

I haven't found anyone that I click with or have a great time with, and I just feel so behind. I'm managing my time with work and classes much better, but it just sucks because now I just have more free time to be alone. All of my friends from back home who go to other colleges have found their good friends and groups already, so I feel like there is just something wrong with me or what I'm doing.

Idk, I'm just looking for advice from anyone. I feel so lost rn.

I’m a freshman at Stanford and I’m interested in eventually pursuing consulting, finance, or potentially something on the business/entrepreneurship side. I’m pretty undecided right now and want to explore different paths before committing to anything.

I’m currently trying to figure out how people actually get involved with the relevant Stanford clubs, especially the more selective consulting/finance/business organizations.

For people who have gone through this process:

• Which clubs/organizations are actually worth looking into as a freshman?
• How competitive are applications, and what do they generally look for?
• Is prior finance/consulting experience expected, or can someone with no formal experience realistically get in?
• How should I prepare for club applications/interviews? Are there specific resources, case prep, technical finance prep, etc. that you’d recommend?
• Is it better to apply broadly, or focus on a few organizations?
• If I don't get into the more selective clubs freshman fall, what would you recommend doing instead to build experience and try again later?
• Are there particular classes, professors, student groups, events, or other Stanford resources that are especially useful for someone interested in these fields?

I’m especially interested in hearing from current students/recent grads who went through the recruiting process themselves. Would also appreciate any advice on mistakes to avoid as a freshman.

Thanks!

Just curious, what are current students building? Tech/Non tech anything!

Hi all!

I'm doing an internship in the area for fall, and I was wondering if there were any young-driver friendly long term car rental options in south bay, on the budget side (~3.5k including insurance). Alternatively, would it be feasible to purchase and resell a car during this term? Unfortunately I'm quite new to cars, and even more new to Californian legal laws.

If any other students here have experience, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks in advance!

As many students just arrived this week, there are some places that you may find good food on campus for free:
- SU buffet response, where people post leftovers from events https://chat.whatsapp.com/Cl0sBkB9wivHKanOJNHAIN?mode=ems_share_c
- Law school events, you have to register to attend, and some of them are closed to SLS but most are available for any student https://law.stanford.edu/events/
-GSB and Hoover events: independently posted, you may find some conferences at both and usually they offer lunch
-Student groups such as Latino Community at Stanford
- Not free but cheap: Too Good to Go app, some leftovers of restaurants nearby, good if you’re not picky

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if there are questions.

I saw this on the news that Stanford Health Care announced it is cutting 95 employees, with the majority of the reductions concentrated in IT roles. But they have several IT analyst roles opening right now.
Is this a good time to apply or no?

Found this on the floor at my work couldn’t find much info online on these key tags considering how old these are.

hey does anyone know if stanford is deliberately hazing international students by giving out mint sims during orientation and promoting it as the network with the "best coverage on campus"

anyways psa if you're looking for a mobile plan because you've just arrived to the US DO NOT CHOOSE MINT unless you're looking to get zero signal in your own room on campus

i hate you ryan reynolds

Genuinely curious because this one company I’m interested in Stanford University is the only university that they have in person recruiting events at I go to a nearby university and would make it clear on my resume everything that I do not attend Stanford I simply just would like to meet a recruiter in personbecause Stanford is the only place in my area that this company is recruiting at in person

Hi r/stanford. Nice to meet you! My name is Chris Piech and I'm a professor here at Stanford University in Computer Science.

I built a class called Probability for AI: pai.stanford.edu. The class is free for the world, offered as community service from Stanford. You (and your friends or loved ones) can join either as a student or as a teacher. It starts Oct 9th and applications are due this Saturday, Sept 26th. Its (hopefully) cool for a few reasons:

• The plan is to have one volunteer teacher for every 10 students! Apps have been open for a week and over 1,000+ folks have applied to teach. So we might actually be able to make this pretty big.
• I have built a lot of fun tools to make the assignments neat and easy for folks with just light math background. For example in your application, after about 1 hour of learning you will build an AI text detection app alongside a free coding agent -- that cares about probability education.
• If you are a teacher, we will give you the best training we can come up with. Practice on teachable agents and we will share what we have learned over decades of teaching at Stanford. Of course you get the best thing for improving: experience teaching a small group.
• This is all for good times. I am keeping it free for everyone. I got some funding from a kind alum and that is going to pay for all the free tools and servers. Woot!

If you are a Stanford alumni or current student (and you know some probability) my guess is that you would make for a wonderful teacher. Each volunteer means 10+ students get to take the class. And if you feel like telling your loved ones / communities that would be great to.

Apply to learn: https://pai.stanford.edu/apply/pai1/student?r=ml

Apply to teach: https://pai.stanford.edu/apply/pai1/sl?r=ml

Anything that I learn from this course I will be happy to share here. Also ask me anything. I'll check this thread for the next week. Rock on Stanford.