Stanford University

Stanford University is one of the most beautiful and prestigious campuses in the U.S. We visited as a family and were amazed by the blend of historic architecture, open green spaces, and peaceful courtyards. The Main Quad, Hoover Tower, and Memorial Church are all must-sees. The campus is clean, well-organized, and perfect for walking or biking. Tip: Start at the Stanford Visitor Center for maps and tips, and wear comfortable shoes—it’s a large campus. Whether you’re a prospective student or just sightseeing, it’s an inspiring place to explore.

The university is open to the public and you can just wander around. It’s not super historical but the main buildings are pretty nice. The atmosphere is good and the place is so well maintained. Overall I definitely recommend stopping by for a 30 min walk if you are around to look at one of the best universities in the world

I was there for my son's graduation. What a beautiful campus. It's also HUGE. Be prepared to walk a lot. They have a free shuttle, but the steps and routes seem limited, but it's free. I walk with a cane. Whenever I tried walking somewhere, a golf cart would zip up out of nowhere, and take me where I needed to go. They also fed all of the families extremely well. The food was great, with fresh and unique choices, and the portions huge. We were never asked for a penny to pay. The whole campus has a very welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. It was a great change from what we have seen from those in our government lately. I was quite impressed. I would give them more stars if I could.

An Inspiring Place to Visit! Stanford University is truly a breathtaking campus, one of the most beautiful I've ever visited. From the iconic Hoover Tower to the stunning Main Quad and palm tree-lined streets, every corner feels like a postcard. The architecture blends historic charm with modern elegance, and the grounds are meticulously maintained. It’s no surprise that thousands of people visit every week. The campus is not just about academics, t's a vibrant hub of art and culture. The Cantor Arts Center and the Anderson Collection are must-sees, both offering impressive exhibits with free admission. You’ll find sculptures by Rodin, contemporary works, and a creative energy throughout. There are also frequent student performances, public lectures, and open-air art installations across the campus. Visitors can enjoy walking or biking around, relaxing on the grass near the Oval, or taking photos by Memorial Church. There's also a Stanford Dish hike nearby with amazing panoramic views of Silicon Valley. However, a word of advice: the public restrooms are limited and often far from main walking paths. It can be frustrating, especially during weekends when the number of visitors increases. I recommend planning ahead or stopping by visitor centers when possible. Overall, Stanford is an inspiring place, whether you're interested in education, art, nature, or just a peaceful afternoon stroll. Definitely worth the visit! Paulo Bites

Stanford absolutely lives up to its reputation as one of the most gorgeous campuses in the US! The 8,000-acre grounds are stunning, starting from the iconic Palm Drive entrance lined with Canary Island palms. Hoover Tower is a must-do for $8 - the 360-degree views from the 14th floor observation deck overlooking the entire campus and Bay Area are incredible! The Main Quad with its Richardsonian Romanesque architecture is breathtaking, and Memorial Church is definitely worth stepping inside. The biggest surprise was the Cantor Arts Center being completely free with the world's second-largest Rodin sculpture collection outside of Paris - art lovers shouldn't miss it! Parking is coin-operated at $1.50/hour but free on weekends which is nice. They offer guided tours on weekdays (need to book ahead) but self-guided with the free map works great too, taking about 1-2 hours. I'd recommend visiting on weekdays for a more authentic academic atmosphere and fewer crowds. The whole campus feels like a beautiful park - no wonder so many tech leaders came from here!

Columns and arches, red tiles and fountains, a temple with stained glass windows and a tower with an observation deck. Palm trees and sequoias, hares and singing birds. Relaxed students cutting through the university territory on bicycles, scooters and skateboards. Peace and quiet. Beauty, and nothing more!

Stanford University – A Timeless and Elegant Backdrop for Portraits Stanford University is hands down one of the most stunning locations for engagement sessions and portraits in the Bay Area. With its breathtaking blend of historic architecture, lush gardens, and wide-open spaces, every corner offers a unique and elegant backdrop. The grand archways and sandstone buildings of the Main Quad provide a sophisticated and timeless aesthetic, while Palm Drive and the Oval offer a classic California vibe with towering palm trees and vibrant greenery. If you're looking for something more intimate, the Arizona Garden and hidden courtyards create a romantic and peaceful setting, perfect for capturing genuine, heartfelt moments. Whether you’re after a refined and architectural look or a natural and relaxed feel, Stanford University has it all. The way the light filters through the arches at golden hour makes for a truly magical experience, elevating every photo with a cinematic glow. If you want a location that combines history, beauty, and versatility, this is the perfect spot for your session. Let’s create something unforgettable together!

Stanford University and Campus is open to the public and like us tourists. I first came here when I was still in Highschool one can't help but feel the history of the place as it is one of the premiere schools in the U.S. There are history etched inside the Church. The whole area is very picturesque and has that academe feel to it while roaming around. I highly recommend visiting Stanford whenever you're around the area.

A fine institution of higher learning. By all accounts one of the best on the left coast. We come here for the sports. Primarily football. They've always had a competitive team and superior tailgate areas. NIL and the portal have hit the program hard. A fairy recent coaching change in the midst of recruiting was another set back. They've had some goon wins this year (2024) including a win last Saturday over Louisville ranked at 22. The Cardinal beat the Cardinals in a tightly contested game. #FearTheTree

What: 45 minute admission info session and 90 minute campus tour. Ryan gave a great presentation. Our guide Nick was amazing and our tour of this beautiful campus was very educational and enjoyable - as well as good exercise!

I was contemplating on starting my grad degree here, but I'll stick to Yelping my life away. The architecture, memorials, sports fields... just a nice spot to walk around and take pictures.

We came here for their opening home football game. It was a great game, it was close till half time. Then unfortunately they lost. Fan Fest was fun. It was by on the top of the stadium. They had $5 beers. The line took around 30 minutes to get through. There was only 1 person pouring and there was a lot of foam so they were having a hard time getting everyone a full glass. They did allow you to get two cups at a time. If you got there early you have nothing better to do than to Stand in line. They had a little beer garden surrounding the beer booth. It was a nice place to sit and relax. We sat on the loveseat. It was very comfortable. They had a separate line for food. They had tacos or pulled pork(beef or chicken) sandwiches. Each had their own lines. The lines were short compared to the beer line. It took maybe 5 minuets to get our pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad. It was $15 for the pulled pork sandwich and potato salad or coleslaw. They also had concessions on the lower level. There was no line for concessions. We later had chips and they were freshly made and very good. We sat behind the goal posts. They were great seats in the lower level. Parking was a challenge. The parking attendants were great guiding you to your parking spot. We parked in lot 8. $25 pre sale. The issue was finding your car later. There are no light posts, or any markers like they do at concert venues and Disneyland to find your car. Here you are parked in the middle for a eucalyptus grove. All the lots look the same. Our only saving grace was the find your car app on google maps. With out it we would have lost our car. I wonder how others were able to find their cars.

Stanford medical center. My husband's dbl lung transplant, August 2024. Lung transplant team are a very hands group. They are many and have been with us every step of the way.

Nerd alert! =P My hubz is a grad alumni from here so of course, I had to get the obligatory campus tour, watch a football game, and be his date for his grad alumni event. All the events I went to were pretty impressive. Our campus tour leader was very knowledgeable, attentive and fun - the campus is huge, clean and vibrant. The football game was entertaining and fun - band was also really good! The alumni event was very well-organized and we got to hear engaging presentations from some of the best professors in their fields (Ge Wang's music tech presentation was awesome!), tour the Bing Concert Hall, and have delicious food and unlimited wine/beer at the happy hour in the alumni center garden patio. I left that event inspired with their mission of not only achieving academic excellence, but also to be good stewards in making the world a better place. It's also mind boggling to think of all of the prestige surrounding this university - highly recommend a visit!

Beautiful university. Went for my little brother's graduation and it was amazing. Go Michael! Class of 2024!

This review is for the university building area. Nice place for walking around and pictures. Their building looks really nice. Saw people doing weddings photos there.

Pablo conducted our tour of the campus and he was most professional and at the same time personable. This was our best tour so far and way better than our Harvard tour.

I remember our first visit Stanford was back in summer 2014 when the plants were fully grown and flowers bloomed, such a beautiful campus! My mom had a friend in her church whos daughter got enrolled for Fall quarter, after that I figured their acceptance rate is above national average. I also found their library was very organized and interesting, with great architectural features. We attended Asian history month inside the library, discovered some of the backgrounds. Overall it was an unforgettable tour among all the universities worldwide.

Move-in Day to EAST/TREAT Everything went smoothly. My son got a fridge this year, 6 more months to go. My son will enjoy every moment of his college life before graduation. So looking forward to coming back for a huge celebration to commemorate his special milestone (June 12th)!

The campus is pretty but loosing all appeal in recent times. Specially since they have a tone deaf provost who gets big bucks and thinks Grad students don't need to get pay.

Fun place to explore, not an easy place to be accepted as a college or grad student. You'll want to check out the old church on campus, which has lots of history and great architectural features. Hoover tower is also excellent for visiting, and walking through the engineering school is also a fun experience. I visited the East Asian library years ago which has one of the best collections of primary sources and secondary sources on the West Coast. During that conference I also met John CY Wang, who inspired a lot of my research and was one of the pioneers in the field of literary theory of China. Rest his soul.

The medical school needs to accept qualified candidates. People are done with DEI "doctors." We know one in their special program who scores 20% on the MCAT AND COULDNT KEEP UP WITH HER CLASS IF OTHER "special" pretend MD's. She had D's in her undergrad classes yet gets into Stanford? How many qualified were rejected?

Stanford has a nice campus and tries to give off the appearance that they care but (like Ivy League schools) they play the numbers game to keep their acceptance rates low and in the upper echelon of the reach category of universities. They'll have outreach programs in order to encourage a lot of high schoolers to apply but in general they give preference for wealthy, connected families or athletes to help their sports program. Their goal is to mostly accept students who will elevate the university's status and ultimately grow the endowment. Fortunately some conscientious companies are expanding their recruitment outside of these "exclusive" schools.

So beautiful! We went 4 a college tour, but if ur in the area & just looking 4 a gorgeous scenic stroll, it's still worth the stop. Grounds r immaculate. Amount of green space is surprising given the size of the university. Feel is wonderful, academic, ideal. R favorite campus, tour & info session so far. We realize not many of the kids attending the tour will b admitted & it's ridiculously expensive, but the staff made everyone feel welcome & encouraged. DJ & Patrick led r sessions/tour & were the perfect examples of knowledgeable, humble professionals. We have been to a lot of campus tours & these guys were head & shoulders above the others. Their energy & kindness came through with each attendee. They knew what they were doing & it didn't seem fake or over practiced. I was also pleasantly surprised by how the speakers avoided overused virtue signaling, opting instead for authentic presentation of Stanford in a way that allowed all prospective students to c themselves loving life at the university.

They didn't accept me bro lemme take you back to day 1: a young drippy homeboy, my dream was to go to stanford university. I applied but they rejected me, and so im writing this review.

I came by for a stroll and looped around campus in this order: - Stanford Oval - Hoover Tower - Stanford Clock Tower - Memorial Church - Rodin Sculpture Garden - Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts - Arizona Garden At the time of my visit, the exhibitions were temporarily closed or not open on Mondays, so I only admired the outside. I had a pleasant walk as not many students were around that morning. A beautiful college, but nothing particularly noteworthy to make a special trip just to tour. Free public Wi-Fi is available. For restrooms, I used the ones in the Stanford Student Store. The Stanford Shopping Center is conveniently a short twenty-minute walk from the Stanford Oval too.

This PRIVATE university keeps their EDUCATION AND INFORMATION private. That's what I get for putting the "TOP GLOBAL" university in consideration for graduate studies. Unworthy of my time and investment. I do not recommend one bit. People are wasting their time and money with this for-profit organization. Their definition of open campus does not include attending courses - only the campus and restaurants are for the public. They attribute their closed door policy to COVID-19 despite me seeing students on campus WITHOUT masks on. This is such a paradoxical contradiction, in my opinion. I do not see the values of diversity, equality, and inclusion here. Not impressed one bit. Left with my tastebuds sour. Famously Despicable. They tend to judge books by their cover. Came in like a kid in a candy store, left with my dragon nostrils fuming smoke. EDIT: After contemplation - they do offer it you just have to register for it. I'm just salty because I spent my time and gas doing a random surprise walk-in and felt disrespected. Boo, their definition of an open-campus sucks! REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sadly very underwhelming campus. Was very excited to see it but it was quite dead even though students are not on break. To be fair, maybe that was the case because it was gloomy with some drizzle. Not much to do in the area but they do have a very nice mall within walking distance with awesome udon.

I've got a new client in Mountain View, which gives me the opportunity to visit my old school. Hands down, the best university in the U.S., and a truly amazing campus. I may be biased, but I'll love this place FOREVER. Die Luft der Freiheit weht!

One of the top universities in the USA. There is a giant open campus with loads of events and a few great free museums. Easy to drive on campus (paid parking). However, if you want an extra special experience it is worth it to bicycle from the Palo Alto Caltrain station. I bicycle every time I visit the university. I love the smell of eucalyptus trees and largess of the classical buildings. There are enough bicycle paths to take advantage of. Be sure to watch out for walkers. A special place to visit is the free Cantor Arts Center and it's neighbor the Rodin Sculpture Garden. Yes, these are actual Rodin statues. Definitely recommended to take advantage of this once in a lifetime experience. Since I always visit the Rodin sculpture garden, I have multiple once in the lifetime experiences. I don't think I'm cool because of it. You might think I'm cool, I don't know. Ha ha! Come to Stanford University and explore it on bike. Check out the museums, sculptures and other events on campus.

What a beautiful campus lined with mature trees, gives you a sense of tranquility and just being away from the city. Students and faculty are blessed to be around such a beautiful campus. May sections of the campus are closed to the public so we weren't able to take any pictures. I did get lost a few times making turns here and there and not knowing where I was at. The campus is so beautiful, I didnt care.

What a gorgeous campus! Came here for a campus tour as a part of a conference I'm attending. Pros: -innovative things happening here. Even their dining halls have a cookbook library and a spice library where you help yourself to spices! They grow their own herbs. Kids even eat free here, or at least in the dining commons we visited. -very bike friendly -beautiful architecture and manicured lawns -diverse campus Cons: -large Campus. That's why there are so many golf carts here. -lots of construction happening on campus

Wow! Stanford University is such a beautiful campus with its stunning architecture and layout. It's definitely one of the best universities I have ever visited. We spent about an hour or so wandering the campus but didnt get a chance to see everything because the campus is so huge. Luckily, we got a chance to visit the campus bookstore,Tresidder Union and the Memorial Church. The Memorial church was amazing! The design and murals are absolutely beautiful. It is a definitely a must see while you are visiting the campus.

Stopped by the Lathrop East Asia Library to pick up a book from the Livermore stacks and stayed to hang out with my teammates to catch up after being on leave for some many months. The library is beautifully decorated and well placed at the front of the campus. I didn't get past circulation, but the staff was friendly and helpful and patient while I got my ID card sorted out. Everything seems to be ramping up towards graduation here, and I can feel commencement in the air. I kinda miss being here every day, but that makes the periodic visits more special.

Huge open campus. I like the historic feel and look of the campus - plus it's natural color. Really huge walk and plenty of retail and eats around the campus and off the campus nearby. Frost Theatre is located in the campus and is a great venue as well. Have not purchased any University Gear or product but campus does have a nice bookstore for that. Really nice area overall.

This is the best university in the nation! The people are so friendly, and the facilities are also great. State of the art faculty, and education.

Gorgeous campus! Why did JFK fail and drop out here? Super pretty, prestigious and redwoods abound! California at its best coupled with its reputation for high academic standards and liberal world views! Go Cardinals! Football team is bad lately, basketball team average basketball Run ‍

Stanford University is one of the top universities in the world. This beautiful campus is tucked into the back of Palo Alto among the hills of the San Francisco Peninsula. This is one of the oldest universities in California and has produced many of the best and brightest graduates over the years. The campus is easily accessible by car, but parking and traffic can be difficult. It is close to Caltrain with lots of bus service too. The older parts of campus are the most photogenic. The early designs incorporated a lot of mission style architecture and natural landscaping. There is a large plaza in the center with a classic chapel adorned with lots of beautiful art. During session, the area is packed with students enjoying a sunny break from studying or streaming Netflix. If you are not lucky enough to attend as a student, you can always be a tourist. Many people visit the campus to admire the architecture, attend sports or cultural events, explore the museums, or just walk around to soak up the culture. Fair warning, during session most of the students are rather young and can sometimes be a bit stuck up and spoiled, but that is part of the charm I guess. This is one of the classic California universities dating back over a hundred years which is ancient in the American West! There are a few flaws, but overall this is an amazing campus still preparing students at the highest levels for big things. The campus is also gorgeous so that helps. Fortunately you do not have to bribe anyone to visit!

Some of the most beautiful nature is integrated into the campus- my personal favorite season here fall (honestly all the seasons are nice). Don't forget to check out the Hoover tower and of course Memorial church! Try to take a tour- it's free! The schedule is here: https://visit.stanford.edu/tours/ The tourists are mainly concentrated around Palm Drive and the Oval, but it's worth it if you can go at a less busy time (such as early morning). Honestly the ambiance around the evening time is nice too- sometimes people play frisbee on the lawn and there's always students biking or lounging around. There's also a good number of joggers/runners going by the area so it's definitely a family-friendly vibe but keep those children on a close watch in case a bike comes zooming by! Try to budget about 2 hours at least to really appreciate the campus- best enjoyed at a slow, California-paced stroll!

Best campus of all time? From only a physical campus perspective, I've been to a lot of campuses across North America and Stanford has to be the best I've ever been to. There's tons of athletic facilities, green space with campus life and school spirit bustling. It's rich in history and architecture. People are friendly. Even the lawn is incredibly green, clean and well kept. Must sees include Stanford Oval, Memorial Court, Main Quad, Memorial Church and Hoover Tower. There's several free bus shuttles that take you around. They pick up and drop off at the Cal Train station. Look for the Marguerite buses.

An university I've known by name, so I was so excited to finally be able to pay it a visit! Such a beautiful university especially in its style and architecture. I stayed at Toyon Hall for about 2 weeks and it was in a great location to the nearby dining halls, athletics, bookstore, and food court. Definitely a walk to get around places, but still great views. For some beautiful art, make sure to visit the chapel at the main quad and nearby Hoover tower!

Didnt get to walk the campus but i drove through, around and its beauitul. Maybe in another life i would love to attend SU lol

Low paying tech companies like Oracle hire exclusively from Stanford. Better companies like Facebook and Google do not. That should tell you something about the corrupt, special interest of this school and their connections. First of all, they only want you to enroll for your money, and once they get it will pass your "brilliant" student. They will ignore many, many better qualified students. And the school is not diverse. They are used by companies like Oracle that discriminate in their employment practices. I know about this first hand from one of their Vice Presidents (who claimed they only hired Stanford graduates in a casual conversation, and occasionally but rarely a UCB student) By the way, a Vice President at Oracle makes little more than an entry-level software engineer at Google.

The campus is stunningly beautiful. I recommend entering along Palm Drive, which is a gorgeous long driveway lined with dozens of large palm trees on either side that deposits you right at the heart of Stanford campus. Some must-see sights inside the campus include the main Quadrangle and Memorial Church (admission is free), which is a large, beautiful, and elaborately ornate church that was built by Jane Stanford as a memorial to her late husband. Another notable sight is the clock tower, which has an observatory deck that is 250 ft up and costs $4 for general admission ($3 for children and seniors 65+, free if Stanford affiliate or staff). At the top, you have 360 degree views of the Stanford campus, which is quite nice but the day that we went was cold and gloomy, so we couldn't stay very long up there because of the chill. Only downside is parking is difficult if you are a visitor, and costs $2.50 per hour.

We took a drive to the campus on a late Sunday afternoon. Our neice is visiting local campuses to prepare for her selection next year. It's the middle of July, so the campus was not busy with students. However, they were hosting the Summer Institute, a gifted program for Middle schoolers. My don had attended had attended as a 7th grader years ago. Some students were housed in Frat Houses. Anyway, this is a gorgeous campus with lots of history and a blend of old architecture and new technology. Drive up to the main entrance and you can park for 2 hrs to enjoy the beautiful campus. Bookstore is not opened on Sundays. You can also drive around to get a glimpse of all the great architecturally designed classroom buildings and the numerous athletic fields. A visit may just motivate your child to be part of this wonderful higher education institution.

I've only been here 3 times now, and seeing much of the campus has been very limited. Past visits have only included a couple of NCAA Women's Basketball games to see our niece play for this university. And this most recent visit to the Bing Center, to see the same niece, along with 8 others, inducted into the 2018 class of Stanford's Athletics Hall of Fame. And that was an arrival during evening hours, through the campus' thick tree lined streets. Very hard to see much of any thing. But Stanford's legacy of Academics & Athletics is well known.

Having had multiple mentors that come from Stanford University educate, work and commend me, it always had a sense of mystique for me. I've toured, visited Stanford University on multiple occasions. I received a junior invitational to conference on the campus though I could not attend. Instead, I've visited for multiple graduations, tours, family and alumni weekends, or other functions. It is a really magical place, from dining at Wilbur to walking around Okada. I considered doing a few degrees or doing business while I was researching places such as Princeton, Harvard, Columbia in New York, etc.

What a great day to have the graduation on. It's not overly hot and the set up is basic yet nice. Today is a glorious day!!!

Everywhere is easily accessible by bike or if you want, there are hourly and half-hourly(30 min interval) buses that run across campus and even to town! Super convenient and most head straight to the palo alto station where you can take the caltrain. I personally like to study at the Green library just because they have a wide variety and collection of books and the computers there are more convenient. In addition, it is closer to the bus stop if you live off campus and need to take the bus to head home. Another place I like to go and study is the tech lounge at lathrop library. It is like the coolest place to study and is mostly designed in a way to induce creativity and comfort. I use it mainly during group projects and presentarion rehearsals where you can book a room or just study in peace at the available spaces. If you want to eat something, the nearest good place to get food would be at the lathrop cupboard cafe or the olives at building 160 near the memorial court! Both of them have a good variety of food and beverages that will get you through the day. Having said that, the best place to eat in my opinion is the treehouse! Their "the farm" pizza is die for. Not literally, but you get it. CON: unless you are a faculty or emeritus or anyone that holds prestige enough to get parking....do not drive yourself here. Just save the gas and headache. Take the bike and/bus here.

Like many parents of profoundly gifted children -- when it comes to education -- we have champagne tastes -- but on a beer budget. Material limitations aside -- we remain tireless advocates for our children -- firmly committed in our quest to secure their futures. Recently we took our 17 year old to visit Stanford -- where he breathed the thin air that surrounds brilliance and beauty in northern California -- in the most recent iteration of his pre-collegiate search. Stanford is an ICBM launch pad for the careers of some of America's best and brightest. There is greatness here -- in the Eucalyptus scented landscapes -- where Elon Musk, Tiger Woods, Sergey Brin and John F. Kennedy studied and later transformed our world so definitively and remarkably. Our son aspires to such pedigree -- and while hobbled by long odds of admission and limited funds -- daunting for even the most empowered, self assured and ambitious young minds -- we left here with a sense of cautious optimism -- kismet even. There is something familiar about Stanford and equally hard to pinpoint. There are evanescent whispers in the breeze all around -- and if you listen intently -- you might hear that this place IS NOT reserved exclusively for legacies, or the wealthiest among us, or those with 180 IQ's or even world class athletes. The whispers suggest that even our son can earn his place among the anointed ones with plenty of old school elbow grease, some creative accounting perhaps and yes -- a dose of luck too. Hands down -- one of the most impressive university campus' I've ever visited. Our son agrees.

Beautiful campus! The buildings were full of character. Loved the weather and atmosphere.

Got a tour of Stanford from a law student. Nothing short of breath taking! Everywhere we turned was a beautiful sight. The relaxed and calm environment did not seem like a school but more like a vacation spot. A pool, several gyms, modern study areas, restaurants, etc. Very well maintained and new construction underway. The law library was wall to wall with books and cases. The science buildings were supet advanced. Almost like stepping into a movie. One of the coolest places was Windhover Meditation Center. It's a quiet tech free zone for student and faculty to unwind. Much needed for a top American school. Promotes work life balance and inclusion for varying beliefs. These students definitely pay for an experience. It was surprisingly diverse and modern. We had a blast. Logged in 13000 steps and only covered about 1/5 of the campus.

The campus is really nice, but it's so spread out. You can't just get around by walking necessarily. The entrance near Caltrain is a long road to the center of the campus. It seems there's a lot of grad students at Stanford. The undergraduate culture is there with nice young college kids, but it could be hard. It doesn't feel like a quaint college. It feels very clinical and institutional. The area is nice and suburban. It's definitely California with Spanish architecture influence. But it's also too suburban and not urban at all. It doesn't feel like the friendliest campus. It's lacking some culture. I prefer to visit Berkeley and spend time in that town, but of course Stanford is so prestigious and selective.

I couldn't find a lot to do in Palo Alto, but Stanford University is located nearby. It's a beautiful and vast campus. There were many tourists taking pictures, including myself. There were four places within the campus that I visited: Cantor Arts Center- Free admission! The main highlight was the Rodin Sculpture Garden. The museum has one of the largest collections of works by Auguste Rodin outside Paris. I didn't know who he was until I looked him up. He's the one who made "The Thinker." His bronze statues are also scattered through the campus. Hoover Tower- The 285-feet tower was completed in 1941 to celebrate Stanford's 50th anniversary. It costs $2 to go up (free for students, faculty, and staff). The elevator up is small. It took less than 5 minutes to look around and see views of the campus and the surrounding Bay Area. Memorial Church- It stands in the center background of the main quad. I'm not a churchgoer, but the church is a lovely building. I liked the mosaics and stained glass windows. The Oval/Main Quad- "The Oval is considered to be the initial and official visual entrance to the Stanford University campus." It's a large open space where people can go running, reading, relaxing, picnicking, etc. There is a large floral "S" in the center with benches on either side of it. The main quad with the beautiful buildings surrounding it sits behind the oval. Ending tidbit- "Stanford has no official mascot, but the Stanford Tree appears at major Stanford sports events."

Stanford has such a beautiful campus! Such a shame that I don't have the smarts nor the money to attend this school! But I did have the privilege of coming here for a few visits with friends. We did a scavenger hunt around the campus and I absolutely loved the views. I would love to go for some runs around campus; it's so peaceful and relaxing! Off topic, but when I went to Ike's, I noticed there wasn't a single person without a macbook!

Ohhh...Stanford. I'm not suppose to like you (or even visit you again) since I am forever a Cal Bear. :) However, on this most recent visit to the Bay Area, I decided to venture over to the campus and be a "tourist" for an hour or so. While I've been to Stanford before for the annual Cal vs. Stanfurd Big Game, I never visited the other areas of the campus (outside of the football stadium). haha... It was nice to walk around the main entrance and take a sneak peek at the Stanford GSB campus as well. No wonder people have always mentioned that it's like being on a farm - lots of green pastures, nicely trimmed trees, and palm trees all around. Good thing there was metered visitors parking spots in the front, so it wasn't difficult to navigate my way around. The bell tower really pales in comparison to Cal, but I won't start bashing away. It was peaceful, though, when I was walking along campus and one of the students even helped explain how to get to the GSB campus. I appreciated that. Well, it was nice to come for a quick visit, Stanfurd! See you around~

Beautiful campus! Reminds me of UDub in Seattle. It's a college town and it's so peaceful! My baby cousin (who's not so baby anymore) got accepted into Stanford's summer program! I'm so proud of her! My aunt and I decided to do a suicide trip to NorCal to pick my cousin up for the weekend, and drive back home on the same day. It was one of the most exhausting (but incredibly short) trips I've ever taken! I would not be able to do this again. Visitor parking was only $1 for 30 minutes and it was right across the dorm my cousin was staying at. I'm glad I got to roam around this campus. It was beautiful weather and so green! Definitely a lot more different than SoCal.