[UltimateCard]

Casper himself, I think, is an example of the robustness of the role of big-time sports at Stanford. As far as I could tell, he did indeed seem somewhat bewildered by the whole American thing of high level sports in universities and was not pro-sports. However, during his time (1992-2000) we say a reasonably high level of football success under Willingham, the rise of the golden era of mens basketball, and a Sears Cup every year (well, every year starting in 1994-5, the second year of the cup).

I remember Don Kennedy at a WBB game introducing his succcessor during half-time, and it was immediately apparent that Casper had a steep learning curve about sports when he uttered a hearty "Stanford, go!" to the captive audience at Maples. Well, he did come from University of Chicago... His major impact on Stanford sports was banning advertising from all venues. Credit for whatever support from Building 10 during the Casper years should probably be given to his provost --- Condi Rice.

[UltimateCard]

Casper himself, I think, is an example of the robustness of the role of big-time sports at Stanford. As far as I could tell, he did indeed seem somewhat bewildered by the whole American thing of high level sports in universities and was not pro-sports. However, during his time (1992-2000) we say a reasonably high level of football success under Willingham, the rise of the golden era of mens basketball, and a Sears Cup every year (well, every year starting in 1994-5, the second year of the cup).

I remember Don Kennedy at a WBB game introducing his succcessor during half-time, and it was immediately apparent that Casper had a steep learning curve about sports when he uttered a hearty "Stanford, go!" to the captive audience at Maples. Well, he did come from University of Chicago... His major impact on Stanford sports was banning advertising from all venues. Credit for whatever support from Building 10 during the Casper years should probably be given to his provost --- Condi Rice.

[fullmetal]

"and a Sears Cup every year (well, every year starting in 1994-5, the second year of the cup). "

And hopefully it will be every year when that "other" winner in the first year has their Sears Cup win vacated.  lol  >:(  ::)

Non-sequitur: I'm glad Sears is a name no longer associated with the prestigious Cup given the state of the company these days...(how the mighty have fallen).

[fullmetal]

"and a Sears Cup every year (well, every year starting in 1994-5, the second year of the cup). "

And hopefully it will be every year when that "other" winner in the first year has their Sears Cup win vacated.  lol  >:(  ::)

Non-sequitur: I'm glad Sears is a name no longer associated with the prestigious Cup given the state of the company these days...(how the mighty have fallen).

[Bruce Wang]

I have read enough comments by the academic elitists that the "Stanford experience"  doesn't include that fluff on the playing fields.  May they always be a crank minority of limited means.

Admissions should weed those people out so they can go where they belong: CalTech or University of Chicago.

[Bruce Wang]

I have read enough comments by the academic elitists that the "Stanford experience"  doesn't include that fluff on the playing fields.  May they always be a crank minority of limited means.

Admissions should weed those people out so they can go where they belong: CalTech or University of Chicago.

[2006alum]

[quote author=Redrum link=topic=16747.msg191120#msg191120 date=1491235506]
I have read enough comments by the academic elitists that the "Stanford experience"  doesn't include that fluff on the playing fields.  May they always be a crank minority of limited means.

Admissions should weed those people out so they can go where they belong: CalTech or University of Chicago.
[/quote]

...or Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, MIT, etc. Y'know, the substantial majority of our chief top-school competitors without D1 athletic programs. ;)

Again, why I love our alma mater. Because we can be #1 at both academics and athletics. Why have to choose?

[2006alum]

[quote author=Redrum link=topic=16747.msg191120#msg191120 date=1491235506]
I have read enough comments by the academic elitists that the "Stanford experience"  doesn't include that fluff on the playing fields.  May they always be a crank minority of limited means.

Admissions should weed those people out so they can go where they belong: CalTech or University of Chicago.
[/quote]

...or Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, MIT, etc. Y'know, the substantial majority of our chief top-school competitors without D1 athletic programs. ;)

Again, why I love our alma mater. Because we can be #1 at both academics and athletics. Why have to choose?

[fullmetal]

Mens sano in corpore sano.

[fullmetal]

Mens sano in corpore sano.

[CTcard]

...or Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, MIT, etc. Y'know, the substantial majority of our chief top-school competitors without D1 athletic programs. ;)

Mens sano in corpore sano.

Well, our friends in the Ivies certainly seem to believe in the mens-corpore connection (and do play in D1, just not FBS football). In general, the Ivies and Stanford offer the most NCAA sports programs, and since most of the privates are relatively small they by far have the highest percentage of the student body personally participating in intercollegiate sports.
For example, from their web site Harvard appears to offer 20 sports for men and another 20 for women. Stanford lists 16 for men, 20 for women.
Meanwhile, nominal sports power fifth largest university in America (52K+ students) University of Florida lists 8 sports for men and 11 for women.

[CTcard]

...or Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, MIT, etc. Y'know, the substantial majority of our chief top-school competitors without D1 athletic programs. ;)

Mens sano in corpore sano.

Well, our friends in the Ivies certainly seem to believe in the mens-corpore connection (and do play in D1, just not FBS football). In general, the Ivies and Stanford offer the most NCAA sports programs, and since most of the privates are relatively small they by far have the highest percentage of the student body personally participating in intercollegiate sports.
For example, from their web site Harvard appears to offer 20 sports for men and another 20 for women. Stanford lists 16 for men, 20 for women.
Meanwhile, nominal sports power fifth largest university in America (52K+ students) University of Florida lists 8 sports for men and 11 for women.

[Phogge]

What's great about you guys and you alma mater is that without athletic superiority your U would still be great. Can you imagine U ofAlabama identity without football or UConn without WBB?

[Phogge]

What's great about you guys and you alma mater is that without athletic superiority your U would still be great. Can you imagine U ofAlabama identity without football or UConn without WBB?

[Mick]

What's great about you guys and you alma mater is that without athletic superiority your U would still be great. Can you imagine U ofAlabama identity without football or UConn without WBB?

Dr. George L. Cross was the President of the University of Oklahoma the year after they won their first national championship.  He went to the legislature to defend his budget request for the next school year.  For more than an hour, Dr. Cross detailed why the university needed the money.  When he finished, one ''sleepy old Senator'' raised up in his seat.

''Yes, that's all well and good,'' said the Senator. ''But what kind of football team are we going to have this year?''  To which, Dr. Cross said the now-famous line ''We want to build a university our football team can be proud of.''

He knew it was a cynical line when he uttered it.  But he was smart enough to hire Bud Wilkinson, both a great coach and a great man, unlike Barry Switzer.  Over 90% of Wilkinson's players graduated. 

[Mick]

What's great about you guys and you alma mater is that without athletic superiority your U would still be great. Can you imagine U ofAlabama identity without football or UConn without WBB?

Dr. George L. Cross was the President of the University of Oklahoma the year after they won their first national championship.  He went to the legislature to defend his budget request for the next school year.  For more than an hour, Dr. Cross detailed why the university needed the money.  When he finished, one ''sleepy old Senator'' raised up in his seat.

''Yes, that's all well and good,'' said the Senator. ''But what kind of football team are we going to have this year?''  To which, Dr. Cross said the now-famous line ''We want to build a university our football team can be proud of.''

He knew it was a cynical line when he uttered it.  But he was smart enough to hire Bud Wilkinson, both a great coach and a great man, unlike Barry Switzer.  Over 90% of Wilkinson's players graduated. 

[Redrum]

Little did I know that brevity is the soul of virtue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-...e-39492187

[Redrum]

Little did I know that brevity is the soul of virtue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-...e-39492187

[Bruce Wang]

Little did I know that brevity is the soul of virtue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-...e-39492187

Back when we allowed some political discussion, most of you probably gleaned that my politics are sympathetic to this kid's.  I disagree with the admissions decision because it failed to answer the second part of the question.  It reminds me of the story repeated here of a D-1 athlete who wrote "athlete" on his application essay to another school.

[Bruce Wang]

Little did I know that brevity is the soul of virtue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-...e-39492187

Back when we allowed some political discussion, most of you probably gleaned that my politics are sympathetic to this kid's.  I disagree with the admissions decision because it failed to answer the second part of the question.  It reminds me of the story repeated here of a D-1 athlete who wrote "athlete" on his application essay to another school.

[SamAtoms1980]

What's great about you guys and you alma mater is that without athletic superiority your U would still be great. Can you imagine U ofAlabama identity without football or UConn without WBB?

In the version of college basketball played by the less fair sex, UConn has 4 national titles in the last 20 years, which leads Division I.

[SamAtoms1980]

What's great about you guys and you alma mater is that without athletic superiority your U would still be great. Can you imagine U ofAlabama identity without football or UConn without WBB?

In the version of college basketball played by the less fair sex, UConn has 4 national titles in the last 20 years, which leads Division I.

[Hank 91]

I've had lots of conversations about this with my Stanford friends. My four years at Stanford were the best four years of my life up to that point, and the University is obviously still a brobdingnagian part of my life today. I would give anything for my children to have that experience, but NOT ONCE have I ever said these words to any of my children: "When you grow up and go to Stanford..." It might be better that my children don't feel those expectations directly, but they have eyes. They see the Stanford football helmet in the office, the Stanford football that runs my life in the fall, and the Stanford t-shirts and sweatshirts that fill my drawers. They also know that all of my best friends in life were dormmates of mine at Stanford.
My oldest daughter is in the eleventh grade and considering colleges, but she won't have the numbers for Stanford, and I doubt she'll apply. I could never be disappointed in her -- she's amazing in so many ways -- but I regret that she won't get to spend four years in such an amazing place.

On a related note, I remember a conversation I had while walking into the Rose Bowl before a game with UCLA two years ago. A teenage kid, clearly in high school, was walking through the tunnel with his mother. He noticed the "Stanford Alumni" printed on the back of my Nerd Nation t-shirt, and earnestly asked me, "How do people actually get in to Stanford?" I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "It's like getting struck by lightning, and we all know it."

[Hank 91]

I've had lots of conversations about this with my Stanford friends. My four years at Stanford were the best four years of my life up to that point, and the University is obviously still a brobdingnagian part of my life today. I would give anything for my children to have that experience, but NOT ONCE have I ever said these words to any of my children: "When you grow up and go to Stanford..." It might be better that my children don't feel those expectations directly, but they have eyes. They see the Stanford football helmet in the office, the Stanford football that runs my life in the fall, and the Stanford t-shirts and sweatshirts that fill my drawers. They also know that all of my best friends in life were dormmates of mine at Stanford.
My oldest daughter is in the eleventh grade and considering colleges, but she won't have the numbers for Stanford, and I doubt she'll apply. I could never be disappointed in her -- she's amazing in so many ways -- but I regret that she won't get to spend four years in such an amazing place.

On a related note, I remember a conversation I had while walking into the Rose Bowl before a game with UCLA two years ago. A teenage kid, clearly in high school, was walking through the tunnel with his mother. He noticed the "Stanford Alumni" printed on the back of my Nerd Nation t-shirt, and earnestly asked me, "How do people actually get in to Stanford?" I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "It's like getting struck by lightning, and we all know it."

[82lsju]

[quote author=Redrum link=topic=16747.msg191171#msg191171 date=1491325533]
Little did I know that brevity is the soul of virtue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-...e-39492187

Back when we allowed some political discussion, most of you probably gleaned that my politics are sympathetic to this kid's.  I disagree with the admissions decision because it failed to answer the second part of the question.  It reminds me of the story repeated here of a D-1 athlete who wrote "athlete" on his application essay to another school.
[/quote]

here's an article about this from the Daily, the comments are interesting...

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2017/04/05/...100-times/

[82lsju]

[quote author=Redrum link=topic=16747.msg191171#msg191171 date=1491325533]
Little did I know that brevity is the soul of virtue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-...e-39492187

Back when we allowed some political discussion, most of you probably gleaned that my politics are sympathetic to this kid's.  I disagree with the admissions decision because it failed to answer the second part of the question.  It reminds me of the story repeated here of a D-1 athlete who wrote "athlete" on his application essay to another school.
[/quote]

here's an article about this from the Daily, the comments are interesting...

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2017/04/05/...100-times/

[dabigv13]

I think all of us would be embarrassed by our college application essays. I know mine was a bunch of crap.

This one is cheesy, but I think there are plenty of other things more worthy of discourse. Most of the commenters seem pretty snowflakey to get all in a huff about a college admissions essay.

[dabigv13]

I think all of us would be embarrassed by our college application essays. I know mine was a bunch of crap.

This one is cheesy, but I think there are plenty of other things more worthy of discourse. Most of the commenters seem pretty snowflakey to get all in a huff about a college admissions essay.

[JJJ]

I think all of us would be embarrassed by our college application essays. I know mine was a bunch of crap.

This one is cheesy, but I think there are plenty of other things more worthy of discourse. Most of the commenters seem pretty snowflakey to get all in a huff about a college admissions essay.

Hear, hear.  :)

[JJJ]

I think all of us would be embarrassed by our college application essays. I know mine was a bunch of crap.

This one is cheesy, but I think there are plenty of other things more worthy of discourse. Most of the commenters seem pretty snowflakey to get all in a huff about a college admissions essay.

Hear, hear.  :)

[stupac2]

[quote author=Publius link=topic=16747.msg191184#msg191184 date=1491334514]
[quote author=Redrum link=topic=16747.msg191171#msg191171 date=1491325533]
Little did I know that brevity is the soul of virtue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-...e-39492187

Back when we allowed some political discussion, most of you probably gleaned that my politics are sympathetic to this kid's.  I disagree with the admissions decision because it failed to answer the second part of the question.  It reminds me of the story repeated here of a D-1 athlete who wrote "athlete" on his application essay to another school.
[/quote]

here's an article about this from the Daily, the comments are interesting...

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2017/04/05/...100-times/
[/quote]

My reaction to those comments:

[stupac2]

[quote author=Publius link=topic=16747.msg191184#msg191184 date=1491334514]
[quote author=Redrum link=topic=16747.msg191171#msg191171 date=1491325533]
Little did I know that brevity is the soul of virtue.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-...e-39492187

Back when we allowed some political discussion, most of you probably gleaned that my politics are sympathetic to this kid's.  I disagree with the admissions decision because it failed to answer the second part of the question.  It reminds me of the story repeated here of a D-1 athlete who wrote "athlete" on his application essay to another school.
[/quote]

here's an article about this from the Daily, the comments are interesting...

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2017/04/05/...100-times/
[/quote]

My reaction to those comments:

[Mick]

I've had lots of conversations about this with my Stanford friends. My four years at Stanford were the best four years of my life up to that point, and the University is obviously still a of exceedingly large proportions part of my life today. I would give anything for my children to have that experience, but NOT ONCE have I ever said these words to any of my children: "When you grow up and go to Stanford..." It might be better that my children don't feel those expectations directly, but they have eyes. They see the Stanford football helmet in the office, the Stanford football that runs my life in the fall, and the Stanford t-shirts and sweatshirts that fill my drawers. They also know that all of my best friends in life were dormmates of mine at Stanford.
My oldest daughter is in the eleventh grade and considering colleges, but she won't have the numbers for Stanford, and I doubt she'll apply. I could never be disappointed in her -- she's amazing in so many ways -- but I regret that she won't get to spend four years in such an amazing place.

There are lots of amazing places, perhaps amazing in different ways.  I still think that the last time I was continuously, joyously happy on an ongoing basis, from sunup to sundown and every time in between was my junior year in college.  It was only Santa Clara, but it was pretty special for me.  Not in Stanford's league, but there was a lot that was extraordinary about it for me.

[Mick]

I've had lots of conversations about this with my Stanford friends. My four years at Stanford were the best four years of my life up to that point, and the University is obviously still a of exceedingly large proportions part of my life today. I would give anything for my children to have that experience, but NOT ONCE have I ever said these words to any of my children: "When you grow up and go to Stanford..." It might be better that my children don't feel those expectations directly, but they have eyes. They see the Stanford football helmet in the office, the Stanford football that runs my life in the fall, and the Stanford t-shirts and sweatshirts that fill my drawers. They also know that all of my best friends in life were dormmates of mine at Stanford.
My oldest daughter is in the eleventh grade and considering colleges, but she won't have the numbers for Stanford, and I doubt she'll apply. I could never be disappointed in her -- she's amazing in so many ways -- but I regret that she won't get to spend four years in such an amazing place.

There are lots of amazing places, perhaps amazing in different ways.  I still think that the last time I was continuously, joyously happy on an ongoing basis, from sunup to sundown and every time in between was my junior year in college.  It was only Santa Clara, but it was pretty special for me.  Not in Stanford's league, but there was a lot that was extraordinary about it for me.

[Nan3cy]

If a senior econ major I met last summer is typical, even students who got into Stanford a few years ago think they would never make it now.  ???

[Nan3cy]

If a senior econ major I met last summer is typical, even students who got into Stanford a few years ago think they would never make it now.  ???

[2006alum]

To bring this back to a sports theme, this thread reminds me of the classic (among many classics) Yogi Berra quote, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." It's interesting - and admirable - that Yale has committed to increasing its class size 15% to acknowledge the vast surplus of top quality applicants.

[2006alum]

To bring this back to a sports theme, this thread reminds me of the classic (among many classics) Yogi Berra quote, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." It's interesting - and admirable - that Yale has committed to increasing its class size 15% to acknowledge the vast surplus of top quality applicants.

[jacketree]

It's really about how badly you want it.

[jacketree]

It's really about how badly you want it.