...just kidding, I decided to break it up. These things get so unwieldy otherwise.
I got back to Beijing, and I spent a couple days thinking and praying about my choices between Chicago and Stanford. Harvard was basically out, mostly because their bureaucratic ways didn't appeal to me, and I thought a smaller class size would serve me better than a larger one. So it was down to Chicago and Stanford. I couldn't wait much longer, because Chicago's deadline was the 15th of April, I think, which was a week before I would have the chance to see Stanford.
That Monday I made the decision, and I've stuck with it. I still don't know exactly why, but I felt really good about Stanford. It was a load off my mind - I felt almost giddy all the rest of that day with happiness and relief that I was done deciding. Over the next few weeks, I rejected all the other schools I was admitted to except for Harvard, which I kept as a backup in case the ASW at Stanford turned out to be disappointing.
It was not. I flew out on the very same United flight to SFO that I had flown to go to Chicago, leaving Beijing at noon on Friday and arriving at 8 the same morning in San Francisco. I spent a few hours walking around downtown SF and buying Ghirardelli (of course) before heading down to Palo Alto on the Caltrain. It was perfect weather the three days I was there - I don't think I saw a single cloud the entire time! People were complaining about it being hot, but I think it only got up to 85 or something. Usually it's consistently in the 70's.
Every event I went to was great, and I was sold on the school due to many factors, one being the larger Chinese presence than at Chicago, but the biggest deciding factor was something else. I'm still not sure I want to work at a big firm for life, and Stanford is so supportive of crafting your own career path and finding your passion. 30-40% of your classes can be at the business school or in economics or engineering or some other field, and that allows for flexibility and a wider range of application. I find that so much more appealing than Chicago, where taking classes outside of the law school was rare and mostly for academic reasons rather than to enhance career options. Also, the ward was great! After the first hour, there were about 10 people who welcomed me into the ward during a special new member Sunday school class, and I felt right at home. I saw a friend from junior high school, Cliff Crosland, and he'll be there next year, so that was nice too. Ultimately, I felt completely comfortable and at home at Stanford, whereas I had been slightly on edge during my trip to Chicago. Most of the LDS law students are married, but there were still a good number, and I enjoyed meeting them all. I stayed with a young married couple my first two nights there - he's at law school and she's a full-time mother, and they have the cutest little girl. It was my first real interaction with a little kid in a while, and it made me happy. She would ask when I was coming home at night, and I don't doubt we'll be the best of friends in the fall.
I got to see John and Trudy, my mom's older brother and his wife who live in Redwood City. I stayed with them Sunday night, and I'm really happy I'll get to go to school so close to them and see them more often. Their family is great - he inherited a few of my grandpa's interesting quirks, but they are fantastic people and having family close is always a good thing.
So at this point I've made my decision - Stanford 2015!
I got back to Beijing, and I spent a couple days thinking and praying about my choices between Chicago and Stanford. Harvard was basically out, mostly because their bureaucratic ways didn't appeal to me, and I thought a smaller class size would serve me better than a larger one. So it was down to Chicago and Stanford. I couldn't wait much longer, because Chicago's deadline was the 15th of April, I think, which was a week before I would have the chance to see Stanford.
That Monday I made the decision, and I've stuck with it. I still don't know exactly why, but I felt really good about Stanford. It was a load off my mind - I felt almost giddy all the rest of that day with happiness and relief that I was done deciding. Over the next few weeks, I rejected all the other schools I was admitted to except for Harvard, which I kept as a backup in case the ASW at Stanford turned out to be disappointing.
It was not. I flew out on the very same United flight to SFO that I had flown to go to Chicago, leaving Beijing at noon on Friday and arriving at 8 the same morning in San Francisco. I spent a few hours walking around downtown SF and buying Ghirardelli (of course) before heading down to Palo Alto on the Caltrain. It was perfect weather the three days I was there - I don't think I saw a single cloud the entire time! People were complaining about it being hot, but I think it only got up to 85 or something. Usually it's consistently in the 70's.
Every event I went to was great, and I was sold on the school due to many factors, one being the larger Chinese presence than at Chicago, but the biggest deciding factor was something else. I'm still not sure I want to work at a big firm for life, and Stanford is so supportive of crafting your own career path and finding your passion. 30-40% of your classes can be at the business school or in economics or engineering or some other field, and that allows for flexibility and a wider range of application. I find that so much more appealing than Chicago, where taking classes outside of the law school was rare and mostly for academic reasons rather than to enhance career options. Also, the ward was great! After the first hour, there were about 10 people who welcomed me into the ward during a special new member Sunday school class, and I felt right at home. I saw a friend from junior high school, Cliff Crosland, and he'll be there next year, so that was nice too. Ultimately, I felt completely comfortable and at home at Stanford, whereas I had been slightly on edge during my trip to Chicago. Most of the LDS law students are married, but there were still a good number, and I enjoyed meeting them all. I stayed with a young married couple my first two nights there - he's at law school and she's a full-time mother, and they have the cutest little girl. It was my first real interaction with a little kid in a while, and it made me happy. She would ask when I was coming home at night, and I don't doubt we'll be the best of friends in the fall.
I got to see John and Trudy, my mom's older brother and his wife who live in Redwood City. I stayed with them Sunday night, and I'm really happy I'll get to go to school so close to them and see them more often. Their family is great - he inherited a few of my grandpa's interesting quirks, but they are fantastic people and having family close is always a good thing.
So at this point I've made my decision - Stanford 2015!
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