My Reflections on Stanford

My April Fool’s Day joke was making you think I forgot to send my monthly newsletter. I thought it would be a good one…

As I am writing this I am sitting in a coffee shop in Munich. Yes, my time at Stanford has come to an end. However, that experience will stay with me forever. Why? Let me show you what I loved about Stanford:

A culture of lifting people up

At Stanford, I found myself surrounded by people who wanted to help others succeed, the most common way: by opening up their network. These people were professors, students, or even Palo Alto neighbors. Whether one was looking for a job, pivoting their career, applying for a visa, or finding a place to stay, all one had to do was ask. Often, asking takes lots of courage from many people. In one of the MBA classes I was taking, a student wanted to pivot her career to singing. Alex Rodriguez, who was a guest lecturer in the class listened to her story and offered to connect her with Jay Z. Crazy, huh? That’s the magic of Silicon Valley.

People care about your story

The US is a country built through storytelling. Think of all the American movies, the American dream, and Silicon Valley, they all tell a really good story. To get accepted at Staford (and many other American universities), the most important document you will have to submit is your motivation letter, your story. People want to learn about the times when you showed resilience, overcame struggles, and succeeded. If you manage to do that, people will relate to you and want to help you. Remember: people care more about stories than numbers.

A safe environment

Stanford professors do a really great job at creating safe environments in their classes. They achieve that by showing vulnerability and humanity. They share their weaknesses, and struggles they’re going through at the moment. For example, some professors and guest speakers openly talked about going to therapy. The goal is to help students have open and real conversations. To be truly ourselves we need to show some degree of vulnerability. At Stanford, there is a big focus on feeling, accepting, reflecting, and understanding our emotions. One of the most famous MBA classes at Stanford is Touchy Feely.

There is something for everyone

You would be surprised by all the diversity and the number of courses provided at Stanford. From photography classes to finding your humor type, there is something for everyone’s interest. Stanford encourages its students to pursue their dreams and hobbies and provides the needed facility to do so. From sports facilities to student clubs, everyone can find themselves at Stanford.

A place that encourages dreaming

Stanford encourages its students to go after their dreams no matter how crazy they may seem. Through reflections, coaching, and consultation, professors help their students define their definition of success, life view, and world view, and not fall into the trap of doing what is expected from family members, society, or even their own limited self-beliefs.

The relationship with professors

Not only are the professors at Stanford very reachable - you can go on walks with them, meet them after class, ask for their advice, and have lunch together, but you can talk with them about anything, from your research or class you are taking to your personal life. They are always there to listen and help in any way they can. I had some amazing conversations going on walks with my professors.

Bright minds with humble personalities

I must have met some of the brightest minds, and most hard-working people during my time at Stanford (not only professors but also students), and everyone was extremely approachable, friendly, and humble. I am so happy I created some really beautiful friendships I will forever cherish.

Relationships > network

I feel like in Europe we got it all wrong. We care about growing our network, without building relationships. At Stanford and Silicon Valley, network is all about building true relationships with people, being interested in them and their life, do activities together, whether it is playing sports, or having a coffee. It’s less about seeing how the other person can help you in the future, and more about creating a relationship together.

Exciting things are coming!

I am writing an eBook about my experience at TUM, scholarships I came across, cover letter tips, my experience at CDTM, how I made it to Stanford (and how you can too), how to maintain a high GPA at TUM, and tips about the job market in Munich/Germany (exciting companies, salary negotiation etc.).

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