Wednesday, September 18
Use the searchable campus map, located on the Stanford Mobile app or campus-map.stanford.edu to find campus locations.
*Indicates student attendance is required.
Breakfast
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Residence Dining Halls
Check your dining hall for exact meal times. Students only.
DISCOVER STANFORD*
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Memorial Auditorium, NSO nametag required
At Stanford, you will learn both in and outside of the classroom, you will challenge yourself, and you will grow more fully into the person you are becoming. Provost Jenny Martinez and Senior Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Students Mona Hicks will offer guidance and perspective for creating a strong foundation within our Stanford community as you embark on your Stanford journey. With closing remarks from Assistant Vice Provost for Residential Education Cheryl Brown.
Lunch
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Residence Dining Halls
TRANSFER WELCOME LUNCH & GREEN LIBRARY TOUR (Transfers Only)*
11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Galvez Mall Lawn, next to Green Library
Dean of Undergraduate Admission & Financial Aid Rick Shaw and Transfer Undergraduate Advising Director Ingrid Anderson, PhD, welcome new transfer students to Stanford at this annual event. Get to know your transfer cohort over a delicious lunch. Following lunch, enjoy a tour of Green Library together.
DESIGNING YOUR FIRST QUARTER (Frosh Only)*
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Check your email for the location from your UAD
Your Undergraduate Advising Director in Academic Advising is a key advising resource for your first year. At this presentation, meet your academic advisor and learn about preparing for your first quarter, choosing classes, working with your various advisors, and more.
Academic Planning Sessions
Faculty are eager to meet you and to share how you can get started in academic exploration in our various fields of study and launch your academic career at Stanford. Each session will be offered twice.
Biology
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Building 380, Room 380
Undergraduate study in biology provides an excellent foundation for any career pursuit benefiting from scientific insight – from materials and energy to biomedicine, policy and law, and so much more. Faculty from Biology will describe preparation for study in any of the majors that have these courses as foundations, along with opportunities for research, advising, and more.
Engineering
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Hewlett, Room 200
Engineers are driven by the desire to solve problems. Everywhere we look, we see opportunities for improvements or things that need fixing. We work on making lower power circuits, faster computers, lighter-weight vehicles, more reliable aircrafts, more efficient buildings, smaller batteries, and more precise surgical tools. We use computational methods and revolutionary algorithms to make better decisions, infuse technology with intelligence, and predict and optimize the performance of everything from jet engines to cardiovascular implants. Departments include: Aeronautics and Astronautics, BioEngineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Management Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs: ughb.stanford.edu.
Humanities and Arts
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Lathrop Library, Bishop Auditorium
Throughout history, humans have used philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history, and language to understand the past, question the present, and imagine the future. A core part of an undergraduate education, studying the humanities gives you the freedom to explore ideas, cultures, and peoples that shape the human experience. This will help you develop your own values and deepen your cultural understanding, while also offering a strong foundation of practical knowledge and skills to build a better world. Join a community of curious, independent thinkers with different backgrounds and perspectives, who will open your mind to new ideas and experiences. The range of offerings at Stanford include: Core Humanities (Classics, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, English, and Religious Studies), Arts (Art and Art History, Music, and Theater and Performance Studies), and Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages.
Language Center Q&A
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Building 260, Room 113
The Language Center will discuss practical questions about language placement as well as talk about the key role language study will play in opening avenues for your many interests, including literacy, area and cultural studies, international relations, public service, and overseas study.
Math Placement Q&A
2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Courtyard at Building 380
The Math Department will offer drop-in office hours for students to ask questions about different starting points and sequences available in Math. Students planning to take Math 18, 19, 20, 21, or 51 as their first Math Department course at Stanford are required to take the online placement diagnostic prior to enrollment.
Physics Courses in Your First Year
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Building 420, Room 041
The Chair of Advising and the Pre-major Advisor in Physics will describe the options for Physics courses in the first year. We will explain how to interpret the advice you receive after taking the Placement Diagnostic, answer your questions, and describe how you can “keep doors open” for many STEM majors (including Physics and Engineering Physics) by taking Math and Physics courses in the first year.
Social Sciences
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Building 420, Room 040
The social sciences explore how humans organize and understand themselves—as individuals, communities, and international systems—and how their actions influence economics, culture, and society. How can we use big data to understand the causes of inequality? Why does democracy succeed in some countries and fail in others? What happens to your brain when you learn something new? How does media shape society? What is culture? In Stanford’s social sciences departments, you can investigate questions such as these to discover a deeper understanding of the world around you. The social science departments consist of Anthropology, Communication, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.
Sustainability
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Building 320, Room 105
The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability draws on a deep understanding of Earth, climate, and society to create solutions at a global scale, in collaboration with partners worldwide. Together, we strive to create a future where humans and nature thrive in concert and in perpetuity. Students gain knowledge, experience, and skills to understand Earth, climate, and society and make meaningful contributions to sustainability challenges. Classes will teach you how to approach challenges with an interdisciplinary mindset while applying principles of biology, physics, geology, chemistry, social sciences, humanities, and engineering. Many undergraduates do research in collaboration with faculty mentors and gain experience in fieldwork, laboratory experiments, community engagement, and computational analysis and modeling. Undergraduate programs include Earth Systems, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Geophysics, Energy Science & Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering (joint with the School of Engineering).
Pre-Med Advising
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Building 300, Room 300
Meet the Pre-Med Academic Advising Team at this info session. Pre-Med advisors are available for individual and group advising during the academic year.
Starting Strong: Tips for Academic Success
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Lathrop Library, Room 282
The rigors of university-level academics can take even the most prepared student by surprise. In this workshop, we will discuss academic skills and learning strategies that will help you get off to a strong start at Stanford. You'll also learn about the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the many free academic resources our center provides for all Stanford students, including academic coaching, subject tutoring, language conversation partners, and support for neurodiverse students.
Undergraduate Research
2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Hewlett, Room 201
New to research? Join the Undergraduate Research team in a conversation about getting started in research at Stanford. We encourage you to bring all of your questions, from “What is research?” to “How do I get to work with a faculty member on their research project?” and more.
Transfer Drop-In Advising
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Academic Advising, Sweet Hall, 1st Floor
Transfer Undergraduate Advising Director Dr. Ingrid Anderson will be available today for transfer drop-in advising.
COURSE ENROLLMENT OPENS FOR FROSH*
4:15 p.m. | simpleenroll.stanford.edu
The New Student Advisement Enrollment Hold will be released for all frosh at 4:15 p.m., at which time you can enroll in your Autumn Quarter courses. Should you have any enrollment issues, please don’t worry. There will be opportunities later this week to address them before the first day of classes. Please reach out to your UAD.
You have until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 23, to register your Preliminary Study List in Simple Enroll. You can make changes to your study list (add or drop a class; adjust units on a variable-unit course) until the Final Study List Deadline at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 11.
Dinner
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Residence Dining Halls
FACES OF COMMUNITY - PART I*
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | Frost Amphitheater, NSO nametag required
Take in the personal stories, reflections, and artistic performances of Stanford students—introducing you to the diverse faces of the community. Faces strives to be honest, engaging, and thought-provoking—and is a long-standing avenue for rich story-telling and expression at Stanford. This year’s speeches center on themes of resilience, community, loss, belonging, shared truth-telling, and include some sensitive topics. Professional staff will be available during and after the program, should you need support. Opportunities for ongoing engagement will be shared and encouraged. Produced by the Office for Inclusion, Belonging, and Intergroup Communication (IBIC) and by the Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA).
FACES OF COMMUNITY - PART II*
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. | Residences, Transfers meet in Kimball
Following the program, you will have the opportunity to process and share your reflections on the Faces stories and performances in small groups facilitated by your residence leaders.