Perspective: international student, female, just finished a Masters in Education data science, on
Cardinal Care, have had quite a lot of experiences with Stanford Health care, and with taking
classes across different schools and departments.
Day to Day Stuff
Health care stuff
Preface: I really hope you never have to use the information from this section.
EMERGENCY GRANT IN AID IS A BLESSING! - TLDR this allows you to cover mostly all
medical expenses, such as medicines, Co pays, Ubers to and from the clinic/ hospital, physical
therapy appointment copays etc, that you pay out of pocket after insurance. With a limit of upto
5K a year.
For example- I’ve used it and know others who’ve used it for physical therapy copays, maximum
deductible copay for a surgery, meds from Vaden, ambulance cost, wrist knee bands, medically
required massages, prescription glasses, dental procedures like root canals, fillings etc.
When in doubt - Just apply!!
Disclaimer: I’m on cardinal so my experience is limited to thatAmbulance service here is paid- and costs 1K+, while this is covered by emergency grant in aidsome of my friends just avoid it for non serious emergencies and just Uber to the ER. (The ER is
about 20-25 minutes walk from EVGR/GSB and there is also a marguerite which goes pretty
close)
For dental stuff- I went to blue turtle dental which is across campus on Cal Ave! Cardinal allows
two completely free dental cleaning appointments every year.
WAIT TIMES:
Getting to the most annoying part- wait times to get an appointment are really long: more so for
some departments, like dermatology, gynaecology, etc than others. My orthopaedic
appointments on average have had a month-long wait time.
Vaden has quite immediate (max of 2ish day wait times) for X rays. MRIs have a month long
wait time)
Once you call them and get an appointment you can ask to be placed on the waiting list so they
let you know earlier if there is an opening. In my experience, they’ve never called me- so if it’s
urgent, I called every once in a few days and have gotten earlier appointments due to
cancellations. This is especially true for MRIs.
$$ matters ‘TODO in home country’ health stuffExtreme move- I got lasik done for about $500 when in India (was a super painless procedure)
because I was planning to do a lot of outdoor stuff- swimming, hiking, surfing, etc. and didn’t
wanna deal with lenses
Less extreme- I bought eye lubricant, anti allergens, micellar water, anti inflammatory, and other
pills because over the counter meds in the US are about 10x more expensive than in India but
also without a car it’s just a pain to get to wherever. I also got nasal allergy prick tests done (and
learned I was allergic to a lot of stuff that I was never exposed to in India but regularly exposed
to in the US- like eucalyptus), so that was helpful!
I got most of the vaccines on the Vaden portal. However, while travelling to Nigeria this summer,
I learned I need a polio booster (I just got the drops in India and that didn’t count?), typhoid,
yellow fever, etc. and had to wait for more than a month since Stanford travel clinic
appointments have long wait times before the summer break. In retrospect, it would have been
nice to have done this in India.
PS: healthcare system in the US can be SO exhausting- I’m super willing to help: please feel
comfortable to reach out if you ever need help in the future.
Transportation on Campus
DISGO:
If you are unfortunately injured, Stanford Disgo (https://transportation.stanford.edu/disgo) offers
two golf cart services- one is a more long term one where you are assigned a golf cart and can
drive it around yourself (more wait times to get this + less likely), the other is more of a golf-cart
uber service where you can either call about 10-20 minutes in advance and have a golf cart pick
you up + drop you off elsewhere on campus. You need to fill a form and be approved to be able
to use this service.
I applied on the form before my surgery date and used it after I had surgery on both my legsmost of the times, I would just schedule all my rides a day in advance via their online form since
most of my pick up and drop offs were before/after class and these times are fixed.
5Sure:
Useful if you are out studying/partying/ working till late at night and don’t want to walk from end
of the campus to another:
https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards/sweeteners/5-sure-safe-rides.
“The free service provides transportation to and from a variety of campus locations, including
work locations, parties/events, sporting events, campus residences, libraries and other Stanford
campus buildings from from 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. (Last call at 1:45 a.m) seven days a week”
Marguerite:
Free shuttle service on campus, runs on specific routes every 20-30 minutes (you can see the
times on Google maps in the public transportation option). You can put your bike on the
marguerite (yes, this can be intimidating if you’re like me and don’t want to deal with the social
anxiety of having a whole bus wait for you to figure it out- here’s a video that explains how it’s
done)
Use cases other than to get around:
1) To get to the University avenue Caltrain station
2) Useful if you suddenly acquire loads of heavy things you can’t bike with.
3) Or have a flat tire/bike problem and don’t wanna drag the bike
Groceries:
My roommate and I don't have a car but cook a lot so order pretty much everything online
regularly:
Indian groceries on Quicklly. And the rest on Instacart:) (Happy to share a referral code)
Stanford free pop-up pantry: https://rde.stanford.edu/food-pantry-pop-up Stanford hosts free
pantry distribution every month for students who might need it. They have milk, vegetables,
chicken, eggs, rice, some fruits, etc. It is A LOT of stuff, but it happens around EVGR so it is
slightly inconvenient to carry stuff if you live far off and they sometimes have long lines.
Books, equipment rental, and others:
STANFORD GREEN LIBRARY
Yes, I am a nerd and yes, this is important enough to be mentioned.
Video games: They have old to new video games and some play stations too!! (checkout the
media and microtext center)
Books: You get to checkout UNLIMITED books from the libraries!!!!!! If you don’t find a book in
the library and really want it but it’s too expensive- you can even request for the library to buy
the book for you (takes about 2+ weeks). And did i mention they have gorgeous spots to sit and
work/read at with convertible seating/ standing desks? And puzzles/magazines to work on when
you’re taking a break.
Online access: free new york times, washington post, the wall street journal!!! And so many
other websites (like statista)
Datasets: They have a lot of datasets you can work with (link) but you can also request for
datasets they don’t have or consult with them on projects.
MAKERSPACES:
Want to print a custom tshirt/tote bag/ mug for a friend? Laser engrave on wood? Solder your
broken necklace? 3D print art? Wood work, vinyl cut, weld etc? OR you don’t know how any of
this works and want to take free classes to learn how this is done. https://maker.stanford.edu/
LATHROP LEARNING HUB:
You can rent laptops, Ipads and monitors (I’m not sure what is the max duration of the rental).
They also used to have recording equipment rental but that’s temporarily unavailable now.
Classes and Extracurriculars
Stanford non-MBA classes:
D.school - really really fun and engaging classes. Can be a lot of work. All of them require
applications which are often due about 3 weeks before the first day of classes.
I took Designing ML with Michelle and Emily - TOO good! I TAed Design of Data and that was
also a great class to better understand how to make compelling visuals.
Language center:
If you are not taking the beginner language classes, you will need to write a placement exam
followed by an interview to be placed into the higher levels. These tests are often held around
week 6-8 of the quarter before the one you wish to enrol in. The placement exams test real-life
speaking and writing skills.
I’ve heard that the beginner language classes are quite intense- and held 5 days a week.
However, the more advanced levels are not quite intense with class 2 days a week and quite
manageable workload. The best part with higher levels is they focus on literature/ culture/ music
making learning the language in context quite fun.
I took Spanish 12C with Juan Valdez since I began learning spanish online. It’s the BEST class
in my whole life - I learned SO much about the spanish-speaking world - their traditions, history
of slavery, historical roles that women held, etc and we had really thought-provoking debates in
class as well.
CS classes:
Most have class sizes of 200+ students (classes at the d.school, ed school, etc. in contrast have
about 15-25 people with a lot of one-on-one interaction so CS classes felt more impersonal).
The usual format is to have about 4-5 assignments during the quarter, one final project with
paper submission, maybe a poster, and a final - yes, it is a lot of work! I was too
shy/scared/confused to attend office hours for some reason but my friends swear by office hours
for CS classes!
Most CS classes are also offered online, so you don’t even have to attend in person.
WELLNESS:
I took BJ Fogg's class on tiny habits for happiness (as cliche as this sounds, I honestly was SO
happy and raved about it constantly for a quarter). BJ Fogg is amazing, the class was outdoors
and we learned so many practical skills. I’ve heard mixed reviews about other classes in
meditation, mindfulness, etc. These classes are offered for units - but some of them, like the one
with BJ Fogg was cross-listed with EDUC, so even counts as an education requirement for the
MA/MBA students.
Happy to chat about any or all of them! Also happy to share my free Spanish learning resources
or chat about language learning.
Stanford outdoor classes and equipment rental:
The difference between PE vs Recreational wellness class: PE classes are 1 unit classes and
often held during the 9-5 hours. PE classes also require you to work on very small assignments
and have limits for how many classes you can miss/ come late to. Recreational classes are …
well for fun- they have about a $70 fee for the quarter but do not mandate attendance.
PE classes:
They’re really hard to get into, just like the dance classes, and people often don’t drop it so hard
to even get in from the waitlist.
I took intermediate rock climbing- Dan is wonderful and helped with my climbing technique a lot.
Recwell:
https://recwell.stanford.edu/ has been such a blessing to both my physical and mental health
(and my swimming progress ofc). Unlike PE classes, you don’t need to take these classes for
credits.
I’ve taken - swimming intermediate, advanced, and swim conditioning and the tennis beginner
class- HIGHLY recommend them all! They are either early in the morning or later in the evening
making it quite convenient too.
Stanford Alpine club:
Early and easy access to Yosemite and other campsites, Monday 8-10pm reserved access to
the climbing wall, climbing gear give aways, meeting folks with similar interests, and an access
to the IKON pass at a significantly reduced price!
Stanford outdoor center:
Convenient equipment rentals for backpacking trips - you can find a list of all the available stuff
here https://rec.stanford.edu/adventure/equipment-rentals
The people at the outdoor center are SO kind, helpful, and supportive.
They also lead very affordable trips every quarter.
Cardinal Fitness pass:
You pay $70 for the whole quarter and can attend as many classes you want. They have a
schedule for the quarter- with yoga, TRX, dance cardio, barre, etc. (link) Really worth it if you go
even twice a week! They offer the pass for $35 at the middle of the quarter so this might also be
a good time to try it out for 5 weeks. (I took this for one quarter and found most classes really
fun and adaptive- you could make it as hard or as easy as you want. But I wasn’t disciplined
enough to go regularly).
Teaching/ course assistantships:
I was intimidated. Unsure where to start. So never applied for the longest time. Finally did and
learned (and earned) so much from TAing. TA application process + experience can greatly vary
depending on the school/ subject/ professor/ classFor CS classes, there is a standard portal https://cs.stanford.edu/academics/prospective-cas
and preference seems to be given to CS PhD> MS and then other students. Perhaps reaching
out to the professor in addition to this application helps? For almost all other classes, its
obviously easier to reach out to the prof if you have taken the class before and done well. If you
haven’t taken the class, you can demonstrate your interest to the professor well in advance so
they think of you when they have the need or send in an email about 2 months before the
quarter. Note; School of Education mainly takes PhD students as TAs.
I applied to be a CA/TA for two courses that I had never taken before (this was intentional as
along with the stipend, I also learned some). I was a CA for a design school class and they even
let me deliver lectures + gave me so much agency. My TA experience for a business school
class was very different- I mostly designed assignments, graded them, and had on-appointment
office hours. CS classes have more structured roles for TAs like conducting officer hours,
grading assignments and projects, and answering questions on the course discussion forums.
For research assistantships or hourly paid positions - you can always email, but there are also
mailing lists where professors request for hourly paid employees, etc. Here’s a list of all stanford
mailing lists
Logistics: Yes these are paid positions. The pay scale is fixed by the university (it is different for
GSB vs non-GSB schools)- will mostly be a 25% or 50% appointment. The rates for hourly paid
roles vary quite a lot (you can also negotiate this). International students are allowed to work on
campus since their first quarter itself.
Part-time paid positions:
Unsure about the GSB.
As international students, we are allowed to work part-time using the CPT/OPT after 9 months
in the US. So, beginning summer of the first year (which will mostly be a full-time internship).
During the academic quarter we are allowed to work for a maximum of 20 hours per week - I
know some friends who just continue working with the company they did the internship with,
who separately applied to listed part-time positions, or just cold-emailed startups to create
part-time positions. Some of my friends would work on-site at the company the day they did not
have classes/ the days they only had one early morning class- so 2 days in person and 3 days
remotely too. The process is similar to the summer internship one: you just apply for CPT/OPT
through Bechtel before you start.
Pre-Stanford Prep:
Packing:
More relevant for Indians:
These are some things that were light enough + I found a HUGE (5x or more) price difference
when comparing Indian to US prices so decided to just pack it. Mostly non-consumables
If i were to force myself to come up with a rule of thumb- most small accessories/ items seemed
way more expensive in the US - and come in ginormous packs of 100s + super light so more
feasible to carry all the way.
Kitchen: Pressure cooker! (I bought an instapot later but there is never a match for the good old
pressure cooker). Scotch brite dish scrub pads- sponge and steel ones, Peeler, Indian sharp
amazing knife (I have a ginormous knife set I bought on Amazon in the US that I never use. My
roommate and I continue to use the amazing indian knife). I love to cook for people so bought
the Indian steel plates with 6 compartments, rajasthani decor tea coasters, a lot of baking stuff
like butter paper, piping nozzles, bottle cleaning brush
Stationery stuff- scotch tape, stapler, rubber bands, color pens, regular pens, 1-2 classmate
notebooks. I also took some canvas and paints.
Beauty (I only apply eyeliner so adjust accordingly): nail clipper, tweezer, some bandaids,
eyeliner, safety pins, jewellery (like earrings, necklaces, rings, etc. The same thing you’ll find for
50 rupees in Bombay Delhi will cost a fortune on Amazon.com), hair serum, hair scrunchies/
hair ties, hairbands
Decathlon: [shoes + socks in the US] but REI or decathlon in the US are far more expensive.
So I bought these in India (not all of these were during the first move to the US but thought I’ll
put it all here so you can pick what’s more relevant)- shuttle cocks, badminton racquets, winter
gloves and glove liners, thermals, badminton shoes, table tennis paddle, tank tops, weight lifting
glove + wrist band, headlamp for hikes, the small quechua back pack for hikes, resistance
bands - the glute and body ones.
Random: travel packing cubes, travel toiletry organizer, face masks, egyptian cotton bedsheets
xD, satin pillow covers for my curly hair
Outfits- indian outfits, panties (I’ve never managed to find the Jockey amante kind anywhere in
the world), tshirt bras, camis, TAILORED STUFF (getting anything tailored in the US is $$$$)
Device accessories: replace phone screen guard, buy a phone case
Luxury: indian stuff to gift people, home decor, fridge magnets,
Personal hygiene/female? things: I do not like shaving and waxing is inconvenient +
ridiculously expensive so I got about 4-5 sittings of laser hair removal. And then used a braun
epilator + trimmer in the US. (epilators are not that painful- especially not when the hair’s shortworth trying). I recently bought an at home laser hair removal thing that I haven’t used enough
to review lol. I also have specific kinds of pads, tampons, and panty liners i like and had no
motivation to experiment in the first few months so just packed my pads too.
Medical stuff (repeated in health care stuff):
$$ matters ‘TODO in home country’ health stuffExtreme move- I got lasik done for about $500 when in India (was a super painless procedure)
because I was planning to do a lot of outdoor stuff- swimming, hiking, surfing, etc. and didn’t
wanna deal with lenses
Less extreme- I bought eye lubricant, anti allergens, vitamin supplements, micellar water, anti
inflammatory, and other pills because over the counter meds in the US are about 10x more
expensive than in India but also without a car it’s just a pain to get to wherever. I also got nasal
allergy prick tests done (and learned I was allergic to a lot of stuff that I was never exposed to in
India but regularly exposed to in the US- like eucalyptus), so that was helpful!
I got most of the vaccines on the Vaden portal. However, while travelling to Nigeria this summer,
I learned I need a polio booster (I just got the drops in India and that didn’t count?), typhoid,
yellow fever, etc. and had to wait for more than a month since Stanford travel clinic
appointments have long wait times before the summer break. In retrospect, it would have been
nice to have done this in India.
Bank account:
I know people that did this before hand- I opened my account and did everything once i was on
campus. (there are two branches on campus- one near EVGR, one more central at Tressidor
and it’s super quick). But some of my friends felt more comfortable doing it before hand since
they ship the card to you. As an international student, I didn’t have a credit score, so I was not
sure if I am eligible for the nice Chase/ CapitolOne credit cards (SFCU definitely does not have
comparable rewards)- I just got the debit card for a few months, after which I could apply for my
SSN (annoying government process i absolutely hated), and then apply for the credit card- add
in my procrastination and it took more than a year till I got my SFCU credit card.
The only promotional thing in this whole doc lol - use my promo code and we both get $25
S0H8V2Y