Presentation Layout

Assignment 2

Motivation

In the seven months which I have spent at Stanford, I have already come across several situations that, in retrospect, were not very complicated, but at the time were intimidating and confusing. Having made it through, I believe that, had I known certain items of information beforehand, I might have been more . In that nature, I want to pass on what I have learned to those who will be in similar positions in the future, and I want to allow others who have had both similar and different experiences do the same.

Support

Initially, I plan on addresses the situations with which I have had problems, and those suggested by certain upperclassmen for situations I have not yet encountered. Through questions asked of peers and research on official Stanford sites, I'll set up a step-by-step guide to things like the housing draw, choosing classes, rushing, to name a few. Of course, the bottom of each page will have an area for comments, in case people who visit the site want to agree with, disagree with, or clarify certain things I've written.

Beyond those pre-determined questions, there will be an forum-like area for people to pose questions of their own. Some of those, particularly those on larger or more complicated subjects, I'll adapt into full webpages of their own. Otherwise, I'll let other readers answer the posed questions.

While the set up of the page itself will certainly take effort, the idea behind the website, that it relies on personal experiences and suggestions, should lead to the site itself being relatively self-sufficient. Comments and anecdotes from each reader will be strongly encouraged, for the more stories told and suggestions given, the more information a reader has at his or her disposal to use as her or she sees fit. Other than basic clean-up and expansions of certain topics, as mentioned above, there should be very little upkeep needed.

Benefit

It is almost a gut reaction to most people that, when faced with an unknown situation, they ask people around them for advice. That advice usually comes in the form of personal stories, as people need justifications for their suggestions. At times, though, it can be unclear whom specifically to ask for advice to get the "best" possible outcome, particularly as, say, a freshman on a large college campus that in some cases separated freshman from living with the rest of the students. As a resident in a four-class dorm myself and a member of an a cappell group with people from all years, I've found the advice of the upperclassmen invaluable when making decisions. However, getting that advice from them is sometimes a tricky task, because I have to explain my situation and thought processes many times. The solution as I see it is a place to centralize all the advice people have, so it takes less time and effort to get it. Also, the website allows people outside of a standard circle of friends/dormmates to post, so there is the potential for a wider variety of responses.

An important thing to know, though, about the site, is that I do not plan on offering advice myself. As J.R.R. Tolkein said in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, "Advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise". The point of my research is to present the facts: the way the draw works, the details of living in FroSoCo, etc. The comments sections will be where people can relay their suggestions, but it is up to the reader to select which of those he or she trusts.