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Prospective Students

Is Extreme right for you

Who are Extreme students?

These are the characteristics of an ideal student. We consider these traits to be critical because of their impact on your personal experience, your teammates' experience, and the impact of your project on the communities we serve.

PASSIONATE

you have a passionate soul, even if it’s not yet dedicated to a specific topic

HUMBLE

you know that you don’t have the answers yet, but you will empathize with and learn from those who experience the problems

SELF AWARE

you recognize your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as how you project them

ADAPTABLE

you are willing to move through challenges with a commitment towards impact

RESOURCEFUL

you are inspired – not discouraged – by constraints and scarcity of resources

TEAM PLAYERS

you realize that personal success is tied to team success

COLLABORATIVE

you look forward to sharing creative experiences with others

WILLING TO TRY OUR APPROACH

you are open to learning and practicing our design process, regardless of pre-existing knowledge and experience

DRIVEN TO IMPLEMENT

you are determined to make your project a reality

What Past Students Say

“I’ve never had an experience like this before where not only have I been able to work on a project for an extended period of time, but being able to immerse myself in the community that I’m impacting through the project by being able to actually travel there and talk with dozens of people was really impactful. I’ve never had that depth of immersion in any project before.”

“Being a part of Extreme is helping each other step back and pick the one small area in which they can make a difference and also sharing examples of how small things really matter. Even when you can't dismantle a systemic issue you can still have a major impact in people's lives, just from even the way you engage with them in an interview or a design session. Make them feel like somebody. Really caring about and listening to them. There are all of these things you do in Extreme along the way in your design process that matter.”

“The Extreme community to me is a group of creative individuals who are here not to compete with one another, it's a group of people who are here to help serve communities. And so we're all here to support each other's projects and help develop a larger impact from the class generally, not just within our own work. And it's creative. We're in a studio together where we're all looking at each other's work and we're learning from one another, asking how they're using certain tools and how we might develop from those tools.”

“In Extreme, these things matter. The accountability perspective, the intentional perspective, of how I’m engaging with this other human in a way that is respecting where they come from, allowing them to lead me through stories, where I'm not super anchored on my interview guide. I know it’s not about me and what I’m trying to learn. It's about what they're willing to share with me, and that’s such an honor.”

oct - dec

What happens before the Extreme course?

Every fall, we receive applications for the upcoming Extreme class. The application process is highly competitive and final students are selected based on their passion for the class, proclivity to make things and prior experience in addition to their discipline. Each Extreme cohort is typically a mix of 25% business students, 25% engineering students and 50% from other programs as wide ranging as Medicine, Education, International Policy, and Earth Systems. We highly encourage students from across Stanford to apply and strive for a diversity of student applicants.

jan - mar

Winter Quarter

Winter quarter immerses students in the fundamentals of design thinking. Topics include need finding, user empathy, rapid prototyping and iteration, and collaborative dynamics. Students learn the design process experientially, as they are coached through a number of fast-paced design projects, culminating in a real-world project with partners. We strive to give students a strong foundation on co-designing with various communities, including economic, technological, and cultural considerations.

mid march

Spring Break

Over spring break, student representatives from each team travel to the project sites for intensive research activities. Students hey explore the needs of the communities and make arrangements with their partners to collaborate over spring quarter. Teams gain empathy with stakeholders in order to develop solutions that fit into the culture, aspirations, and constraints of their intended communities.

Apr - Jun

Spring Quarter

During Spring Quarter, teams will iterate on their designs and business models through a rapid sequence of prototypes, user tests, and design reviews. Students will interact with experts and entrepreneurs who have launched social impact ventures, including several class alumni and the extended Extreme community network.

The final deliverable is a product or service framed in a comprehensive implementation plan including a business model, technical innovations, cultural rationale, and the most appropriate next steps. The course culminates in a professional presentation to the partners and a panel of industry experts.