Peer Advisors
Contact any of the peer advisors if you have a question about the major and would like a student perspective!
Interested in becoming a peer advisor? It’s a great way to be involved in the major, meet new people, and spread the word about Urban Studies! Applications are due in May and are available here. If you would like to reach out to any of the peer advisors, please email them using this address: Urbst_peeradvisors [at] lists.stanford.edu (Urbst_peeradvisors[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu).
Hometown: Mexicali, Baja, CA, MX and Calexico, CA
Pronouns: They/them
Why I'm majoring in Urban Studies: I’m majoring in Urban Studies for a variety of reasons. First, the community of Urban Studies is extremely grounded and driven to work with communities, bringing an approach that is often lacking in academia and government. It’s community-centered and people-centered. Second, the urban studies major is highly interdisciplinary, connecting geographies to sociology, economics, and almost every other field. This intersection of knowledge provides a new perspective on the world that feels so rich ...
Hometown: South Pasadena, CA
Pronouns: She/her
Why I'm majoring in Urban Studies: As a premed student and a government official, my path to majoring in urban studies has been shaped by my fascination with how our surroundings affect health. My research into the connections between urban design and public health deepened my appreciation for the field. I began to realize the significant role that features like parks and walkable streets play in shaping both physical and mental health. By majoring in urban studies, I can effectively combine my interests in medicine and social equity, equipping ...
Hometown: Mill Valley, CA
Pronouns: She/her
Why I'm majoring in Urban Studies: I've always been fascinated by cities, especially after attending high school in San Francisco. I stumbled upon the Urban Studies major at the end of my sophomore year after I had already declared a different major. I had struggled to choose a major given my many different interests, so the interdisciplinary nature of Urban Studies really appealed to me. Changing my major was one of the best decisions I've ever made—it has allowed me to pursue my interests in history, sociology, design, geography, politics, literature ...
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Why I'm majoring in Urban Studies: Urban Studies is an incredibly interdisciplinary major, which has allowed me to explore classes across various departments. I've loved learning more about the forces that shape cities, the lives of the people within them, and how legacies of segregation, redlining, and gentrification continue to affect communities today. Whether your passion lies in affordable housing, homelessness prevention, healthcare, environmental justice, or politics, Urban Studies will equip you with the tools to analyze and address these issues/systems.
Favorite ...