The Stanford-Thai Exchange Program (STEP) was founded by a group of dedicated and visionary Thai/Thai-American students at Stanford in 1997. The stated mission of our founders is to extend the inspirational opportunity to study at one of the best universities in the world to students who otherwise might face difficulty in studying abroad. Through all those years, the program has grown to become a strong tradition of the Thai community at Stanford. The structure of the program has been constantly improved in order to better serve the Thai participants. Through a competitive selection process which includes essays and interviews, 5-8 students from various places throughout Thailand are admitted to the program each year. The program is widely recognized among the Stanford community, and is the only exchange program offered to Thai students by colleges in the United States.

STEP 2010

This year marks the 14th STEP since its inception in 1997. This year, the emphasis is on extending your area of interest or expertise, or exploring cultural difference. In order to nurture the effective learning process and ensure the meaningful experiences, we ask every participant to complete a project at the end of the program. The project can be cultural, scientific, comparative, etc. and can be in any field. A project should build on or is related to your personal interest, academic career, or expertise, unless you can show how you will implement what you start in the program in a long run. The examples include, but are not limited to, a scholastic observation, a small research project, a community service plan, a business model, etc.

During the program, there will be activities for participants aimed to help them through the process of producing the project. Access to Stanford’s vast academic resources will also be provided, as well as opportunities to connect with peers through extracurricular activities.

We believe that with the valuable time spent at Stanford, the learning experience will extend beyond the three-week program and will turn into a life-long learning experience. In the process of establishing friendship, the participants will get to know the real Stanford experience, as well as be inspired by the everyday people they meet.

STEP's Mission

With almost 7000 undergraduates of all ethnicities and backgrounds from 69 countries, Stanford is a truly diverse place. We, the Thai students at Stanford, cherish this exposure to a wide array of perspectives, which has greatly affected our personal growth. We also recognize the exceptional aptitude of Thai students who are studying in Thailand, whose potential can be amplified given the exposure to fresh perspectives and different cultural environments such as those offered at Stanford. We wish to share this experience with Thai students through the Stanford-Thai Exchange Program (STEP).

The overarching goals of the Stanford-Thai Exchange Program (STEP) are twofold.  One is to broaden the perspectives of the participants both intellectually and culturally. We hope to expose the students to different views of the member in the Stanford community on a variety of issues as well as impart an understanding of the shared educational philosophy at Stanford.  The second goal is to inspire the participants to take an active role in employing these newly acquired perspectives into use to the betterment of the communities of which they are parts.

During the three weeks of the program, the participants will explore their academic interest through structured seminars, lectures, discussions with mentors and faculties, and fieldtrips. They will also learn how to utilize Stanford’s vast academic resources through a number of workshops. The discussions varying from philosophical to cultural issues will promote introspective thinking and mutual learning.

The participants are also immersed into a different culture by living with foreign hosts for the entirety of the program. Through daily interaction, STEP participants and the hosts learn more about one another and appreciate the difference in the cultures of the two.

STEP is intended for Thai students who would benefit most from the intellectual and cultural diversity offered at Stanford—students with daring minds and determination, students who are open and are eager to learn. We believe that openness to differences in ideas and approaches is most important to self-improvement and the well-being of society as a whole. We are confident that STEP will provide a broader foundation from which its participants can effectively address future issues that both they and Thailand will face.